UNEP-WCMC Deputy Director Melissa de Kock attended the 16^th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, from 2-13 December. Here, she shares her insights from the gathering.

Delegates recently gathered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the last in a series of high-profile UN gatherings to have taken place in recent months. COP16 of the UNCCD is one of the ‘Rio Trio’ – a series of landmark environmental conventions which were signed onto by countries at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The other two conventions – focused on biodiversity and climate change – had COP summits take place in October and November (read our reflections on COP16 and COP29).

The land degradation crisis

While the UNCCD is perhaps the least well-known of the Rio Conventions, the 2024 gathering was the largest and most well-attended UNCCD conference ever held, evidence of the growing concerns in this area. More than 190 Parties met in the Middle East for the first time to discuss the grave impacts that desertification, drought and land degradation are having on people and the planet.

I travelled to Riyadh as part of the delegation for the UN Environment Programme. At the conference, which had the theme of ‘Our Land. Our Future’, decisions were adopted on addressing migration caused by land degradation, enhancing land tenure, encouraging private sector engagement, and enhancing synergies between the three Rio Conventions and broader Multilateral Environmental Agreements as a means of tackling the interlinked global environmental crises.

More than USD 12 billion were pledged to tackle desertification, land degradation and drought around the world, especially in the most vulnerable countries. Very importantly, a caucus for Indigenous Peoples and one for Local Communities were agreed to ensure that their priorities and perspectives are included in discussions at the UNCCD going forward.

“We depend on land for survival. Yet, we treat it like dirt.”

António Guterres, UN Secretary General

This COP has most definitely raised the land governance agenda in respect to climate and biodiversity governance. A new study, ‘Stepping Back from the Precipice’, released by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, has shown that land degradation is increasing globally at a rate of one million hectares every year. This is exacerbating climate change and biodiversity loss, placing additional pressures on resources and increasing poverty, migration and conflict.

Healthy, sustainably managed land is central to human wellbeing and is inextricably linked with biodiversity and the climate, so we neglect it at our peril. As UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw has commented: “If we fail to acknowledge the pivotal role of land and take appropriate action, the consequences will ripple through every aspect of life and extend well into the future, intensifying difficulties for future generations.”

A third of the world’s population lives in drylands, and the latest figures, presented at the COP, show that 77.6 per cent of global lands are showing a drying trend. Up to 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded, which is affecting around 3.2 billion people: almost half of the world’s population. Rural communities and particularly women and youth are often disproportionately impacted by the effects of degradation, increasing inequality. Meanwhile, a sharp rise in droughts – which have increased 29 per cent since 2000 – only exacerbates the situation.

A renewed focus on drought

Although drought is covered by the Convention, for a long time this issue has been neglected in practice. Management of drought has tended towards reactive responses rather than preventative measures, but these have proven insufficient given the sheer scale of the problem, and the fact that droughts are becoming more frequent. There are 70 countries in the world that are regularly affected by droughts, and it’s estimated that by 2050 droughts may affect over three quarters of the world’s population.

In an attempt to better equip countries to deal with drought, the Drought Initiative was established in 2018. It explores proactive mechanisms to effectively manage the issue and provides countries with a ‘toolbox’ to help develop their drought strategies. An Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought was also created to evaluate the various tools available. The group submitted a report at COP16, outlining seven different options for moving forward, ranging from strategic frameworks to legally binding agreements. However, while the Parties were united in the aim of establishing a global regime for drought resilience, there was disagreement on how this should be achieved and managed. Discussions will continue between now and COP17 in Mongolia in 2026, where Parties intend to agree a global drought regime.

Some positive news came at COP16 with the new Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, which was announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This will leverage public and private finance to support 80 of the most vulnerable and drought-hit countries around the world, shifting the focus from reactive responses to proactive action. More than USD 2 billion was pledged by the hosts of the UNCCD COP, the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development.  

This COP also saw the launch of a new regional initiative on sand and dust storms. By fostering collaboration among the four regional centres affiliated with the World Meteorological Organization (in Jeddah, Barcelona, Beijing and Bridgertown), the aim is to improve global capacity for forecasting these weather events, which affect around 330 million people worldwide, enabling effective responses and mitigating impacts.

Questions on finance

As was the case at the biodiversity and climate change COPs, finance for implementation continued to be a sticking point across all areas of discussion at COP16. There were some welcome developments, particularly the launch of the Riyadh Drought Resilience Partnership. However, there is a desperate need to increase funds: to put things into context, Ibrahim Thiaw noted early on that this same sum is needed every day to contribute to land restoration by 2030. By 2050, the UN Development Programme estimates that addressing desertification, land degradation and drought requires a commitment of USD 23 trillion.

There remains much debate as to who is responsible for these funds, and how they will be secured. The concept of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ – which was first coined at the 1992 Rio Conference – highlights the need for equity and fairness in considering countries’ shared responsibility for environmental finance. The greatest climate impacts are often felt by the countries which have the least means to combat them, so there is a moral imperative for richer nations to take a larger share.

The need for private sector action

That being said, it is becoming clear that national financing commitments may only go so far, and there is an important role for the private sector to play here – not just in acknowledging negative impacts on nature as a result of business operations but also, perhaps more importantly, in driving the shift towards sustainable management of land and water.

Earlier this year at the World Economic Forum, the UNCCD launched the Business for Land initiative, which seeks to engage the private sector in this shift towards sustainability and their ‘Call to Action’ urges businesses to contribute to the goal of restoring 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030. After this welcome development, I was heartened that the decision on private sector engagement was adopted at COP16, which includes the development of a strategy to implement the Business for Land ambition. Currently the private sector provides just six per cent of financial contributions to address land degradation and drought, so there is clearly huge scope for action, and businesses are uniquely placed to change practices and adopt new approaches that could bring about real, lasting impact. The benefits of this action can be far-reaching, and returns on investment are high: the UNCCD estimates that for every USD 1 invested in land restoration, USD 8 is returned in social, economic and environmental gains.

Seeking sustainable solutions

So, what are some of the ways in which businesses can contribute to the shift towards sustainable land management? A key approach – which has been explored at this COP as well as those focused on biodiversity and climate change – is nature-based solutions. This is the idea that many of the problems we are facing in terms of land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change have solutions to be found in nature itself. By conserving and restoring vital ecosystems, we can achieve far-reaching environmental, societal and economic benefits.

Nature-based solutions were the focus of a symposium that I was part of on 4 December as part of Land Day at COP16. Focusing on rangelands and agro-pastoral systems, we showcased examples of strategies in action and explored how community-led approaches can lead to increased resilience. We also recognised that when developing and implementing solutions, it is vital to incorporate the requirements of those directly affected.

As I noted in my remarks at the event, “sustainable nature-based solutions require an understanding of the needs and priorities of local people, including women, locally agreed governance and management, and integrating Indigenous and traditional knowledge into all actions.” Whether we are talking about land degradation and drought, biodiversity or climate change, respecting and protecting the individual rights of those involved is imperative.

Main image: drylands of Mexico’s Laguna de Sayula. Image: AdobeStock