Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts leads South Africa’s delegation at UNCCD COP16, 2 to 13 Dec

South Africa will participate in the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCDD COP 16), taking place in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, from 02 - 13 December 2024.

The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Bernice Swarts, will lead South Africa’s delegation at the UNCCD COP16.

“The UNCCD COP 16 is expected to decide on collective actions to: come up with a global instrument or framework that will be used to manage drought from reactive to proactive approach, accelerate restoration of degraded land by 2030 and beyond, boost resilience to intensifying droughts and sand and dust storms, restore soil health and scale up nature-positive food production, secure land rights and promote equity for sustainable land stewardship, ensure that land continues to provide climate and biodiversity solutions and unlock economic opportunities, including decent land-based jobs for youth,” said Deputy Minster Swarts.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, COP16 will be the largest UN land conference to date, and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.

UNCCD COP16 will consider the following issues, which are of strategic importance to South Africa:

Securing additional investments and relations with financial mechanisms: South Africa will support any position that does not undermine the financial architecture of the convention, which requires developed countries to provide substantial financial resources and support to affected developing countries in meeting their obligation under the convention.

Final report by the Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought: South Africa will advocate for the adoption of a Protocol in line with the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) 19 decision, similar to the approach adopted in the other two Rio Conventions such as the establishment of the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols under the Convention on Biological Diversity; and the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with a view to strengthen compliance mechanisms to ensure countries implement their provisions to save lives affected by drought. An option of developing a Global Framework on Drought Resilience will be considered as a fallback position, however, emphasising it as an interim intervention.

Midterm evaluation of the UNCCD 2018 – 2030 Strategic Framework: South Africa will welcome the findings of the midterm evaluation report and its recommendations, which highlighted the importance and the need of a large-scale multisector implementation as a priority; formulation of clear global targets to strengthen commitment and focus into actions; involvement of affected communities and vulnerable people; and fostering synergies at all levels. However, South Africa is of the view that more work still needs to be done especially on mobilisation of substantial resources for the implementation of large-scale projects, programmes and drought resilience.

Measures to address desertification, land degradation and drought as one of the drivers that causes migration: South Africa will welcome the report on the work undertaken by the Secretariat. Environmental hazards are becoming a challenge affecting all forms of livelihoods and the growing population in most of the provinces in South Africa. South Africa is of the view that, there is a need to strengthen inter-departmental collaboration and interventions to ensure complementarity of approaches across sectors i.e. on environment, agriculture, migration, labour, and development.

COP16 will bring together governments, policymakers, scientists, the private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to accelerate action on land, drought resilience and green transition.

The UNCCD COP16 is convened under the theme: Our Land. Our Future. The UNCCD is the global vision and voice for land and one of the three major UN treaties known as the Rio Conventions, alongside climate and biodiversity. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of UNCCD’s 197 Parties – 196 countries and the European Union.    

For media enquiries, please contact:
Peter Mbelengwa     
Mobile: 082 498 4799     
E-mail: pmbelengwa@dffe.gov.za

Editor’s Note
The high-level segment will also be held at COP16 and will include the following ministerial dialogues on 2 and 3 December 2024:

Ministerial dialogue on drought resilience: From Geneva to Riyadh and beyond: Enhancing global and national policy instruments for a proactive drought management approach

Ministerial dialogue on finance: Unlocking public and private finance for land restoration and drought resilience.

Ministerial dialogue on migration: Impacts of land degradation and drought on forced migration, security and prosperity.

COP16 will also focus its discussions on an action agenda which will include the following thematic and high level days.

Land Day on 4 December focusing on the importance of healthy land for combating climate change, creating jobs and alleviating poverty, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions, land restoration and private sector engagement.

Agri-food System Day on 5 December focusing on sustainable farming practices for resilient crops and healthy soils while protecting ecosystems.

Governance Day on 6 December focusing on inclusive land governance,

People’s Day on 7 December focusing on the role of youth, women and civil society in decision-making.

Science, Technology and Innovation Day on 09 December which aim to accelerate scientific solutions for land health.

Resilience Day on 10 December focusing on policies and technologies to build societal and planetary resilience in the face of climate change and;

Finance Day on 11 December focusing on engaging financial stakeholders to showcase innovative funding mechanisms and partnerships for land and drought resilience initiatives.
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