The 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16), held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024, will emphasize that building drought resilience and restoring land are crucial for accelerating the global green transition and improving the lives of affected communities, including people on the move.

Human Mobility at UNCCD COP16

UNCCD Parties have repeatedly recognized that desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD) are drivers of migration (Decision 28/COP.13, Decision 22/COP.14 and Decision 22/COP.15). These decisions specifically focus on “the positive role that measures taken under the Convention can play to address DLDD as one of the drivers that cause migration” and call for Parties to promote measures to ensure the sustainability of land-based livelihoods, food security, and employment creation for rural communities. Furthermore, Strategic Objective 2 of the UNCCD 2018–2030 Strategic Framework is to “improve the living conditions of affected populations” (Strategic Objective 2). A key expected impact of this objective is a significant reduction in forced migration linked to DLDD.

 

List of Revelant Events 

Tuesday 03  

11:00-12:30

Event: Unpacking the intersections between desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD), climate change, peace and security, and displacement

Partner: IOM, CCCPA, CGIAR,

Location: MET-01

14:00-17:00

Event: Ministerial Dialogue: Impacts on Land Degradation and Drought on Forced Migration, Security and Prosperity

Partner: Govt of Azerbaijan, UNFCCC,

Location: MET-14

Wednesday 04  

18:15-19:45

Event: High Level Roundtable: Strenthening Action for Change: Promoting Coherence and Synergies for Sustainable Land Management

Partner: United Nations Environment Management Group (EMG), UNCCD, UNEP

Location: MET-01

Thursday 05

 

09:00-10:30

Event: Leveraging data and research for resilience building and addressing drought as an adverse driver that compel people to leave

Partner: IOM, NAUSS

Location: MET-04

Friday 06  

14:00-15:30

Event: Youth Empowerment in Addressing Migration Challenges Linked to Drought and Land Degradation

Partner: IOM, Youth Caucus

Location: Changwong Pavilion

18:00-19:00

Event: The roles of regional frameworks and cooperation to support the Convention to address migration in the context of desertification/land degradation and drought

Partner: Govt of Uganda, Arab Water Council (TBC), UNCCD

Location: MET-02

 

Stay tuned as more infromation will soon be available