Saudi Arabia calls on the `world` to confront the challenges of land degradation at `COP 16` Riyadh

Arab Weather - The Saudi presidency of the upcoming COP16 conference in Riyadh has called on the international community to take strong action to address drought threats and work to reclaim and restore land fertility. This call came less than a month before the start of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16) in Riyadh, as data issued by the United Nations indicate that the world is facing a severe crisis, and expectations indicate that the world will lose more suitable land equivalent to the area of some countries .

The conference presidency stressed that the activities organized by the Kingdom at the conference on the second of next December will provide an opportunity for experts and government, private and non-profit sectors to participate in this conference to come up with scientific and practical solutions to reduce land degradation, in addition to the possibility of benefiting from economic opportunities estimated at about a trillion dollars for land reclamation in the world .

In this context, Dr. Osama Faqiha, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture for Environmental Affairs and Advisor to the Presidency of COP16, Riyadh, said:

“This conference represents a critical moment for the international community, as it aims to address land degradation by working collectively to achieve the UNCCD target of restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. ”

Dr. Faqih added:

“As the host country for this conference, we invite all parties to join us in Riyadh and raise their ambitions, by supporting them to achieve land reclamation goals, drought resilience initiatives, and enhance land ownership rights .”

Countries have been adopting voluntary targets for land degradation neutrality since 2015, meaning they will not contribute to an increase in the amount of degraded land globally, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. More than 130 countries are currently participating in this program , with more than 100 countries having already chosen their targets. The Saudi presidency of the upcoming 16th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification will seek to increase the number of countries that have signed the voluntary targets for land degradation neutrality, and urge them to strengthen their ambitions and pursue their implementation .

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification estimates that $44 trillion of economic output, more than half of the world’s annual GDP, is moderately or highly dependent on natural capital. Every dollar invested in land reclamation and restoration efforts can generate up to $30 in economic returns, opening the door to a reclamation economy .

The Presidency of the Conference indicated that it has provided all the logistical capabilities to help overcome these challenges, as the "COP 16" in Riyadh will be the first version of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to establish a green zone. This innovative concept will provide a platform for companies, scientists, financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, the public and affected communities to collaborate on finding lasting solutions. Seven days of special tracks will be held during the conference, to help enrich the discussions and support the outcomes that will be reached on specific topics, including governance, agri-food systems, capacity building and financing, and a special day for science, technology and innovation .

About COP16 Riyadh

COP16 Riyadh will be held from 2 to 13 December 2024 at Riyadh Boulevard, Saudi Arabia. Under the theme “Our Land. Our Future,” the conference will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and aims to galvanize multilateral action on critical issues such as drought, land rights, and sand and dust storms.

We invite journalists to submit registration requests through the electronic system of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification .

For more information about the conference, or to register your interest in visiting the Green Zone, please visit: UNCCDCOP16.org

For media inquiries, please contact: media@unccdcop16.org

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