A/RES/76/206

Deeply concerned about the continuous trend in land degradation and the fact that the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought are felt most strongly by people in vulnerable situations,

Noting with great concern the severe negative impact on human health, safety and well-being caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the severe disruption to societies and economies and the devastating impact on lives and livelihoods, and that the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit by the pandemic, reaffirming the ambition to get back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by designing and implementing sustainable and inclusive recovery strategies to accelerate progress towards the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to help to reduce the risk of and build resilience to future shocks, crises and pandemics, including by strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage, and recognizing that equitable and
timely access for all to safe, quality, effective and affordable COVID -19 vaccines,therapeutics and diagnostics are an essential part of a global response based on unity, solidarity, renewed multilateral cooperation and the principle of leaving no one behind,

Recognizing that combating desertification, land degradation and drought is important for sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, that it is important to integrate land conservation, protection and
restoration, sustainable land management, degraded soil and terrestrial ecosystems restoration, combating desertification and the aim of land degradation neutrality into the global agenda for sustainable development, and that careful targeting of the COVID-19 recovery investments, including land restoration, creates economic opportunities that contribute to environmental sustainability and poverty eradication,

Recalling the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030,6 an Recalling the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030,6 and acknowledging that all types of forests provide essential ecosystem services, such as timber, food, fuel, fodder, non-wood products and shelter, as well as soil and water conservation and clean air, that the sustainable management of forests and trees outside forests is vital to the integrated implementation of the 2030 Agenda and that forests prevent land degradation and desertification and reduce the risk of floods, soil erosion, landslides and avalanches, droughts, sand and dust st orms and other disasters,

Reiterating its appreciation to the Government of India for hosting the fourteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drough t and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, held in New Delhi from 2 to 13 September 2019, and welcoming the offer made by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to host the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention in May 2022,

Recalling the establishment of an intergovernmental working group on effective policy and implementation measures for addressing drought under the Convention,with a view to presenting its findings and recommendations to the parties for their consideration at the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention..

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, and decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-seventh session, under the item entitled “Sustainable development”, the sub-item entitled “Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa”. 54th plenary meeting 17 December 2021.......READ further from the link above