Delivering Sri Lanka’s statement at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in Riyadh, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Head of the Sri Lankan Delegation to COP 16, Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad called upon the global community to unite in enhancing financial resources, fostering robust public-private partnerships, and implementing integrated policies to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought while striving to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets. He also emphasized the critical need of aligning international and national initiatives with other key conventions, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Sri Lankan delegation participating in the COP16 is focused on the negotiations on strengthening international cooperation on land degradation and restoration, drought preparedness and resilience; and mobilizing finance and scale up investment in sustainable land management.
The COP 16 of the UNCCD is held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 02 to 13, 2024, under the theme “Our Land. Our Future”. This session, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, marks a historic moment as the largest UN land conference to date and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The COP is the main decision-making body of UNCCD's 197 Parties – 196 countries and the European Union. The UNCCD serves as the global voice for land, being one of the three major UN treaties known as the Rio Conventions, alongside those addressing climate change and biodiversity.
The Ministry of Environment serves as Sri Lanka's National Focal Point for the UNCCD. The delegation of Sri Lanka to the COP 16 comprises Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad (Head of the Delegation); Director (Natural Resources) of the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka, Nilmini Wickramaarachchi; Assistant Director (Natural Resource Management) of the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka, Himali De Costa as well as Assistant Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Dulanji Herath.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Riyadh
06 December 2024
