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Excellencies,Compared to other regions, the Arab world is probably the one most affected by desertification and drought. From the Maghreb to the Gulf, from the Sahara and the Sahel to the shores of the Indian Ocean and the Red sea.More than anywhere else in the world, the Arab region is facing a water crisis.The region’s famous waterways are disappearing.Once-roaring rivers have been reduced to trickles that can easily be crossed on foot.With only 2 per cent of the world’s renewable water supplies, the Arab region is one of the driest region in the world.What could be more fitting than for the Arab region to host this year the most universal of United Nations assemblies devoted to land degradation and water scarcity?What could be more meaningful than for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to have been chosen by the 197 contracting Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to host COP16 in Riyadh?During the two weeks of the COP this December and the intersessional period that follows, all eyes will be on, and hopes will be pinned on Arab leadership.The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the opportunity to usher a new chapter for the Convention, as it marks its 30th anniversary this year.For too long, many viewed the loss of arable land and drought-induced disruptions as local problems to be solved by the affected countries, with international support limited to humanitarian aid and small-scale projects.However, scientific advancements have revealed that these natural phenomena are deeply interconnected, with climate change and land degradation driving social consequences such as forced migration, inter-community conflicts, and growing competition for resources such as fertile land and water.Let us say it loud and clear: world peace, prosperity and human security may be under even greater threat unless we take a more serious look at the issues of land and water.We need to produce twice as much food over the next few decades, to meet our growing needs (and greed), at a time when it is necessary to cut back on the amount of agricultural land and freshwater we use, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones.I want to take this opportunity to stress to you the urgency of investing more in land restoration and drought resilience to avert this global crisis.This is because the benefits of restoration extend beyond agriculture, boosting job creation, biodiversity and economic growth.Let there be no misunderstanding: land degradation and drought may well manifest themselves locally, but their consequences are global.Often, the root causes of these wounds are historical and partly exogenous to the territories affected. Consequently, solutions to address their enormous consequences must be global as well.UNCCD COP 16 is therefore the ideal time to better position Arab League countries at the global level in this crucial area.First and foremost, to offer their long experience and share their traditional knowledge in combating desertification and managing water crises.Second: by proving to the world that it's possible to live decently in arid zones, as long as you respect and adapt to nature.Third, by leading by example in investing in land restoration and drought resilience.COP 16 is not just a conference.COP16 will be a landmark event for accelerating action on land and drought resilience and a gamechanger for the green transition in Saudi Arabia and indeed the Arab region and beyond.Finally, I would like to say that the countries of the Arab League and the Arab Coordination Group can leave an indelible mark on the world from their first UNCCD COP. By giving decisive support to the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, promoted by Saudi Arabia, you will make history.This COP16 is yours. From 2 to 13 December, Riyadh will be the world capital of intense negotiations on Land degradationn and drought.Together, let's make COP 16 Riyadh a success.

Un nuevo informe presenta soluciones lideradas por mujeres para aumentar la resiliencia a la sequíaLas mujeres producen hasta el 80% de los alimentos en los países en desarrollo, pero menos del 20% de los propietarios de tierras son mujeres.Las sequías contribuyen al 15% de las pérdidas económicas relacionadas con catástrofes en todo el mundo y son responsables del 85,8% de las muertes de ganado.Bonn, Alemania, 15 de octubre de 2024 – Las mujeres y las niñas se ven especialmente afectadas por los impactos de la sequía, pero también están demostrando un notable liderazgo a la hora de hacerle frente, según el nuevo informe de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación (CNULD) y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO).El informe ‘Soluciones para la resiliencia a la sequía lideradas por mujeres’, presentado con motivo del Día Internacional de la Mujer Rural, pide que se reconozcan y apoyen en mayor grado los esfuerzos liderados por mujeres para proteger a las comunidades vulnerables de los efectos devastadores de la sequía. Asimismo, remarca que los derechos de las mujeres sobre la tierra son cruciales para alcanzar la seguridad alimentaria."Durante mucho tiempo, las mujeres han sido consideradas como las más vulnerables a la sequía, pero tal y como revela este informe, también son las más resilientes, liderando el camino en el desarrollo de soluciones a uno de los desafíos más acuciantes del mundo", dijo Ibrahim Thiaw, Secretario Ejecutivo de la CNULD. "El ingenio y la inventiva de las mujeres que luchan contra la sequía en todo el mundo no tienen límites. Ya sea en la región africana del Sahel, en el norte de Kenia, en Irán, en Perú o en Marruecos, las mujeres han demostrado su resiliencia y su capacidad para superar las condiciones más complicadas con el fin de proteger el bienestar de sus familias. Abordar la desigualdad de género no es sólo una cuestión de justicia: es una oportunidad para aprovechar un potencial sin explotar en la lucha contra el cambio climático."Desigualdades de género e impactos desproporcionadosLas mujeres y las niñas se ven desproporcionadamente afectadas por la sequía debido a las persistentes desigualdades estructurales de género, que limitan su acceso a recursos esenciales como la tierra, el agua y los servicios financieros. Estas desigualdades también suponen una enorme carga de trabajo para las mujeres y las niñas. En muchas zonas afectadas por la sequía, las mujeres son las principales responsables de recoger agua, a menudo caminando largas distancias, lo que pone en riesgo su salud y seguridad. Además, se ocupan de tareas no remuneradas, como el cuidado de niños y ancianos, lo que complica aún más su capacidad para hacer frente a la sequía y muestra la necesidad de que los planes contra la sequía tengan en cuenta los retos específicos a los que se enfrentan las mujeres.Principales conclusiones: Las mujeres impulsan la resiliencia mundial a la sequíaA pesar de enfrentarse a barreras sistémicas como un acceso escaso a la propiedad de la tierra, las mujeres están desarrollando soluciones innovadoras que permiten a sus comunidades adaptarse a unas condiciones medioambientales cada vez más duras.El papel de la mujer en la producción de alimentos: Las mujeres producen hasta el 80% de los alimentos en los países en desarrollo, pero poseen menos del 20% de la tierra en todo el mundo. Esta disparidad limita su acceso a recursos como el crédito y la formación y su capacidad para prepararse y recuperarse de las sequías, lo que agrava su vulnerabilidad al cambio climático.Impacto mundial de la sequía: Las sequías contribuyen al 15% de las pérdidas económicas relacionadas con catástrofes en todo el mundo y son responsables del 85,8% de las muertes de ganado. En las regiones agrícolas de secano, la sequía amenaza los medios de subsistencia de las mujeres, que constituyen una parte importante de la mano de obra agrícola.Degradación de la tierra y pobreza: Hasta el 40% de las tierras del mundo están degradadas, lo que afecta a más de 3.200 millones de personas. Como consecuencia de la degradación de tierras y la sequía, muchas mujeres se ven obligadas a caminar distancias más largas para obtener agua potable y recoger leña para sus familias.Beneficios económicos del derecho de las mujeres a la tierra: Las investigaciones demuestran que garantizar los derechos sobre la tierra a las mujeres mejora la nutrición de los hogares, aumenta el gasto en la educación de los hijos y mejora las condiciones económicas generales. Iniciativas lideradas por mujeres en todo el mundoEl informe presenta 35 estudios de caso de África, Asia y América Latina que muestran la iniciativa de las mujeres a la hora de aumentar la resiliencia a la sequía. Por ejemplo, a través de prácticas de conservación del agua y técnicas agrícolas adaptadas a un clima cambiante.En Perú, las pastoras combinan conocimientos modernos y tradicionales para gestionar los recursos hídricos mediante el control ecohidrológico, manteniendo la cobertura vegetal durante todo el año para sostener al ganado y mitigar los efectos de la sequía.En la India, las mujeres han desarrollado sistemas de recogida de agua de lluvia durante los monzones, asegurando el agua para los cultivos durante los periodos secos y salvaguardando la producción de alimentos.En Kirguizistán, las mujeres restauran tierras degradadas cultivando hierbas medicinales, con lo que recuperan paisajes al tiempo que generan fuentes de ingresos sostenibles.Mirando al futuro: Liderazgo femenino en la COP16Las conclusiones de Soluciones lideradas por mujeres para la resiliencia a la sequía servirán de base para los debates de la 16ª Conferencia de las Partes (COP16) de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación (CNULD), que se celebrará en Riad (Arabia Saudí) del 2 al 13 de diciembre de 2024. Uno de los principales objetivos de la COP16 de la CNULD, incluido su Grupo de Género, será ampliar las iniciativas lideradas por mujeres y garantizar que las estrategias que tengan en cuenta las cuestiones de género se sitúen en el centro de los esfuerzos mundiales de resiliencia a la sequía. El aumento de la inversión en estas estrategias será fundamental para ayudar a las comunidades a hacer frente a los crecientes retos medioambientales que plantean la desertificación, la degradación de la tierra y la sequía en todo el mundo.Notas a los editores El informe está publicado por la Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación (CNULD) y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO) y cuenta con el apoyo de la Alianza Internacional para la Resiliencia a la Sequía (IDRA), el Gobierno de Canadá y la Sociedad Alemana de Cooperación Internacional (GIZ).Webinar con el autor del informeEl 15 de octubre, de 16:00 a 17:30 CEST (14:00 a 15:30 GMT), se celebrará un seminario web en el que participará la experta mundial en cuestiones de género Lorena Aguilar, Directora Ejecutiva del Instituto Kaschak para mujeres y niñas, y autora del informe ‘Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience’.Para inscribirse: https://unccd-int.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HiTabvUDQpSPGLfBKnvoagDescargar el informe completo El informe completo Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience está disponible en inglés: Soluciones lideradas por mujeres para la resiliencia a la sequía | UNCCD  Medios de comunicaciónLos medios de comunicación pueden contactar con la Oficina de Prensa de la CNULD en press@unccd.int o unccd@portland-communications.com.Los activos de las redes sociales, incluidas fotos y vídeos, están disponibles en:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZRbzjUbDITX0HmOQEQyhLzCvI0vLO3H9Campaña #HerLand de la CNULDAcerca de la CNULDLa Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación (CNULD) es un acuerdo internacional sobre la gestión sostenible de las tierras del mundo. Ayuda a las personas, las comunidades y los países a crear riqueza y a asegurar alimentos suficientes, agua limpia y energía, garantizando a los usuarios de la tierra un entorno propicio para su buena gestión. De forma conjunta, las 197 partes de la Convención establecen también a establecen sistemas para gestionar la sequía con prontitud y eficacia. Una buena gestión de la tierra basada en políticas y conocimientos científicos sólidos contribuye a integrar y acelerar la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, aumenta la resiliencia al cambio climático y evita la pérdida de biodiversidad.  Acerca del Día Internacional de la Mujer Rural  El Día Internacional de la Mujer Rural, que se celebra anualmente el 15 de octubre, pone de relieve el papel fundamental que desempeñan las mujeres rurales en sustento de sus comunidades y de los sistemas alimentarios mundiales. El lema para 2024, ‘Las mujeres rurales cultivan alimentos buenos para todos’ destaca su contribución desde la producción de cultivos hasta la distribución de alimentos, a pesar de enfrentarse a desigualdades sistémicas como el acceso limitado a la tierra, los recursos financieros y la toma de decisiones. Como impulsoras de la seguridad alimentaria, las mujeres rurales son esenciales para construir sistemas agrícolas más resilientes y sostenibles, lo que constituye un paso esencial hacia la consecución de objetivos de desarrollo mundiales como el hambre cero y la igualdad de género. 

Madame Minister, Marina da Silva,Ladies and gentlemen,Bom dia!I have indelible memories of my visit to Brazil last June, when Minister Marina Silva invited me to visit the Caatinga region with her. It was instructive for me to discover the extent of land degradation and drought in a country mostly known for its lush forests and vast rivers. It was news to me that the arid and semi-arid zones of Brazil cover 1.4 million km2 and that 59 per cent of the territory is affected by drought, 1/3 of which by extreme drought! How to feed these people? How to supply them with clean water and reliable energy? How, in these conditions, can we promote industrialization, create jobs and ensure human well-being? Brazil’s case is just an example of how land degradation and drought are having serious impacts in the world. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, We are living in a paradoxical bubble. While in theory the world has never accumulated so much wealth, there have never been such striking disparities and inequalities, so many displaced populations, so much forced migration. The number of people without jobs or secure livelihoods is rising inexorably in many parts of the world. While certain countries in the world are reservoirs of mineral resources and agricultural commodities, forest and fishery products, some of these same countries are experiencing the most appalling poverty. This calls for a rethinking of our economic models. For far too long, we have adopted policies of extraction, exportation of raw material, processing abroad, re-exporting, using and discarding. This type of linear extractive economy, whether agricultural or mining, often leads to inequality, resentment and dissension. Perpetuating this model in this 21st century is ruinous and counterproductive. It is obsolete and needs to be reviewed. Given the current level of degradation of our land (up to 40 per cent of fertile land is already degraded), and in view of the trends towards 2050, we have little choice but to review our policies and practices. And the G20 Environmental meetings is the place to start rethinking, perhaps with the South African Presidency. Challengingly, we must produce at least 50 per cent more food, while leaving a smaller footprint on the planet. Producing more nutritious food with less: less land, less water, less pollution. Not an easy equation, but not impossible to solve. One of the most accessible, sustainable and natural solutions is large-scale restoration of degraded land. In addition to the fertile land already in use, we have a reservoir of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land which can be rehabilitated, cared for and put back into production. The investment required is relatively modest in view of the return on investment and economic income, estimated at between 7 to 30 times the original investment.Beyond economics, bringing degraded land back to health provides multiple other solutions: Restoring degraded land is often the best way of combating forced migration, recognizing that people have no choice but to flee when they cannot provide food and dignity to their families. The correlations between forced migration and arid lands has been established…Restoring degraded land therefore fights against poverty (think of those who have no other asset than their ancestral land); Investing in land restoration can also reduce conflicts and insecurity, particularly conflicts over access to fertile land and scarce water. Land and Water are often the (neglected) root causes or the (poorly understood) triggers of conflicts. Finally, land restoration meets climate change ambitions (both mitigation and adaptation), biodiversity (target 2 of the Global Biodiversity Framework) and, of course, the fight against land degradation (Land Degradation Neutrality), i.e. the ambitions of the so-called Rio Conventions. It is encouraging that the G20 established in 2020 a Global Land Restoration Initiative aiming at halving degraded lands in the world by 2040. The implementation of such a visionary initiative is however timid and needs to be boosted throughout the entire G20 block and beyond. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen Now let me turn to drought. An issue which affects us all – rich and poor. Right here in Latin America, we are currently witnessing the lowest water levels on record in many of the rivers in the Amazon basin – and this follows the most severe drought faced in 45 years. Across the world, droughts are occurring more frequently and more severely – up by one third since 2000. An estimated 3 in 4 people worldwide will be affected by drought by 2050. And sadly, droughts never come alone: wildfires, food insecurity, economic downturn, disruption of energy generation, and even disruption of supply chains as we recently witnessed in the Panama Canal. It is incredible to witness the burning of the Amazon rainforest as well as the Pantanal, reported as the world’s largest wetland. Before I conclude, allow me to extend a special invitation to all of you to join us at UNCCD COP16, taking place from December 2nd to 13th, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. You laready heard from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, our wonderful host who spares no effort to make this COP a turning point in the life of the Convention. In Riyadh, Leaders, Ministers, Entrepreneurs, Indigenous People, Women and Youth will each have a chance to engage in shaping future policies and accelerating action on land restoration and drought resilience. Together with our hosts, we look forward to continuing these important conversations on a global stage.

In the past decade, experts have produced a wealth of data, indicators and metrics on drought. But the breadth and complexity of this information and the fact that it is scattered, means it can be hard for busy decision-makers to use it in their efforts to build drought resilience on the ground. Meanwhile, there is a growing urgency to turn science and data into policies and policies into action, as droughts are projected to touch three in four people globally by 2050 due to the combined effects of climate change and land degradation.Enter the International Drought Resilience Observatory (IDRO), the first global, AI-powered data platform for proactive drought management and an initiative of the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA). The Observatory will provide a single portal where managers can easily analyse and visualise key social and environmental drought resilience indicators — and use them to make practical decisions.At the Drought Resilience +10 Conference, held in Geneva from 30 September to 2 October, IDRA and several of its allies announced that work is underway to develop the Observatory, whose prototype will be unveiled at the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December.The event was championed by Saudi Arabia and Spain, an IDRA-co-chair together with Senegal. It also featured global drought experts; the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which hosts the IDRA Secretariat; and the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale CEA), which is developing the digital platform.Packaging data for action“There is tremendous knowledge on drought and drought resilience out there,” said founding director of Yale CEA Anna Dyson. “With the Observatory, we want to get the right information, to the right people, at the right time, distilling and connecting data from existing platforms while filling critical gaps in risk and vulnerability assessment.”The Observatory will rely on different sources: the users themselves, who can input data from their own countries; global datasets like the European Union’s Earth Observation programme, known as Copernicus; and outputs from remote-sensing tools, which will be particularly helpful for data-poor territories that still need to make decisions based on science to build their resilience to drought. “The Sahel, where I come from, is very data scarce, but that can’t stop us from thinking about how to enhance our resilience to drought in the face of climate change,” said Fadji Maina, associate research scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. “The information captured by satellites will be particularly helpful for regions like ours.”Decision-makers at all levels will be able to curate their own IDRO dashboard depending on their interests and needs; conduct AI-powered searches to find data and answers; and explore the impact of different variables on societies and ecosystems. Immersive, interactive visualizations will also allow them to experience and compare what different scenarios would look like on the ground.Ultimately, IDRO will allow users to understand how well they are doing in terms of preparing their societies and ecosystems for future droughts, what they can improve and how best to target their investments at the national and subnational level as part of a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach.For the executive director of the Africa Group II at the World Bank, Abdoul Bello, the Observatory will be a welcome tool for countries in his constituency, which include some of the most vulnerable to desertification and drought globally, like Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Fasso.“IDRO speaks to our new vision to eradicate extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity in a livable planet; and drought resilience is critical to realize this vision,” said Bello. Additionally, the World Bank will act as interim host of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage adopted by parties to the UN Convention to Combat Climate Change (UNFCCC), which Bello sees as an opportunity to increase funding for the drought resilience and land restoration agenda.The session also counted on top experts from the global drought community who are contributing to the development of IDRO, like director of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Mark Svoboda; director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health Kaveh Madani and senior scientist at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre Andrea Toreti.Drought in the global agendaDrought resilience will continue rising to the top of the global agenda in 2024, a year that will see the summits of the three Rio conventions (Biodiversity, Climate, Desertification) take place from October to December in Colombia, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia.“We must make the most of the current momentum to launch tools like IDRO, which has great potential to enhance proactive and integrated drought management at all levels, bridging science and data with policies and action,” said Clara Cabrera Brasero, deputy ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Spain to the UN in Geneva.At UNCCD COP16, world leaders are expected to adopt a landmark decision on drought resilience, creating a Paris-Agreement moment for land and drought.  “Together, we can develop a comprehensive framework to enhance drought resilience across borders,” said Ayman Ghulam, chief executive officer at the National Center of Meteorology of Saudi Arabia and UNCCD COP16 president, who noted that IDRA is one of the key partners of the summit.For deputy executive secretary of UNCCD Andrea Meza, COP16 will be a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the intricate links between drought, land and climate; share tools and knowledge; and chart concrete strategies to prepare communities, countries and regions for future droughts.Meza encouraged all stakeholders to register for the Riyadh summit — world leaders, civil society organizations, the private sector, journalists,  experts and managers — and bring best practices, ideas and tools.“We need political will and we also need science. IDRO will bring together key data, facilitate its visualization and make it accessible for decision-makers to accelerate national and local investments for drought resilience,” said Meza.

In just two months, global attention will focus on land and drought resilience as the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024.

Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,It is a great honor to be with you today. I would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for organizing this event and for hosting the 16th session of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties. This event today will pave the way for the biggest and most significant UNCCD Conference of the Parties we have ever had over the past 30 years.COP16 in Riyadh will be the largest UN land and drought conference to date, and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought, and now floods.Riyadh 2024 is expected to be a turning point, a game-changer for the global drought resilience agenda.For long, people thought that land degradation and drought are local issues, to be left to those governments that are directly affected and need to address themselves. For long, desertification has been perceived as an issue for one region or two to address. Today, we know, thanks to science, that our world is totally interconnected. Scarcity of fertile land and water threaten our global security, affect our economy, our food security and amplify forced migration. Land use is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and land degradation leads to further loss of biodiversity and livelihoods for the poor whose only asset sometimes is land. Each year, sand and dust storms lift up to two billion tons of aerosols to the atmosphere, causing serious air pollution, leading to diseases and economic loss. So, land degradation and drought may happen locally, but they are not local issues. The food we eat, the coffee or the tea we enjoyed this morning, the clothes we wear and part of the air we breathe are all coming from the land. Often, from thousands of miles from where we live.Drought and land degradation stand therefore as a major global challenge impacting food security, ecosystems, production, human health, jobs, and access to water, often leading to famine, conflicts and mass migration. I like to say that land is the only GDP of the poor. Let us make it clear: land degradation is a serious issue but there is a silver lining. The good news is that we can halt and reverse land loss. Indeed, land restoration provides us with multiple solutions: solutions to climate, biodiversity, security and economic stability. Large-scale land restoration is perfectly achievable. Bringing degraded land back to health is not only feasible, but it is economically and socially viable. So, in Riyadh, economists will meet with business people, agronomists with investors, civil society organizations with government leaders, youth with women’s group, scientists with policy makers. In Riyadh, Parties are expected to agree on how to tackle the critical issue of drought. After many years of discussions and negotiations, it is time to close the loop and move on to implementation. The most vulnerable communities expect concrete results and bold decisions on drought. In Riyadh, Parties are also expected to move from pledges to concrete implementation on land restoration. It does not suffice to express intentions, or to make big announcements. Our youth, our farmers, our women’s groups all expect to see more concrete action on land restoration. Finally, COP16 will help us understand that land loss and water scarcity have a human face. Together, we will tackle these most complex issues. Together, we will win the battle. Together, we will sail to a safer destination.