The UAE Pavilion at COP16 examines the role of innovation and water management in combating desertification

RIYADH, 5 December / WAM / The UAE Pavilion at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16) in Riyadh, through its two-week program under the slogan “Our Land, Our Future,” presents visions for innovative solutions and effective partnerships to confront desertification, while highlighting The importance of sustainable water management in regenerating ecosystems.

Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahhak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Head of the UAE delegation to the COP16 Conference of the Parties, opened the country’s pavilion in conjunction with the country’s 53rd Federation Day celebrations.

Her Excellency participated in two sessions on strengthening global and national policy tools to proactively manage drought, and the importance of public and private financing to restore land reform and enhance the ability to cope with drought, where Her Excellency reviewed the UAE’s vision and efforts aimed at addressing the drought issue locally and globally, and ways to employ projects to enhance global food and water security. In finding solutions to the challenges of land degradation.

She stressed that through cooperation, the world will be able to develop sustainable solutions to protect and restore lands on a large scale by aligning financial support with environmental goals. Expert-level meetings began at the UAE Pavilion yesterday, to highlight the importance of accelerating innovation in order to renew ecosystems effectively and sustainably.

Key discussions included a meeting on the UAE’s emerging economy entitled “Scanding Renewal to Combat Desertification and Address the Land-Water Nexus.”

George Ibrahim, General Manager of Dender Systems, reviewed the cooperation between the company and the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi, which relies on the use of drone technology and artificial intelligence to support the planting and care of mangrove trees in various parts of the emirate.

For his part, Dr. Saeed Hassan Al-Khazraji, founder of Manhat, a startup company in the field of water and deep technologies, presented an innovative vision inspired by the natural water cycle, explaining how the company’s standard devices capture evaporated water directly from the source to produce pure distilled water without the need for electricity. This makes it a sustainable and scalable solution to support agriculture and combat desertification.

Ole Christian Sivertsen, CEO of Desert Control, also addressed the importance of the innovation ecosystem in the UAE, likening it to a community building process that brings together individuals with innovative thinking to enhance cooperation between different technologies and achieve common success.

In the “Harnessing Innovation in Water Management” session, organized by the Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative, Dr. Lauren Greenlee, Executive Vice President of the Food, Water and Waste Sector at XPRIZE, explained how the XPRIZE Water Scarcity Reduction Prize will encourage creative initiatives. And innovative ones that provide widespread access to clean water while enhancing environmental protection and operational efficiency.

In the “National Water Resources Strategies” session moderated by Sheikh Dr. Majid Sultan Al Qasimi of the Soma Matar Foundation, Dr. Mohammed Daoud of the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi discussed how the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has “a diverse set of policies, from climate to food, that focus on conserving Water resources, with more than 4,000 greenhouses to accelerate innovation in agriculture.”

Aisha Al Ateeqi, Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative, reviewed the extent of the impact of “water on all aspects of livelihood and lifestyles, from forced migration to water-related conflicts and economic growth,” calling for increased coordinated global responses to enhance water resilience.

The upcoming dialogues hosted by the UAE Pavilion at the COP16 Conference of the Parties will focus on innovating future food systems, regenerative agriculture, biosaline agriculture in dry climates and arid regions, the role of data in developing sustainable strategies, youth meetings, enhancing water resilience, and taking a deeper look at biodiversity in all areas. All over the Emirates.

The upcoming sessions and programs will witness the participation of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Zayed International Foundation for the Environment, the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, the Arab Youth Center, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and other institutions, innovators and researchers from all over the UAE.

The UAE Pavilion also provides an update on preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference, which the UAE and Senegal will co-host in December 2026. The UAE Pavilion at COP16 is located in the Blue Zone and receives the public daily throughout the conference. His full program can be viewed at the following link: www.uaeclimate.com.

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