UN meeting in Panama addresses global loss of fertile lands, extreme droughts

• UNCCD's 197 Parties convene to assess progress on the road from Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar
• Panama will restore 100,000 hectares by 2035 as part of a pioneering strategy to advance land, climate and biodiversity goals

Panama City, 1 December 2025 – Addressing global loss of fertile lands and escalating droughts will be the focus of the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC23), as 197 Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) convene in Panama this week.

The meeting comes at a crucial moment. If current trends continue, land almost the size of South America (16 million square kilometres) will show continued degradation by 2050, just as the global demand for food, water and energy continues to soar. Meanwhile, two-thirds of the planet have become permanently drier in the last three decades, and the past two years have seen the most widespread and damaging droughts in recorded history. In Panama, drought disrupted traffic through the Canal, significantly impacting global trade.

UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad said: “The resilience of our communities, economies and ecosystems depends on healthy land. Yet, we continue to degrade an area the size of Egypt every year, eroding the land’s ability to produce food, store water, support biodiversity and shield people from droughts, floods and sand and dust storms. Investing in sustainable land management, land restoration and nature-based solutions is not only an environmental necessity; it is a development imperative and a strategic investment in stability, prosperity and peace.”

“CRIC23 is a key moment to assess our collective progress, strengthen the bridge between Riyadh and Ulaanbaatar, and recognize land and drought resilience as the red thread connecting the Rio Conventions. Together, we can accelerate the shift toward a more resilient, food-secure and nature-positive future.”

From Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar

CRIC23 will review progress in implementing decisions taken at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to UNCCD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December 2024 and discuss the Convention’s post-2030 roadmap. 

H.E. Osama Faqeeha Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UNCCD COP16 Presidency, said: “In Riyadh, world leaders established new priorities for land and drought action. One year on, this meeting is a crucial opportunity to accelerate the translation of COP16 decisions into concrete policies and practices and to advance the Convention's agenda. Sustainable land management and drought resilience cannot wait: we depend on them to ensure food, water and energy security, as the world will need to produce 50 per cent more food by 2050.”

The meeting will hold thematic sessions on land tenure as the basis for investments in healthy land; discuss the growing threat of sand and dust storms; and host the second Gender Caucus to give a voice to women, who are disproportionately affected by land degradation and drought, while supporting the livelihoods of entire communities around the world.

Parties will also engage with other key stakeholders including youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and see the launch of new reports on Small Island Developing States and rangelands.

In addition, the first of three informal and voluntary dialogues on drought resilience will be convened alongside CRIC23, building on the outcomes of COP16 and preparing for the resumption of negotiations at COP17. Led by the COP16 Presidency, the Tafa’ul Process is inspired by the Arabic word تَفَاؤُل (Tafa’ul), meaning constructive optimism and hopeful determination. CRIC23 recommendations will inform decision-making by the Convention’s 196 country Parties and the European Union ahead of the next UNCCD COP17, which will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in August 2026.

Mr. Batmunkh Dondovdorj, Special Advisor to the Minister and Chairman of upcoming COP17 Presidency National Office,stressed that the road from Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar must be a road of hope for communities and ecosystems that have long been undervalued. COP17 will coincide with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, offering a unique political moment to highlight rangelands, which are disappearing faster than rainforests.

“The meeting in Panama is crucial to set the basis for a successful COP17, which will bring to the fore the links between human wellbeing and healthy, productive and resilient landscapes,” said Dondovdorj. “That is particularly true for rangelands, which cover around half of the planet’s land area and are home to two billion people, but are often treated as empty, expendable spaces. For Mongolia—a country whose history, culture and economy are deeply rooted in pastoralism—this is not an abstract issue. It is about dignity, identity and opportunity for people who have been overlooked for far too long.”

Panama's Nature Pledge

Today, Panama highlighted the centrality of land in its Nature Pledge, a roadmap that unifies national efforts to tackle land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change to leverage the synergies between the three Rio Conventions and advance all of their interconnected goals, faster.

As part of its Nature Pledge, Panama plans to restore 100,000 hectares of degraded land by 2035. 

H.E. Juan Carlos Navarro, Minister of Environment of Panama, declared: “Nature is the backbone of the global economy. The Panama Nature Pledge shows our commitment to restoring critical watersheds, protecting forests, andincentivizing sustainable agricultural practices as a means to build the resilience of our economy and our communities. The Panama Natural Fund, in turn, guarantees long-term conservation actions across the territory. There is no time to lose: We must urgently take care of nature, so nature can continue taking care of us.” 

A signatory to UNCCD since 1996, Panama has committed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030, identified 31 critical hotspots, and is advancing reforestation and Dry Corridor adaptation programmes — underlining its role as CRIC23 host. This year, Panama became the first country to host meetings of all three Rio Conventions in the same year. 

Notes to editors

For inquiries and interview requests, please contact: press [at] unccd.int (press[at]unccd[dot]int)

Visual assets about CRIC23 and the UNCCD Data Dashboard are available here: https://trello.com/b/zq0kxtkK/unccd-cric23-panama-2025

Opportunities for media

Press Briefings: 12:00–13:00 (local time)

1 December: Opening press conference

• The press conference will present the key expectations for CRIC23, highlight Panama’s leadership — including a reference to its Nature Pledge — and provide reflections from the UNCCD COP16 and COP17 Presidencies.

Speakers:

• Juan Carlos Navarro, Minister of Environment of Panama
• Yasmine Fouad, UNCCD Executive Secretary
• Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture for Environmental Affairs. KSA
• Batbayar Shurenchuluun, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia

2 December: Launch of Brief on Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

A new brief highlighting land and drought impacts and action in SIDS around the world.

Speakers: 

• Andrea Meza, UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary 

• Calvin James, UNCCD SIDS Forum Coordinator  

• Fred Nicholas, Project Officer for the National Environment Service in the Cook Islands 

4 December: Launch of report on the Economics of Rangelands 

Presentation of a new report on rangelands — vital for food security and climate stability but rapidly disappearing.

Speakers: 

• Mark Schauer, Project Lead (Co-Lead), German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) Dr. Barron Orr, Chief Scientist, UNCCD
• Enrique Michaud, Co-Chair of the IYRP Global Alliance.
• Ariuntuya Dorjsuren, Director General, International Cooperation Division, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and National Focal Point (NFP) of Mongolia 

December will also see the launch of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), a milestone in the lead up to COP17 in Mongolia in August 2026.

5 December – Closing Press Release (World Soil Day)
Issued following the CRIC23 closing plenary and coinciding with World Soil Day. It will provide an overview of CRIC23 outcomes and their significance in the lead-up to UNCCD COP17.

3 December – Press Trip: 

Journalists are invited to a field visit organized by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) at the Miraflores Visitors Center. The visit will offer insights into how the ACP integrates sustainability and watershed protection into its long-term strategy to safeguard the Canal’s water resources.

Additional information and media updates on the Convention and CRIC 23 are available on the UNCCD website: https://www.unccd.int/cric23

About UNCCD

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 Parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner.

About CRIC23

Representatives of 196 countries and the European Union are meeting in Panama from 1-5 December 2025 to review their efforts against desertification, land degradation and drought under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) — one of the three Rio Conventions, alongside biodiversity and climate. The 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23) to the UNCCD is convening some 500 participants from governments, civil society, and academia to assess progress in advancing the Convention’s objectives.