Food & Climate
Saudi Arabia called on the governments of the countries gathered in the United Nations General Assembly to take decisive action at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP 16), which will be hosted by Riyadh in early December.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in Saudi Arabia, and Advisor to the Presidency of COP 16, Dr. Osama bin Ibrahim Faqiha, said that climate change, loss of biodiversity and land degradation are interconnected challenges to the same crisis facing the planet, which must be addressed in an integrated and more effective manner, and that combating desertification is essential.
He said: “This year provides a unique opportunity to join forces with our colleagues in Azerbaijan and Colombia and mobilize international support to address these interconnected global environmental challenges, which have a devastating impact on the planet and its people.”
This came during a meeting held today, Sunday, September 29, 2024, for the presidencies of the next three versions of the Conference of the Parties “COP”, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (America), to determine the framework of their ambitions related to the three agreements of the Rio Environmental Initiative, which is scheduled to be held during the last quarter of this year, according to a statement received by the “Food & Climate” platform.
Combat desertification
The Rio Initiative derives its name from the historic decisions of the Earth Summit in 1992, which was held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where world governments met to build a framework for action to confront the existential challenges of climate change, desertification, loss of biodiversity and land degradation.
The New York meeting focused on enhancing cooperation between the three upcoming versions of the Conference of the Parties.
The meeting brought together the Republic of Azerbaijan, which will chair the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), the Republic of Colombia, which will chair the 16th Conference of the Parties on Biodiversity, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which will chair the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16).
The Rio Tripartite Initiative seeks to increase cooperation in combating land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as to strengthen the momentum of joint international action in UN environmental conventions.
The Saudi presidency of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16) highlighted the importance of land restoration for the health of people and the planet.
It pointed to the devastating economic, social and environmental impact of land degradation and drought, which threaten biodiversity and increase greenhouse gas emissions, thus exacerbating the challenges of food and water security.
Just transition
“We need a common agenda that is being implemented on the ground and we are ready to establish a working group to enhance coordination and cooperation. The just transition that we are talking about in the field of climate change must be embodied in synergies to avoid the degradation and damage of natural ecosystems,” said Susana Mohamed, Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development and President of COP16 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
“On the other hand, we have a valuable opportunity to plan the territories according to a more integrated approach: decarbonization, restoration of the environment, and better conditions for human life. COP16 on Biodiversity is the place to deepen understanding of these efforts,” she added, during a meeting of the presidencies of the next three COPs, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. “By strengthening cooperation across the three Rio Conventions, we aim to unleash synergies, enhance efficiency of action, and achieve tangible results that benefit people and the planet,” said COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev. “This requires us to recognize that the objectives of the relevant conventions are intrinsically interconnected and that progress in one area can spur progress in others.” The UN Convention to Combat Desertification has set a target of restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. In Riyadh, the Saudi COP16 Presidency will push for more concrete pledges to achieve this goal.
The sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024, according its website.
UNCCD COP 16 is more than a critical milestone – it represents a moonshot moment to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centered approach.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of UNCCD’s 197 Parties – 196 countries and the European Union.
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, COP16 will be the largest UN land conference to date, and the first UNCCD cop held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.