COP16 Presidency: Global Leadership to Advance Sustainable Land Management and Address Drought Challenges

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Presidency of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16), held by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reaffirmed the importance of intensifying international efforts to confront the challenges of drought and land degradation. This came during the high-level session titled "Accelerating Global Action from Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar" on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The session held last week convened ministers, senior officials, international experts — including a Nobel Laureate — alongside representatives from UN agencies, NGOs, Indigenous peoples, as well as private sector and financial institutions.

The program featured opening remarks from leading international officials followed by a keynote address highlighting the critical role of healthy land and drought resilience as foundations of stability and prosperity. The keynote underscored the importance of land as an essential pillar of life on Earth and outlined the severe impacts of degradation on food and water security, biodiversity, climate adaptation, and social well-being. It also reviewed drought mitigation measures, including landmark initiatives such as the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership.

The program featured two substantive panel discussions. The first focused on innovative financing for drought resilience, with the participation of leading economists and heads of international financial institutions. The second addressed accelerating land rehabilitation, emphasizing the role of sustainable rangeland management in strengthening livelihoods as well as food and water security. The session concluded with closing remarks from senior UN officials who stressed the need to sustain momentum and ensure that the commitments launched in Riyadh are carried forward to Ulaanbaatar for COP17 in 2026.

Participants affirmed that this event served as a pivotal moment to renew global political commitment to tackling land degradation and drought as comprehensive development, environmental, and economic challenges. They highlighted new financing solutions and mechanisms as practical tools to address risks, while underscoring the importance of long-term partnerships between the COP16 and COP17 Presidencies to ensure continuity of efforts.

The COP16 Presidency, under the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, continues to chart the roadmap to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar in 2026, preserving momentum and advancing commitments from Riyadh. This forward-looking effort aims to strengthen sustainable land management, safeguard food and water security, and enhance global resilience for the benefit of future generations.

SOURCE COP16 Presidency