On 17 June 2024, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) marked the 30th anniversary of its adoption. By signing and ratifying the Convention, 196 governments and the European Union committed to combat land degradation and to tackle the scourge of drought.

Thirty years later, the UNCCD has raised awareness about desertification, land degradation and drought, has pioneered efforts to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN), and has embarked on a number of groundbreaking thematic policy frameworks addressing drought, gender, land tenure, sand and dust storms, and desertification, land degradation and drought as a driver of migration.

Despite these efforts, the planet continues to lose 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land each year. There is a growing scarcity of fertile land and droughts are increasing in frequency and severity, exacerbated by climate change, conflict and competition for scarce natural resources. And women and girls in rural areas are affected first…and worst.

It is in this context that the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP 16) convened under the theme “Our Land. Our Future.” COP 16 aimed to undertake a midterm evaluation of the 2018−2030 Strategic Framework, adopt the UNCCD’s biennial budget, and negotiate with a view to adopting decisions on:

• accelerating restoration of degraded land between now and 2030;
• boosting drought preparedness, response and resilience;
• ensuring land continues to provide climate and biodiversity solutions;
• boosting resilience to sand and dust storms;
• scaling up nature-positive food production by protecting and restoring grasslands and rangelands;
• enhancing ongoing efforts to address desertification/land degradation and drought as one of the drivers that causes migration;
• strengthening women’s right to land tenure to advance land restoration; and
• promoting youth engagement, including decent land-based jobs for youth.

For the first time, the COP included an Action Agenda, with voluntary commitments and actions and thematic days focused on:

• Land Day on 4 December will focus on the importance of healthy land for combating climate change, creating jobs and alleviating poverty, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions, land restoration, and private sector engagement. 
• Agri-food System Day on 5 December will highlight sustainable farming practices for resilient crops and healthy soils while protecting ecosystems. 
• Governance Day on 6 December will address inclusive land governance.
• People’s Day on 7 December will focus on the role of youth, women and civil society in decision-making.
• Science, Technology and Innovation Day on 9 December aims to accelerate scientific solutions for land health and resilience. 
• Resilience Day on 10 December will focus on policies and technologies to build societal and planetary resilience in the face of climate change.
• Finance Day on 11 December will engage financial stakeholders to showcase innovative funding mechanisms and partnerships for land and drought resilience initiatives.

The COP is the UNCCD’s main decision-making body. It is comprised of all parties and is responsible for guiding the Convention so that it can respond to global challenges and national needs. The COP is mandated to review reports submitted by the parties detailing how they are carrying out their LDN commitments and make recommendations on the basis of these reports. It also has the power to amend the Convention or to adopt new annexes. The COP has been meeting biennially since 2001.

UNCCD COP 16 convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2-13 December 2024. The 22nd meeting of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 22) and the 16th meeting of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST 16) also convened.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting were Pam Chasek, Ph.D.; Marc Calabretta; Suzi Malan, Ph.D.; Mika Schröder, Ph.D; and Liz Willetts. The Digital Editor was Anastasia Rodopoulou. The Editors were Lynn Wagner, Ph.D. and Pam Chasek, Ph.D.