CARIBBEAN MINISTERS FOR UNCCD SET TO MEET IN THE BAHAMAS FOR A PRE-COP EVENT IN AUGUST.
NASSAU, BAHAMAS, 8 AUGUST, 2024 – Caribbean Ministers responsible for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD) are convening in The Bahamas from 8-9, August 2024. The meeting aims to formulate and discuss strategies to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality among member states. Furthermore, it will serve as a Preparatory Conference of Parties, ahead of the sixteenth session of the Conference of Parties (COP16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024.
Decision 4 of the 1st Session of the 1st Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management’s Ministerial Council, has mandated the Secretariat to organize a PRE-COP meeting. During a bilateral meeting between The Bahamas and the Executive Director of PISLM, it was agreed that The Bahamas would host the Caribbean’s UNCCD Pre-COP meeting.
Executive Director of PISLM,Calvin James, noting the devastation experienced by Caribbean Small Island Developing States (CSIDS) from Hurricane Beryl, posited the Pre-COP provides a platform for Ministers to, “Advance the efforts that can improve Land Degradation Neutrality by crafting policies that can guide the negotiations at COP16.”
While the PISLM continues to help Caribbean Small Island Developing States (CSIDS) to fulfill their obligations including the development of National Action Programmes for sustainable land management, Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Target Setting Programmes (TSP), PRAIS reports, and the implementation of various programmes and projects to mitigate and adapt to land and soil degradation; the reality exists that more must be done.
“Despite these efforts, the future of our land remains at risk as we are degrading 100 million hectares of healthy and productive lands each year. Our soils—which take hundreds of years to form—are being depleted in a matter of minutes. Droughts are hitting harder and more frequently, with our citizens feeling the brunt of the impacts,” he added.
This Pre- COP will enable CSIDS to solidify their collective stance on critical issues such as sand and dust storms, drought, and other thematic areas ahead of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16. The forum will provide Leaders with the opportunity to discuss the vulnerabilities and necessary changes for mitigation and adaptation, particularly SIDS, whose economies are heavily dependent on climate-vulnerable sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and fisheries, and which have limited adaptive capacity.
