The Arab Group that participated in the Fourteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), under the coordination of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), held its third daily meeting on Wednesday, 4 September 2019, in New Delhi.

 The meeting was marked by the participation of HE Eng. Ettiao Ibrahima, the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, who addressed the Arab Group with a word of thanks to the Arab States especially the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States for their active and effective involvement in the implementation of the Convention.

 On the other side, the Arab Group thanked H.E Eng. Ettiao and expressed some particular concerns for the region, particularly with regard to dust storms, drought, capacity-building, access to new funding mechanisms and access to information and data to prepare national reports.

In his reply, H.E Eng. Ettiao reiterated his full support for the Arab Plan to support the implementation of the Strategic Framework for the Neutralization of Land Degradation (2018-2030) launched by AOAD and all relevant national efforts. He also welcomed the call by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States for a meeting at its headquarters before the end of this year, consisting of the specialized Arab organizations, the Executive Secretary, as well as the international and regional organizations intervening in the region.