TEHRAN –An Iranian delegation led by Agriculture Minister Gholam-Reza Nouri-Qezeljeh is participating in the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2 to 13.

On the sidelines of the conference, the minister has so far held separate meetings with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, as well as Pakistan’s coordinator to prime minister on climate change, to explore avenues for enhancing cooperation to address desertification.

In a meeting with the minister of environment, water, and agriculture of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Bin Abdulmohsen al-Fadley, Nouri-Qezeljeh underscored the importance of expanding cooperation between the states in West Asia and the Persian Gulf region, as well as developing a targeted action plan as effective strategies to combat desertification, IRNA reported.

Holding separate meetings with Iraq’s Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Jabr Al-Alawi, and the Pakistani official, Romina Khurshid Alam, the officials discussed ways to promote joint efforts to fight against desertification.

UNCCD COP 16 is more than a critical milestone – it represents a moonshot moment to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centered approach.  

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global voice for land and one of the three major UN treaties known as the Rio Conventions, alongside climate and biodiversity.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of UNCCD’s 197 Parties – 196 countries and the European Union. COP16 is taking place in Riyadh under the theme Our Land. Our Future. 

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, COP16 is the largest UN land conference to date, and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.

COP16 is poised to be a game-changer, marking a renewed global commitment to accelerate investment and action to restore land and boost drought resilience for the benefit of people and planet.

Desertification 

Desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40 percent of all land areas worldwide already considered degraded.

Healthy land not only provides us with almost 95 percent of our food but so much more: it clothes and shelters us, provides jobs and livelihoods and protects us from worsening droughts, floods, and wildfires.

At the same time, growing populations coupled with unsustainable production and consumption patterns fuel the demand for natural resources, putting excessive pressure on land to the point of degradation.

Desertification and drought are driving forced migration, putting tens of millions of people each year at risk of displacement.

Observed on June 17, this year, the theme of Desertification and Drought Day “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future” spotlighted the future of land stewardship — our most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world.

Promoting cooperation 

The efforts of the administration of the late President Ebrahim Raisi to address the predicament of sand and dust storms (SDSs), as one of the factors contributing to drought and desertification, led to the evolution of national discourse into regional, and subsequently international discourse, according to the former head of Department of Environment (DOE).

“It has also led to the inclusion of sand and dust storms in the key terminology of the United Nations,” ISNA quoted Ali Salajeqeh as saying.

He made the remarks on the occasion of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which is annually observed on June 17.

“The earth has a certain capacity with clear resilience and resistance to cope with shocks.

The extent to utilize the earth’s capacity is also known,” Salajeqeh noted.

Currently, drought and desertification, as a part of a prevalent phenomenon called climate change, are imposed on the world, including our country, he noted.

The official went on to say that human impacts on climate change are limited, however, the way they treat the environment can intensify and hasten the changes.

There are several ways to achieve this goal at all levels including policymaking, the presentation of the program, and its implementation.

Water-intensive crops should not be cultivated; clean fuels should be used. Underground water sources should be consumed in such a way that erosion is minimized, and restoration of nature is maximized.

Water and soil resources and fossil fuels should not be used as in normal conditions, there should be a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies.

This way, threats can be turned into opportunities and a non-wasteful lifestyle will be promoted.

According to the secretary of the national policymaking headquarters for dealing with sand and dust storms, Ali-Mohammad Tahmasbi, 2.5 million hectares of sand dust storm hotspots in the country have been stabilized over the past six years.

The measure has been taken in cooperation with other organizations, particularly the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization. 

SDS hotspots in 23 provinces of the country cover roughly 35 million hectares. They are responsible for generating dust across the country.

Enhancing collaborations among different organizations to manage dust storms produced by internal dust zones effectively; holding bilateral and multilateral meetings with the officials of Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Qatar, and Kuwait, and implementing the agreements concluded with these countries to address the SDSs are among taken actions by the DOE.

MT/MG