UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh
Last Friday, December 13, marked the conclusion of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This event was historic as it was the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region.
While Lignaverda is actively contributing to the African Union’s Great Green Wall initiative – having already restored 5,924 hectares – a global framework to proactively combat desertification remains absent. Unfortunately, COP16 failed to achieve consensus on a legally binding framework.
However, the summit was far from futile. One of its significant outcomes was the launch of the Global Drought Resilience Partnership, which secured €11.5 billion in pledges to support 80 of the world’s most vulnerable countries in building resilience to drought. Furthermore, the conference emphasized the importance of incorporating local communities’ perspectives into landscape restoration policies. This decision aligns closely with Lignaverda’s vision and strategy, which place local communities at the heart of its landscape restoration efforts.
The conference also underscored the critical role of the private sector in addressing land degradation. Initiatives such as Business4Land aim to mobilize greater private sector engagement. Currently, the private sector contributes only 6% of financing for land restoration and drought resilience, underscoring the urgent need for increased involvement. In this area, Lignaverda stands out among landscape restoration initiatives. The organization is primarily financed by corporate partners who see carbon credits and contributions to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – such as SDG15 (“Life on Land,” which includes ending desertification and restoring degraded land) and SDG13 (“Climate Action”) – as vital and strategic business opportunities.
Lignaverda looks forward to UNCCD COP17, scheduled for 2026 in Mongolia. This upcoming conference will play a critical role in supporting and guiding Lignaverda’s reforestation initiatives in Africa’s semi-arid areas.
