Saudi eyes collaboration with Rajasthan on climate challenges

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia‘s arid climate challenges mirror those faced by regions like Rajasthan, presenting a unique opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing, a Saudi minister official said on Monday. Dr Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and Advisor to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16 Presidency, made the remarks days ahead of the COP16 meeting to be held in Riyadh from December 2 to 13 under the theme — ‘Our Land. Our Future’.“Successful initiatives like the Ghandivan project in Jaipur, which has transformed a barren wasteland into a thriving ecosystem through community-driven efforts, offer valuable insights that can be adapted across different regions,” he said, adding that Saudi Arabia is leveraging water conservation practices and pursuing ambitious rural development programs.

“We are focused on raising awareness of the impact of land degradation, drought, and desertification. The scale of our challenge is stark: globally, we lose land equivalent to four football fields every second, amounting to 100 million hectares annually,” Faqeeha said.

According to the minister, the degradation of land is threatening food security, forcing people to be displaced from their countries and increasing international conflict. “Addressing these challenges cannot be done in isolation and that is why we are gathering the international community in Riyadh to achieve lasting change,” he emphasised.

Faqeeha underlined that Saudi Arabia’s arid climate challenges are similar to regions like Rajasthan, creating natural opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

He said COP16 in Riyadh will utilise and build on this framework to strengthen drought resilience globally and increase monitoring.”Under Saudi Arabia’s UNCCD COP16 Presidency the first Drought Resilience Observatory is set to launch at COP16 in Riyadh to help turn science and data into urgent action,” Faqeeha said, adding that this is a particularly pressing global issue. “One-quarter of the world’s population is already affected by drought, and three out of four people are projected to face water scarcity by 2050,” he said.Citing Indian government policy think tank Niti Aayog, the Saudi official said water scarcity is a critical issue, particularly in countries like India where around 600 million citizens face high to extreme water stress.

“At the UNCCD COP16, sustainable water resource management in agriculture will be a key focus area – in recognition of the vital connection between water security and land degradation,” he said.

Noting that over 130 countries have participated in the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting programme with more than 100 having determined their national targets, Faqeeha said while this represents progress, at COP16 Saudi will push for more stringent, universally enforced criteria and enhanced global cooperation to achieve these goals.

UNCCD is the global voice for land and one of the three major UN treaties known as the Rio Conventions, alongside climate and biodiversity.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of UNCCD’s 197 Parties – 196 countries and the European Union.