Other meetings & events

The UNCCD Youth Caucus is launching a twice-weekly webinar series designed to empower young leaders passionate about sustainable land management, climate action, and impactful global advocacy! As we head towards UNCCD COP16, these sessions offer youth worldwide a chance to build knowledge, develop advocacy skills and prepare to actively contribute to the crucial discussions on combatting desertification, land degradation and drought at UNCCD COP16.  Over the next few weeks, join us for impactful sessions exploring:  Strategies for sustainable land management and climate adaptation Tools to make your voice heard on the international stage Opportunities to connect with global youth advocates Together, we will build a roadmap to navigate COP16, gain insights into shaping global policy, and unite around a shared vision for our planet’s future. Session 1 – 10 November: Navigating COP16 - Key moments and opportunities for youth. Register hereSession 2 – 16 November: Youth leadership in sustainable land management. Register hereSession 3 – 23 November: Climate change adaptation, biodiversity and DLDD strategies. Register hereSession 4 – 30 November: Youth action plan for COP16. Register here

The UNCCD CSO panel is organizing a consultation with all the accredited organizations to the UNCCD to prepare for the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh. This is the final webinar in a series organized by the civil society organizations to coordinate their work around COP16. Register here: https://unccd-int.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_10tZo2vyRhKgWA43VVV_xQ#/registration

Drought resilience and biodiversity conservation are closely interlinked. Conservation efforts that protect and restore biodiversity help maintain ecosystem services, such as water retention and soil health, which are crucial for mitigating the impacts of drought. Healthy and diverse ecosystems can also withstand and recover from droughts more easily. Preserving biodiversity strengthens ecosystems’ natural ability to endure drought conditions and enhances long-term sustainability.  This webinar focuses on the interlinkages between drought risk management and biodiversity conservation. To kick off the webinar, a keynote will be delivered by Tristan Tyrrell, Programme Management Officer for Biodiversity, Climate Change and Dry and& Subhumid Lands at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The keynote presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with UNCCD National Focal Points and national experts from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, who will be sharing their country perspectives on the drought-biodiversity connection:  Nana Bolashvili, UNCCD Science and Technology Correspondent of Georgia, Arevik Hovsepyan, President of Country Water Partnership Armenia, Alice Savadyan, GWP CACENA Regional Council Member, and Dr. Arkadiy Tishkov, Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Head of the Biogeography Laboratory of the Institute of Geography of the RAS.  This webinar is co-organized by UNCCD, CBD and GWP under the umbrella of the UNCCD Community of Learning and Practice on Drought Management in Central and Eastern Europe. In English, with Russian interpretation. Register on Zoom

The Conference encompasses the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16), the Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization. It will include a high-level ministerial segment.COP 16 will be the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP 15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.At COP 16, governments will be tasked with reviewing the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties to the Convention are expected to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework. COP 16 will further develop the monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework. Among other tasks, COP 16 is also due to finalize and operationalize the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources. Learn more.

Join us for the launch of a groundbreaking report, led by global gender expert Lorena Aguilar, showcasing 35 powerful case studies of women leading innovative drought resilience efforts in their local areas. Register here: https://unccd-int.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HiTabvUDQpSPGLfBKnvoag#/registration