UNCCD COP16: Critical moment for the land degradation neutrality

UNCCD COP16: Critical moment for the land degradation neutrality  

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2–13, 2024, marks a pivotal moment in advancing global efforts toward land degradation neutrality. Celebrating the UNCCD’s 30th anniversary under the theme “Our Land Our Future,” the conference will bring together governments, businesses, and civil society to address the interconnected challenges of land degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. This milestone event underscores the critical role of healthy land in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering global resilience. The CGIAR community, renowned for its expertise in sustainable food, land, and water systems, stands ready to play a strategic role by showcasing innovative solutions and advocating for sustainable practices. With approximately 38 side events hosted at the CGIAR Pavilion, including contributions from its centers and external partners, COP16 offers a unique platform to highlight actionable innovations, nature-based solutions, and inclusive governance. By engaging in ministerial dialogues, thematic days, and the Action Agenda, CGIAR can amplify its impact, foster collaborations, and solidify its role as a key player in global sustainability efforts, advancing the shared goal of combating desertification and promoting sustainable land use.  

COP16 priorities    

COP16 will introduce a dual approach with a Negotiation Track and an Action Agenda, both interlinked to achieve bold outcomes in formal negotiations and facilitate the implementation of COP decisions.    

• Negotiation Track: focuses on critical COP decisions and political declarations essential for advancing global land and drought resilience.  

• Action Agenda: highlights voluntary commitments and actions on land, resilience and people across the thematic days during COP16. 
  

Action Agenda: Alignment with Thematic Priorities  

Land Day   

Land Day focuses on the critical issue of land degradation, which threatens food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience. Participants will learn about nature-based solutions, large-scale land restoration initiatives, and the role of the private sector in achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). The day aims to raise awareness, scale up restoration efforts, and foster cross-sector collaboration to secure a sustainable future.  

Agri-Food Systems   

Agri-Food Systems Day addresses the need for sustainable practices to meet growing food demands while restoring degraded lands and protecting ecosystems. Discussions will cover agroecology, private sector engagement, and inclusive food system transformation. The expected outcome is actionable insights to enhance soil health, biodiversity, and food resilience through collaborative efforts.  

Governance Day  

Governance Day highlights the importance of inclusive land governance to safeguard human rights and achieve LDN. Participants will explore best practices in land tenure, integrated land use planning, and urban-rural linkages. The day aims to share knowledge, strengthen legal frameworks, and mobilize resources for equitable and sustainable land governance.  

People’s Day  

Peoples’ Day emphasizes the role of non-state actors, youth, women, and local communities in combating land degradation. The event will showcase community-driven initiatives, including the Gender Caucus and Youth Forum, promoting inclusive solutions for LDN. The day seeks to inspire collaboration and empower communities through capacity sharing and success stories.  

 Science, Technology, and Innovation Day  

Science Day focuses on leveraging scientific advancements and Earth intelligence tools to address land degradation and enhance drought resilience. Attendees will engage in discussions on scaling up science-driven solutions, empowering young scientists, and integrating technology into policy frameworks. The outcome is stronger collaboration and innovative pathways for sustainable land management.  

Resilience Day  

Resilience Day explores proactive approaches to strengthen resilience against land degradation, drought, and climate shocks. The focus will be on early warning systems, water security, and large-scale restoration initiatives. The day aims to foster partnerships and promote integrated solutions to protect vulnerable ecosystems and communities globally.  

 Finance Day  

Finance Day addresses the urgent need for sustainable financing to support land restoration and drought resilience. Key topics include innovative mechanisms like green bonds, public-private partnerships, and conservation finance. The day seeks to mobilize investments, bridge funding gaps, and drive global efforts toward achieving LDN through impactful financial strategies.  

CGIAR’s contributions to the Rio Conventions    

CGIAR’s contributions to COP16 emphasize innovative solutions to address critical global challenges under the Rio Conventions. They focus on food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. They address issues like sustainable soil management, water scarcity, landscape restoration, and the productivity of rangelands, alongside promoting gender-transformative governance and collaborative actions for natural capital restoration. Together, these efforts aim to enhance climate resilience, food security, biodiversity, and inclusive resource management through cutting-edge technologies, participatory governance, and partnerships at local, national, regional and global levels. These initiatives call for an integrated approach to achieve land degradation neutrality, climate goals, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework goals and targets.   

Soil Health: The Bedrock for Agrifood Systems  

Sustainable soil management is essential for achieving food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience under the Rio Conventions. CGIAR innovations like ISFM, conservation agriculture, and agroforestry aim to restore soil productivity and connect farmers to carbon markets.   

Water Scarcity: Building Drought Resilience  

Addressing water scarcity requires integrated approaches like drought-resistant crops, conservation agriculture, and Decision Support Systems. CGIAR promotes agroecological practices and regional collaboration to improve water-use efficiency and resilience. Financing models and policy support are critical for scaling solutions in drought-prone regions.  

Restoring Agricultural Landscapes   

Restoring degraded agricultural lands through agroecological and regenerative approaches supports climate resilience and sustainable food systems. Innovations like conservation agriculture and digital monitoring tools enable tailored restoration strategies. Overcoming financial and capacity constraints is key to scaling these solutions globally    

Rangelands and Grasslands: Bridging Productivity and Sustainability   

Rangelands and grasslands are critical ecosystems that require sustainable management to combat degradation and climate impacts. CGIAR initiatives like silvo-pastoral systems, participatory rangeland management, and decision-support tools promote productivity and resilience. Tailored solutions and global collaboration are vital ahead of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralism (2026)   

Restoring natural capital   

Addressing natural capital degradation by promoting innovative, integrated solutions aligned with the Rio Conventions to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation.An opportunity to showcase the role of CGIAR and partners in developing climate-smart agricultural practices, participatory governance, and ecosystem restoration tools to enhance sustainability and resilience. Scaling these solutions requires collective action, inclusive governance, and robust data systems to achieve global environmental and development goals.    

Gender, Social Inclusion, and Land Tenure   

Addressing land degradation neutrality (LDN) requires gender-responsive policies that empower women and marginalized groups through secure land tenure and equitable resource access. Women, often primary managers of land in vulnerable regions, face systemic barriers that limit their participation in sustainable land management. CGIAR emphasizes participatory tools, community-based management, and technological innovations to integrate gender and social inclusion into resource governance.     

Additional scientific evidence in the CGIAR Food and Agriculture Pavilion  

The CGIAR Food and Agriculture Pavilion at UNCCD COP 16 provides additional scientific evidence and more details to supplement the issue briefs listed above. Around 38 side events are organised by CGIAR centers, alongside contributions from close CGIAR partners, and the pavilion offers a diverse agenda. Key topics in landscape and agricultural sustainability address pressing global challenges through multidimensional solutions.  The 10-day program could be summarised as follows:  

December 4th, focusing on diverse sustainability and land management aspects. The week begins with Land, exploring migration and land tenure. On December 5th, discussions shifted to agri-food systems, followed by governance topics like land management, gender, and rangelands on December 6th. December 7th emphasises people-centric dialogues, including youth forums and Indigenous community discussions. After a break, December 9th highlights science and innovation during Sustainability Innovation Week. The focus transitions to resilience and drought mitigation on December 10th, and we conclude the program with public-private partnerships for land restoration on December 11th. Attending this pavilion is a strategic moment for stakeholders to gain insights and foster collaborations crucial for achieving the land degradation neutrality targets.   

Opportunities for CGIAR Participation   

• Informing Negotiations: CGIAR has the opportunity to provide evidence-based insights and policy briefs to influence negotiations on sustainable land management and gender equity. Building on the wealth of data at CGIAR, we can generate outstanding scientific evidence to inform critical decision at this UNCCD COP and beyond. For instance, CGIAR can advocate for inclusive governance frameworks and highlight the importance of securing women’s land tenure to achieve climate and development goals.  
• Showcasing Science and Innovation: CGIAR has the opportunity to demonstrate its cutting-edge solutions, such as participatory land-use planning tools, gender-responsive governance frameworks, and decision-support systems. Highlighting these innovations reinforces CGIAR’s role as a leader in integrating food, land, soil, and water systems into the Rio conventions in particular, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals in general.  

• Initiating Strategic Partnerships: This UNCCD COP represents a significant opportunity for CGIAR to further foster partnerships with governments, international organizations, UN agencies, regional bodies, NGOs, academia, other research organizations, the private sector, and the civil society among others to collaborate on advancing shared objectives in the context of the Rio conventions for high impacts.