Saudi Arabia Calls For Arab States To Strengthen Drought Resilience And Land Restoration Initiatives

Saudi Arabia has urged Arab nations to enhance efforts in land restoration and drought resilience. This call was made during a series of significant ministerial meetings in Jeddah, involving countries from the MENA region. The Kingdom is preparing for its presidency of the 16th UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16), aiming to tackle issues like land degradation and desertification before the global conference in Riyadh this December.

Dr. Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment, stated, "COP16 in Riyadh will be the largest UNCCD COP to date and the first to be held in the Middle East region. It is crucial to ensure the voices of Arab states are heard and pressing concerns regarding land degradation, desertification, and drought are addressed." He emphasized the severe environmental challenges faced by the Arab region, including drought and sand storms, which have led to reduced agricultural yields and water scarcity.

This week in Jeddah, several important meetings were held to discuss regional environmental issues. These included the 35th session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment. Senior government officials from 22 countries attended these discussions. Saudi Arabia also hosted the inaugural ministerial council meeting of the Middle East Green Initiative, which aims to plant 50 billion trees across the region, with 10 billion planned for Saudi Arabia alone.

The Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Ibrahim Thiaw, addressed attendees about Saudi Arabia's upcoming presidency of UNCCD COP16. He highlighted the region's susceptibility to drought and land degradation. Thiaw urged governments, businesses, and communities to invest more in land restoration and drought resilience efforts.

An investment event is scheduled during COP16 in Riyadh on December 5th. This Ecosystems event will present a regional investment framework that combines land ecosystem restoration with sustainable development solutions. Countries and relevant organizations have been invited to participate actively.

Global Impact and Participation

The incoming UNCCD COP16 Presidency is calling for increased international action against land degradation, desertification, and drought crises. Currently, these issues affect 3.2 billion people worldwide. According to UNCCD data, human activities contribute significantly to this problem by releasing over 25% of the 2 billion tonnes of sand and dust into the atmosphere annually.

Arab nations were encouraged to engage actively at COP16 Riyadh through daily Arab Group meetings during the conference. Participation is expected in negotiations, high-level meetings, and side events within designated zones. The aim is for COP16 to deliver substantial international action on these critical issues affecting both regional and global communities.

COP16 will convene in Riyadh this December with a focus on mobilizing governments, businesses, NGOs, and financial institutions. The goal is to accelerate actions related to land restoration, drought resilience, sand storms management, and securing land tenure rights.

With inputs from SPA