Panama to host global land and drought summit as world face escalating crisis

Panama: In the face of mounting global land degradation and worsening drought, representatives from 196 countries and the European Union will gather in Panama City from 1–5 December 2025 for the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23) under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The high-level meeting will bring together around 500 delegates, including government officials, scientists, civil society leaders, and academics, to review progress in combating desertification and advancing sustainable land management worldwide.

Panama, a UNCCD signatory since 1996, is hosting the event as part of its growing leadership on environmental issues. The country aims to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030, has identified 31 critical land degradation hotspots, and is advancing reforestation and Dry Corridor adaptation programs.

The host nation’s commitment comes after experiencing its driest year on record in 2023, when unprecedented droughts disrupted the Panama Canal—underscoring the global ripple effects of local water shortages.

“Never before has a country hosted, in the same year, the three major United Nations environmental conventions—on climate, biodiversity, and desertification,” said Juan Carlos Navarro, Panama’s Minister of Environment.

“With this, Panama reaffirms its commitment to conserving nature and advancing sustainable development, while calling for the integrated management of these three pillars to confront the planetary crisis and build a resilient future for our communities.”

UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad highlighted the growing urgency of action, “Severe droughts and the loss of fertile land are already straining food and energy production, uprooting rural communities, and threatening livelihoods across the globe.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, one-fifth of all land is already degraded. By hosting CRIC23, Panama is placing itself at the center of the global response, driving momentum for drought resilience and land restoration worldwide.”

CRIC23 will place special focus on gender equality, emphasizing the leadership of women and Indigenous women, who are disproportionately affected by drought and land degradation yet play vital roles in sustaining families and food systems.

According to the latest UNCCD data, the world is losing nearly 100 million hectares of healthy land every year, and over 70 per cent of land has become drier over the past three decades.

Meeting global restoration goals by 2030 will require US$1 billion per day, a fraction of the trillions currently spent on environmentally harmful subsidies and unsustainable practices.