National Greening Program Highlights Saudi Sustainable Land Management Efforts at CRIC 23
The National Greening Program (NGP) participated in a panel held on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), hosted in Panama.
During the panel, the program showcased the Kingdom’s efforts to promote sustainable land management and combat desertification and land degradation, aligning these initiatives with national targets to achieve land degradation neutrality.
The NGP also highlighted the Kingdom’s key achievements in supporting environmental issues and addressing global challenges, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
CRIC 23 brought together representatives from 197 parties to the convention to explore best practices in sustainable land management, exchange expertise and perspectives, and discuss sustainable development goals in a structured and dynamic manner. The discussions aimed to strengthen the implementation framework of the UNCCD and advance more effective land restoration solutions.
Eng. Turki Al-Mutairi from the NGP said that Saudi Arabia has developed a comprehensive master plan and roadmap for land rehabilitation and afforestation projects across all regions of the Kingdom, implemented in three phases.
He explained that the first phase, running from 2021 to 2030, targets the rehabilitation of 2.5 million hectares of land and the planting of 215 million trees, relying on nature-based solutions. To date, more than 500,000 hectares have been rehabilitated and over 151 million trees planted.
The second phase extends until 2060 and aims to rehabilitate 22.8 million hectares and plant 4.7 billion trees through expanded afforestation across all sectors, he added. The third and final phase focuses on sustainability, targeting the rehabilitation of 40 million hectares and the planting of 10 billion trees by 2100.
Saudi Arabia continues to advance international cooperation on environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation through its presidency of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UNCCD. These efforts build on the Kingdom’s national and regional initiatives, including the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.
