Nearly 200 countries participated in the 16th COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). These countries expressed commitments to make land restoration and drought tolerance a priority in national policies and international cooperation. This issue is considered an essential strategy for food security and climate adaptation. Although the parties could not agree on a new drought regime, a strong political declaration and 39 decisions were adopted, which set the way forward. According to UNCCD’s recently released World Drought Atlas and Economics of Drought Resilience reports, drought affects the livelihoods of 1.8 billion people worldwide, and it further impacts already vulnerable communities and beyond. It also causes losses of an estimated $300 billion per year, which puts key economic sectors such as agriculture, energy and water at risk. Key results achieved at COP16: A prototype of the International Drought Resilience Observatory released It is the first global AI-powered platform to help countries assess and enhance their capacity to cope with extreme drought. Under the initiative ‘Business for Land’, private sector Mobilizing participation. Creating a system for Aboriginal people and local communities – to ensure that their unique perspectives and challenges are adequately represented. Oliver Tester, representative of Australia’s Aboriginal people, said, “Today, history has been made . We look forward to furthering our commitment to protect Mother Earth through a dedicated system and leave with confidence that our voices will be heard.” …Continued…
