Sustainable Land Management Advocacy at COP16 – Riyadh

As part of its international climate justice agenda, EnviroX EG for Environment Development and Conservationplayed a key role at COP16 Riyadh, aligning its interventions with the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)framework and the goals of COY16. This project aimed to elevate underrepresented voices, particularly women and rural communities, in the global dialogue on land degradation, desertification, and food system resilience.

Key activities and outcomes included:

1. High-Level Policy Engagement

EnviroX participated in strategic discussions with climate and agriculture leaders from Egypt, Cameroon, India, and the DRC, contributing evidence-based insights on:

• Sustainable land restoration techniques
• Climate-adaptive irrigation (e.g. drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and canal-based systems)
• Community-led approaches to drought response

2. Advocacy for Women’s Land Rights

Recognizing that land tenure insecurity for women intensifies poverty, GBV, and displacement risks in climate-vulnerable regions, EnviroX pushed for land governance frameworks that:

• Ensure gender-sensitive access to land ownership and control
• Promote legal protection and customary rights recognition
• Bridge climate action gaps that marginalize women farmers

3. Roundtable: Women at the Forefront of Land Restoration

Hosted at the IRENA Pavilion, the EnviroX-led session titled “Women at the Forefront: Tackling Land Degradation for a Resilient Future” brought together:

• Policymakers and UNCCD delegates
• NGOs and civil society groups
• Researchers and financial experts

This roundtable served as a platform for cross-sector collaboration, identifying financing needs, policy interventions, and advocacy strategies to enhance women’s participation in land governance.

Alignment with COY16 & UNCCD Priorities:

• Supports COY16 goals of youth mobilization, intergenerational equity, and climate-just transitions
• Advances Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by promoting sustainable land use practices
• Echoes UNCCD’s call for gender equality in land tenure systems, especially in dryland countries like Egypt

By centering community land rights and women’s leadership in the climate conversation, this project reflects EnviroX’s mission to ensure inclusive, rights-based policy reform in the face of desertification and ecological collapse.