The United Nations Environment Assembly, 

Underlining the importance of strengthening actions for nature for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the Convention on Biological Diversity and other biodiversity-related conventions, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement adopted thereunder, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 and the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development 2020–2030; looking forward to the adoption and implementation of an ambitious, balanced, practical, effective and robust post-2020 global biodiversity framework; and noting the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature: United to Reverse Biodiversity Loss by 2030 for Sustainable Development, 

Welcoming the report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services entitled Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services1 and the contribution of Working Group I, entitled Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, 2 and Working Group II, entitled Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, 3 to the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and taking note of other relevant reports, 

Recognizing the interdependencies between biodiversity loss, pollution, climate change, desertification and land degradation and their interlinkages with human well-being, including health, and the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems, 

Recognizing also that a key opportunity for strengthening actions for nature to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is to enhance cooperation, implementation and the scaling up of nature-based solutions, while ensuring their social and environmental safeguards, given that nature-based solutions are efficient and effective when designed on a context-specific basis to achieve multiple benefits and applied in accordance with the best available science, 

Recalling decisions V/6, VI/12, VII/11 and IX/7 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity on the ecosystem approach, and its decision 14/5 on biodiversity and climate change, and recognizing, for the parties to the Convention, the indispensable role of the Convention in the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity and in the integrated management of natural resources, 

Acknowledging the need for a multilaterally agreed definition of the concept of nature-based solutions, cognizant of and in harmony with the concept of ecosystem-based approaches, and in the light of concerns about the potential misuse of the concept of nature-based solutions, 

1. Decides that nature-based solutions are actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits, and recognizes that nature-based solutions: 

(a) Respect social and environmental safeguards, in line with the three “Rio conventions” (the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), including such safeguards for local communities and indigenous peoples; 

(b) Can be implemented in accordance with local, national and regional circumstances, consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and can be managed adaptively; 

(c) Are among the actions that play an essential role in the overall global effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including by effectively and efficiently addressing major social, economic and environmental challenges, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation, desertification, food security, disaster risks, urban development, water availability, poverty eradication, inequality and unemployment, as well as social development, sustainable economic development, human health and a broad range of ecosystem services; 

(d) Can help to stimulate sustainable innovation and scientific research; 

2. Recognizes that nature-based solutions may contribute significantly to climate action, while recognizing the need for analysis of their effects, including in the long term, and acknowledging that they do not replace the need for rapid, deep and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, but can improve action for adaptation and resilience to and mitigation of climate change and its impact; 

3. Also recognizes the potential of sustainable and environmentally sound bio-based products, innovation and technologies that result from nature-based solutions, when they contribute to sustainable consumption and production and are beneficial to nature and consistent with international commitments and relevant multilateral agreements on biodiversity, climate, environment and sustainable development, while cognizant of the potential associated risks, including for local communities and indigenous peoples; 

4. Acknowledges that the concept of nature-based solutions is cognizant of and in harmony with the concept of ecosystem-based approaches identified under the Convention on Biological Diversity and other management and conservation approaches carried out under existing national policy and legislative frameworks and established under relevant multilateral environmental agreements; 

5. Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, subject to the availability of resources and to further support the implementation of nature-based solutions, as defined in the present resolution, to convene intergovernmental consultations in a transparent, inclusive, regionally balanced manner, striving for gender balance, in order to undertake the following: 

(a) Compile examples of best practice in nature-based solutions, based on the best available science; 

(b) Assess existing and discuss potential new proposals, criteria, standards and guidelines to address divergences, with a view to achieving a common understanding among Member States for the implementation of nature-based solutions, including to support Member States in designing, implementing and evaluating nature-based solutions, building on existing work, initiatives and platforms, as appropriate, and without prejudice to existing efforts and initiatives of and new proposals from individual Member States; 

(c) Identify options for supporting sustainable investment in nature-based solutions and share information on bilateral and multilateral sources of finance to enable developing countries to develop and deploy nature-based solutions; 

6. Also requests the Executive Director, subject to the availability of resources, to support the intergovernmental consultations, including enabling the participation of developing countries and relevant partners and stakeholders, consistent with applicable United Nations rules; 

7. Calls upon Member States and the Executive Director, in collaboration with other relevant United Nations entities, to support the implementation of the present resolution in partnership with local communities, women and youth as well as with indigenous peoples, with their free, prior and informed consent, as their knowledge and methods have proved effective in conserving, restoring and sustainably using biodiversity; 

8. Calls upon Member States to follow a country-driven, gender-responsive, participatory and fully transparent approach when designing, implementing and monitoring nature-based solutions.