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Excellence Monsieur le Premier Ministre Madame la Présidente de la Conférence des ministres africains de l’environnementMesdames et Messieurs les Ministres, et Chefs de délégations,Monsieur le Président de la COP 15 de UNCCD,Excellences Mesdames et Messieurs les Ambassadeurs,Mesdames et Messieurs les Représentants des Organisations Internationales et des Agences du Système des Nations Unies,Mesdames et messieurs,—————————————Le 3 mai 2022, le Président de la République de Côte d’Ivoire recevait, dans cette même salle, des Leaders du monde, pour l’ouverture de la COP15 de la Convention des Nations-Unies sur la Lutte contre la Désertification.  SEM Alassane Ouattara jetait, à l’occasion, les bases d’un programme ambitieux de restauration des terres. Cette COP15, et l’Initiative d’Abidjan sur la restauration des terres, sont restées gravées dans nos mémoires comme étant une des étapes importantes dans la vie de la Convention. Comme pour nous replonger dans les sources d’eau rafraîchissantes du Gbancô (Banco), ou nous concerter sous les baobabs de la Comoé, nous revoilà en terre africaine de Côte d’Ivoire. En quête sinon d’une fraction de la mémoire desEléphants, du moins de la sagesse ressortant de l’arbre à palabres.Le fossé entre les besoins d’une population croissante, et la disponibilité de terres productives, ce fossé dis-je, n’a jamais été grand. Par ailleurs, les revendications des jeunes africains qui aspirent au développement plus juste et plus durable n’ont jamais été aussi audibles. Fort heureusement, l’Afrique n’a jamais été aussi proche d’un consensus ministériel cohérent, avant de prendre part aux trois COP des Conventions de la génération de Rio. Voilà qui plante le décor de l’importance des assises d’Abidjan.  Excellencies,  Ladies and gentlemen,  As we gather here in Abidjan for this special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, large parts of the African continent are wilting.  The Greater Horn of Africa has not yet recovered from its longest drought in 40 years. The dry spell is not sparing North Africa and the Mediterranean region. A couple of years ago, it was Madagascar and the Sahel that were dry. As we speak, the Sahel is severely affected by floods notably in Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali and Sudan. There is hardly any year where floods, drought or loss of fertile land is not hitting the continent. It is heartbreaking to see that Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia --once breadbaskets—are listed among the most affected by malnutrition caused by drought. In Namibia, crippling drought is pushing both people and wildlife to the brink.The loss of productive land across the continent, coupled with the disruptions caused by the increased and erratic rainfall patterns, have reached such levels that young African men and women have no choice but to abandon their farms; flee their villages and their countries. This amplifies a phenomenon that is increasingly making headlines across the world. A phenomenon at the center of the many electoral campaigns we saw this year:  forced migration. In other words, because land degradation fails to garner the political attention it deserves from the countries of origin of African migrants, it is indirectly capturing the attention in third countries. Often for the wrong reasons, leading to a cascade of unsuitable solutions. It is also remarkable that political discussions across the world, and in Africa in particular, barely scratch the surface of the complex relationship between land degradation, climate change and the destruction of natural habitats on the one hand, and conflict and insecurity on the other.  Yet it is a well-known fact that despair breeds hatred. Hunger fuels frustration and resentment. Poverty and the lack of educational and economic opportunities make young people easy prey to trafficking as well as armed conflict and violence. Bad governance creates gusts of frustration which, once set in motion, become very difficult to contain. What could be more paradoxical in the eyes of young people—the overwhelming majority of the African people—than to see their soil, subsoil and seabed overflowing with so much potential, while the opportunities for wealth creation are so few? What could be more intriguing than being fed with speeches claiming that Africa has more arable land than any other continent in the world; when it is the African continent that receives the most food aid?  This begs two questions: is Africa properly addressing the root causes of land degradation? Is Africa prepared to mitigate the impact of the more frequent and more intense droughts -and floods- that are hitting a fast growing, vulnerable population? Addressing the root causes of land degradation points to a revision of some development policies. Reviewing agricultural development policies in the light of real African needs as well as new geopolitical priorities and realities. The land must not be seen only as a source of extraction: extraction of agricultural products, extraction of minerals and extraction of water resources. Nor must the land be seen only through the lenses of exploitation. As the land is our most precious asset for our food, our clothes, our fuels and our animals' feed, we need to adopt a managerial rather than an exploitative attitude. An asset— especially such as a precious asset— ought to be managed, with a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach. What's more, the time has come to create value chains for products extracted from the soil and the depths of African lands. Creating jobs and added value before export. Giving economic value— and not just the market value of raw produce— to agriculture.  Changing our relationship with nature also means adapting to natural hazards. Rather than being reactive to slow-onset disasters, we need to prepare for them, including the silent killers, such as drought. In the same way as anticipating and monitoring non-communicable diseases, each country needs to develop its own drought and flood resilience plan.  Mesdames et Messieurs,Les chiffres du dernier rapport quadriennal de UNCCD montrent qu’en dépit d’importants efforts de restauration des terres, 163 millions d’ha de terres se sont dégradées en Afrique entre 2015 et 2019. Si cette superficie dégradée en seulement 4 ans était une nation, ç’aurait été le 5e pays le plus vaste d’Afrique ! N’est-il pas venu le temps de traiter ces plaies béantes qui menacent l’avenir de tout un continent ?  N’est-il pas venu le temps de repenser les politiques d’extraction agricole et minière ? Le secteur primaire représente la principale source de revenus en Afrique. De sa gestion rationnelle et durable dépendra donc le futur économique du continent.Offrir une autre voie, une approche alternative et plus durable à la gestion des ressources naturelles et l’atténuation des effets de la sécheresse, tel pourrait être le message clé de l’Afrique à la seizième session de la Conférence des Parties à la Convention UNCCD prévue à Riyadh, Royaume d’Arabie Saoudite, du 2 au 13 décembre prochain.Il est attendu de cette COP16 d’être un tournant historique pour adopter une nouvelle approche de gestion des terres et de résilience à la sécheresse. Nous anticipons que Riyadh sera non seulement une belle et grande COP, mais qu’elle laissera un héritage sans précédent pour construire un monde plus résilient à la sécheresse et à la dégradation de la nature. Les agendas des terres, du climat et de la biodiversité étant fortement interconnectés, une approche globale et intégrée est fortement recommandée. Quelle belle coïncidence car la présente session intervient au moment où nous nous préparons tous, avant la fin de cette année, aux COP des 3 Conventions de Rio. La rencontre d’Abidjan vient, donc, à point nommé car se situant à la croisée des chemins de l’agenda environnemental mondial. L’Afrique doit inéluctablement réaffirmer et renforcer son leadership et aller en Arabie Saoudite avec une position confortable et concertée. Une sagesse africaine dit ceci : « Quand la tête est là, il ne faut pas que le genou prétende porter le bonnet ».Alors quand l’Afrique est là, présente en force, qui d’autre portera le bonnet à Riyadh ?  Je vous remercie.

When the flow of a tropical island nation’s most important river varies by 80 per cent between the dry and wet seasons, something is amiss. In a conserved watershed, the volume of water only fluctuates by 20 per cent, pointing to the role of healthy lands in trapping and slowly releasing moisture as opposed to having water run off in a flash. Such is the predicament of the Northern Yaque river in the Dominican Republic, a mountainous Caribbean country of 10.5 million. Today, water pressure on the river is around 96 per cent, meaning that virtually all the water that the river can be counted on to carry permanently is committed to use by a growing urban population, plantations, and industries. But change, with both short- and long-term gains, is underway.For the past 15 years, dedicated partnerships convening the civil society, public, and private sectors have come up with sustainable land and water management strategies that work for everybody — smallholders, utilities providers and financiers — creating a blueprint from which others can draw inspiration.Experts working to rehabilitate the Northern Yaque watershed, which covers 14.6 per cent of the country, talked us through their process and the success factors in improving the water security of more than 1,8 million people, while building drought resilience in the face of climate change. Partnering with water users The civil society-led Plan for the Development of the Northern Yaque Watershed, or Plan Yaque, convenes 32 civil society and governmental institutions to reforest water catchment areas, train farmers in sustainable land and water management, and help communities treat wastewater before it is released into the river. In turn, Plan Yaque is a technical advisor and a key project implementer of the Northern Yaque Water Fund, a financial and governance mechanism launched in 2015 to raise and administer funds for water security in the watershed. The Fund, which is one of two such structures in the Dominican Republic, brings together 27 partners, including the Ministry of Environment, universities, and the water utility company of the country’s second largest city, Santiago. Additionally, it involves major users like manufacturing companies and banana, rice, and tobacco producer associations —crucial since agriculture accounts for an estimated 85 per cent of water consumption in the area. “The Water Fund is built on the notion that no single stakeholder can do it alone,” says executive director of the Water Fund Walkiria Estévez, who notes that the Dominican Republic is one of the most water stressed countries in the world.Ensuring financial sustainabilityPrivate sector partners contribute economically to the Fund, while each of the customers of the water utility company of Santiago contributes a small amount. The money is then invested in different portfolios and 75 per cent of the profits are used in support of nature-based solutions for water security. The rest is channeled back into the Fund to grow it. But how did the fund get the private sector on board in the first place?“We don’t speak of donations, but of investments,” says Estévez. “The private sector is investing to secure a crucial input —water— for their operations now and in the future. Ultimately, it is about having users take responsibility for managing a vital resource sustainably.”Upholding accountabilityFor Estévez, measuring results, financial accountability, and transparency have been central to gaining and maintaining the trust of partners, as has been starting with low-investment, high-impact interventions that are based on science.“We did not wait for the trust fund to reach a substantial size to start funding projects and presenting results. That was vital to prove that our model worked and to keep the momentum,” she says. However, she notes that continuing to grow the fund is important to bring successful strategies to scale and to support new ones. For example, upcoming trainings to help lowland farmers conserve soils and improve water use efficiency, which currently stands at less than 30 per cent, according to technical project coordinator Alberto Lizardo.Artificial wetland in the Dominican RepublicDeploying nature-based solutionsOne of the star interventions in the watershed are artificial wetlands, treatment systems that use natural processes involving wetland vegetation, soils, and their associated microbial diversity to improve water quality. Plan Yaque is the NGO behind the development and implementation of these low-tech, low-maintenance systems, which have proved to be a transformative solution for rural communities. They have so far built 34 of them. The wastewater from the septic tanks at homes and schools is channeled to the constructed wetland, where microorganisms, aquatic plants, and sunlight remove more than 90 per cent of the pollutants, before the water is released into the river. Water pollution is, alongside flow reduction, one of the two main issues jeopardizing water security in the basin.“The nature-based system works wonderfully and does not need inputs or maintenance, beyond removing the sewage sludge every three months, which communities do themselves” says founder and executive director of Plan Yaque Humberto Checo, one of the leading figures in the watershed restoration and management movement in the country. Working in micro-watershedsFor Checo, from Plan Yaque, a key to their success is focusing each intervention in selected territories drained by streams, or micro-watersheds, 52 tesserae that collectively make up the river Yaque basin. The NGO conducted a diagnosis of the 19 micro-watersheds in the upper basin and prioritized those with both high-water production and imminent threat from the expansion of the agricultural frontier, which leads to deforestation and the loss of the natural systems that maintain an adequate water flow. Then, they identified key farms or producer associations and set out to demonstrate why shifting from slash-and-burn agriculture to self-sustaining forestry and agroforestry systems was in their best interest.Changing mindsets “Changing mindsets to transform land management one family at a time is the most important part of the whole strategy, and our most important learning,” says Checo.Short cycle crops like corn, sweet potatoes, and yuca mean that farmers must toil incessantly into their old age to make a living, he says, whereas planting macadamia nut trees, orchards, and even coffee ensures a good source of future income with minimal effort while regenerating the soil and protecting water catchment areas. Land use planning across the farm is part of the approach.Parched, denuded hills of the farmers who continued with business as usual 15 years ago now stand next to the stunningly verdant slopes of those who opted to shift to more sustainable agricultural practices, reviving the landscape and building economic security for present and future generations along the way. These type of efforts largely account for the rise of the Dominican Republic as a global land restoration hotspot.“Sustainability lies in this newly gained awareness of the need to care, together, for the natural systems that sustain us,” says Estévez of the Water Fund. This is what we ultimately strive for.”Bringing what works to scalePlan Yaque has also pioneered a payment for ecosystem services scheme (PES) with support from hydropower and water providers, and the country recently passed its first law on PES. The next challenge, says Checo, is bringing this and other internationally lauded, science-based initiatives to micro-watersheds across the country.“After decades of experience in watershed restoration and protection, we have evidence on what works,” says Checo. “With the right policies and investments, we could bring this expertise to scale while supporting the next generation of landscape professionals.”  

بدء قبول طلبات اعتماد وسائل الإعلام لتغطية فعاليات الدورة السادسة عشرة لمؤتمر الأطراف لاتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمكافحة التصحر  سيُعقد المؤتمر في الفترة الممتدة من 2 إلى 13 ديسمبر 2024 في بوليفارد الرياض سيتي، الرياض، المملكة العربية السعودية (طريق الامام سعود بن فيصل، حطين، الرياض).   ندعو جميع الصحفيين المهتمين بتغطية فعاليات مؤتمر الأطراف السادس عشر إلى التقدم بطلبات الحصول على اعتماد من الآن عبر نظام التسجيل الإلكتروني (ORS).   هام: نظام التسجيل الإلكتروني (ORS) هو المنصة الوحيدة المخصصة لتقديم طلبات الاعتماد للحصول على تصاريح لتغطية الدورة السادسة عشرة لمؤتمر الأطراف. لا تقبل أمانة اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمكافحة التصحر طلبات الاعتماد المُرسلة عبر البريد الإلكتروني أو البريد العادي.  نؤكد على ضرورة استيفاء جميع المستندات للشروط المحددة، كما يجب الحرص على أن تتطابق بيانات مقدم الطلب في كافة مراحل التسجيل. تخضع عملية التسجيل للمراقبة، وكلّ طلبات التسجيل تحتاج إلى موافقة قبل قبولها.  ننصح بمراقبة حسابكم على نظام التسجيل الإلكتروني (ORS) باستمرار للاطلاع على أي طلبات إضافية لمستندات أو معلومات قد نحتاجها لاستكمال طلبكم. بمجرد تأكيد تسجيلكم، سنقوم بإرسال نموذج تأكيد التسجيل إليكم.   للحصول على مزيد من المعلومات، لا تترددوا في التواصل معنا عبر حساب التسجيل الإلكتروني الخاص بكم أو على البريد الإلكتروني press@unccd.int.  سنقوم بنشر مزيد من التفاصيل على موقعنا الإلكتروني في الوقت المناسب. 

On behalf of the UNCCD, I welcome the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation to further align our efforts to provide quality water for all. At UNCCD, we are particularly focusing on ensuring the availability of water through one of the planet’s most important natural assets: our land. Land is a natural ally in our drive to secure quality water supplies. Yet up to 40% of our planet’s land is already degraded, affecting nearly half of the world’s population. Meanwhile, global freshwater demand is on track to outstrip supply by 40% by 2030, putting societies, economies, and ecosystems on the line. In this context, we cannot afford to continue taking our land and its crucial role in the provision of clean water, food and energy for granted.   Healthy lands are better at filtrating water, allowing aquifers to recharge, retaining soil moisture, and even supporting cloud formation!   Additionally, healthy lands reduce water runoff, erosion and the risk of floods, which can trigger serious sanitation and public health problems and, tragically, loss of life.   We tend to think of drought as the absence of rain. But often, it is also the result of poor land management, meaning we are only as resilient to climate change--and its impacts on water quality and availability--as our land is. Addressing water and land management as part of drought resilience policies is therefore critical. The new UN System-wide strategy is an opportunity to recognize this vital connection between water and land and to put in place the right policies, incentives and investments to secure these precious resources for present and future generations. 

How water harvesting and land restoration are bringing hope to the arid heart of the country. A little-known fact is that  northeastern Brazil is home to the most populated dryland on the planet, made up of two biomes: the Cerrado, a regional water tower at the frontlines of agroindustrial expansion, and Caatinga, which is exclusive to the country and is inhabited by one in seven Brazilians.  The Caatinga is naturally dry, but the combination of overgrazing, deforestation, and climate change are creating new challenges for traditional communities living off the land, increasing the risk of food insecurity, poverty, and migration.  And the risks span beyond the Caatinga: around 38 million Brazilians are vulnerable to the impacts of desertification and drought, while arid lands are emerging for the first time and semiarid lands are projected to expand across much of the country in the coming years. The good news is that, even in the arid heart of Brazil, rural communities like Malhada da Areia, Bahia, are showing it is possible to halt and reverse land degradation and to prepare for, and adapt to, drought. That is, provided the right approaches and investments are in place. At the heart of their resilience are low-tech and nature-based solutions. For example, water harvesting roofs, deep excavation water storage, and water tanks, as well as sustainable land management practices to produce food, while reviving soils and restoring native vegetation.  In Malhada da Areia, in the Brazilian region of Caatinga, community members show one of the water storage solutions at the center of their drought resilience. In June, a delegation led by the Minister of Environment of Brazil, Marina Silva, and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Ibrahim Thiaw, visited Malhada da Areia and the nearby cities of Juazeiro and Petrolina as the country is boosting its efforts to tackle drought.  For instance, by investing in 130.000 water tanks in 2023-2024; creating a network of more than 180 scientists specialized in land degradation and drought; and launching a national campaign to build awareness on these matters. Brazil, which now chairs the G20, is the latest country to join the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the global coalition built on the notion that drought is a risk, but it needn’t be a disaster. “Brazil’s accession to IDRA demonstrates the government’s determination to combat drought and desertification, promote food and water security, and tackle inequalities,” said Minister Silva. “Successes here [in the Caatinga] demonstrate that, with the right strategies and collaborations, we can fight land degradation and build resilience to climate change.” The Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Ibrahim Thiaw, and the Minister of Environment of Brazil, Marina Silva, during a visit to the Caatinga with focus on drought resilience. Exportable solutions In Malhada da Areia, community members proudly showed visitors around, noting how they have transformed a land historically associated with famine and migration into a land of hope. “I am inspired by the innovative spirit of the communities in Caatinga,” said Thiaw during the visit to the area, where he noted that water capture, storage and reuse is essential to building resilience in arid environments. “These efforts in land restoration and sustainable water management are not just local solutions, but models for the world.” So far, the water tanks initiative has already reached 230,000 families as part of broader social packages, significantly reducing child mortality, increasing school attendance, improving water security, and enabling more varied and nutritious diets, thanks to the proximity of well-watered kitchen gardens. For the National Secretary for Food and Nutritional Security Lilian dos Santos Rahal the program goes beyond access to water: “It is a comprehensive approach to social development that integrates water security with food production and economic inclusion.”  The traditional community of Malhada da Areia, who lives off the land, explain the role of land use planning in restoring their lands and building resilience to drought. From barren to bountiful Locals are also engaged in a long-term initiative to restore degraded lands and the ecosystems they support, known as ‘Recaatingamento.’ The initiative is supported by the Regional Institute for Appropriate Small-Scale Farming (IRPAA), a civil society organization that has been instrumental in helping dozens of communities coexist with drought across the state of Bahia in the past three decades. Malhada da Areia is a traditional ‘fundo de pasto’ (‘back pasture’) community, where a group of families share and collectively manage an area of native vegetation as pasture for goats and to gather wild fruits and leaves. To restore a once productive land, they have fenced off 50 of the 2,000 communal hectares so it can recover out of the reach of goats.  Inside the protected area, people grow fruits and produce honey as alternative sources income, and jaguars and some plant species are making a comeback. To feed the goats, farmers grow fodder with reused water, bringing sustainable land and water management practices full circle. In the dryest months, aroeira trees drop their leaves to preserve moisture, standing like pale, denuded sentinels; hence the name Caatinga, meaning ‘white forest’ in Tupi language. Like Malhada da Areia, the aroeira is a testament to the ability of people and nature to thrive —if only given a chance — in the world’s drylands. ‘Restoring the Caatinga is necessary! The Caatinga is worth more standing than deforested,’ reads a sign of a landscape restoration initiative based on sustainable land management.

Prior the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UNCCD, the Convention Secretariat is organizing a training session for French-speaking journalists who cover the African continent on desertification and the role of the media in promoting sustainable land management practices. This training will take place during 2-6 September 2024, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on the sideline of the 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). Journalists will have the opportunity to exchange with experts in sustainable land management and desertification, and to participate in a field visit. The workshop will address major concerns related to land degradation, desertification and drought, as well as the role of the media in this context and strategies specific to better address these subjects. Eligibility and selection criteria The call is open to French-speaking journalists interested in environmental issues. Each applicant must submit: A letter of recommendation from the editor-in-chief of the applicant's organization. Freelancers must provide a copy of the press card. A cover letter of one page maximum explaining the journalist's interest in participating in the workshop. Links or copies of the last three reports or publications on the subject. Complete application files can be sent to press@unccd.int by 11:59 pm Central European Time (CET) on 21 July 2024, indicating as subject: “Candidature pour l'atelier d’Abidjan”. Successful candidates will be informed in writing. See complete details in the attached document.