The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to take place in Riyadh will focus on global resilience to drought and global agreements to curb soil impoverishment
The sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place , Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024
For the first time, COP16 will introduce a dual approach with a Negotiation Track and an Action Agenda, both interlinked to achieve bold outcomes in formal negotiations and facilitate the implementation of COP decisions
Negotiation Track focuses on critical COP decisions and political declarations essential for advancing global land and drought resilience
Action Agenda highlights voluntary commitments and actions on land, resilience and people across the thematic days during COP16
Land Day on 4 December will focus on the importance of healthy land for combating climate change, creating jobs and alleviating poverty, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions, land restoration and private sector engagement. Agri-food System Day on 5 December will highlight sustainable farming practices for resilient crops and healthy soils while protecting ecosystems. Governance Day on 6 December will address inclusive land governance, and People’s Day on 7 December will focus on the role of youth, women and civil society in decision-making.The agenda continues on 9 December with Science, Technology and Innovation Day, aiming to accelerate scientific solutions for land health.
The themes of resilience and finance will become the focus of ministerial dialogues on 2 and 3 December, and will continue during the Resilience Day on 10 December, centering on policies and technologies to build societal and planetary resilience in the face of climate change. The Finance Day on 11 December will engage financial stakeholders to showcase innovative funding mechanisms and partnerships for land and drought resilience initiatives.
Moonshot moment to raise global ambition
UNCCD COP 16 is more than a critical milestone – it represents a moonshot moment to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centered approach. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global voice for land and one of the three major UN treaties known as the Rio Conventions, alongside climate and biodiversity. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of UNCCD’s 197 Parties – 196 countries and the European Union. COP16 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 2-13 December 2024 under the theme Our Land. Our Future.
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, COP16 will be the largest UN land conference to date, and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought. COP16 is poised to be a game-changer, marking a renewed global commitment to accelerate investment and action to restore land and boost drought resilience for the benefit of people and planet.
Green Zone
As part of the largest-ever UNCCD meeting in Riyadh, the Green Zone will serve as a global platform for interaction, highlighting innovative environmental solutions, and fostering collaboration among international, regional, and Saudi entities. Designed to complement the Kingdom’s ongoing environmental initiatives, such as the Saudi Green Initiative, the Green Zone will engage the public and partners in transformative discussions and activations.
The valuable action on drylands 30 years on
«Our planet’s drylands don’t have the lush abundance of a rainforest, but they’re quietly teeming with species that have evolved to handle their extremes, and providing homes, food, and livelihoods for billions of people, too. Yet these ecosystems are also particularly vulnerable to disruption and desertification—and such changes can be permanent», informs The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), that harnesses the power of trees, forests and agroforestry landscapes to address the most pressing global challenges of our time – biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, livelihoods and inequity.
As CIFOR claims, the UN passed its Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994; to this day, it’s the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
Thirty years on, the UNCCD will gather in December of 2024 to reflect on the progress made so far—and the challenges that lie ahead – under the three focus areas of land restoration; women’s land rights; and land at the heart of the SDGs. As a global centre of excellence for soil and land restoration, integrated soil information, and soil organic carbon accounting, CIFOR-ICRAF will have a powerful presence at UNCCD COP16.
