Desertification manifests itself in many different forms across the vast region of Asia and the Pacific. Out of a total land area of 4.3 billion hectares reaching from the Mediterranean coast to the shores of the Pacific, Asia contains some 1.7 billion hectares of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid land.

Land degradation varies across the region. There are expanding deserts in China, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan, encroaching sand dunes in Syria, steeply eroded mountain slopes of Nepal, and deforested and in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and overgrazed in central Asia counties. In terms of the number of people affected by desertification and drought, Asia is the most severely affected continent.

Asia: Regional cooperation

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Regional Implementation Annex for Asia recognizes these unique conditions, and calls for activities at the national, sub-regional, and regional level in the form of coordinated and integrated action programmes.

National Action Programmes (NAPs) have been prepared in many Asian and Pacific countries. The development and alignment of NAPs is a dynamic, continuous process, and the status of each country is subject to change over time. The Convention’s bottom-up approach, which was also generally adopted during the NAPs’ creation, calls for existing desertification programmes to be reviewed by stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local civil society organizations (CSOs), authorities and community leaders.

Mainstreaming the NAPs into other sustainable development policy frameworks or national strategy plans is important to ensure their effective implementation of UNCCD and achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 concerning DLDD mitigation. Currently, many NAPs are being aligned to the future strategy framework, Rio Outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The implementation of the NAPs is supported by regional cooperation, including promotion of collaboration and capacity-building at national and sub-regional levels. The Asian regional priorities are captured in the Regional Action Programmes (RAPs), which were adopted at ministerial level in 1997 and revised and endorsed in 2003. The regional priorities are formulated to six regional Thematic Programme Networks (TPNs) that seek to link institutions and agencies together via an institutional focal point in order to promote cooperation and information sharing.

The TPNs focus on the following themes:

The Asia-Pacific region has five sub-regions. All countries located in these sub-regions have formulated their sub-regional action programmes (SRAPs), except for one sub-region of the Pacific.

Contact Regional Liaison Office for Asia (Annex II)

(located in Bonn)

Ms. Heimata Louisa Karika

  • Regional Liaison Officer
  • lkarika [at] unccd.int (lkarika[at]unccd[dot]int)
  • 00 49 228 815 2871
Related news
Towards green transformation in the Islamic world: Ibrahim Thiaw at the conference of environment ministers

Excellency, Abdulrahman Al Fadhley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the KSA Excellency Salam Al Malik, Director General of ISESCO, Excellency Hussein Brahim Taha, SG of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Excellencies, Ministers Esteemed delegates, and honored guests Ladies and gentlemen, As-Salaamu aleykum As we gather today in the beautiful city of Jeddah, I wish to express our profound appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for graciously hosting this gathering today. My appreciation extends to ICESCO, the linchpin behind our convening today. Now more than ever before, as we witness the catastrophic effects of environmental changes, redefining our relationships with nature is of critical importance. Allow me to bring to your attention the Centrality of sustainable land management to green transformation. Land is not merely the terrain beneath our feet. Land has always been the cradle of our civilizations. Land provides us with the essential food we eat. Land clothes us; land provides us with the water we drink and the clean air we breathe. It nurtures our ecosystems, supports our economies, and sustains our cultures. The health of our lands is therefore the cornerstone upon food security. Land degradation and drought amplify competition over access to land and water.  Conflicts between farmers and pastoralists are exploding all over. Consider this: any land degradation anywhere in the world, is a depreciation of our global economy and an erosion of human wellbeing. Any efforts to « green the economy » are therefore doomed to fail, unless we prioritize investments in this crucial natural capital. We know this well: nature provides 30% of the solutions to climate change. Sadly, nature-based solutions only receive 3% of the climate funding. Sadly, investments on land restoration and drought mitigation are shockingly insufficient.   This should change, and this group of countries has to power to bring positive change. Arguably, countries of the Islamic World have more power to bring positive change to the Planet than any other similar group. The Islamic World, perhaps more than other groups, needs to control its narrative on climate and environmental change. Unleashing that power can be truly transformative and bring positive change to the world. Coming back specifically to land loss, the challenge is huge.  According to the UNCCD’s Global Land Outlook report, up to 40 % of the global land has been degraded. If the current trend continues, by 2050, we will further degrade an area the size of South America. The good news is the solution is literally in our hands: it’s called Land Restoration. By restoring degraded land, we improve food security and, even more importantly, food sovereignty. Whether in Arid Lands, in grasslands or in more humid ecosystems, we have one billion hectares of land that can be put back to health by 2030. Healing one billion hectares of ailing land and putting it back to the global economy is a smart and wise investment.   One good example of such powerful change is the critical role played by Saudi Arabia during its G20 Presidency, when it led G20 Leaders to adopt the Global Land Restoration Initiative. The ambitious G20 Global Land Initiative, housed within the UNCCD, has set an audacious goal: halve land degradation in the world by 2040. This initiative is global in scope and is committed to working with all countries, including those of the Islamic World and with the ICESCO. We are also very pleased with the Middle East Green Initiative, which has received substantive financial support from Saudi Arabia and aims at restoring 200 million hectares of degraded land. We are confident that building on Islamic Civilization and its great principles of solidarity, more countries will support large-scale land restoration as well Drought Mitigation in the world. Indeed, islamic civilizations were visionaries in fields like sustainable agriculture, water conservation, and harmonious land practices. It's a heritage—a treasure of knowledge- that can be drawn upon. Yet, as we honor our past, we must confront silent killers that are chocking our economies, namely land degradation and drought.  As we build our futures, we must ensure that our progress is in harmony with nature. To achieve this, we need to combine ancestral wisdom with contemporary innovation. Weaving together Islamic principles of stewardship and reverence for nature with cutting-edge land management techniques, we can chart a course towards a green transformation. Allow me, before I conclude, to say a word about the Road to UNCCD COP16. Saudi Arabia’s role as the host of the upcoming UNCCD COP 16 is a testament of commitments to addressing these global challenges. Climate COP 27 in Sharm Es-Sheikh and COP28 in Dubai, while Morocco just hosted the WB/IMF annual assemblies …there is no mistake. There is a clear indication of Islamic Countries strong commitment to multilateralism. UNCCD COP16 in December 2024, in Riyadh, presents a unique platform for countries of this group to demonstrate their leadership in combating desertification, land degradation, and drought. We can make the next UNCCD 16th COP the moon-shoot moment for land restoration and drought resilience, for people, for the planet and for prosperity. Shukran!

Towards green transformation in the Islamic world: Ibrahim Thiaw at the conference of environment ministers
A milestone moment: Uzbekistan and UNCCD team up to tackle land crisis

Bonn/Samarkand, 10 October 2023 – Today the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) entered into a landmark agreement with the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Host Country Agreement marks the culminating chapter in the preparations for the upcoming 21st session of the UNCCD Committee on the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC21), to be held from 13-17 November 2023 in Samarkand.  For the first time since its inception, UNCCD is convening one of its most important meetings in the heart of Central Asia. The highly anticipated CRIC21 will serve as a global platform for cutting-edge insights into land degradation and drought while assessing the progress the countries are making in restoring productive land.  Welcoming the UNCCD delegation to the historic crossroads of culture and civilization in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan's Minister of Ecology, Aziz Abdukhakimov emphasized the upcoming UN conference's role in bolstering global partnerships and environmental innovation. Among the inspiring examples of the successful project in land restoration he shared is the ongoing tree-planting efforts on 2 million hectares to combat the Aral Sea environmental crisis.  UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw noted that CRIC21 meets at a time of increasing environmental turbulence: cataclysmic heatwaves in Europe and North America, devastating droughts in the Horn of Africa, torrential monsoons and cyclones across Asia. The significance of land degradation as both a contributor to and a consequence of these phenomena cannot be overstated.  Recent UN data paints a sobering picture, demonstrating that 420 million hectares of fertile and productive land between have been degraded between 2015 and 2019 – an area exceeding the combined landscapes of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.  CRIC21 – a global symposium of delegates from 196 nations and the European Union, leaders of the civil society, academia, and international organizations – will delve into progress on the Convention's strategic objectives. These range from sustainable land management and drought resilience to ensuring fair land rights for women and tackling the sand and dust storms and wildfires exacerbated by the climate change and environmental degradation.  The UNCCD secretariat wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Republic of Uzbekistan for graciously assuming the role of the host for this pivotal event. Like an intricate carpet weaved by expert hands unfurls to reveal its detailed patterns, CRIC21 will roll out at the Silk Road Samarkand Congress Centre in Uzbekistan this November. 

A milestone moment: Uzbekistan and UNCCD team up to tackle land crisis
In Central Asia, female leadership is key to climate and drought resilience

From potatoes grown in recycled sacks to “more crop per drop” fruit tree varieties, climate-smart and women-led agriculture initiatives became the center of discussions at a recent interregional conference convened by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.   Fertile land is a precious commodity in Tajikistan, where 90% of the country's territory is covered by mountains and 60% of the population directly depend on agriculture for livelihood. Agriculture is a major part of Tajikistan’s economy. Can you spot the colors of one of its best-loved crops in the stripes of the national flag?   As heatwaves, droughts and other extreme climate events become more frequent and severe across the globe, regional cooperation and knowledge sharing are becoming a priority in building drought resilience and fighting land degradation.   In response to these growing challenges, representatives of Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from 1-2 July 2023 to discuss upscaling and coordinating legislative, educational, scientific and technical cooperation aimed at achieving Land Degradation Neutrality.  Water is so precious in Central Asia, some say it’s worth more than gold. Burrowing deep into the soil, this well in the Gissar Valley carries water that contains trace amounts of the precious metal  “Though we come from different climates and landscapes, we are united in the face of climate-induced drought and land degradation. Women who develop and test climate-smart and cost-effective solutions locally should be the ones spearheading regional and global efforts to grow and protect our food in the times of climactic stress,” participants stated.  Reflecting the theme of this year's Desertification and Drought Day “Her Land. Her Rights”, discussions centered on the key role of civil society organizations, particularly those led by women, in harnessing donor financing and advancing legislative action in support of gender-responsive land restoration projects that provide sustainable rural livelihoods.   Apples are the most popular fruit worldwide, and so are new ways to grow them more efficiently  After attending a training series at the Youth Ecological Center in Dushanbe, Mavluda Akhmedova is using the technology of growing potatoes directly in recycled sacks on her homestead in the Dekhanabod village. This approach has proven particularly effective as more frequent and sudden heatwaves and droughts in Tajikistan raise the risk of harvest loss. Growing potatoes in sacks lets the farmers control the temperature and humidity better and is of particular use on small plots where growing space is at a premium.  Greenhouses at the Agricultural University in Dushanbe use the latest technology, encouraging the students to test new approaches to efficient and sustainable crop production   During a visit to an experimental farm in the Gissar District, participants learned how students from Agricultural University in Dushanbe test classroom knowledge to implement the “more crop per drop” approach on their 800 hectares under tillage, including a fruit orchard, a vineyard and pasture.   Nothing tastes better than bread fresh from the oven! Farm-to-table is the way of life at the experimental farm of the Agricultural University of Dushanbe  The university hopes that new investments and focus on research, smart tech and innovation will bring more female students to the classrooms and labs.   Using compact varieties of fruit trees combined with drip irrigation means less water, less labour and less land are needed to produce comparable crop yields  By the end of 2023, Tajikistan intends to complete the process of joining the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Target-setting programme, bringing the number of countries who set voluntary LDN targets to 130, including all Central Asian nations.  Furthermore, participation in the World Bank’s RESILAND CA+ Initiative will allow Tajikistan to access the knowledge base of other engaged countries – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan – and train forest management and rangelands biodiversity specialists. Women are expected to become the majority of RESILAND CA+ projects’ participants and beneficiaries.   Photography by Didor Sadulloev via UNDP Tajikistan

In Central Asia, female leadership is key to climate and drought resilience
Sixteenth session of UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh

ENGLISH By letter dated 14 March 2023, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed its willingness to host the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Conference will be held in Riyadh from 2 to 13 December 2024. In line with the provisions of decision 34/COP15 the UNCCD secretariat will now enter into consultation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the organization of COP16. Information on further arrangements for the session will be communicated to all Parties and observers in due time. FRANÇAIS Par lettre datée du 14 mars 2023, le Royaume d'Arabie saoudite a confirmé sa volonté d'accueillir la seizième session de la Conférence des Parties (COP16) à la convention des Nations Unies sur la Lutte contre la désertification (CNULCD) . La Conférence se tiendra à Riyad du 2 au 13 décembre 2024. Conformément aux dispositions de la décision 34/COP15, le secrétariat de la Convention entrera en consultation avec le Royaume d'Arabie saoudite pour l'organisation de la COP16. Des informations sur les autres dispositions à prendre pour la session seront communiquées à toutes les Parties et à tous les observateurs en temps opportun.   ESPAÑOL Mediante carta fechada el 14 de marzo de 2023, el Reino de Arabia Saudí confirmó su voluntad de acoger la decimosexta sesión de la Conferencia de las Partes (COP16) de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación (CNULD). La Conferencia se celebrará en Riad del 2 al 13 de diciembre de 2024. En consonancia con las disposiciones de la decisión 34/COP15, la secretaría de la CLD iniciará consultas con el Reino de Arabia Saudí para la organización de la COP16. A su debido tiempo, se comunicará a todas las Partes y observadores información sobre los preparativos del período de sesiones.  

Sixteenth session of UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh