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Saudi Arabia Announces Historic UNCCD Green Zone, Thematic Days to Accelerate Action on Land Degradation

Saudi Arabia Announces Historic UNCCD Green Zone, Thematic Days to Accelerate Action on Land Degradation
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Saudi Arabia Announces Historic UNCCD Green Zone, Thematic Days to Accelerate Action on Land Degradation

Saudi Arabia Announces Historic UNCCD Green Zone, Thematic Days to Accelerate Action on Land Degradation

The Presidency of COP16 Riyadh, which will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from December 2 to 13, has announced the establishment of a Green Zone and the organization of seven thematic days. This initiative marks a first in the history of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
For the first time, a UNCCD COP will feature a Green Zone and thematic days as part of Saudi Arabia's leadership under its incoming COP16 Presidency. This landmark program reflects the Kingdom's commitment to galvanizing global action to combat land degradation, drought, and desertification, SPA reported.
The Green Zone aims to raise global awareness about land degradation and to connect key decision-makers from the scientific, NGO, political, business, and at-risk communities. The goal is to develop and fund lasting solutions. Thematic days in both the Green and Blue Zones will address key issues, including agri-food systems and finance.
"Land degradation, desertification, and drought affect almost every corner of the planet and every living being on it, from species at risk of extinction to the livelihoods of those impacted by severe drought," said Deputy Minister for Environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency Dr. Osama Faqeeha.
"Saudi Arabia will host the first-ever UNCCD COP16 Green Zone to mobilize the international community and maximize the opportunity during December's conference to deliver lasting global change. Whether you wish to attend as a visitor engaging in critical conversations about land restoration or as an exhibitor showcasing innovation, I encourage people to register and be part of the solution," Dr. Faqeeha added.
The Green and Blue Zones will host seven thematic days designed to foster action and dialogue among key stakeholders. Land Day will spotlight land restoration initiatives and nature-based solutions. The Business for Land Forum will bring together global leaders to discuss the economic imperatives of sustainable land practices. Finance Day will address the financing gap in combating land degradation. A special ministerial dialogue will showcase innovation in Sustainable Land Management financing, tackling the challenge highlighted by the UN Environment Program: $7 trillion is invested annually in activities that harm nature, equivalent to 7 percent of global GDP. Governance Day will focus on improving women's land rights and addressing pressing policy issues surrounding land tenure and resource governance. Agri-Food Systems Day will explore food security, crop resilience, and sustainable farming practices. Resilience Day will address water scarcity, drought resilience, and early warning systems for sand and dust storms. People's Day will feature a youth caucus addressing the critical role of young people, a gender caucus, and discussions about increasing the participation of at-risk groups. According to UNCCD, one billion people under the age of 25 live in regions heavily dependent on land and natural resources for livelihoods.
Science, Technology, and Innovation Day will emphasize the role of science in land restoration and prevention of further degradation. This day will nurture long-term solutions, ensure synergies with climate and biodiversity fields, and address research and funding gaps.

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Varieties

Iraqis Cover Soil with Clay to Curb Sandstorms

Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Iraqis Cover Soil with Clay to Curb Sandstorms

Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Excavators clear sand dunes and extract clay in the desert south of Samawah on December 21, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Deep in Iraq's southern desert, bulldozers and earthmovers spread layers of moist clay over sand dunes as part of a broader effort to fight increasingly frequent sandstorms.

Iraq has long suffered from sand and dust storms, but in recent years they have become more frequent and intense as the country falls prey to the effects of climate change.

Sand and dust storms -- driven by severe drought, rising temperatures and deforestation -- have cloaked cities and villages in an endless ochre haze, grounded flights and filled hospitals with patients suffering from breathing difficulties.

Iraqi authorities have warned that these suffocating storms will intensify further, adding urgency to address the root of the problem.

In a relatively small area between the cities of Nasiriyah and Samawah, not far from ancient Sumerian ruins, laborers are working hard to stabilize the soil by applying a layer of moist clay 20-25 centimeters thick.

The project also includes planting heat-tolerant seedlings like Prosopis and Conocarpus to further stabilize the soil.

"The main goal is to reduce the impact of transboundary dust storms, which may reach Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar," said Udai Taha Lafta from UN-Habitat, which is leading the project to combat sandstorms with Iraqi expertise.

"It is a vital area despite its small size, and will hopefully help reduce dust storms next summer," AFP quoted Lafta as saying.

A short-term objective is to shield a southern highway where many traffic accidents have occurred due to poor visibility during dust storms.

The Ministry of Environment estimates that Iraq now faces about 243 storms per year, and the frequency is expected to increase to 300 "dust days" by 2050 unless drastic mitigation measures are adopted.

In 2023, Iraqi authorities teamed up with the UN-Habitat and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development in areas that have been identified as major sources of sandstorms.

The project has been implementing several methods in three southern areas, including digging water canals and supplying electricity to pump water from the Euphrates river, preparing barren lands for vegetation.

One of the project's ultimate goals is to increase green spaces and for farmers to eventually sustain the lands after droughts and chronic water shortages have drastically reduced agricultural areas.

Qahtan al-Mhana, from the agriculture ministry, said that stabilizing the soil gives agricultural efforts in sandy areas a chance to endure.

He added that Iraq has extensive "successful" experience in combating desertification and dust storms by stabilizing sand dunes.

Since the 1970s, the country has implemented such projects, but after decades of turmoil, environmental challenges have largely fallen by the wayside.

With the severe recent impact of climate change, "work has resumed," said Najm Abed Taresh from Dhi Qar University.

"We are making slow but steady progress," Taresh said.

Varieties

'Acoustic Hazard': Noise Complaints Spark Vietnam Pickleball Wars

This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
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'Acoustic Hazard': Noise Complaints Spark Vietnam Pickleball Wars

This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
This photo taken on December 23, 2025, shows children playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

The piercing pop-pop of pickleball paddles starts before sunrise and ends after midnight at dozens of newly built courts across Hanoi, as residents relish one of Vietnam's fastest-growing sports -- or rage at the noise it makes.

The initial craze saw more people in Vietnam pick up a paddle per capita than anywhere else in Asia, according to one survey.

Now unwitting spectators are yelling fault, filing noise complaints and petitions to curb playing hours that have left authorities in a pickle.

In the country's densely packed cities, courts are wedged between tight alleyways and nestled beneath high-rises, disturbing thousands of people at once.

"It drives me nuts," said Hoa Nguyen, 44, who lives with her family behind a multicourt complex in Hanoi's northeastern outskirts.

"People are playing in the middle of the night and there's nothing we can do about it," Nguyen told AFP, adding that she had filed a complaint with local authorities.

"The noise makes it impossible for me to sleep. It just keeps going pop-pop-pop."

Most noise complaints on the capital's iHanoi app stem from pickleball, according to state media, which has dubbed the sport an "acoustic hazard".

Associated noise-related issues range from unruly crowds to honking horns in overcrowded parking lots.

Lam Thanh, 50, who manages a dormitory for workers near one of Ho Chi Minh City's estimated 1,000 courts, says the cacophony is proving to be costly.

"Many tenants couldn't stand the noise and have moved elsewhere," she said.

"There's the popping sound of paddles, cheering, shouting and joking around -- it's all extremely exhausting for us."

Vietnam's pickleball boom began around two years ago, players and coaches say, well after its popularity surged in the United States and Canada.

But the country is now the sport's second-fastest-growing market in Asia after Malaysia, according to pickleball rating company DUPR.

Regional professional circuit PPA Tour Asia says more than 16 million people in Vietnam have picked up a paddle, though that figure is extrapolated from a survey of around 1,000 respondents.

Hanoi's Long Bien district, its pickleball center, has more than 100 courts, up from 54 in less than a year, according to state media.

Pickleholic Club, Victory Pickleball and Pro Pickleball Vn are all within a five-minute walk, with dozens more a short drive away.

Coach Pham Duc Trung, 37, said the sport's accessibility was key to its popularity.

"The paddle is light and the ball is light... Children can play it, and so can adults," he said.

"The sound of the ball hitting the paddle is quite appealing," he added.

Not everyone agrees.

Around the world, the plinks and pops of pickleball have spawned outrage, provoking protests and even lawsuits.

But Vietnam's widespread embrace of the sport, and its cities' rapid growth in recent decades as the economy boomed, help explain the intense frustration.

Ho Chi Minh City already ranks among the loudest cities in Asia, according to the United Nations, with noise pollution levels high enough to damage hearing.

And experts say pickleball sounds are louder and higher-pitched than tennis or badminton.

A nationwide noise ordinance is supposed to limit the din, especially late at night, but residents say the courtside clatter often goes unmuted.

Hanoi high school student Duong, 16, cannot focus on his homework.

"The sound made by this ball is very unpleasant," he said. "My mind feels blank because I cannot concentrate."

Vietnam's sports ministry did not reply to AFP's request for comment.
But pressure is building to smash the problem, with state media carrying health warnings from doctors.

"The constant bouncing of the pickleball is not only annoying but also subtly triggers stress, disrupts sleep, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease," according to state-run VTC News website.

Ball strikes register "like the ticking of a clock against the temples", it said this month, adding many people are "haunted by the sound of popping".

Varieties

Hong Kongers Bid Farewell to 'King of Umbrellas'

Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP
Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP
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Hong Kongers Bid Farewell to 'King of Umbrellas'

Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP
Yau Yiu-wai, 73, one of the few remaining umbrella repairmen in Hong Kong, is closing his 183-year-old family-run business at the end of the year. Tommy WANG / AFP

Scores of residents flocked to a cramped shop in Hong Kong's old district to bid farewell to the city's "king of umbrellas", who is retiring after spending decades repairing umbrellas at his family business.

Established in 1842 during the Qing Dynasty, the Sun Rise Company was founded by the Yau family in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Current proprietor Yau Yiu-wai, 73, announced earlier this month that his 183-year-old family business would close its doors at year's end.

The family-run shop has been passed down through five generations, but due to shifting consumer habits towards online shopping and his advancing age, it has to cease operations, Yau told AFP on Friday.

"We've upheld our family's reputation, and this legacy has come down to me... It truly pains me to end it," Yau said. "I'm sorry to my ancestors."

After enduring wartime turmoil, the shop relocated to Hong Kong, eventually finding its place amid the bustling meat and vegetable vendors in Sham Shui Po district.

"(Today's) wheel of time rolled over me and crushed me beneath its weight," Yau said.

News of the closure spread across social media, with one user calling it "another loss of a wonderful community business".

"He genuinely cared about selling customers a good, practical umbrella," student Niki Lum told AFP, referring to Yau.

"I could tell he put his heart into running this shop," said the 20-year-old.

Resident Peter Tam, 60, said witnessing the disappearance of these classic shops felt like the end of an era.

"It's such a pity... These are all pieces of history," he said. "And we ourselves are becoming history too."

While most retailers rely on customers replacing damaged umbrellas with new ones, Yau said he aims for durability.

"This is for environmental protection. It's a social responsibility."

Those who brought umbrellas for repair included couples hoping to mend their relationships and married couples who had used umbrellas as tokens of affection.

Yau said fewer than five repairmen like him remain in Hong Kong practicing this "barely profitable" umbrella trade.

But now, Yau said he has no choice but to end the service he took pride in.

"I'm getting old. You have to forgive me, I just can't carry on any more," he said, adding he had suffered a stroke several years ago.

"The most important thing for you is to stay smart... and learn to be eco-friendly," he added.