Within the framework of the assignments of the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, to Desert Research Center to follow up and implement the national obligations imposed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in his capacity as the national focal point for the Convention, Dr. Ahmed Abdel Aati, Professor at DRC, in his capacity as the Executive Coordinator and Egypt’s representative to the Science and Technology Committee of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, attended the preparatory meeting for COP16, representing the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, on behalf of Dr. Hosam Shawky, President of DRC and National UNCCD Focal Point
The meeting was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the participation of 16 Arab countries to present the African Group’s position on main issues, and the main issues included: drought, dust storms, land tenure, and financing. The organizational rules for the Conference of the Parties (UNCCD COP 16), scheduled to be held from 2 to 12 December 2024, were also discussed
The Arab team is expected to hold another meeting via Zoom to follow up on the Asian Group’s position on the main issues mentioned
It is worth noting that Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Ati was elected as Chairman of the Arab Group
