Saudi Arabia Proposes Innovative Solutions For Land Degradation At COP16 In Riyadh

The upcoming United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16 in Riyadh, scheduled from December 2 to 13, will focus on addressing global issues of land degradation, desertification, and drought. The event will feature a Negotiation Track and an Action Agenda aimed at fostering international solutions. The Negotiation Track seeks to achieve practical decisions that can be swiftly implemented by the Parties to the Convention.

Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, stated: "COP16 in Riyadh is a critical moment for the international community to address land degradation, drought, and desertification. From food and water insecurity to climate change, conflict, instability, forced migration, and how we treat our land has a profound impact on lives and livelihoods around the world."

The Action Agenda will highlight voluntary initiatives and innovative solutions essential for land restoration and drought management. This agenda will unfold through thematic days during the conference in Riyadh. These thematic days are designed to refine discussions and expedite outcomes related to these pressing issues.

Seven thematic days are planned within both Green and Blue Zones. These include Land Day on December 4, Agri-food System Day on December 5, Governance Day on December 6, People’s Day on December 7, Science, Technology, and Innovation Day on December 9, Resilience Day on December 10, and Finance Day on December 11.

The high-level segment of COP16 will feature ministerial dialogues focusing on enhancing capacities for drought resilience. Discussions will also cover financing needs and the effects of land degradation and drought on forced migration, security, prosperity, innovation, artificial intelligence, and sustainable land management.

Dr. Osama Faqeeha further added: "As the hosts, we are presiding over the first Green Zone at a UNCCD COP to mobilize the scientific community, businesses, financial institutions, NGOs, and the public to deliver lasting change. At the same time, we are engaging policymakers from around the world in a range of high-level discussions to deliver important actions formulated and adopted by multiple parties."

Urgency of Action

The UNCCD reports that nearly 40% of Earth's surface is affected by land degradation impacting over 3.2 billion people globally. The data underscores an urgent need for action as issues related to land degradation continue worsening. Annually, approximately 100 million hectares of land face degradation.

Drought frequency has surged by nearly one-third since 2000 according to UNCCD findings. Despite this urgency for corrective measures in land restoration and drought resilience initiatives suffer from inadequate funding.

COP16 aims to prioritize mobilizing finance from both public and private sectors to accelerate necessary actions against these challenges.

With inputs from SPA