When is COP 15 taking place? 

The fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place from 9 to 20 May 2022 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Originally due to take place at the end of 2021, the event was postponed due to COVID-19.  

What is this year’s theme? 

COP15’s theme is Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity. COP15 will galvanize sustainable solutions for land restoration and drought resilience, with a strong focus on future-proofing land use. Land is the bedrock of a healthy, productive society, and COP15 will explore links between land and other key sustainability issues, such as land and climate, land and biodiversity, land and green jobs and gender equality. These issues will be discussed at a Heads of States Summit, roundtables and interactive dialogue sessions among ministers and other high-ranking officials. 

Why is it important? 

COP 15 is a key moment in the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought. It will build on the findings of the second edition of the Global Land Outlook, which will be released at the end of March, and offer a concrete response to the interlinked challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Building on the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, COP15 aims to move from commitments to action, placing land degradation neutrality front and center. 

What will happen at COP15? 

COP 15 will bring together ministers, high-level officials, the private sector, NGO’s and stakeholders who will adopt resolutions that aim to drive progress in the protection and restoration of one of our most precious commodities: land. Outside of the negotiations, participants will have an opportunity to discuss issues such as gender equality, fair and equitable land tenure, youth engagement and celebrate successes of large-scale land restoration projects such as the Great Green Wall. COP15 will also feature a number of interactive dialogues and high-level roundtables featuring stakeholders from around the world trying to find solutions to some of the most pressing environmental problems we face today: 

Interactive Dialogues 

• Land reGeneration: The role of youth in shaping sustainable land agenda 
• Future-proofing land use: Shifting patterns in production and consumption 

High-level Roundtables

• Rights, rewards and responsibilities: The future of land stewardship 
• Land restoration: A path to sustainable post-pandemic recovery 
• The Big Dry: From disaster to drought resilience