Environment
COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from December 2-13, 2024, under the theme “Our Land. Our Future”. This marks the largest UN land conference to date and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Key highlights of COP16 include:
- Global Drought Regime: Negotiations are underway to establish the first global regime for drought resilience, addressing systemic risks highlighted in previous UNCCD articles and decisions.
- Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership: Saudi Arabia announced this initiative, securing initial pledges of $2.15 billion to support 80 vulnerable and drought-affected countries.
- High-Level Participation: The conference features a Heads of States Summit and interactive dialogues, uniting leaders from governments, private sector, and civil society.
- Saudi Green Initiatives: Saudi Arabia showcased its efforts, including Vision 2030, the Saudi Green Initiative aiming to rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, and the Middle East Green Initiative for large-scale reforestation.
- Special Report on Land: Johan Rockström presented a report emphasizing the links between land, resilience, and planetary health.
- Dual Approach: COP16 introduced a Negotiation Track for formal decisions and an Action Agenda for voluntary commitments.
- Dryland Forests Focus: A side event on December 6 will highlight the significance of dryland forests in achieving land degradation neutrality and combating biodiversity loss and climate change.
COP16 aims to accelerate global action on land restoration and drought resilience, marking a renewed commitment to addressing these critical environmental challenges.
