RIYADH: The largest-ever meeting of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification started in Riyadh on Monday with an aim to bolster global drought resilience.
During the meeting running from December 2 to 13, a number of high-profile summits and ministerial dialogues would be held to address the challenges associated with land degradation, degradation and drought.
French President Emmanuel Macron is likely to be among the attendees. Meanwhile, the Saudi Green Initiative Forum, running from December 2 to 3, will host hundreds of policymakers, business leaders and experts from around the world in a dedicated pavilion in the COP16 Green Zone.
The Second International Forum on Greening Technologies will also be held in the Green Zone from December 6-8, including dozens of sessions to explore solutions, innovations, and lessons learned from global greening projects.
Speaking during the first plenary meeting, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and COP16 President Abdulrahman Alfadley said that the initiative would promote multilateral efforts in the countries most impacted by drought.
“The launching of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership aims at promoting multilateral efforts to promote resilience, namely in the countries most impacted by drought. It includes proactive partnerships to support the UNCCD,” Al-Fadhley said.
Alfadley said that the loss of biodiversity and climate change threaten the fundamental elements of life, affecting 1.8 billion people and driving increased migration. He emphasised the need to strengthen international efforts to tackle these challenges, within the framework of the Convention to Combat Desertification, and expressed optimism about reaching a new phase in land conservation, drought reduction, and achieving water and food security, as well as the overall quality of life.
The EU is set to intensify global collaboration at COP16 in Riyadh, working with international partners to tackle desertification, land degradation, and drought.
In a press release, the 27 member-bloc said these issues are global challenges that require urgent action and scaling up of viable solutions, adding that they, exacerbated by climate change, also aggravate economic, social problems such as migration and forced displacement.
Jessika Roswall, commissioner for environment, water resilience, and competitive circular economy, who is representing the EU at COP16, said: “The world loses 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land every year – around twice the size of France. Without rich and fertile soils, we have no food. Without healthy land, people lose their livelihoods.”
Saudi Arabia aims to secure concrete outcomes from COP16 with the establishment of a “Friends of the Chair” group. Osama Faqeeha, Saudi deputy minister of environment and advisor to the COP16 president, announced the formation of the group, emphasising its role in shaping the conference’s ministerial declaration.
“The Friends of the Chair group will be facilitated by a group representing the COP presidency, and a report on the outcomes of its work will be submitted directly to me in my capacity as President,” Faqeeha stated.
Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the UN, called for urgent global action, particularly around strengthening international cooperation on land degradation, ramping up restoration work, and mobilising finance at scale.
