Riyadh : Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al Fadley, the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, said in a speech at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) that is being held in Riyadh, that three billion people around the world are suffering the impact of poor and degraded land which will “increase levels of migration, stability and insecurity among many communities.”
The UN desertification convention was agreed upon 30 years ago and the organization’s current Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw, highlighted the continued importance of restoring land lost to drought and desertification.
Thiaw has said that: “Land restoration is primarily about nurturing humanity itself,’ he said, adding that the “way we manage our land today will directly determine the future of life on Earth.”
He spoke of his personal experience of meeting farmers, mothers, and young people affected by the loss of land. “The cost of land degradation seeps into every corner of their lives.” “They see the rising price of groceries, in unexpected energy surcharges, and in the growing strain on their communities,” he said. “Land and soil loss are robbing poor families of nutritious food and children of a safe future.” He added.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed urged delegates at COP16 to play their part and “turn the tide,” by focusing on three priorities including strengthening international cooperation.
She added that it was also crucial to “ramp up” restoration efforts and work towards “the mass mobilization of finance.”
Financing these efforts is going to be challenging, and is unlikely to come from the public sector alone, but according to the UN deputy chief, “cumulative investments must total $2.6 trillion dollars by 2030; That is what the world spent on defense in 2023 alone.”
Globally, up to 40% of the world’s land is degraded, which means its biological or economic productivity has been reduced, which has dire consequences for the climate, biodiversity, and people’s livelihoods.
Droughts, which are a priority issue at COP16, are becoming more frequent and severe, increasing by 29% since 2000 due to climate change and unsustainable land management.
The conference is set to last 2 weeks until 13 December and there will be some intense discussions and negotiations as delegates push towards the following outcomes:
Accelerate restoration of degraded land by 2030 and beyond.
Boost resilience to intensifying droughts and sand and dust storms.
Restore soil health and scale up nature-positive food production.
Secure land rights and promote equity for sustainable land stewardship.
Ensure that land continues to provide climate and biodiversity solutions.
Unlock economic opportunities, including decent land-based jobs for youth.
