The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (hereinafter referred to as the "Convention") concluded on the 14th in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The theme of this conference is "Our Land, Our Future". After a 13 day program, 39 resolution documents were passed, including addressing drought, budgeting for the next two years, dealing with sandstorms, and strengthening scientific research and innovation. These documents provide a new blueprint for the global response to land degradation and drought in the future, and open a new chapter for the international community to work together to prevent and control desertification. Progress has been made on multiple key agendas. In addition to land degradation, drought resistance is a key topic of discussion at this conference, aimed at enhancing the ability of all parties to cope with desertification. The conference passed a procedural resolution to establish a mechanism for global drought response in the future. It was decided to continue discussing the establishment of the mechanism at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention to be held in Mongolia in 2026, based on the content of this meeting. It was also decided to establish an ad hoc inter session group to advance related work. The "Riyadh Global Drought Partnership" initiative initiated by the host country Saudi Arabia has attracted $12.15 billion in funding to support drought capacity building in 80 of the world's most vulnerable countries; The conference also launched an AI driven global comprehensive information platform - the International Drought Observatory, which can assist countries in real-time monitoring drought risks and provide policy decision-making references. The conference passed the core budget for the Convention for 2025-2026. All parties agree on a two-year budget exceeding 17.7 million euros, with an average annual growth rate of nearly 8% compared to the previous budget round. The conference also passed the mid-term evaluation of the Convention's strategic framework for 2018-2030 and the formulation of future strategies. The conference emphasized the implementation of gender equality in the formulation of desertification related policies by countries, proposed to give young people more decision-making space and technical support, and for the first time included issues such as pastures in the agenda. The conference proposed to strengthen collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and to enhance connections with relevant international organizations. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is one of the three important environmental conventions under the framework of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and is known as one of the "Rio Conventions" along with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Ibrahim Tio, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, said at the closing ceremony that the answer to addressing desertification is "in our hands". He called on all parties to work together to implement the resolutions of the conference and truly translate consensus into action. Urge multi-party funding and participation in the COP16 conference to strengthen the role of the Convention's science policy interface and provide more authoritative and accessible scientific advice to all parties. The attending scientists emphasized that effective interaction between science and policy can help ensure that future land governance measures are more feasible and sustainable. According to some reports released during the conference, about 77.6% of the Earth's land is drier than 30 years ago, and the area of arid regions has expanded by about 4.3 million square kilometers, currently accounting for 40.6% of the total land area outside Antarctica. According to reports, a total investment of at least $2.6 trillion is needed by 2030 to achieve the restoration of over 1 billion hectares of degraded land that countries have committed to the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals; For every $1 invested in land restoration, it can stimulate $8 in social, environmental, and economic benefits. This conference has attracted more funding commitments. For example, the "Great Green Wall" project in Africa raised 11 million euros from Italy for landscape restoration in the Sahel region, and 3.6 million euros from Austria to strengthen the coordination and implementation of the project in 22 African countries. The conference encourages youth, social organizations, and indigenous peoples to participate in topic discussions, ensuring that their views and priorities are fully reflected in the implementation of the Convention. China fulfills its responsibilities and actively fulfills its obligations as a contracting party during the COP16 conference, providing support to developing countries. The Chinese delegation has been deeply involved in the core budget of the Convention, the arrangement of drought response mechanisms, mid-term evaluations and future strategy formulation, grasslands and pastures, sandstorms and other issues, as well as consultations with the Compliance Review Committee and the Science and Technology Committee, playing a constructive guiding role. The conference has specially set up a China Pavilion with a total area of over 600 square meters, which is the largest national theme pavilion after the host country Saudi Arabia. It is used to hold exhibitions on desertification prevention and control in China and carry out a series of side events. This is the first time that China has showcased and promoted desertification control and the "Three Norths" campaign overseas. Over the past 30 years since signing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, China has firmly supported the UN's efforts to combat desertification. China actively fulfills its obligations and achieves the "zero growth target of land degradation" in the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals ahead of schedule. It has also successfully held the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention and achieved fruitful results. The United Nations Environment Programme awarded the "Global 500 Best" medal to the "Three North" project, and the Secretariat of the Convention twice awarded China the "Outstanding Contribution Award for Desertification Prevention and Control", praising "the world's desertification prevention and control looks to China". In addition, China has opened up the "the Belt and Road" cooperation mechanism to combat desertification, established China Arab and China Mongolia desertification control centers, established demonstration bases for desertification prevention and control in Mongolia, Central Asia, Africa and other places, held the Kubuqi International Desert Forum for nine consecutive sessions, and also shared desertification control technology and experience with Central Asian and African countries that are also facing the challenges of desertification, and provided skills training... The international cooperation to combat desertification is stable and far-reaching, injecting impetus into the global South's common green development. (New Society)