Riyadh, December 12, 2024 – In a significant meeting held today in Riyadh, Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Member, and Climate Envoy of Saudi Arabia, engaged in discussions with Abdallah Al Dardari, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), a key international platform addressing global environmental and climate issues.
The talks between Al-Jubeir and Al Dardari primarily focused on the pressing environmental and climate challenges facing the world today, particularly land degradation and its profound impact on ecosystems, communities, and economies. Both leaders emphasized the urgency of coordinated global efforts to address these challenges, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, where desertification and land degradation have been escalating due to climate change, overexploitation, and other factors.
In addition to discussing land degradation, the meeting also addressed the broader agenda of COP16, which includes a range of issues related to sustainable land management, biodiversity preservation, and the implementation of the UNCCD’s goals. Both Al-Jubeir and Al Dardari underscored the critical importance of international cooperation in tackling these challenges, with a special focus on innovative solutions, technological advancements, and the mobilization of financial resources to support the transition toward more sustainable land use practices.
Al-Jubeir reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to environmental sustainability and its ongoing efforts to combat desertification, noting the Kingdom's active participation in global climate initiatives and its dedication to supporting regional and international cooperation on climate and environmental issues. Al Dardari, for his part, commended Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in advancing environmental causes and highlighted the UNDP's ongoing work in the Arab region to address the challenges of land degradation, climate change, and sustainable development.
The outcome of the meeting was a shared commitment to deepening collaboration between Saudi Arabia and the UNDP in addressing the critical issues of climate change and land restoration, particularly within the context of the Arab region. Both parties agreed on the importance of translating the discussions at COP16 into concrete actions that can effectively address the environmental challenges facing the region and the world at large.
This high-level meeting underscores the growing recognition of the interconnectedness between climate change, land degradation, and sustainable development, and highlights the essential role of diplomatic and multilateral engagement in finding lasting solutions to these global issues.