Distinguished participants, colleagues, and partners,   

Allow me to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this COP. 

The world faces a multidimensional planetary emergency of nature loss, climate change, poverty, inequality and insecurity. These are integrated crises that demand integrated solutions.  

A better future is possible: We can shift our global systems from nature-negative to nature-positive and climate-resilient, if we take bold and urgent action on climate and nature, aligned with the commitments of the Paris Agreement, Land Degradation Neutrality, and the Global Biodiversity Framework.    

For people and planet: To accelerate transformational change we need to put local communities and civil society organizations at the heart of our work to foster systemic change from the ground up including approaches that support Indigenous governance systems and traditional knowledge. 

The need to support locally owned priorities through decentralized finance and decision-making is central to effective and efficient implementation of the SDGs, climate, biodiversity and land degradation targets, in alignment with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. 

For over 30 years, the GEF Small Grants Programme implemented by UNDP, has been providing an inclusive platform for direct access to grant financing from multiple donors for community-led nature action, poverty reduction and local empowerment.  

UNDP has established SGP as a highly effective and agile country delivery mechanism to drive local action that enhances wellbeing and generates both socioeconomic and environmental benefits.   

SGP has evolved from a project approach towards a portfolio approach (landscape/seascape approach) whereby it plans, aligns, and manages localized portfolio-level interventions to encompass entire landscapes and seascapes, maximizing its impact. This methodology, led by communities and defined by a culture of continuous learning and innovation, is paying dividends across the world.  

Lessons learned and SGP experience gained over the last 30 years have demonstrated that integrated landscape-seascape approaches are effective in mobilizing multiple stakeholder collaboration, linking local CSOs/CBOs with enabling partners and achieving mutually supportive livelihood and environmental outcomes at scale. 

UNDP is advocating for integrated approaches that address human rights, equity, and security as key drivers of sustainable development. Together with our partners, we are committed to strengthening our support for locally-led approaches to ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Looking ahead, UNDP will build on the SGP’s successes and partnerships, as we expand the scale and scope of this crucial local action work by bringing in innovative partnerships and new sources of financing. 

UNDP will also be working closely with the Government of Mongolia who will host the next UNCCD COP17 in 2026, in particular with respect to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralism (IYRP) adopted by the UN General Assembly for 2026. UNDP stands ready to support the proposed ‘Coalition of Rangeland States’ being proposed by Saudi Arabia in its role as the COP16 Presidency, including to support the implementation of local action through the SGP to support pastoralists at the global level. 

The speakers today represent just a few of the thousands of grantee initiatives supported by SGP.  Community representatives and practitioners have come from Egypt, Morocco, Mongolia and the Maldives to present their work in restoring ecosystem function and services, while empowering and improving the skills of women, Indigenous Peoples, nomads and pastoralists, youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. 

Please join me in welcoming them. Thank you.