ArmInfo. The delegation of the Republic of Armenia, led by the Minister of Environment, Hakob Simidyan, is participating in the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh. As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Environment of Armenia, the conference will be attended by high-ranking representatives from dozens of countries. The goal is to make important management decisions that will elevate global ambitions for land restoration land and resilience enhancement.
Desertification as a global environmental problem requires effective measures, so countries are expected to outline their joint actions during the UNCCD COP-16 to accelerate the restoration of degraded lands by 2030 and boost drought preparedness, response and resilience. In this regard, the Ministry noted that the Republic of Armenia is actively involved and strictly committed to proper implementing the obligations assumed by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
"Armenia has set a goal to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) to restore carbon stocks by 2040. This goal aims to restore the carbon stocks lost between 2000-2010 and increase them by 2.8% compared to the current level," the ministry mentioned. The Ministry of Environment also highlighted that in 2023, Yerevan hosted the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought (IWG on Drought) and a major regional capacity-building workshop. In 2024, as the regional chair country, Armenia hosted national coordinators and scientific representatives from Central and Eastern European countries to discuss the draft decisions of the UNCCD COP-16.