https://arab.news/ba698
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, supported by a $150 million investment, according to a top official.
Speaking during the first plenary meeting on the opening day of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the COP16 president and the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley explained that the initiative aims to promote multilateral efforts in the countries most impacted by drought.
This falls in line with the goal of the G20 Global Land Initiative, which was launched by the Kingdom and the UN in 2020, to reduce degraded land by 50 percent by 2040.
It also aligns with the country’s progressive stance on combating land degradation, as demonstrated by the Saudi Green Initiative. The nation has committed to rehabilitating over 74 million hectares of land, with 94,000 hectares already restored and 49 million plants and shrubs planted since 2021.
“The launching of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership aims at promoting multilateral efforts to promote resilience, namely in the countries most impacted by drought. It includes proactive partnerships to support the UNCCD,” Al-Fadley said.
“It is my pleasure to announce that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will support this initiative with the amount of $150 million in the coming 10 years,” he added.
After the COP16 president underlined how drought is increasingly challenging our lives, Al-Fadley said: “The global partnership aims at promoting partnership between countries, organizations, and relevant stakeholders for the sake of a preventive approach, proactive approach by implementing strategies.”
It also addresses drought comprehensively by assessing risks, implementing early warning systems, transferring knowledge, and increasing capacity through innovative agricultural solutions, such as drought-resistant crops. Additionally, it will provide financing for infrastructure development, he added.
President and Group Chairman of Islamic Development Bank Muhammad Al-Jasser also spoke during the meeting on behalf of the Arab Coordination Group.
“I would like to emphasize that the magnitude and urgency of these challenges demand collective action. We must unite as a global community, forging partnerships that mobilize resources and deliver meaningful impact where it is most needed,” Al-Jasser said.
“Together, we can drive a just, fair and inclusive transition toward a sustainable future for both people and planet earth,” he added.
During the meeting, the Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Professor Johan Rockstrom also shed light on how the world is currently halfway through a decisive decade that will likely determine the future of humanity for generations to come.
“Unless we bend the curves and start truly transforming back within a safe operating space of a resilient and healthy planet. We are today finding overwhelming scientific evidence. We are at risk of destabilizing, of losing resilience and undermining life support at the planetary scale,” Rockstrom said.
“The latest finding shows we’re following a pathway that will take us to over 3 degrees Celsius of global mean surface temperature rise already by the end of this century,” he added.
The professor emphasized that the primary focus is gradually eliminating fossil fuels to ensure a smooth transition to a decarbonized global economy.
“But we today know scientifically that that will not be enough,” Rockstrom said.
“Investing in sustainable land use is critical not only to combat land degradation but it’s also fundamental for economics, it’s also fundamental for economic stability, it’s fundamental to avoid displacement, migration, and potentially also conflicts. It is fundamental for stability of societal development, it’s fundamental for climate stability and food security,” he said.