Panama to host UN meeting on desertification, land degradation and drought

Panama City: Representatives from 196 countries and the European Union will gather in Panama from 1–5 December 2025 to review global efforts to combat desertification, land degradation and drought under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The meeting — the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23) — is one of the most significant forums for assessing progress under the world’s only legally binding treaty dedicated to these pressing issues.

The UNCCD is one of the three landmark “Rio Conventions” adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit, alongside those on biodiversity and climate change.

UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad said, “Severe droughts and the loss of fertile land are already straining food and energy production, uprooting rural communities, and threatening the livelihoods of millions”.

“Nowhere is this more evident than in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that is experiencing severe land degradation, affecting at least 20 per cent of its total area” he added.

This CRIC will also place particular emphasis on gender. Women are among the hardest hit by land degradation, facing the daily consequences of degraded soils and drought, while remaining at the forefront of sustaining families and providing food.

Recent UNCCD data showed that the world is losing nearly 100 million hectares of healthy land annually and over 70 per cent of land area has experienced increased aridity in the past 30 years, undermining the planet’s capacity to sustain a growing population.

The world needs USD 1 billion daily between now and 2030 to meet global land restoration targets and combat desertification and drought -a fraction of what is destined to perverse incentives and investments.

Role and importance of convention:-

Around 500 delegates, including government officials, civil society representatives, and academic experts, are expected to participate in the Panama session. They will evaluate the implementation of commitments made by Parties to prevent and reverse land degradation, strengthen drought resilience, and achieve sustainable land management.

CRIC 23 will also provide a platform to share best practices, discuss the latest scientific findings, and identify gaps in national and regional programmes. Outcomes from the session are likely to shape the agenda for the next UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP), helping countries to accelerate action on land restoration, food security and climate adaptation.

The gathering comes at a critical time. According to the UNCCD, up to 40 per cent of the planet’s land is degraded, affecting half of humanity and threatening biodiversity, livelihoods and global stability.

The Panama session is expected to reinforce international cooperation, mobilise resources, and galvanise political will to address these challenges before they escalate further.