COP16 media advisory: 9 December 2024

8 December 2024
Press release

UNCCD COP16: Launch of the Global Aridity Trends Report and Science-Policy Innovations

Journalists are invited to attend Day 8 of UNCCD COP16, where science takes center stage in driving solutions to combat desertification and land degradation. The day’s highlights include the launch of The Global Threat of Drying Lands: Regional and Global Aridity Trends and Future Projections report, offering critical insights into aridity trends and their implications for sustainable land management.

Key Events

Science Pavilion (Green Zone) - Science-Policy Interface (SPI) Day
When: 09:00 – 18:00
Where: Science Pavilion (Green Zone)
A full-day showcase of groundbreaking scientific insights and their application in global policy efforts. The event underscores science's essential role in achieving sustainable land management and combating desertification.

SPI Press Conference for The Global Threat of Drying Lands: Regional and global aridity trends and future projections Report
When: 12:00-13:00
Where: MET-17

Speakers

Barron Orr, UNCCD Chief Scientist
Nichole Barger, Science Policy Interface (SPI) Co- chair, Professor Emeritus and the University of Colorado at Boulder in the United States
Narcisa Pricope, Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University
Sergio Vicente -Serrano, Scientific Researcher at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology

The Science-Policy Interface (SPI) will host a press conference to release the Aridification Report, highlighting scientific findings and the urgent need to address the effects of aridification in combating land degradation and desertification.

High-Level Interactive Dialogue: Healing Our Land Through Science and Earth Intelligence
When: 13:00 – 15:00
Where: MET-33

A high-level interactive dialogue featuring scientific leaders and policymakers discussing innovative Earth Intelligence tools and their transformative impact on land restoration efforts and ecosystem resilience.

Youth Negotiators Academy Press Conference

When: Monday, 9 December 2024, 14:00 – 14:30

Where: MET-17

Speakers:

Marie-Claire Graf, Co-Founder of Youth Negotiators Academy
Veena Balakrishnan, Co-Founders of Youth Negotiators Academy

The Youth Negotiators Academy is an organisation that was founded in 2022 to train young people to join their country delegations and negotiate across the three Rio Conventions. This year they are taking a large cohort of young negotiators trained in our Land Youth Negotiator Programme to participate in the negotiations at UNCCD COP16.

Media Accreditation

All journalists must be accredited to attend. Accreditation can be completed through the Online Registration System (ORS). Additional information, including the full agenda and session details, is available on the COP16 website.

For inquiries, contact press [at] unccd.int (press[at]unccd[dot]int)

Key resources