Riyadh: The Iranian agricultural minister in a meeting with his Saudi counterpart has stressed the need for enhanced cooperation between the countries in the West Asian region, especially and the Persian Gulf states to combat the challenge of desertification. According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh met with Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, on the sidelines of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to take place from 2-13 December 2024 in Riyadh. He expressed hope that effective measures would be taken to combat the challenge of desertification with the cooperation and coordination of regional countries in a targeted manner. Nouri Ghezeljeh also thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting over a week-long UNCCD, COP16 meeting in Riyadh. Iran is being represented by its agricultural minister at the Riyadh convention that kicked off on M onday under the theme 'Our Land. Our Future'. This is the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region. Countries at COP16 will renew their global commitment to accelerate investment and action to restore land and boost drought resilience for the benefit of people and planet.