The programme for the forthcoming UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been announced, with this year’s event featuring the dual approach of a Negotiation Track and Action Agenda to seek to accelerate solutions to global crises caused by land degradation, desertification and drought.
The UNCCD COP16 conference will take place from December 2 to 13, with the theme ‘Our Land. Our Future’. The event marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD.
The Negotiation Track will focus on decision making and political declarations from Parties to the Convention that can advance global land and drought resilience, while the Action Agenda will encourage and showcase voluntary initiatives, innovation and tangible solutions across a range of thematic days.
A ‘high-level segment’ on 2 and 3 December, meanwhile, will feature ministerial dialogues on drought resilience, finance, and the impact of land degradation and drought on forced migration, security and prosperity, acting as a platform for high-level discussion.
‘A critical moment’
“COP16 in Riyadh is a critical moment for the international community to address land degradation, drought and desertification,” commented Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia‘s deputy minister for environment, ministry of environment, water and agriculture, and advisor to the UNCCD COP16 presidency. ”From food and water insecurity to climate change, conflict, instability, and forced migration, how we treat our land has a profound impact on lives and livelihoods around the world.
“As the hosts, we are presiding over the first ever 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-profile discussions to deliver decisive multilateral action. This dual-pronged approach is vital to accelerating the land restoration and drought resilience initiatives our planet and its people so desperately need.”
Thematic days
The Action Agenda will highlight seven thematic days: Land Day (December 4), Agri-food System Day (December 5), Governance Day (December 6), People’s Day (December 7), Science, Technology and Innovation Day (December 9), Resilience Day (December 10), and Finance Day (December 11).
Land degradation affects nearly 40% of the planet and impacts the lives of over 3.2 billion people, according to the UNCCD. Read more here.
