The University of Trieste, with Prof. Claudia Cherubini, is the only Italian university invited to take part in the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) ‘Governance Day - Inclusive, equitable, and responsible land governance for awareness raising, legal and policy frameworks, partnership building and resource mobilisation.’ of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2nd to 13th December 2024 on the theme ‘Our Earth. Our Future'.

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is the global reference for soil protection and one of the three major UN conventions together with those on climate and biodiversity. In this context, the COP is the annual summit of countries that have ratified the Convention, as well as the main decision-making body of the UNCCD.

Specifically, the UNCCD COP16 will be an important opportunity to strengthen global commitment and accelerate action to make land and communities more resilient to drought. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, COP16 will also be the largest UN conference ever held and the first UNCCD COP to take place in the Middle East and North Africa region, which is intimately familiar with the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.

Claudia Cherubini is Associate Professor at the University of Trieste, Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland (Australia) and Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS). With a degree and PhD in Civil Hydraulic Engineering and a fluent knowledge of four foreign languages, she has collaborated on research projects at the Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Universität Göttingen, the US Geological Survey and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She has held tenured positions at several universities in France, the UK and Australia. During her career, she has received numerous awards, including the Division Outstanding Young Scientists Award at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) and the XXIII edition of the Marisa Bellisario Prize in the category ‘Young Researchers and Innovation Talents.’ She has served as referee of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) (France) and has been referee of the US Department of Defense for several years.