UN meet fails to reach global agreement on droughts

New Delhi: After two weeks and hours of intense discussions, nearly 200 countries at the United Nations (UN)-sponsored meeting on desertification (COP16) in Riyadh were unable to decide on a global approach to tackling droughts and improving drought resilience.

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) meets every two years to address the most pressing issues related to land. The 16th round of the biennial meeting was held for the first time in West Asia. Addressing the issue of droughts was among the priorities set out by the host country, Saudi Arabia.

All countries agreed on the need for a global mechanism to move away from reactive approach to tackling droughts to one that enables countries to proactively focus on preventive efforts. However, differences over the form of the mechanism and its legal status put a final decision out of reach.


UNCCD executive secretary Ibrahim Thiaw, who had described the negotiations on drought as "a difficult one" at the start of COP16, said countries needed "more time" to agree on a global mechanism.

The contention was over whether the proposed global mechanism should be legally binding, that is with binding targets for countries and with dedicated funding for the purpose. Africa, which is the most drought prone and arid continent, was firm in its demand for a protocol or legally binding treaty. The United States was a vocal opponent of such a legally binding international regime.

Until Friday, the last day of the two-week meeting, Saudi Arabia, which holds the presidency of COP16, worked to broker a compromise that would be acceptable to Africa and the US.