Saudi Arabia Hosts Arab Forum on Land and Climate Ahead of COP16

Saudi Arabia has launched the third Arab Forum on Land and Climate in Riyadh, marking a significant step in the country’s preparations for COP16, the upcoming United Nations Conference on Combatting Desertification (UNCCD). Running from October 8 to 9, the forum aims to address the urgent environmental challenges affecting the Arab region, with a focus on enhancing land resilience and tackling desertification.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development and the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), opened the forum by emphasizing the severe risks posed by desertification. He highlighted that 12 million hectares of land are lost globally each year, threatening food security and the livelihoods of 2 billion people. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Africa could lose up to two-thirds of its arable land by 2030, and desertification may displace 50 million people globally in the same period. Prince Abdulaziz stressed that over 75% of the world’s land is already degraded, with projections indicating that figure could rise to 90% by 2050. He noted that the Arab region is one of the hardest hit by desertification.

The forum, themed “The Road to COP16: Enhancing the Resilience of Arab Lands,” is organized by the Arab Network for Non-Governmental Organizations, AGFUND, and the Arab Council for Childhood and Development, under the auspices of the League of Arab States. The event provides a platform for regional and international experts, policymakers, and civil society organizations to discuss the social, economic, and environmental impacts of desertification, land degradation, and drought.

One of the key sessions of the forum focused on “Children’s Rights in the Face of Desertification.” Experts discussed the devastating impact that land degradation has on children, particularly in regions already suffering from poverty and displacement. The session highlighted the importance of protecting children’s rights to health, education, and well-being, and stressed the need for a safe and healthy environment. With 90% of Arab land classified as dry or at risk of desertification, the session emphasized the need for urgent action to preserve natural resources and minimize the harmful effects of land degradation on future generations.

Participants in the session included Dr. Hassan Al-Bilawi, Secretary-General of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development, and prominent figures such as Professor Ahmed Zayed, Director of the Library of Alexandria, Dr. Maha Al-Muneef, Head of the Child Protection Department at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Mazen Al-Malkawi, Climate and Environment Advisor at the World Health Organization. Their discussion stressed the urgent need for regional cooperation to address the environmental crises affecting the Arab world.

A video presentation, “What If We Planted a Trillion Trees?,” produced by the Arab Council for Childhood and Development in collaboration with AGFUND, was also shown during the forum. Targeting children, the video encourages them to actively participate in environmental protection and to be part of the solution in combating desertification.