The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) concluded its 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after two weeks of negotiations.
Nearly 200 countries participated. Approximately 20,000 individuals attended, including around 3,500 representatives from civil society. More than 600 events took place. COP16 was the largest and most inclusive UNCCD COP to date.
Countries agreed to prioritize land restoration and drought resilience in national and international agendas.
 They committed to strengthen policies for combating desertification and land degradation. They also made headway on a future global drought regime.
 Delegates aimed to finalize this regime at COP17 in Mongolia, scheduled for 2026. In the interim, countries pledged over USD 12 billion to tackle desertification, land degradation, and drought worldwide, with a focus on assisting the most vulnerable countries.
Key agreements included the creation of a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities. Delegates said this step would ensure that these groups’ unique perspectives inform future decision-making.
Countries also continued the mandate of the UNCCD’s Science-Policy Interface (SPI) to maintain science-based policies.
Another decision was the mobilization of private sector engagement under the Business4Land initiative. The initiative seeks to increase private investment in land restoration and drought resilience, areas where private sector financing has been limited to about 6% of total funding.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed said: “Our work does not end with the closing of COP16. We must continue to tackle the climate crisis—it is a call to action for all of us to embrace inclusivity, innovation, and resilience. Youth and Indigenous peoples must be at the center of these conversations as we craft a sustainable future with renewed hope for generations to come.”
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley, serving as COP16 President, described the event as a turning point for raising awareness of the urgent need to accelerate land restoration and drought resilience.
 Alfadley said: “It reaffirms [the Kingdom’s] dedication to working with all parties to preserve ecosystems, enhance international cooperation to combat desertification and land degradation, and address drought.”
UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw  said: “As we have discussed and witnessed, the solutions are within our grasp. The actions we took today will shape not only the future of our planet but also the lives, livelihoods, and opportunities of those who depend on it.”
He explained the interconnections between land issues and global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, migration, and instability.
Financial requirements featured prominently. UNCCD estimates that at least USD 2.6 trillion in total investments are needed by 2030 to restore over one billion hectares of degraded land.
This translates to USD 1 billion per day between now and 2030. During COP16, the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership attracted USD 12.15 billion. Of this, USD 10 billion came from the Arab Coordination Group. This partnership will support 80 vulnerable countries to build resilience to drought.
The Great Green Wall (GGW), an African-led initiative targeting 100 million hectares of restoration, gained new support.
Italy pledged EUR 11 million for landscape restoration in the Sahel. Austria committed EUR 3.6 million to strengthen coordination and implementation of the GGW in 22 African countries.
Meanwhile, the United States and partner countries announced total investments of nearly USD 70 million for the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) to build resilient food systems.
The host country, Saudi Arabia, announced five new projects valued at USD 60 million as part of the Saudi Green Initiative.
The COP16 Presidency launched an international sand and dust storm monitoring effort to complement existing World Meteorological Organization (WMO) systems.
Saudi Arabia also joined the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) earlier in the year and will host the International Drought Resilience Observatory (IDRO) , the first AI-driven platform to assess and enhance drought coping capacities. The full version of IDRO will launch at COP17 in Mongolia.
On governance and representation, Parties requested a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities.
This move followed the inaugural Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at a UNCCD COP. A declaration, “Sacred Lands,” was presented. Indigenous representative Oliver Tester from Australia said: “Today, history has been made. We look forward to championing our commitment to protect Mother Earth through a dedicated Caucus, and leave this space trusting that our voices be heard.”
Youth participation reached a record high. Countries discussed giving young people a more prominent role in negotiations and implementation.
Gender considerations also surfaced. Delegates emphasized the importance of addressing discrimination faced by women and girls in land degradation and drought responses.
The private sector’s role gained prominence. Currently, it provides only about 6% of financing for land restoration and drought resilience.
Parties mandated the UNCCD Secretariat and the Global Mechanism to advance the Business4Land Forum which convened over 400 private sector participants from multiple industries, including finance, fashion, agri-food, and pharmaceuticals.
Science-based policies remained central. Parties agreed to continue the SPI, established at COP11 in 2013, to strengthen evidence-based decision-making.
At COP16, the SPI presented data confirming that three quarters of the Earth’s ice-free surface have become permanently drier over the last 30 years.
By 2100, an estimated five billion people will live in drylands. According to the SPI findings, drylands have expanded by approximately 4.3 million square kilometers since the 1990s. Drylands now cover about 40.6% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica.
Other new reports included “The Global Threat of Drying Lands” and “Stepping back from the precipice: Transforming land management to stay within planetary boundaries.” The latter, produced with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, shows that seven of nine planetary boundaries are negatively impacted by unsustainable land use.
It notes that agriculture accounts for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of deforestation, and 70% of freshwater use. It calls for urgent transformations in land use.
UNCCD’s “World Drought Atlas” and “Economics of Drought Resilience” reports indicates that droughts affect 1.8 billion people globally and cost an estimated USD 300 billion per year.
Droughts threaten key economic sectors, including agriculture, energy, and water supply. Without adequate measures, these challenges may escalate, pushing vulnerable communities to the brink.
For the first time, UNCCD Parties decided to encourage sustainable management, restoration, and conservation of rangelands.
Rangelands cover half of the Earth’s terrestrial surface and dominate land use in drylands. They face rapid degradation, which threatens one-sixth of global food supplies and may deplete one-third of the Earth’s carbon reserves.
Approximately two billion people live in pastoral areas dependent on rangelands. COP17, to be held in Mongolia in 2026, will coincide with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. This timing is expected to bring more attention to an issue that historically received limited global focus.
Negotiations at COP16 included developing a global drought regime. Parties focused on policies to strengthen resilience to drought, building on the Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought established at COP15. Since 2000, droughts have intensified by about 30%.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said at the start of COP16: “We are all gathered here to make COP16 a historic moment… to adopt a bold decision that can help turn the tide on the most pervasive and the most disruptive environmental disaster: drought.”
During the opening, the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership was announced. Initially, it secured USD 2.15 billion in commitments, including USD 150 million from Saudi Arabia, USD 1 billion from the Islamic Development Bank, and USD 1 billion from the OPEC Fund for International Development.
The Arab Coordination Group pledged an additional USD 10 billion. The Partnership aims to support 80 drought-hit countries and encourage blended financing instruments, such as concessional loans and insurance schemes, to strengthen drought resilience.
Spain’s State Secretary of Environment, Hugo Morán, co-chair of the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), said: “For Spain and Senegal…the co-chairs of IDRA, promoting international cooperation is a key priority. We are working very hard to mobilize political momentum and resources for drought resilience…we welcome the Riyadh Partnership.”
The newly launched a World Drought Atlas  compiles risk data, explaining impacts on key sectors. The IDRO platform, to be fully operational by COP17, will provide AI-driven tools and analytics to support decision-makers.Â
Anna Dyson, Founding Director of Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture, explained the significance of IDRO “Although a wealth of knowledge is emerging on drought resilience globally, it tends to be scattered…The Observatory will enable quick access to diverse expertise and tools needed to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to drought challenges.”
