UN General Assembly Seventy-sixth session
Items 20 (d), (e) and (f) of the provisional agenda*
Sustainable development:
Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankind
Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa
Convention on Biological Diversity

A/76/225

26 July 2021
The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the reports submitted by the secretariats of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

II. Report of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa


A. Introduction


14. In its resolution 75/218 on the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the resolution at its seventy-sixth session. The present report constitutes an update for the Assembly on the principal activities that have been undertaken in that respect.

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C. Observations and recommendations


45. Despite the challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the meetings, events and collaboration on desertification, land degradation and drought have succeeded in maintaining and even increasing the attention paid by and the commitment of the international community to the implementation of the Convention. The success of the World Day outreach – with more than twice as many people reached as in 2020 – indicates that the messages regarding the importance of land resonate with the public. There is clearly momentum to advance the land restoration narrative, which reconnects people and nature through a high-level ambition on land stewardship.
46. Investing in land-based solutions in the post-COVID-19 recovery efforts has particularly high potential to yield multiple benefits and accelerate the implementation of a range of Sustainable Development Goals, from addressing poverty, livelihoods and food and water security to building resilience to climatic shocks. Such land-based investments could benefit the poorest rural areas in particular, triggering a long-lasting transformative process whereby environmental restoration generates jobs, well-being and stability.
47. Healthy, productive land is a precondition for many global industries, including the production of food, fodder and fibre. High-level participants of the recent events and meetings on desertification, land degradation and drought repeatedly underlined the importance of integrating land restoration and the aim of land degradation neutrality into the global agenda for sustainable consumption and production, to be reflected from business operations to consumer behaviour. Also in this context, careful targeting of the COVID-19 recovery investments to include land restoration could combine economic opportunities with environmental sustainability.
48. In the light of the above, the General Assembly may wish to recognize the continued and growing attention paid by the international community to addressing desertification, land degradation and drought, and to underline the importance of related actions. The Assembly may also wish to promote the integration of land restoration into post-COVID-19 recovery efforts, with particular attention paid to improving the livelihoods of the poorest rural communities. Furthermore, the Assembly may wish to recognize the critical role that healthy land has in the global economy, and to call for measures to explore and promote consumption and production patterns that protect land and advance land degradation neutrality.

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