JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has called for decisive global action to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation during the UN General Assembly. The appeal was made at a Rio Trio Initiative event in New York City, where the incoming presidents of the three Rio summits outlined their goals for the UN environmental meetings scheduled for the remainder of 2024, according to a press release. Saudi Arabia is set to host the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP16 from Dec. 2-13, with a key target of restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. The Kingdom’s COP16 presidency is pushing for concrete commitments to reach this goal. The Saudi Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Osama Faqeeha, who is also an advisor to the incoming UNCCD COP16 president, said: “Climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are interconnected aspects of the same planetary crisis, which are most effectively addressed in an integrated way.” He added: “This year presents a unique opportunity to unite with our colleagues in Azerbaijan and Colombia to rally the international community to address these interrelated global environmental challenges, which are having a devastating impact on the planet and all of its inhabitants, including its people.” The Riyadh event is expected to be the largest and most inclusive UNCCD COP to date, bringing together the private sector, civil society, and the scientific community to share solutions for land degradation, desertification, and drought. Azerbaijan will preside over the 29th Conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, while Colombia will chair the 16th Conference of the Convention on Biological Diversity. At the Rio Trio Initiative event, Saudi representatives underscored the importance of land health for people and the planet, stressing the significant economic, social, and environmental repercussions of land degradation and drought — all of which jeopardize biodiversity, elevate greenhouse gas emissions, and worsen food and water insecurity. The incoming president of the CBD COP16, Susana Muhamad and Colombia’s minister of environment and sustainable development, said: “We need a joint agenda implemented on the ground, and we are ready to establish a working group to promote articulation and coherence.” She further emphasized that the just transition addressed in relation to climate change must foster collaborations to prevent the degradation and harm of natural ecosystems. “On the other hand, we have a great opportunity to plan the land with a more integrated approach: decarbonizing, restoring, and generating better conditions for human lives. COP16 is the space for deepening the understanding of these synergies,” she said. COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev stated that by strengthening collaboration among the three Rio Conventions, they seek to unlock alliances, improve efficiency, and achieve tangible outcomes that benefit both people and the planet. “This is about recognizing that the goals of the respective conventions are intrinsically linked and that progress in one area can catalyze advances in others,” Babayev said. The Rio Trio Initiative is named after the pivotal 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where nations united to form a framework addressing the pressing challenges of climate change, desertification, and biodiversity loss. The initiative aims to enhance collaboration across the three major international environmental conventions.