United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

The 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. COP16 in Riyadh will be the largest gathering of the 197 Parties and the first to be held in the Middle East region. 2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, one of the three major environmental treaties known as the Rio Conventions, along with the climate change and biodiversity conventions.