United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
ILRI @ COP16
The 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2 to 13, 2024.
As a global platform focused on land-related issues, the UNCCD serves as a key forum for governments, businesses, and civil society to tackle pressing challenges and strategize for a sustainable future. As one of the three Rio Conventions, alongside those addressing climate change and biodiversity, the UNCCD highlights the interconnected nature of these issues. Addressing the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and land degradation requires a unified approach, as healthy land is critical to achieving global goals on climate, nature, and sustainable development
Side Events
Date and time | Name of session or event | Location | Lead partners | Main ILRI contact person | Role being played and by whom |
3/12 Tuesday: (Finance) Day | |||||
17.00-18.30 | Particpatory rangeland management: A business case for Africa | Food&Ag Pavilion | ILRI | Fiona | ORGANISING. |
4/12 Wednesday: Land Day | |||||
08.00-08.50 | COP Presidency Event - Rio convention synergies - restore 1.5 billion hectares by 20230 | Action Dome Met-25 | UNCCD Sec | Fiona | |
09.20-11.20 | Nature Based Solutions International Symposium including resilience of agro-pastoral livelihoods and rangelands | Action Dome Met-25 | UNCCD Sec | Fiona | UNEP |
09/30-11.00 | The new nature of business | Side event room | IKEA etc. | ||
10.13.00 | Gender Caucus launch of #HerLand publication | Action Dome Met-11 | UNCCD Gender | Launcing HerLand publication that Fiona contributed to | |
11.35-12.30 | Restoration success stories | Action Dome Met-25 | UNCCD Sec | Fiona | Fiona/STELARR working with Business4Land project |
13.00-15.00 | Business 4 Land Forum | Action Dome Met-25 | UNCCD Sec | Fiona | Fiona/STELARR working with Business4Land project |
13.00-18.00 | Innovation segment including Dragons Den pitching session | Side event room 1 | UNCCD Sec | Fiona | Fiona/STELARR working with Business4Land project |
15.30-17.00 | Landscape restoration as a pathway to peace | Alliance/E&BP | Baba | ILRI co-organising. Baba presenting SPARC | |
15.00-15.45 | The global rangelands standard and the Rangelands Stewardship Council | Action Dome Met-25 | SFA/UNCCD | Fiona | Fiona PRESENTER with SFA on rangelands standard and rangeland stewardship council |
16.00-17.45 | COP Presidencey event on rangelands including announcement of a Mongolia-led global Rangelands Coalition | Met-25 | UNCCD Sec | Fiona | Announcement on UNCCD's Rangelands Initiative flagship project launch for Mongolia, Rangelands Coalition, the RSC and standard. |
15.00-16.30 | Launch CGIAR 2030 Global Strategy on Resilient Drylands | Food&Ag pavilion | ICARDA | Fiona | Fiona asked to present - on PLUP in pastoral areas |
18.00-20.00 | Fashion 4 Land event | Met-25?? | UNCCD Sec | Fiona | SFA presenting. SFA are STELARR partners |
TBC | GIZ Rangelands Reception | TBC | GIZ | Fiona | ILRI co-hosting with GIZ, UNCCD - Fiona quick remarks |
5/12 Thursday: AgriFood Systems Day | |||||
07.45-09.15 | FAO investment framework including rangelands in MENA | FAO | Fiona | ||
9.00-10.30 | A just transition to more sustainable extensive livestock production systems | Food&Ag pavilion | ILRI | Fiona | ORGANISIG. Fiona MODERATING |
11:30 -13.00 | Restoring the Forgotten Landscapes: A High-Level Dialogue on Funding Grasslands, Savannahs, and Rangelands | WWF, IYRP etc | Fiona | Fiona contributed to position paper. Fiona MODERATING | |
14.00-15.30 | Custodians of the Land and Territories: How Pastoralist Communities and Women Strengthen Resilient Rangelands | Mongolian Pavilion | iYRP/ Hannah Longole | Fiona | |
15.00-16.30 | Potential dryland sylvopastoral systems | Food&Ag pavilion | FAO | Fiona | Sara and Baba are presenting in session |
14:00pm-15.30 | LD4D Annual Meeting 2024: Network-powered solutions for real world impact | ||||
5-6.30pm | Land and natural resource tenure, governance and food production systems: international collaboration for local solutions | Food&Ag pavilion | ILRI-ILC | Fiona | ORGANISING. Fiona is MODERATOR |
6/12 Friday: Governance Day | |||||
09:00-10:30 | The importance of Indigenous Peoples’ Mobility, Nomadism, and Collective Rights for Biodiversity Conservation and Combating Desertification and Land Degradation | MET-01 | FAO Pulaaku | ||
09:00-10:30 | Principles and Good Practices for Sustainable Rangeland Restoration and Management | MET-02 | NCVC, ICARDA, WOCAT | ||
09.00-10.30 | Valuing Grasslands | Met-08 | TNC, WWF, ILRI | Fiona MODERATOR & contributed to organisation | |
15.30-17.00 | Data Dilemmas: Bridging knowledge gaps for inclusive rangeland governance | RECONCILE/ILC | Fiona | Fiona will CONTRIBUTE with the rangelands data . RECONCILE also contributing. | |
18.00-20.00 | Offical side event: Shared Lands, Shared Futures: Inclusive Governance for Rangelands and Pastoralists (TBC) | Action Dome, Blue zone | FAO, IYRP, WWF, ILRI | Fiona | Fiona MODERATOR first part. ILRI is as contributor to organisation. Partners contribute to event. . Kiteto pastoralist woman (Natapuaki will be on panel). |
7/12 Saturday: Peoples Day: Official Agenda | |||||
10.00-13.00 | Indigenous Peoples for Land | Action Dome | UNCCD | ||
11-12.30 | Global movements to scale land and soil regeneration | MET-07 | ICRAF, IUAF, Merz | Fiona | |
12.30-14.00 | Restoration of global rangelands for people, nature and human well-being | IUCN, | Fiona | ILRI is partner in organisation Naitapuaki to speak | |
14.00-15.30 | Mobility Matters | UNEP, ILC, ILRI | Fiona | ILRI is partner in organisation. Fiona Fireside chat with Patrick | |
15.00-18.00 | Youth Forum Action for Land, Restoring Work for Resilient and Sustainable Futures | Action Dome | UNCCD | ||
15.30-17.00 | The Role of Indigenous Peoples in the conservation and restoration agendas | ||||
17.00-18.30 | IYRP 2026 | Food&Ag pavilion | IYRP support group | Fiona | Fiona co-ORGANISING |
17.00-18.30 | How IPs Ways of Life and Wellbeing Links to Land and Resilience | ||||
18.00-19.30 | Mapping conservation hotspots?? | MET-04 | WWF/Equilibrium | Fiona contributing as panelist | |
18.00-19.30 | Restoring Balance: Livestock Management for Ecosystem Resilience and Land Degradation | MET-01 | CASH/ICRAF | Fiona | Sara is panelist. Part organiser |
10/12 Tuesday: Resilience Day | |||||
10.30-13.00 | Pathways to sustainable land use: multifuncational landscapes | Food&Ag pavilion | GGGI | Fiona | ILRI is a partner in organisation. Fiona is panelist |
13.00-14.30 | Grazing for good: Pathways to sustainable grazing management | IUCN pavilion | WWF | Fiona | Fiona is panelist |
11/12 Wednesday: Finance Day | |||||
9-10.30 | Reversing, reviving, regenerating: Pastoralist women restoring rangelands | Food&Ag pavilion | ILRI | Fiona | ORGANISING. Fiona is MODERATOR |
10-11.00 | Breaking barriers: Finance, science and partnerships for RR | G20 Restoration pavilion | WWF | Fiona | Fiona is PANELIST. Bochola is panelist |
11.30-12.30 | Meeting with Sara and SFA team | ||||
13:00-14:30 | Accelerating actions for healthy land in East Africa - Pathways to pastoralist prosperity, resilience and food security | Met-02 | Jameel/ILRI | Peter B | |
13.00-14.30 | Multifunctional landscapes | Food&Ag pavilion | Env&Bio platform | Fiona | CIAT organising. ILRI is partner. Fiona is CLOSING |
15.30-17.00 | UNCCD Side Event: STELARR: Sustainable Investments for Large-Scale Rangeland Restoration | Met-05 | ILRI | Fiona | ORGANISING. |