Azerbaijan elected as COP16 Bureau member

Azerbaijan has been unanimously elected as a member of the Bureau of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and as the chair of the Central and Eastern Europe Regional Group for a two-year term.

The election took place at the COP16 conference, which is underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 2-13, Caliber.Az reports citing Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During its chairmanship, Azerbaijan will also serve as vice-president of the Conference of the Parties.

Alongside Azerbaijan, the group includes 15 countries from Eastern and Central Europe.

The Regional Action Program for the Eastern and Central Europe Group of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, established in 2001 under the framework of COP5, was approved in 2015. This program identifies key priority areas, such as enhancing regional activities and promoting the development of organic agriculture.

The COP16 Bureau, which represents 12 regions, is tasked with monitoring the implementation of COP decisions and organizing future meetings. Additionally, it oversees the fulfillment of commitments between sessions.

UNCCD COP 16 is more than a critical milestone – it represents a moonshot moment to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centered approach. 

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (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. COP16 is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under the theme “Our Land. Our Future.”

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, COP16 will be 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.

COP16 is poised to be a game-changer, marking a renewed global commitment to accelerate investment and action to restore land and boost drought resilience for the benefit of people and planet.

By Vafa Guliyeva