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COP16 Riyadh & SGI Forum 2024

RCU’s participation at COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh, alongside the 2024 Saudi Green Initiative Forum, signals our intent to become a model for the sustainability sector, exchanging knowledge with climate leaders from around the world.

AlUla: Restoring the Power of Nature’s Balance

Underpinned by our commitment to restoring the power of nature’s balance, RCU is protecting and regenerating AlUla’s natural environment, holistically balancing people and place to secure the future of AlUla County guided by the AlUla Sustainability Charter.

We will share our successes and learn from our peers at two landmark events from 2–13 December 2024 in Riyadh: the 2024 Saudi Green Initiative Forum and COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh.

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.

Meanwhile the SGI Forum will focus on sustainability pillars that include expanding protected areas to enhance conservation efforts, supporting the Kingdom’s initiatives to plant 10 billion trees in the fight against desertification and reduce carbon emissions.

COP16: Quest for Land Conservation

The 16th conference of the parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) is an opportunity for RCU to join organisations from around the world in offering approaches to promote land-based conservation and combat desertification, land degradation and drought. RCU’s research into conservation in the arid landscape of north-west Arabia has value for the urgent global fight against desertification.

At COP16, RCU will work in collaboration with conservation partners including IUCN, UNESCO, Panthera and Space for Giants. 

Areas of focus for RCU and its allies will include groundwater management and resilience; the power of nature finance; ancient hydro-technologies for water management in arid regions; building resilience to drought through the Global Network on Water and Development Information for Arid Lands; agriculture and conservation, including a showcase of models for sustaining resources and improving farmers’ livelihoods; and a manifesto for comprehensive regeneration.

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SGI: Path to a Greener Future

RCU’s participation in the 2024 SGI Forum and Gallery will enhance understanding of AlUla as a model for the environment and sustainability sector through a holistic approach, with sustainability at the core of its development​. In line with the Saudi Green Initiative, RCU’s conservation efforts are protecting and regenerating AlUla’s natural environment, guided by the AlUla Sustainability Charter, while supporting four clear climate goals for Saudi Arabia​:

Promoting sustainability​

We are building a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future for our people and planet.

Reducing waste​​

We are shaping AlUla into a sustainable model for a holistic circular carbon economy. 

Protecting biodiversity

We are restoring nature’s balance unlocking AlUla’s biodiverse ecosystem.

Raising vegetation cover

 We are charting a pathway to a greener AlUla, restoring balance to the region’s arid landscape.

Promoting sustainability​

Reducing waste​​

Protecting biodiversity

Raising vegetation cover

Innovation and Tradition: Sustainable Oasis Development

Specific areas of focus for RCU at the SGI Forum and Gallery will include sustainable oasis development. Oases present unique opportunities and challenges for sustainable development. Oasis ecosystems unite communities and nature as sites where traditional knowledge about land and water management reside, but also as innovation hotspots enabling the development of new practices to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The page was created in partnership with COP and SGI.