Events

STI Day at UNCCD COP16 focuses on advancing scientific and technological solutions to support land health and resilient communities. With land degradation escalating, it aims to bridge science and policy by engaging diverse stakeholders — research institutions, data providers, tech developers and civil society — to drive ambitious, science-based action for sustainable land management.

The Science-Policy Interface Day at COP 16 is a dedicated event for fostering dialogue among scientists, policymakers and practitioners on addressing desertification, land degradation and drought. This year’s focus is on historical and future aridity trends and sustainable land use systems.The event will explore two critical dimensions: adapting to aridification and scaling up systems approaches to land use and management. Drawing from recent scientific assessments, the SPI will present findings on aridity trends and their role in climate adaptation, along with strategies for addressing land degradation through sustainable land use systems.Panel discussions and interactive sessions will provide a platform for sharing knowledge, case studies, and practical solutions. Participants will discuss how to scale up effective practices and integrate science into policy, with a focus on fostering collaboration and aligning efforts under the three Rio conventions. Audience engagement will be central, ensuring diverse perspectives contribute to enhancing land resilience to aridity.

UNCCD Science Policy Interface (SPI)-Bonn Water Network (BWN) Joint Session, 9:00-11:00 (CET), 22 March 2024

Approaching to UNCCD COP16, the CST Bureau will hold their next meeting in UN campus, Bonn, Germany on 22  March 2024, back-to-back with the 19th SPI meeting and the Joint session of SPI-Bonn Water Network on land-water nexus. The Bureau meeting will focus its agenda on two key items. One is the way of organization of the Plenary of 16th session of the Committee on Science and Technology as interactive dialogue between the Parties to the SPI and special events of science during COP16. The other is to review and discuss those scientific issues that may benefit COP16 decisions, including: IWG mid-term evaluation on how science will be organized in the UNCCD in the future. Maximizing STCs participation in COP16. Improving communication with STCs. Future arrangements/pathways for the scientific contributions to the UNCCD Strategic Framework and provision of advice on methodological matters related to reporting. Exploring ways to help ensure the secretariat has the capacity and budget to support the UNCCD science agenda. The provisional agenda is attached.

The 19th meeting of the Science-Policy Interface (SPI) will take place on 19-21 March 2024 in Bonn, Germany.   The meeting will bring together the leading scientists and high-level experts to discuss the objectives and deliverables of the SPI work programme according to Decision 18/COP.15.