UNCCD COP16 aims to scale up action about land restoration and global cooperation on drought resilience.
The UNCCD COP16 will gather global leaders and high-level officials, at the Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for the 2-3 December.
Heads of State, business executives, and global leaders will convene to address desertification, land degradation and drought at global and regional levels.
This will be the first time, the UNCCD COP is held in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The event will coincide with the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, one of three Rio Conventions alongside climate and biodiversity.
About 40% of the world’s land is degraded, directly impacting 3.2 billion people.
In addition, droughts have increased in frequency and intensity by 29 per cent since 2000 and by 2050, three-quarters of the global population could be affected by drought.
In a year of high-level environmental negotiations, with all three Rio Conventions holding crucial meetings between October and December in Cali, Baku and Riyadh, UNCCD COP16 will be a critical milestone in advancing global efforts to combat land degradation, desertification and drought, and promote sustainable development.
The Summit’s theme is “Our Land. Our Future,” the conference will convene 197 Parties (196 countries and the European Union), experts and civil society to promote urgent action.
Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, said “Riyadh 2024 is expected to be a turning point, a game-changer for the global land and drought resilience agenda. After many years of discussions and negotiations, countries are expected to agree on how to tackle the critical issue of drought.
In Riyadh, Parties are also expected to move from pledges to concrete implementation on land restoration. Finally, COP16 will help us understand that land loss and water scarcity have a human face. The most vulnerable communities expect concrete results and bold decisions from this COP.”
Picture: Ouriniza