Context:
16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) concluded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Key Outcomes of COP16 UNCCD:
- Global Drought Framework – Nations advanced efforts toward a global drought framework, aiming for completion at COP17 in Mongolia in 2026.
- Financial Pledges – Over USD 12 billion pledged to address desertification, land degradation, and drought.
- Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership – USD 12.15 billion committed to supporting 80 vulnerable countries, including USD 10 billion from the Arab Coordination Group.
- Great Green Wall (GGW) Initiative – The African-led GGW initiative secured Euros 11 million from Italy for Sahel landscape restoration and Euros 3.6 million from Austria to enhance coordination across 22 African countries.
- Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) – Nearly USD 70 million announced for the VACS initiative which aims to build resilient food systems with diverse, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops in healthy soils.
- Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities –
- Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities were formed to ensure their perspectives and challenges are represented.
- The Sacred Lands Declaration, presented at the Indigenous Peoples Forum, calls for greater involvement in global land and drought governance.
- Business4Land Initiative (B4L)- Highlights the role of private sector advocacy, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, and sustainable finance in tackling Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD) challenges.
B4L aims to restore 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030, contributing to Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), a global commitment to achieve net zero land degradation by 2030, as well as enhancing drought resilience.
- UNCCD’s Science-Policy Interface (SPI) – Parties agreed to continue the UNCCD’s SPI, established at COP11 (Windhoek, Namibia) in 2013, to translate scientific findings into recommendations for decision-makers.
Read more about: UNCCD- 1, UNCCD – 2
Source: TH
Previous Year Question
What is/are the importance/importances of the ‘United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’?
1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships.
2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions.
3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2016 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)