JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is ramping up its preparations for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP16, hosting its first Advisory Council meeting during the UN General Assembly in New York. The session was chaired by the Kingdom’s Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley. Scheduled for Dec. 2 to 13 at Boulevard Riyadh City, COP16 will feature a green zone aimed at fostering collaboration among public and private stakeholders. The gathering brought together experts and policymakers focused on combating land degradation, drought, and desertification. Saudi Arabia has launched several key initiatives, including the Saudi Green and Middle East Green Initiatives, aimed at enhancing the value of natural resources for economic and ecological sustainability. Announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, these initiatives include plans to cut regional carbon emissions by 60 percent and plant 50 billion trees in what is set to become the world’s largest afforestation project. The initiatives also aim to increase protected land coverage to over 30 percent, surpassing the global target of 17 percent, while reducing global carbon emissions by more than 4 percent through renewable energy projects set to account for 50 percent of the Kingdom’s energy mix by 2030. During the meeting, council members highlighted the critical role of land in supporting both human and planetary health. They discussed strategies to raise awareness of the severe impacts of land degradation, desertification, and drought. Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, provided key insights to council members, including former presidents Tarja Halonen of Finland, Iván Duque Márquez of Colombia, and Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica. Other notable participants included Chadian environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim and Nasser Baker Al-Kahtani, executive director of the Arab Gulf Program for Development. Saudi Arabia’s delegation featured Adel Al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs and climate affairs envoy, and Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, deputy minister of environment and adviser to the president of UNCCD COP16. The Riyadh event will be the first UNCCD COP to feature a green zone, offering a platform for the public, businesses, financial institutions, NGOs, media, and affected communities to collaborate on solutions to land degradation, desertification, and drought.