Saudi eyes collaboration with Rajasthan on climate challenges
Saudi Arabia's arid climate challenges mirror those faced by regions like Rajasthan, presenting a unique opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing, a Saudi minister official said on Monday. Dr Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and Advisor to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16 Presidency, made the remarks days ahead of the COP16 meeting to be held in Riyadh from December 2 to 13 under the theme — 'Our Land. Our Future'.
«Successful initiatives like the Ghandivan project in Jaipur, which has transformed a barren wasteland into a thriving ecosystem through community-driven efforts, offer valuable insights that can be adapted across different regions,» he said, adding that Saudi Arabia is leveraging water conservation practices and pursuing ambitious rural development programs.
«We are focused on raising awareness of the impact of land degradation, drought, and desertification. The scale of our challenge is stark: globally, we lose land equivalent to four football fields every second, amounting to 100 million hectares annually,» Faqeeha said.
According to the minister, the degradation of land is threatening food security, forcing people to be displaced from their countries and increasing international conflict. «Addressing these challenges cannot be done in isolation and that is why we are gathering the international community in Riyadh to achieve lasting change,» he emphasised.
Faqeeha underlined that Saudi Arabia's arid climate
