COP16 Riyadh Programme

11:00 - 12:30

Where: Food & Agriculture Pavilion, Blue Zone, Zone C

Organisers: CA4SH & ICRAF, CIMMYT, VACS, Action on Food Hub

Soil health as the foundation: Implementing and monitoring landscape restoration for achieving LDN and the SDGs

Healthy soil is the very foundation of our food systems and food and nutrition security, and provides several vital ecosystem services, including nutritious food, water regulation, habitat for biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. However, over one-third of the Earth’s surface is degraded, limiting the soil’s ability to provide these critical services. In particular, vulnerable rangeland ecosystems face significant challenges which have been exacerbated by climate change and thus require urgent action. Reversing these trends will require scaling of holistic landscape restoration strategies that prioritize soil health and incorporate diverse perspectives, including scientific research and Indigenous Knowledge, leverage data and evidence, and ensure the participation of youth and local communities. This will be enabled through increased access to knowledge and information, implementation of advanced monitoring systems, increased financial investments in soil health and filling key knowledge gaps around the impact of land management on soil health.

This session will highlight scientific advances, applications, and lessons learned for inclusivity and collaboration across soil health research and development, fundamental to land restoration. Specifically, we will highlight advancements in soil and land health monitoring and demonstrate how this evidence can inform investments and programs across the globe. This includes the GEF-IUCN-ILRI led STELARR project, the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative, citizen science data collection, and global monitoring frameworks including the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF). The STELARR project, for example, aims to unlock private sector finance for rangeland improvement and restoration through sustainable livestock value chains. We will explore how soil health underpins all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and serves as a critical level for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). We will highlight how soil health can play a critical role in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges, including poverty, hunger, climate change, biodiversity loss, drought and land degradation.

We will showcase successful case studies that integrate diverse sources of knowledge to inform policy decisions and improve soil health, alongside public-private partnerships that foster diversified agricultural systems and sustainable land use and learn from initiatives such as the VACS which seeks to foster resilient agri-food systems by building healthy soils among other objectives. We will also demonstrate how systematically monitoring indicators of rangeland health using tools and frameworks such as the LDSF underpins not only their restoration but their sustainability. The LDSF is a comprehensive method designed to provide a biophysical baseline of ecosystem health at the landscape level (https://ldsf.thegrit.earth/). Citizen science will be emphasized as a key tool in advancing landscape restoration efforts. By engaging communities in data collection and monitoring, we can harness local knowledge to develop equitable and context-specific land management strategies.

The event will call for a paradigm shift toward holistic practices that prioritize soil health, biodiversity, and sustainable productivity, needed to achieve successful landscape restoration. This will require sustained, collective and collaborative action, inclusive decision making and collaborative innovation building on cutting edge science and local knowledge. Participants will engage in robust discussions, share valuable insights, and foster partnerships, paving the way for resilient ecosystems that sustain livelihoods and contribute to global efforts against land degradation and to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality and the SDGs.

9:00 - 10:30

Where: MET-05, COP16 Blue Zone, Area A

Organisers: WWF International, CIFOR-ICRAF, CA4SH, International “4 per 1000” Initiative, Rabobank, Action on Food Hub, European Carbon Farmers, IICA

Cultivating Change for Land Degradation Neutrality through Evidence-based Policy and Practice

Land degradation continues to impact 3.2 billion people negatively. Healthy soil is an integral part of the solution, as it is the foundation of sustainable and regenerative food systems and provides vital ecosystem services. However, there are few policies that incentivize farmers and pastoralists to invest in practices to maintain and improve soil health. There is considerable international momentum around soil health, such as the Australian National Soil Strategy, the European Soil Strategy for 2030, the United Kingdom Soil Health Inquiry, and the Nairobi Declaration from the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit. However, translating these decisions into enabling policy mechanisms is not a linear path as countries still face major challenges in implementation. Moreover, multi-stakeholder action is needed to build an equitable and transparent enabling environment at multiple levels for supporting, financing, scaling, and monitoring healthy soil ecosystems.

The event will highlight on-the-ground implementation and opportunities for evidence-based policy framework to contribute to food systems transformation and land restoration, from the soil up. It will bring together stakeholders from research, policy, development, farmer organizations, policymakers and governments to discuss opportunities to engage and integrate soil health into policy and strategies at national, regional and international level - and ultimately contribute to Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) goals.

The panel will reflect upon the main challenges and entry points in bringing soil health to the table in policy, the current knowledge gaps and critical mechanisms that are needed to enable soil health to be better integrated into policy, and explore how global agreements such as the LDN goals can be translated into national level implementation.

The Call to Action for Soil Health will be presented to galvanize support from member states and advance the commitments of the Soil Health Resolution. The Resolution, developed by CA4SH and 4 per 1000, provides a framework for member states and the COP Presidencies to embrace, adapt, and endorse the critical role of soil health for land restoration, food security, livelihoods, climate action, biodiversity, and to combat drought. The Call to Action aims to contribute to the COP16 and implementation of the UNCCD by raising global ambition and accelerating multi-stakeholder action to build healthy soil ecosystems and achieve LDN goals.

9:00 - 10:30

Where: MET-04, COP16 Blue Zone, Area A

Organisers: YPARD, CA4SH, ICRAF, UNCCD Youth Caucus, YOUNGO Food & Agriculture WG, WOCAT, Action on Food Hub, International Land Coalition

Women, Youth, Land Tenure for Land Restoration and Resilience

Women, youth, and marginalized communities often play a central role in managing and conserving land resources, and our meaningful involvement can significantly enhance the effectiveness of land restoration efforts. However, women and youth, especially young women, are often disadvantaged when it comes to ownership and access to land, undermining our indispensable contributions to food security and their communities. Actively addressing gender and age disparities in land tenure systems ensures that the diverse needs and perspectives of all community members are considered, leading to more sustainable and equitable environmental outcomes.

In this event, speakers will uncover some of the key barriers for women and youth to access and manage land in their communities, and discuss strategies to overcome these challenges.

To highlight the importance of inclusive and sustainable land management, speakers will showcase climate-smart, resilient agricultural models that are gender-responsive. These models can offer significant adaptation and mitigation benefits, accelerate progress towards Land Degradation Neutrality, improve living conditions for vulnerable populations, and bolster community resilience against the impacts of drought.

With a special focus on land tenure, participants will gain insights into the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming gender and youth in restoration programs, and the critical role that women, youth and marginalized communities play in restoring degraded land.

By fostering a people-centered approach to land management, this event aims to mobilize global action, strengthen women’s land rights, promote youth engagement, and build partnerships that can drive the implementation of the UNCCD and contribute to the outcomes of COP16.