Highlights and images for 13 December 2024

The final day was a day of waiting. Parties and observers were seen milling around the plenary hall and the various coffee kiosks waiting for news. Was the decision on drought agreed? Was the budget agreed? What time will the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) finally come to a close?

In the end, despite the Herculean efforts by the host country throughout two weeks of negotiations, parties were unable to agree on whether to begin negotiations on a new drought framework or a legally-binding protocol. As Friday turned to Saturday, parties were left with no choice but to adopt a procedural decision that agrees to continue discussions on the basis of the progress made at COP 16 (contained in an annex), with a view to adopting a decision at COP 17.

Earlier in the day, the Committee on Science and Technology  (CST) held its closing plenary and adopted eight decisions, including on: sustainable land use systems; future functioning and work programme of the Science-Policy Interface; aridity trends, projections and impacts; avoiding, reducing and reversing land and soil degradation of agricultural lands; and knowledge sharing, technology transfer and innovation.

After the CST, the COP convened briefly to adopt the reports on: the credentials of delegates, the report of the 22nd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC), and the report of the 16th session of the CST.

At the same time, the Committee of the Whole (COW) contact group met from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm to finish its last four draft decisions on gender, synergies, follow-up on the midterm evaluation of the UNCCD Strategic Framework, and the agenda for COP 17. Overnight, they had approved the decision on participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

Informal consultations on drought continued throughout the day and the closing plenary was postponed pending the outcome of the discussions.

The COW closing plenary finally convened at 7:10 pm and adopted 15 decisions, including on synergies, migration, land tenure, sand and dust storms, gender, and grasslands and rangelands. A Gender Caucus Report and declarations from the Youth Forum, CSOs, Indigenous Peoples, and the Business for Land Forum were also adopted.

In statements, CSOs called for developing and implementing governance frameworks for land degradation from industry, for accessible funding, and for CSOs to be silent observers in contact groups. The Youth Caucus called for promoting equitable land rights across the Rio Conventions, ensuring gender inclusion and flexible funding for youth initiatives, and training on the Science-Policy Interface, among other requests. Indigenous Peoples said history had been made at COP 16 where they hosted People’s Day, presented their Declaration, and celebrated adoption of an Indigenous Caucus and Local Communities Caucus.

COW Chair Anna Luise (Italy) suspended the meeting at 7:37 pm, pending the resolution of the items on drought and the budget.

The COP plenary convened an hour later and elected officers, including the Chairs of the CST and the CRIC. COW Chair Luise presented her report and the COP adopted 15 decisions. The COP also adopted the Riyadh Political Declaration. The President suspended the COP at 8:40 pm.

After five hours, the COP plenary finally convened at 1:28 am on Saturday, 14 December, to adopt the remaining decisions, including the budget, the decision on the midterm evaluation of the Strategic Framework, and the procedural decision on drought. Chair Luise gaveled the COW to a close at 1:35 am.

The COP reconvened at 1:45 am and adopted all decisions and the report of the meeting. Following closing remarks, COP 16 President Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen AlFadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia, gaveled the largest-ever UNCCD COP to a close at 2:05 am on Saturday, 14 December 2024.