Highlights and images for 6 December 2024

Friday was Governance Day at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 16). Various side events highlighted the importance of responsible and inclusive land governance and land tenure in promoting human rights, reducing land degradation, and fostering equitable development. There was also a high-level interactive dialogue on the role of mayors and subnational governments in accelerating sustainable land management.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

Land governance was also on the negotiating agenda, as the Committee of the Whole’s (COW) contact group met in the morning and completed a first reading of the draft decision on land tenure, before working on the draft text on land degradation as one of the drivers of migration.

In the afternoon, the COW held initial discussions on sand and dust storms (SDS), gender, and grassland and rangeland. On SDS, many delegates called for additional financial support and capacity building to develop national and regional plans, and to enhance monitoring and early warning systems.

On gender, many delegates emphasized that gender equality is central to addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought. Others called for the promotion of gender equality throughout the Convention and said there should be gender parity on delegations. There was also recognition of the Gender Caucus and the Gender Action Plan.

On the new and emerging issue of grassland and rangeland, delegates discussed financial tools, collaborative activities, synergies for biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and food and water security and livelihoods. Many countries recognized the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026.

The Committee on Science and Technology (CST) addressed interfacing science and policy, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer. On the work programme of the Science–Policy Interface (SPI) beyond 2024, some delegates called for its expansion. Others wanted to consider the priorities and impacts of the SPI work programme to avoid adopting one that may be challenging to implement.

The CST and the budget contact groups and the informal group on drought also met during the day.

As the first week of COP 16 comes to a close, many delegates noted the weekend has not yet arrived as contact groups will meet on Saturday to try and hammer out many of the draft decisions. But they will get a well-deserved day off on Sunday.