News & stories

Accreditation for media is now available for the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).  The conference will take place from 2 to 13 December 2024 at Boulevard Riyadh City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ( Al Imam Saud Ibn Faysal Rd, Hittin, Riyadh).  Journalists are invited to apply for accreditation via our Online Registration System (ORS).  Please note that the Online Registration System (ORS) is the only platform through which media accreditation and permission to cover COP 16 can be obtained. The UNCCD secretariat does not accept accreditation requests via email or post. Any materials sent outside the ORS will not be processed.  Please ensure that all documents comply with the specified requirements and that the applicant details are consistent throughout the application. Kindly note that participation is moderated and that all registrations must be approved.  Please monitor your ORS account for any additional documentation or information requests that may be required to confirm your application. Once your registration has been confirmed, you will be sent a Registration Acknowledgement Form.  Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us via your online registration account or at press@unccd.int   Further details will be made available on our website in due course. 

The secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) presents its compliments to the Embassy and has the honour to inform that the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16), the twenty-second session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC22) and the sixteenth session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST16) to the UNCCD will take place in Riyadh, at Al Imam Saud Ibn Faysal Rd, Hittin,  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2 to 13 December 2024. The secretariat of UNCCD has the honour to invite the Government of your country to participate in COP16 under the overarching theme “Our land, our future”.Regional consultations of affected country Parties of the Convention’s regional implementation annexes for Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern Mediterranean and Central and Eastern European country Parties in preparation to COP16 will be convened  in two periods, one set of meetings will happen in the regions during September and October, and the second set of meetings will happen in Riyadh prior to the session from 30 November to 1 December 2024, at the same venue. For the regional consultation meetings, specific invitations and information will be sent to the different regions. A high-level segment[1] including a Leaders Summit will be organized at the beginning of the session on 2 and 3 December. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working closely with the secretariat and numerous partners to deliver an ambitious Riyadh Action Agenda that will include thematic days to raise awareness and scale up transformative solutions. During the thematic days several side events and official high-level events will happen under different formats including High Level Interactive Dialogues, Ministerial Round Tables and Special Events. Specific information about the thematic days and the events will be uploaded at https://www.unccd.int/cop16.The high-level interactive dialogues focusing on the following topics: (a) agri-food systems, (b) land governance and (c) science-innovation and technology will be organized from 5 to 9 December 2024. Ministerial dialogues on drought resilience and finance will be organized from 10 to 11 December 2024.During the initial segment, from 2 to 6 December, in addition to the CST16 and CRIC22 sessions, the Committee of the Whole (COW) would initiate its work. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the civil society input in the deliberations of the COP, two half-days of open dialogue sessions have been planned on 5 and 9 December in the morning.During the concluding segment, the COP will consider all decisions not previously adopted. It will decide inter alia on the date and venue of the twenty-third session of the CRIC taking into account decision 13/COP.13 on the terms of reference of the CRIC, its operations and its schedule of meetings, and any further decision on the matter taken during the current session.The secretariat and the incoming presidency recognize the importance of whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, and welcomes the inclusion of representatives of youth, women, and civil society organizations, indigenous peoples and local communities, private sector, academia, local governments, among others, as part of your delegation.All Embassies of Parties and NFP to UNCCDIn order to assist delegations in preparing for the conference, a provisional agenda and relevant documents for the session are being made available on the UNCCD website[2] including the “Information for participants” (ICCD/COP(16)/INF.1) document.It is requested that representatives of Parties to the Convention be provided with full powers to participate in the session, including the possibility to serve as officers of COP16 and its subsidiary bodies, and of any sessional committees, working groups or subsidiary bodies, established by the Conference.The secretariat of the UNCCD would like to remind that, in accordance with Rule 19 of the rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties, the credentials of delegations shall be issued either by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or, in the case of a regional economic integration organization, by the competent authority of that organization. Parties are kindly requested to observe this requirement.It is brought to the attention of States that are not Parties at the time of COP16 that, in accordance with article 22, paragraph 7 of the Convention and rule 7 of the rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties, anybody or agency, whether national or international, governmental or non-governmental, which is qualified in matters covered by the Convention and which has informed the Permanent Secretariat of its wish to be represented at a session of the Conference of the Parties as an observer may be so admitted unless at least one third of the Parties present at the session object.Please also note that COP16 will be a paperless session. Accordingly, official pre-session documents for COP16/CRIC22/CST16 sessions will be made available on the UNCCD website and the UNCCD Conference app. Official documents prepared in session will also be posted on the website and the Conference app. Limited quantities may be printed on demand only.The secretariat would be grateful if the Government of your country would kindly nominate the representative(s) who will attend COP16. Online registration will be available from 15 July 2024 on this link: https://indico.un.org/e/unccd-cop16. All participants are required to upload an official nomination letter confirming their capacity to attend the COP16 session. For more information on the online registration, please refer to the document “Information for participants” (ICCD/COP(16)/INF.1). The secretariat would like to draw your attention that participants are responsible for getting their own visas, hotel reservations and any type of health or other insurance they may need. While the secretariat will assist with the issuance of Note Verbale, participants requiring visas must therefore obtain these from the Embassies or Consulates of Saudi-Arabia in their country before their departure to Riyadh.The secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification avails itself of the opportunity to renew to the Embassy, the assurances of its highest consideration.[1] Information about the high-level segment will be included in document ICCD/COP(16)/INF.2 and made available on the UNCCD website[2] Please check the following link: https://www.unccd.int/cop16/official-documents 

Prior the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UNCCD, the Convention Secretariat is organizing a training session for French-speaking journalists who cover the African continent on desertification and the role of the media in promoting sustainable land management practices. This training will take place during 2-6 September 2024, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on the sideline of the 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). Journalists will have the opportunity to exchange with experts in sustainable land management and desertification, and to participate in a field visit. The workshop will address major concerns related to land degradation, desertification and drought, as well as the role of the media in this context and strategies specific to better address these subjects. Eligibility and selection criteria The call is open to French-speaking journalists interested in environmental issues. Each applicant must submit: A letter of recommendation from the editor-in-chief of the applicant's organization. Freelancers must provide a copy of the press card. A cover letter of one page maximum explaining the journalist's interest in participating in the workshop. Links or copies of the last three reports or publications on the subject. Complete application files can be sent to press@unccd.int by 11:59 pm Central European Time (CET) on 21 July 2024, indicating as subject: “Candidature pour l'atelier d’Abidjan”. Successful candidates will be informed in writing. See complete details in the attached document.

UNCCD COP16 host raises water resilience issues on the global agenda Bonn/Riyadh, 23 May 2024—The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the latest country to formally join the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the global coalition mobilizing political, technical, and financial capital to prepare the world for harsher droughts. This addition brings the total membership of IDRA to 37 countries and 28 intergovernmental and research organizations, reflecting a growing commitment to address droughts in the face of climate change and unsustainable land management. Launched at UN Climate Summit COP27 by the leaders of Spain and Senegal, IDRA rallies world leaders against one of the world’s most deadly and costly natural disasters, acknowledging that we are only as resilient to drought and climate change as our land is. The IDRA secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al Fadley, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, said: “We see IDRA as an opportunity to protect our societies and economies in the face of drought.  As hosts of the largest-ever UN conference on land and drought this December, one of our priorities is to further the countries commitment to a drought-resilient future.” His Excellency Minister Al Fadley emphasized that Saudi Arabia's hosting of COP 16 reflects the commitment of its leadership to environmental protection at the national, regional, and international levels, and adds to pioneering efforts  like the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. Al Fadley also highlighted the urgent need to build drought resilience globally, while combating land degradation and desertification to counter their environmental, economic, and social impacts. He expressed hope that the Alliance would foster effective collective action and intensify global efforts to address these issues, ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources for future generations. One-quarter of the world’s population is already affected by drought, and three out of four people are projected to face water scarcity by 2050. In the Middle East and North Africa, 100 percent of the population will live with extremely high water stress by 2050. Third Vice-President of the Government of Spain, Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge and IDRA Co-Chair Ms. Teresa Ribera encouraged more countries to follow in the steps of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, noting that drought resilience yields returns of up to ten times the initial investment: “The Alliance is as strong as the knowledge, experiences, and networks contributed by its members. I invite world leaders to join IDRA to transform the way humanity tackles drought, building our collective defenses before crises strike.” UNCCD Executive Secretary Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw concluded: “Droughts are a natural phenomenon, but we are turbo-charging them by degrading our lands and disrupting the climate. In the lead up the UNCCD COP16, I urge countries to raise their ambitions for healthy lands and drought-resilient societies and economies.” A watershed year for land and drought UNCCD COP16, taking place in Riyadh from 2-13 December, will be the largest-ever meeting of UNCCD’s 197 Parties, the first to be held in the Middle East region, and the largest multilateral conference ever hosted by Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom will also host the 2024 World Environment Day global celebrations with a focus on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience. On 17 June 2024, Desertification and Drought Day will mark the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), one of the three Rio Conventions alongside climate and biodiversity. *** Notes to editors For interviews and enquires please contact: press@unccd.int. X / Instagram: @unccd  About IDRA The International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) is the first global coalition creating political momentum and mobilizing financial and technical resources for a drought-resilient future. As a growing platform of more than 30 countries and 20 institutions, IDRA draws on the collective strengths of its members to advance policies, actions, and capacity-building for drought preparedness, acknowledging we are only as resilient to drought and climate change as our land is. The work of IDRA is aligned with, and supportive of, the mandate of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which hosts the IDRA Secretariat. For more information: https://idralliance.global. 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. https://www.unccd.int

Mr Ibrahim Thiaw, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), paid a three-day visit to Mauritania from 15 to 17 April. This strategic visit coincides with Mauritania's current role as Chair of the African Union and sets the stage for the upcoming 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, later this year. During his stay, Mr Thiaw  held high-level talks with the Mauritanian authorities, focusing on strengthening cooperation between Mauritania and the UNCCD. These discussions are particularly important as they come at a time when Mauritania is not only leading the African Union, but also facing serious environmental challenges that are at the forefront of the international sustainable development agenda. Mauritania is facing severe environmental degradation, with 1.28 million of its total population of 4.3 million exposed to land degradation, covering 60 per cent of its total land area. The country has been severely affected by recurrent droughts since the late 1960s, making desertification control a national priority and a key concern of successive governments.  In 2021, Mauritania experienced the most severe drought in its history, resulting in 20 per cent of the population facing acute food insecurity. This  degradation has not only led to physical and economic impacts, but has also increased social vulnerability, particularly among low-income households and women who rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. “Mauritania is a country severely affected by desertification, and it is crucial to rethink the country's development policies in the light of climate change. This includes adopting new and renewable energy sources, formulating more appropriate agricultural and fisheries policies, combating drought and implementing environmental programmes adapted to these arid conditions. The development of a tailor-made strategy is essential, with Mauritania charting its own course to address these complex issues”, said Ibrahim Thiaw. Mauritania is one of 22 countries participating in the Great Green Wall initiative. This ambitious project aims to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon and create 10 million green jobs by 2030. Through this initiative, Mauritania is seeking both environmental and economic benefits, demonstrating its commitment to both local and global sustainability efforts After ratifying the UNCCD in June 2001, Mauritania launched the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (PAN-LCD), which takes an integrated, participatory approach. This plan has been instrumental in integrating poverty reduction into desertification control programmes, working with grassroots communities, local authorities and non-governmental organisations.  

The 19th meeting of the Science-Policy Interface (SPI) will take place on 19-21 March 2024 in Bonn, Germany.