The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) opens from 2 to 10 December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The summit has been called a moonshot moment for protecting and restoring land, and building drought resilience. It coincides with the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, one of the three so-called Rio Conventions that aim to address the interconnected environmental crises: the crisis of climate change and the crisis of nature, land and biodiversity loss.
Up to 40 per cent of the planet’s land is degraded, according to the UNCCD. That directly affects half of humanity and disproportionately harms those who are least equipped to cope: rural communities and the poor.
COP16 comes in a year that drought has wracked countries from Latin America to Europe to Southern Africa.
“COP16 is a pivotal conference, one that must prioritize resilience-based responses to tackling the escalating crisis of land degradation,” said Susan Gardner, director of the Ecosystems Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “By focusing on restoring soil health and scaling up nature-positive food production, COP16 can map a pathway toward a more sustainable future for hundreds of millions of people.”
Here are some of the key topics expected to shape discussions in Riyadh.
1. Building drought resilience
Drought, intensified by climate change and poor land management, threatens agriculture and water security worldwide. Some 55 million people are directly affected by droughts every year, making it the most serious hazard to livestock and crops in nearly every part of the world.
To elevate drought on the global agenda, COP16 will launch the International Drought Resilience Observatory. The artificial-intelligence-powered platform will allow governments around the world to analyse and visualize drought resilience indicators, enabling informed decision making. Saudi Arabia, which is hosting COP16, is also expected to launch the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, which aims to enhance multilateral efforts to strengthen drought resilience.
At COP16, world leaders are expected to adopt a landmark decision on drought resilience, creating what some call a “Paris-Agreement moment” for land and drought with a focus on supporting vulnerable ecosystems, economies, and communities, particularly in developing nations.
2. Achieving land degradation neutrality
High on the agenda at UNCCD COP16 is addressing land degradation, which undermines biodiversity, soil fertility and food security. The UNCCD’s Land Degradation Neutrality initiative aims to halt and reverse degradation by 2030, with 131 countries already committed.
Through efforts like the Changwon Initiative, which supports national voluntary target setting, and technical assistance from organizations like UNEP, nations are looking to make strides on halting degradation and restoring landscapes.
3. Transforming food systems
Agriculture is a major driver of land degradation. The expansion of farming has cleared or transformed an estimated 70 per cent of grasslands and 50 per cent of savannahs worldwide. At the same time, land degradation could reduce global food productivity by 12 per cent, causing food prices to soar by up to 30 per cent by 2040.
UNCCD COP16 will focus on transforming agri-food systems to address land degradation, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions by promoting sustainable farming practices like agroecology, regenerative agriculture and drip irrigation.
4. Mitigating sand and dust storms
Sand and dust storms — which have increased in frequency, intensity and geographical range in recent decades — have an immense impact on the global economy, destroying crops, and sickening people and animals.
An estimated 2 billion tons of dust are emitted into the atmosphere annually. Dust storms can also be triggered and exacerbated by climate change, drought, land degradation and unsustainable management of land and water resources.
At COP16, nations are expected to discuss how sustainable land management and early warning systems can blunt some of those impacts.
5. Addressing gender inequality in land management
Despite their crucial role in the global food system, women own less than 20 per cent of global land. This disparity in land tenure restricts women and other marginalized groups access to resources like credit, training and decision-making power. These structural inequalities leave women especially vulnerable.
Enacting gender-positive policies, including the promotion of equal land tenure rights and encouraging women’s leadership in sustainable land management, are expected to be a major issue parties will discuss at COP16.
About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the years 2021 through 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Led by the UN Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, together with the support of partners, it is designed to prevent, halt, and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. It aims at reviving billions of hectares, covering terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems. A global call to action, the UN Decade draws together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration.
