Even as negotiations at COP16 of the United Nations Convention on Combatting Desertification (UNCCD) come to an end, the biggest of many decisions in Riyadh remains unresolved: How can a comprehensive solution to the spread of arid regions and droughts look like? There is also ongoing controversy as to what legal form an agreement on these issues should take – and how to close the enormous funding gap in the fight against desertification.