RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, December 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The role of governance in local, regional and international efforts to combat land degradation, drought and desertification dominated discussions at Governance Day in COP16 In Riyadh Friday. The debates featured major events that motivated action against land degradation, including water scarcity and desertification, as well as promoting women’s land rights and strengthening urban-rural linkages.
This comes at the time of the launch of the Riyadh Program of Action, a historic initiative of Saudi Arabia UNCCD COP16 Presidency, mobilizing state and non-state actors. It will strengthen financing for land restoration and drought resilience and drive measurable progress towards the UNCCD goal of restoring 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030. The Action Agenda Riyadh took further steps forward on Governance Day, with a declaration calling for engagement between local and regional governments to develop a roadmap to combat land degradation, drought and desertification.
Meanwhile, the Mayors’ Forum, bringing together current and former mayors, policymakers and experts, sought to strengthen the role of local and regional governments in combating land degradation, desertification and drought. Participants called for enhanced cooperation and inclusive finance, among other key policy areas.
Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya, Türkiye and co-president of United Cities and Local Governments, said: “Meaningful action requires meaningful resources. I am here, as head of the delegation of the Global Working Group of Local and Regional Governments, to make a strong call for commitment from local and subnational leaders. to come together to combat land degradation and drought, through mechanisms that prioritize investments in drought-resilient infrastructure and ecosystem restoration, while ensuring direct access to all subnational governments , particularly in the countries of the South, “
Walid Al-Akrishassistant for projects of the municipality of Riyadh, Saudi Arabiadelivered a keynote speech stating: “We must recognize that the challenges we face: population growth, rapid urbanization and unsustainable agricultural practices have led to alarming rates of land degradation and loss of biodiversity. »
Urbanization intensifies pressure on hinterland, water and food resources, and further accelerates land degradation. The growth of urbanized areas is only expected to increase, with 68% of the world’s population expected to reside in urban areas by 2050, according to the UN. Rapid urbanization is expected to have a significant impact on surrounding rural areas, particularly in developing countries. This trend is expected to further increase the importance of regional and local authorities in managing resources for growing populations.
Alongside the Mayors’ Forum, an event on urban-rural linkages explored governance frameworks and financing tools that can be used to strengthen links between rural producers and urban consumers.
“It is imperative that we localize decision-making to combat land degradation, desertification and drought, and strengthen synergies between growing urban populations and rural producers,” said Dr Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of the Environment, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. and advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency.
“The Riyadh Agenda for Action is now operational and is already mobilizing a number of key stakeholders to accelerate action on land restoration and drought resilience. It will bring together international state and non-state actors to bring tangible change to people around the world, for the remainder of COP16and beyond.”
THURSDAY, Saudi Arabia launched the Riyadh Program of Action. It will encourage countries, the private sector, financial institutions, international organizations and other stakeholders to strengthen the convention by joining existing initiatives that strengthen global action against land degradation, desertification and drought, such as such as the Middle East Green Initiative, the Great Wall of Africa. , Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, or champion new initiatives.
Already, COP16 In Riyadh got more than 12 billion dollars funding pledges from major international organizations, amplifying the role of financial institutions and the private sector in combating land degradation, desertification and drought, and launched the Riyadh Global Partnership for Drought Resilience.
About COP16 Riyadh:
The UNCCD COP16 the conference takes place from December 2-13, 2024at Boulevard Riyad Monde, Saudi Arabia. The theme of the conference was Our Earth. Our Future will mark the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD and aims to ensure multilateral action on critical issues such as drought resilience, land tenure and sand and dust storms.
SOURCE CNULD COP16 Presidency
