The Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) organized the Arab Preparatory Meeting for the 14th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) which took place on the 19th -21st August 2019, in Cairo, Egypt. The participants were the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, about 40 National experts and focal points for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in the Arab States, representatives of several Arab, regional and international organizations working in the field such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and AOAD experts.

The meeting aimed to ensure a well preparation for the upcoming event of the fourteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to be held during the period from 2 to 13 September 2019 in New Delhi, India.

The meeting is part of the activities of the first executive program of the Arab countries' support plan in the implementation of the future strategic framework 2018-2030 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the 15th goal of the Sustainable Development Goals.

AOAD is part of the Arab team in the League of Arab States which is related to the activities of the international environmental conventions on combating desertification and biodiversity.