The desertification, as a result of prolonged droughts, affects 3000 million people worldwide. Poor and degraded lands, according to the UN, are estimated to “increase migration levels, stability, and insecurity among many communities”.
This was estimated by the newly elected president of the Conference on desertification, drought, and land recovery, supported by the organization, which is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Conference on Desertification
Abdulrahman Alfadley, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, made these statements as the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) began in the Middle Eastern country’s capital.
According to the text of that Convention, the meeting represents a “crucial moment” to “increase global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centered approach”.
Up to 40% of the world’s lands are degraded, meaning their biological or economic productivity has been reduced.
This has disastrous consequences for the climate, biodiversity, and people’s livelihoods.
Droughts, one of the priority topics of COP16, are becoming more frequent and severe. They have increased by 29% since 2000 due to climate change and unsustainable land management.
Reversing Land Degradation
COP16 provides world leaders, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society with the opportunity to come together to discuss the latest research and chart the path towards a sustainable future for land use.
The world can “reverse land degradation trends,” Thiaw stated, but only if “we seize this critical moment.”
Funding efforts will be a challenge, and it is unlikely to come solely from the public sector, but according to the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, “cumulative investments must amount to $2.6 trillion by 2030“. That’s what the world spent on defense alone in 2023.
The conference will last two weeks, until December 13, and intense debates and negotiations will take place as delegates strive to achieve the following outcomes:
- Accelerate the restoration of degraded lands by 2030 and beyond
- Increase resilience to intensifying droughts and sand and dust storms
- Restore soil health and increase nature-friendly food production
- Ensure land rights and promote equity for sustainable land management
- Ensure that land continues to provide solutions for climate and biodiversity
- Unlock economic opportunities, including decent land-based jobs for youth
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