The sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2 to December 13, 2024 under the theme “Our Land. Our Future”.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, COP16 was the largest UN land conference to date, and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.

Among the main agreements reached at COP16 were the creation of a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities to ensure that their unique perspectives and challenges are adequately represented; a continuation of the Convention’s Science-Policy Interface to strengthen science-based decision-making; and the mobilization of private sector engagement under the Business4Land initiative.

Tajikistan and new challenges

Tajikistan's delegation was led by Ms. Zarafo Qiyomzoda, First Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of Tajikistan.

In her address, Qiyomzoda emphasized the importance of joint efforts to combat environmental challenges affecting the development of Central Asian countries.

She highlighted that drought and land degradation lead to forced migration and pose new challenges for agriculture.  The Tajik government is actively working to prevent these phenomena by implementing programs for sustainable land resource management and water supply systems.

Qiyomzoda invited conference participants to the International Conference on Glacier Preservation, scheduled for May 2025 in Dushanbe.  The event aims to draw attention to the issue of glacier melting and its impact on the region's water resources.

Addressing the conference, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw stated that global efforts must be intensified, as land degradation costs US$300 billion annually, and by 2050, droughts are projected to affect 75% of the world's population.

For Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan, such measures are critically important. The region already faces climate change, drought, and shrinking water resources, threatening agriculture and food security.

The scale of drought in Central Asia

Central Asia is experiencing an increase in prolonged droughts due to climate change, jeopardizing the region's economic and social stability.

According to UN data, 38.43% of the region's land is affected by drought, with 1.33% experiencing severe and 0.23% extreme drought conditions. The most affected countries are Uzbekistan (89.5%), Turkmenistan (88%), and Kazakhstan (76%). In Tajikistan, drought affects 47% of the land, and in Kyrgyzstan, 42.4%.

Experts attribute this to climate change, land degradation, and unsustainable resource use. Despite the scale of the threat, droughts are rarely officially documented, accounting for only 2-3% of natural disasters in the region.