RIYADH — The largest-ever meeting of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will commence in Riyadh, bringing together global leaders, policymakers, scientists, businesses, and NGOs to address the pressing challenges of land degradation, drought, and desertification.

Running from December 2 to 13, COP16 is set to drive multilateral action and foster innovative solutions for global land restoration and drought resilience.

The conference will open with a series of high-profile summits, ministerial dialogues, and key announcements.

On December 2, Saudi Arabia's UNCCD Presidency will launch the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Initiative, aiming to enhance international collaboration on drought resilience and establish a proactive approach to tackling global drought challenges.

A key highlight of COP16 will be the One Water Summit, taking place on December 3.

The summit, held in partnership with Saudi Arabia, will focus on global water scarcity and governance, featuring prominent leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and World Bank President Ajay Banga.

In parallel, the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Forum will run from December 2-3, hosting policymakers, business leaders, and experts in the SGI Pavilion within COP16’s Green Zone.

The forum will highlight progress under SGI’s energy and environmental tracks while exploring best practices and future projections.

From December 6-8, the Second International Forum on Greening Technologies will convene tailored sessions to showcase global restoration projects, innovative solutions, and scientific research.

“This is a critical moment to address land degradation, drought, and desertification,” said Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment, Water, and Agriculture, and Advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency.

“For too long, these crises have not received the attention they deserve. As hosts, we welcome the world to Riyadh to deliver the largest UNCCD COP to date and mobilize multilateral action on land restoration and drought resilience.”

Saudi Arabia’s COP16 Presidency is committed to advancing the Action Agenda, encouraging governments and non-state actors to champion initiatives addressing land degradation and desertification.

Over the next two years, the Kingdom aims to strengthen synergies among these initiatives to deliver sustainable, measurable progress.

"The Action Agenda under COP16 sets an ambitious vision to harness the collective energies of businesses, farmers, regions, cities, civil society, and indigenous peoples to drive practical solutions and measurable progress toward UNCCD goals,” said Nigel Topping, Founder of Ambition Loop and former UN Climate Change High-Level Champion at COP26.

This marks the first UNCCD conference in the Middle East, the first to feature a Green Zone, and the largest multilateral event ever hosted by Saudi Arabia.

According to UNCCD, nearly 40% of the planet is affected by land degradation, impacting 3.2 billion people globally. Alarmingly, 100 million hectares of land are degraded annually, while drought intensity has increased by nearly a third since 2000. — SG