Shaaban Bilal from Cairo reports that the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification has acknowledged the UAE’s significant role in combating desertification both regionally and globally. They have also highlighted the opportunity presented by the upcoming climate conference, “COP 28,” in the UAE to exchange and learn about new methods to battle the effects of climate change and enhance the standard of living of communities worldwide. The UAE, which became a party to the Convention in October 1998, has since been dedicated to combatting desertification and drought by developing action plans. The Secretariat also mentioned that the UAE has been working with the Convention and other states parties to prevent land degradation, drought, and desertification, thereby aiding poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. Additionally, the report emphasised that the UAE has initiated significant measures to rebuild mangrove forests at the national and international levels, as part of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. The Secretariat affirmed that the UAE’s efforts have resulted in the increased adoption of sustainable farming practices and crop cultivation techniques that withstand salinity and drought, and the use of treated wastewater for irrigation. Finally, the report recognised the joint projects between the UAE and the Convention, and looking forward, the Convention hopes to leverage the momentum of “COP 28” to prepare for the “UNCCD COP 16” conference in December 2024 in Saudi Arabia.
Shaaban Bilal (Cairo)
The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification confirmed that the UAE plays an important role in combating desertification regionally and globally, noting that the climate conference “COP 28” to be held in the UAE is an opportunity to exchange and learn new practices and methods to improve the lives of societies, in the face of the effects of climate change.
The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification said in exclusive statements to Al-Ittihad via e-mail: The UAE has been a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification since October 1998, and is committed to developing action plans to combat desertification and drought.
She added, “The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is working with the UAE and the 196 states parties to achieve the objectives of the convention, which is to form a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertification and land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas, in order to support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability.”
She said: «The UAE plays an important role in combating desertification, land degradation and drought, and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment developed the first national strategy to combat desertification until 2003 and updated it in 2014, in order to preserve the UAE’s environment and its resources, which are an integral part of its history and heritage and combat the causes of desertification. This included the rehabilitation and afforestation of large areas and green belts using local plants, trees and shrubs that tolerate salinity.”
The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification confirmed that the efforts of the UAE have extended regionally and globally, and made great efforts focused on combating the causes of desertification and promoting the conversion of desert lands to agricultural, and the UAE’s efforts resulted in increasing the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, the cultivation of crops that tolerate salinity and drought, and the use of treated wastewater for irrigation. As well as research on improving rainfall and public awareness of desertification and how to prevent it.
The Secretariat stated that «the UAE has implemented large-scale initiatives to restore mangrove forests at the national and global levels as a contribution to the ongoing United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, in addition to its commitment to plant an additional 100 million mangrove trees by 2030, which is a significant increase over the 30 million identified. In its second Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement.
Regarding the existence of joint projects between the UAE and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the secretariat pointed out that since the UAE joined the Convention, it has actively participated in the work of the Convention, including meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COPs), as well as capacity-building and ongoing awareness-raising activities.
In November 2022, the UAE joined the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), launched by Spain and Senegal, with the support of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, to stimulate political momentum and mobilize resources for targeted actions to build resilience to drought in countries, cities and societies.
On the UAE’s hosting of the “COP 28” conference, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification stressed that it is working closely with the “sister conventions” on climate change or biological diversity as one of the three agreements that emerged from the Earth Summit in Rio, and that it is excited about the upcoming conference in the UAE. Because Earth is a powerful link between climate and biodiversity.
The Secretariat noted that it is actively exploring aspects of cooperation in the implementation of agreements at all levels, pointing to the launch of the International Alliance for Drought Resilience on the sidelines of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, last year, and the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties will be an opportunity to learn about the global situation, as well as To exchange and learn new ways or practices to improve the lives of communities in the face of the effects of climate change.
The secretariat concluded its statements to Al-Ittihad by looking forward to building on the momentum of “COP 28” to prepare for the “UNCCD COP 16” conference, which will be held in December 2024 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In conclusion, the UAE’s efforts to combat desertification, land degradation, and drought are commendable, and have extended regionally and globally. With the upcoming COP 28 climate conference to be held in the UAE, there is an opportunity to exchange and learn new practices and methods to improve societies’ lives, in the face of the effects of climate change. The UAE’s commitment to developing action plans and implementing large-scale initiatives to restore mangrove forests and adopt sustainable agricultural practices is an example to be followed. As we look forward to the COP 28 conference, we hope that the momentum gained will prepare us for the UNCCD COP 16 conference in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in December 2024.