‘Our Land. Our Future’ – SPARC at UNCCD COP16

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16, will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2 to 13.

This year’s conference will be on the theme of ‘Our Land. Our Future’. SPARC will join its partner the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to showcase new research on how local Natural Resource Management (NRM) initiatives - including 'conventions locales' (local agreements between NRM users) in Senegal - can contribute to conflict resolution at an event on ‘Landscape restoration as a pathway to peace’ from 3.30pm to 5pm AST/ 12.30pm to 2pm GMT on Wednesday, December 4.

Researchers will discuss how local-level NRM, which prioritise sustainable and inclusive governance structures, and the capacity of pastoralists to address land and resource management technically, can support peacebuilding in drylands.

The event is a continuation of our ongoing work bringing new evidence on land, biodiversity and climate to policymakers and practitioners. This includes a series of key SPARC-led events at last month’s UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) COP16 and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP29, as well as our upcoming engagement during the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026.

Find out more about our work on how better natural resource management in pastoralist regions can strengthen peacebuilding here.