We’ve all heard about the UN Climate Conference. COP29, was the latest and held in Baku. While there is much ado about these UN conferences bringing in diplomats from around the world to hobnob about the planet, most of the work gets done between the events. The UN climate event has a much lesser known cousin and it’s a COP for land, unattractively marketed as the NCCD COP and this year marks NCCD COP16, coinciding with the convention’s 30th anniversary. It will be the first time the event is held in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia, an area most impacted by desertification, land degradation, and drought. 

Saudi is pouring its heart into globalizing and attracting international investment, manufacturing, tourism. Its development of NEOM is the flagship for modernizing and revolutionising the country on the global stage. But leaders are taking note that the West is interested in developing ancient customs like Slow Food in Saudi Arabia and the country has started making electric cars (Ceer), and investing in research teams to study its archeological past. Saudi is putting itself in the center of the stage for football, culture and issues that matter to to the West and East.

Despite the prevailing stereotype that the Kingdom is a desert country, deserts only represent 31.75 percent of its diverse surface features. Still, water is scarce and aquifers are depleted and research institutes like KAUST are investing in new tech in areas like hydroponics (see Red Sea Farms – Iris) to grow food in the desert using brackish water. Saudi Arabia is also undertaking a massive project to plant a million mangrove trees, an effort to stop desertification.

When we were interviewing the Saudi-based Red Sea Farms about impacts against desertification Mark Tester mentioned American-Israeli Daniel Hillel as a force for combatting desertification in the Middle East through his work and research on drip irrigation.

But you came here for Land Cop. So what’s happening and how you can get involved. At this year’s CCD COP16, countries are expected to work with a dual approach, one through a negotiation track focusing on land restoration, drought resilience, and land tenure, and an action agenda focusing on voluntary commitments and actions on land, resilience, and people to reach the following goals:

• Scale up land restoration efforts to restore 1.5 billion hectares of the globe by 2030
• Boost resilience to intensifying droughts, 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

What the UNCCD Focuses on

1- Land Degradation

• Up to 40 percent of the world’s land is degraded.
• The global area impacted by land degradation is approx. 15 million km², more than the entire continent of Antarctica or nearly the size of Russia. It is also expanding each year by about 1 million km²
• 46% of the global land area is classified as drylands, and 75% of Africa is considered dryland. 
• The efficiency of Nitrogen fertilizers is only 46% and 66% for Phosphorus; the rest runs off, with dire consequences for soils.
• Degraded soils lower crop yields and nutritional quality, directly impacting the livelihoods of vulnerable populations.
• Agricultural subsidies often incentivize harmful practices, fueling water overuse and biogeochemical imbalances. Aligning these subsidies with sustainability goals is critical for effective land management.
• Every dollar invested in restoring degraded lands brings between $7-30 in economic returns. Policy and economic incentives are urgently needed to unlock a trillion-dollar restoration economy.  

2- Drought Resilience

According to the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), which is a coalition of 36 countries and 28 international organizations aiming to tackle drought risks:

• Droughts have increased by 29 percent since 2000.
• From 1998 to 2017, drought generated economic losses of about US$124 billion across the world.
• 1.84 billion people are drought-stricken, of which 4.7 per cent are exposed to severe or extreme drought and 85 percent live in low or middle-income countries.
• Investing in drought resilience is one of the most cost-effective actions countries and regions can take, with returns of up to 10 times the initial investment.

3- People & Land Tenure

• Drought, land degradation, and desertification disproportionately affect women, girls, indigenous peoples, local communities, and vulnerable groups like people with disabilities.
• One billion young people living in developing regions are dependent on land and natural resources. Achieving global land restoration commitments requires youth involvement. 
• Areas managed by local communities are characterized by lower rates of deforestation and land degradation. Preserving traditional and local knowledge and recognizing its key role in land restoration is crucial.
• The impacts of land degradation disproportionately affect tropical and low-income countries, both because they are less resilient and because the impacts are concentrated in tropical and arid regions. 
• Women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and local communities also bear the brunt of environmental decline. Women face increased workloads and health risks, while children suffer from malnutrition and educational setbacks.

The UNCCD COP16 (Land COP) will start on Monday, December 2nd. It will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2nd to 13th. It is the first time a desertification COP will be held in the Middle East.

UNCCD COP16 Agenda in Riyadh

• Land Day (4 December): Focus on the role of healthy land in addressing climate change, job creation, and poverty alleviation, with emphasis on nature-based solutions and private sector engagement. 

• Agri-Food Systems Day (5 December): Highlighting sustainable farming practices for resilient crops, healthy soils, and ecosystem protection. 
• Governance Day (6 December): Exploring inclusive land governance and policies to strengthen equitable land management. 
• People’s Day (7 December): Emphasizing the involvement of youth, women, and civil society in land-related decision-making. 
• Science, Technology & Innovation Day (9 December): Aims to accelerate scientific advancements for land health and resilience. 
• Resilience Day (10 December): Focus on policies and technologies that foster resilience to climate change.

Finance Day (11 December): Aims to showcase innovative financial mechanisms supporting land restoration and drought resilience.