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Saudi Arabia is hosting the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) in Riyadh from December 2 to 13, 2024. The COP16 conference in Riyadh will be the largest meeting ever for the 197 parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and it will be the first of its kind held in the Middle East. It will also be the largest multilateral conference ever hosted by the Kingdom, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, one of the three main environmental treaties known as the Rio Conventions, alongside climate change and biodiversity.

During the signing ceremony between Saudi Arabia and the United Nations, His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Engineer Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, stated: "The Kingdom's decision to host the Conference of the Parties comes as part of the leadership's interest, supported by God, in protecting the environment at the national, regional, and international levels, and in adopting several pioneering environmental initiatives, including the "Green Saudi" and "Green Middle East" initiatives. The Kingdom attaches great importance to hosting this conference, as it contributes to achieving environmental objectives locally and internationally."

His Excellency added that the conference's timing is of great importance, given the urgent need to strengthen international efforts to reduce land degradation and desertification, which significantly affect environmental, economic, and social aspects. He pointed out that approximately three billion people are affected by land degradation, with losses estimated at six trillion dollars in lost ecological services. He hopes the conference will provide an effective platform for joint action by all member states, international organizations, and relevant stakeholders to develop and strengthen the necessary mechanisms and actions to intensify global efforts to reduce desertification and land degradation and promote the sustainability of the environment and natural resources for future generations.

For his part, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, said: "Today, we are losing fertile land at an alarming rate, putting global stability, prosperity, and sustainability at risk. The COP16 conference in Riyadh must be a turning point in how we deal with our most precious resource – land – and collectively address the global drought emergency."

Mr. Thiaw added that, according to data from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40% of the world's land is degraded, affecting half of humanity and having severe consequences for our climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods. If current trends continue, restoring 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030 will be necessary for a world free from land degradation.

He also noted that droughts are occurring more frequently and intensely around the world, with a 29% increase since 2000, driven by climate change and the way we manage our lands. A quarter of the world's population is already affected by drought waves, and it is expected that three out of every four people worldwide will face water scarcity by 2050.

The COP16 conference in Riyadh will focus on mobilizing governments, businesses, and communities worldwide to accelerate action on land restoration and drought adaptation as cornerstones of food, water, and energy security.

The two-week event will include a high-level segment and associated events such as the Gender Gathering and the Business Forum for the Earth.

The hosting of COP16 in Riyadh, in the most water-scarce region heavily impacted by desertification and land degradation, will highlight ongoing efforts in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and beyond toward a green transformation based on sustainable land management.