The 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (COP16) kicked off in grand fashion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 2. 197 Parties from around the world gathered together to jointly combat one of the world’s deadliest and most costly disasters – land desertification, and participants made major political and financial commitments to strengthen global drought resistance.
International Energy Network learned that the COP16 will focus on establishing the first global drought resistance mechanism to respond to the systemic drought risks emphasized in multiple provisions of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the decisions of the past seven Conferences of the Parties. China will share with the world its experience in sand control over the past 50 years during the COP16.
A major topic of the conference will be negotiations on the future global drought resilience system, which is the first global mechanism on such a topic. Multiple provisions of the text of the Convention to Combat Desertification mention drought resistance, the past seven Conferences of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification have also adopted decisions related to drought resistance.
Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, addressed on the opening ceremony, “We are all gathered here to make COP16 a historic moment,” he added, “the world expects Parties to adopt a bold decision that can help turn the tide on the most pervasive and the most disruptive environmental disaster.Drought is a slow onset, a silent killer.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, host of UNCCD COP16, announced the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership on the opening day of the meeting, which will leverage public and private finance to support 80 of the most vulnerable and drought-hit countries around the world. An initial US $2.15 billion have been pledged towards the Riyadh Partnership by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (US$150 million), the Islamic Development Bank (US$1 billion) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (US$1 billion). The Arab Coordination Group, which encompasses 10 institutions headquartered in five countries, is expected announce its pledge on day two of COP16.
The landmark World Drought Atlas was released during the conference. The International Energy Network learned that the atlas, through dozens of maps, infographics and case studies, highlights the systemic risks of drought across critical sectors like energy, agriculture, river transport and trade, using maps, infographics and case studies to showcase its cascading impacts on inequality, conflict and public health.
The atlas wants to explain to people the need to develop national drought response plans and strengthen international cooperation in order to maintain the stability of communities, economies and ecosystems in the face of more severe drought events.
The report “Investing in land’s future” was also released during the conference. It is expected that more research reports related to combating global land desertification will be released during this conference, which will analyze aspects such as land investment and drought economics.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the only legally binding international agreement on good land management. It supports communities and countries to create wealth and ensure nutritious food, clean water and energy through sustainable land management. Through partnerships, the 197 parties to the Convention have also established a strong system to actively manage drought risks. Good land management based on reasonable policies and science helps integrate and accelerate the achievement of sustainable development goals, enhance resilience to climate change, and prevent biodiversity loss.
