Conference of the Parties

The Conference of the Parties (COP) was established by the Convention as its main decision-making body. It is made up of governments and organizations such as the European Union and is responsible for guiding the Convention so that it can respond to global challenges and national needs. 

COP is mandated to review reports submitted by the Parties detailing how they are carrying out their LDN commitments and make recommendations on the basis of these reports. It also has the power to make amendments to the Convention or to adopt new annexes (documents which specify how the Convention will be implemented), such as additional regional implementation annexes. 

The COP has been meeting biennially since 2001, and has held 15 sessions. The next UNCCD COP16 will take place on 2-13 December 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.