Saudi-hosted UN talks failed to produce an agreement on how to respond to drought, participants said on Saturday, falling short of hopes for a binding protocol addressing the growing scourge. The 12-day meeting of parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), known as COP16, concluded early Saturday morning, one day later than scheduled as parties tried to hammer out a deal. Prior to the talks, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said the world expected negotiators “to adopt a bold decision that can help turn the tide on the most pervasive and the most disruptive environmental disaster: drought”.
