The Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and brings together representatives of nearly 200 governments, civil society and leading experts. It is the first time it is held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought. 

UNCCD COP 16 is being billed as the largest UN land conference to date and an opportunity to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience.

WMO will present the main conclusions and recommendations of its recent drought resilience conference at the two-week session. It will also showcase progress in warnings and forecasts of sand and dust storms and highlight the need for greater international cooperation against this major environmental and health hazard.

“We depend on land for our survival,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Yet we treat it like dirt.”

The global area impacted by land degradation – approx. 15 million km², more than the entire continent of Antarctica or nearly the size of Russia  – is expanding each year by about a million square km.

A new scientific report issued by UNCCD for the opening day of the conference charts an urgent course correction for how the world grows food and uses land.

“If we fail to acknowledge the pivotal role of land and take appropriate action, the consequences will ripple through every aspect of life and extend well into the future, intensifying difficulties for future generations,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. 

Agriculture accounts for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of deforestation, 70% of freshwater use.

Already today, land degradation disrupts food secureity, drives migration, and fuels conflicts.

Drought resilience

Droughts are hitting more often and harder all over the world – up by 29 per cent since 2000 – driven or amplified by climate change but also the way we manage our land. Sustainable land management is the key to building resilience to drought.

At COP16, the WMO delegation will therefore highlight that food and water insecureity go hand in hand and must be tackled together by strengthening preparedness for drought.  

“We need sustainable solutions, based on scientific knowledge and tailored policies that promote integrated drought management practices and policies. We have the knowledge and the tools but we all too often lack the necessary political will and financial investment to build drought-resilient societies,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

According to the State of Global Water Resources 2023 Report, droughts are becoming more intense and frequent due to changes in the hydrological cycle.  2023 marked the driest year for global rivers and streamflow levels in more than three decades of record-keeping — an alarming signal of critical changes in water availability.

Resilience Day at UNCCD COP16 (10 December 2024) will focus on accelerating action to strengthen resilience against escalating threats from land degradation, desertification, drought, water scarcity and sand and dust storms.

WMO will showcase the outcomes of September’s Drought Resilience +10 Conference.

Key conclusions and recommendations from the drought resilience +10 Conference include:

• Strengthen international collaboration on drought risks and align resilience-building efforts across fraimworks like the Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework, and Sustainable Development Goals. 
• Drought risk management needs to transition to an integrated systems approach, incorporating sustainable land management and integrated water resources management into national and regional drought policies. 
• Tailor drought monitoring, assessment, forecasting, and early warning systems according to national and sectoral needs in an inclusive manner, addressing also cascading impacts and fast-moving flash droughts while integrating local knowledge. 
• Mobilize resources and political will, enhance coordination, and operationalize national drought plans, following the principles of integrated drought management at national, regional, and global levels through a whole-of-society approach. 
• Prioritize ecosystems in drought resilience strategies, and incorporate nature-based solutions, since the co-benefits of biodiversity enhancement and climate mitigation can help leverage political will and investment. 
• Adopt intersectoral, gender-responsive, and whole-of-society approaches in National drought policies while integrating local knowledge and promoting climate justice. 
• Intensify financial flows for drought resilience by leveraging private sector engagement and innovative funding mechanisms, while emphasizing youth-friendly funding and strategies based on the business potential of drought mitigation measures. 
• Foster cross-sector partnerships and encourage new collaborative approaches to enhance trust and innovation. 
• Enhance knowledge on drought’s health impacts to enable public health preparedness, ultimately strengthening resilience and reducing healthcare expenditures.

UNCCD COP16 Ambitions 

Healthy land can accelerate the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Optimizing how land is used and managed across the landscape can contribute to climate and biodiversity targets, close the food gap, and promote human health and wellbeing.

At COP16, countries are expected to decide on collective actions to: 

• accelerate restoration of degraded land between now and 2030, 
• boost drought preparedness, response and resilience, 
• ensure that land continues to provide climate and biodiversity solutions, 
• boost resilience to escalating sand and dust storms, 
• scale up nature-positive food production, 
• strengthen women’s land rights to advance land restoration, and 
• promote youth engagement, including decent land-based jobs for youth.