Synergies, not silos, create solutions. Synergies represent the greater power of working together rather than separately. Nowhere is this more evident than in the three Rio Conventions-the treaties designed to protect life on earth.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the UN Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) were adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 to address global environmental challenges and provide solutions. These solutions are only viable if they are grounded in gender equality and human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all.

This brief highlights the urgency of addressing gender inequalities across the Rio Conventions, provides examples of where progress has been made, and identifies clear entry points for addressing gender equality considerations across the Conventions. It makes recommendations for actions to accelerate the synergistic implementation of the gender provisions and action plans of the Conventions.