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莫斯科/波恩，2026年6月26日——从卡尔梅克共和国和北高加索的草原，到横贯欧亚大陆的广袤草原地带，长期以来，土地一直将这一全球最大草原区域之一的人口、文化和生计紧密联系在一起。如今，这片共同的土地也将面临共同挑战的各国联系在一起，这些挑战包括土地退化、干旱、粮食安全和生态系统韧性等问题。俄罗斯在这一广阔的土地景观中占据重要位置。横跨欧洲和亚洲的俄罗斯拥有约7000万至8000万公顷草原和天然牧场。这些生态系统不仅支撑着生物多样性、牧民生计和可持续畜牧业生产，也为区域应对土地退化和干旱作出了重要贡献。随着欧亚地区土地和水资源面临的压力日益加剧，加强合作对于应对土地退化和干旱变得愈发重要。正是这些共同挑战促使联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德于6月25日至26日访问莫斯科，以推动欧亚旱地和草原地带的科学合作、可持续土地管理以及区域倡议。在访问期间，UNCCD 执行秘书会见了俄罗斯联邦外交、环境和农业领域的高级代表，包括俄罗斯联邦总统助理兼总统气候与水资源事务特别代表鲁斯兰·埃德尔格里耶夫（Ruslan Edelgeriyev）、俄罗斯联邦自然资源与环境部长亚历山大·科兹洛夫（Alexander Kozlov）、俄罗斯联邦农业部长奥克萨娜·卢特（Oxana Lut），以及俄罗斯联邦外交部副部长亚历山大·阿利莫夫（Alexander Alimov）。双方围绕欧亚地区土地退化和干旱治理优先事项进行了讨论，包括科学研究、知识交流以及区域合作的重要作用。与会者还就UNCCD第十七届缔约方大会（COP17）的筹备工作交换了意见。该会议将于2026年8月17日至28日在蒙古国乌兰巴托举行。此次交流重申了俄罗斯联邦与UNCCD之间长期以来的合作关系，以及双方致力于维护区域健康、富有生产力的土地景观的共同承诺，同时也凸显了土地恢复和抗旱韧性在保障粮食安全和实现可持续发展方面日益提升的重要性。此次访问的一项重要成果是，UNCCD秘书处与俄罗斯科学院地理研究所签署了一份谅解备忘录（MoU）。该备忘录建立在UNCCD与俄罗斯科学界长期合作的基础之上，进一步强化了科学、政策与行动之间在应对土地退化和干旱方面的联系。此次访问正值关键时期，欧亚各国正在加强合作，共同应对土地、水资源和粮食系统面临的日益增长的压力。在全球范围内，多达40%的陆地已经发生退化，影响近一半人口。土地退化每年给全球经济造成近9000亿美元损失，而干旱每年造成的经济损失至少达到3000亿美元。俄罗斯联邦总统助理、总统气候与水资源事务特别代表鲁斯兰·埃德尔格里耶夫（Ruslan Edelgeriyev）在开幕致辞中表示，COP17的筹备工作已进入决定性阶段。他强调，对本地区各国而言，以“以共同评估、共同理解优先事项和协调一致的立场”参与即将举行的谈判尤为重要。谈及“丝路之旅”（Silk Road Caravan）时，他表示，该倡议“象征着我们共同肩负着保护土地、水资源和生态系统的责任”，而这些自然资源的状况关系到整个地区的稳定。欧亚草原从黑海一直延伸至蒙古高原，绵延超过8000公里，约占全球草原总面积的四分之一。这些草原在维持社区生计、保护生态系统健康以及帮助各国适应干旱和气候波动方面发挥着至关重要的作用。在全球范围内，草原覆盖地球陆地表面的54%，支撑着约20亿人口的生计，其中包括约5亿牧民。草原提供全球六分之一的粮食供应和70%的牲畜饲料，因此对于粮食安全、农村经济和生态系统健康至关重要。然而，许多草原生态系统正面临不可持续土地利用、气候变化和干旱带来的日益严峻压力。“俄罗斯联邦一直是联合国防治荒漠化公约的重要合作伙伴，为全球应对土地退化、干旱以及推进可持续土地管理作出了积极贡献。” UNCCD执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德表示。“我们在莫斯科的讨论体现了一项共同认识：土地退化、干旱和粮食不安全问题超越国界，需要各方共同应对。加强政府、科研机构和区域网络之间的合作，对于推动切实可行的解决方案、增强韧性以及促进欧亚地区的可持续发展至关重要。”这种合作精神同样体现在执行秘书出席东北亚荒漠化、土地退化与干旱网络（DLDD-NEAN）第十三次会议，该会议首次由俄罗斯联邦主办。该网络汇聚东北亚各国，为科学交流、政策对话和联合行动提供平台，共同应对土地退化、干旱以及沙尘暴等跨境挑战，充分体现了区域合作在解决跨境环境问题方面的重要价值。2026国际草原与牧民年（International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026）进一步提升了国际社会对草原及其所支撑社区重要性的关注。在欧亚地区，牧民社区数百年来塑造了当地景观、文化和经济，并帮助维持世界上一些最广阔放牧地的生态健康和生产力。今年，通过“丝路之旅”这一联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）旗舰倡议，这一共同遗产得到了充分展示。该倡议沿着历史丝绸之路穿越欧亚草原，展示各地在土地恢复、增强抗旱韧性和支持牧民社区方面所作出的努力。“丝路之旅”在俄罗斯境内途经达吉斯坦共和国、卡尔梅克共和国和阿斯特拉罕，展现了旱地面临的挑战以及可持续草原管理和生态恢复所带来的机遇。通过加强科学伙伴关系、深化区域对话以及推动实地合作，区域各国正共同构建更具韧性的土地景观、社区和粮食系统，以应对日益加剧的环境压力。

By Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification

全球多达一半草原已退化或面临退化风险，其中干旱影响最为严重草原支撑着约20亿人口生计，并提供全球近70%的牲畜饲料欧亚草原在极端干旱条件下生产力下降高达43%，而农业扩张正成为南美草原所面临的主要威胁南部非洲约70%的土地用于牲畜放牧，草原支撑着当地生计和地方经济肯尼亚基利菲郡/德国波恩，2026年6月17日——联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）在2026年“防治荒漠化和干旱世界日”之际警告称：从欧亚大草原、南美草原到南部非洲稀树草原，干旱、气候变化以及不可持续的土地利用方式正不断加剧全球草原生态系统所承受的压力。目前，全球多达一半草原已经退化或面临退化风险，对粮食体系、水资源安全、生物多样性、生计保障以及全球社区韧性构成严重威胁。科学家指出，气温持续升高和干旱加剧正不断增加全球草原生态系统的压力，导致土壤侵蚀、水资源紧张和生物多样性丧失。草原覆盖着地球一半以上的陆地面积，支撑着约20亿人口的生计，并提供全球近70%的牲畜饲料，是世界上最重要却长期被低估的粮食生产体系之一。随着干旱加剧和水资源短缺在全球影响越来越多社区，各国政府、科学家以及地方社区正呼吁采取紧急行动，以认识、保护和恢复草原生态系统，并支持依赖草原生存的牧民群体和土地管理者。在为2026年“防治荒漠化和干旱世界日”录制的视频致辞中，联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯（António Guterres）表示：“今年同时也是‘国际草原与牧民年’，这是支持牧民和土著人民的重要契机。他们积累的传统知识有助于保护这些生态系统。要守护我们的未来，我们就必须守护土地。”2026年“防治荒漠化和干旱世界日”以“草原：认识、尊重、修复（Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.）”为主题，重点关注可持续牧业、抗旱韧性和生态系统恢复。本次全球纪念活动由肯尼亚政府主办，在肯尼亚基利菲郡（Kilifi County）的维平戈中央小学举行，汇聚了国家和地方高级官员、社区成员、青年代表以及发展伙伴。肯尼亚约80%的土地由旱地和草原构成，数百万人依靠牧业、畜牧生产及相关产业链维持生计。联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德（Yasmine Fouad）表示：“我赞赏肯尼亚政府帮助国际社会更加关注草原和牧民的重要作用。随着干旱不断加剧以及土地和水资源竞争日趋激烈，恢复草原应成为各国增强韧性、保障粮食体系、降低风险和支持生计的重要组成部分。相关知识和解决方案已经存在，当务之急是扩大投资规模并加快落实行动。” 肯尼亚环境、气候变化与林业部长德博拉·M·巴拉萨（Deborah M. Barasa）表示：“肯尼亚很荣幸主办这一重要的全球活动。对我们而言，这不仅仅是一场国际活动，更是一场与人民日常生活息息相关的对话，尤其关系到牧民、农民、妇女、青年以及生活在草原地区的社区。他们比任何人都更了解土地、水资源、牲畜和自然的价值。当我们齐聚基利菲郡之际，希望借此机会倾听彼此、相互学习，并重申我们采取行动的承诺。我们必须认识草原的真正价值，尊重依赖并守护草原的社区，共同努力恢复这些景观，造福子孙后代。”从欧亚大陆到非洲南部在欧亚地区，气候变化、持续恶化的干旱条件以及不可持续的土地管理方式，正在加速全球最大连续放牧区域的土地退化。欧亚大草原绵延8000多公里，从黑海一直延伸至中国北部，约占全球草原面积的四分之一，为数百万牧民和畜牧业生产者提供生计。在蒙古举行的UNCCD第十七次缔约方大会（COP17）召开前夕，正在穿越欧亚大陆的“丝路之旅”（Silk Road Caravan）活动，也正在强调可持续牧业和草原恢复在这些广阔生态景观中的重要性。科学家警告称，气温上升和干旱强度增加正导致该地区土壤侵蚀、水资源压力和生物多样性下降。最新研究显示，在极端干旱条件下，欧亚草原年生产力下降幅度高达43%，而北美草原的降幅约为25%。在南美洲，一些全球生产力最高的草地和稀树草原正受到农业扩张、森林砍伐以及高强度畜牧业生产的影响。格兰查科（Gran Chaco）、塞拉多（Cerrado）和潘帕斯草原（Pampas），正日益面临着单一种植农业和土地用途转变带来的巨大压力。与此同时，持续的干旱和热浪也削弱了原生植被和牧业系统的韧性。与此同时，在南部非洲，约70%的土地用于牲畜放牧。当地社区正在恢复传统放牧制度和本土土地管理方式，以增强抗旱能力、修复退化土地并改善土壤状况、提升水分保持能力。在津巴布韦和安哥拉等国家，以轮牧和传统牧业制度为基础的当地社区主导项目，正在帮助恢复生态系统、改善水资源供给并减少因自然资源竞争引发的冲突。恢复土地，增强韧性尽管挑战日益加剧，但令人鼓舞的是，切实可行的解决方案已经存在。轮牧、牧群流动管理、林牧复合系统、土著人民知识体系以及社区主导的草原管理模式，正不断证明退化土地能够在支持生计、粮食生产和生物多样性的同时实现恢复。来自多个地区的研究也表明，健康草原通常具有更强的抗旱能力，这是因为其多年生植被和深根系结构能够在长期干旱期间保持水分并保护土壤。草原和牧民议题将成为UNCCD第十七次缔约方大会（COP17）的重点议题。大会将于2026年8月17日至28日在蒙古国首都乌兰巴托举行。COP17预计将推动各国进一步加强在可持续土地管理、抗旱韧性建设以及土地恢复融资方面的国际合作，支持全球应对荒漠化、土地退化和干旱挑战的努力。-完-编者注：2026防治荒漠化和干旱世界日官方网站全球纪念活动的音视频及图片素材请点击此处下载。更多信息，请联系： UNCCD 新闻办公室：press@unccd.int 关于防治荒漠化和干旱世界日  联合国大会于1994年通过第A/RES/49/115号决议，将6月17日定为 “防治荒漠化和干旱世界日”。这是一个独特的契机，用以强调防治荒漠化、土地退化和干旱的切实解决方案。全球各国正动员起来，通过一系列教育、文化、科学和社区主导活动来纪念这一日子。  今年共有来自非洲、亚洲、欧洲和拉丁美洲18个国家举办相关活动，包括埃及、厄瓜多尔、德国、西班牙、希腊和肯尼亚等国家。此外，横跨多个欧亚国家的“丝路之旅”倡议也同步于欧亚多个国家开展相关活动。活动内容涵盖科学对话、生态恢复行动、牧民交流以及区域政策讨论，重点聚焦抗旱韧性建设、可持续草原管理和生态系统恢复。

Ahead of Desertification and Drought Day (DDD) on 17 June, and during this important year for the three Rio Convention COPs, attention is increasingly focused on the links between healthy land, resilient livelihoods and long-term stability. Globally, up to 40 per cent of the Earth's land is degraded, affecting nearly half of humanity and threatening food security, biodiversity and economic development.These challenges are particularly acute in the Sahel, where communities face the combined pressures of climate change, land degradation and economic vulnerability. Here, sustainable value chains are demonstrating how private sector engagement can contribute to both environmental restoration and rural development.Few examples illustrate this connection more clearly than the acacia gum sector, which links millions of rural producers to global markets while supporting the restoration of dryland ecosystems. At the center of this effort is Nexira, a global leader in natural ingredients and a member of the UNCCD Business4Land (B4L) Champions’ Council, working alongside SOS SAHEL to strengthen the resilience of communities and landscapes across the Sahel.Why acacia gum mattersGum acacia, or gum arabic, a natural ingredient harvested from acacia senegal and acacia seyal trees, is used worldwide in food, beverage, nutrition and cosmetic products. Yet beyond its functional  applications, the gum acacia value chain plays a critical role in some of the world's most fragile dryland regions.The vast “gum belt” stretching across a dozen countries in the Sahel supports millions of people whose livelihoods depend on acacia-based agroforestry systems. In many dryland areas, these trees provide one of the few reliable sources of income while helping communities adapt to increasingly frequent droughts and climate shocks. Beyond their economic value, they help stabilize soils, improve fertility through nitrogen fixation, reduce erosion and strengthen the resilience of dryland ecosystems to drought. As a result, gum acacia production creates a direct link between economic opportunity and sustainable land managementA long-term partnership for people and landscapesFor more than 15 years, Nexira and the NGO SOS SAHEL have worked together through the Acacia Project, an ambitious initiative designed to restore degraded landscapes while strengthening rural livelihoods in Chad. The program combines agroforestry, ecosystem restoration, producer training and community development to create long-term benefits for both people and nature.The first phases of the programme delivered significant results, including the restoration of degraded lands, large-scale tree planting, biodiversity enhancement and support for local communities. The third phase, which is currently in process (2022–2030), aims to scale these efforts further, reaching 200 villages and 50,000 producers while supporting the sustainable management of 300,000 hectares of forest landscapes. The program is also expected to generate substantial carbon sequestration benefits while strengthening the gum acacia value chain and expanding economic opportunities for rural communities.A key feature of the program is its focus on social inclusion. Efforts to strengthen women's participation in producer organizations and leadership structures are helping ensure that the benefits of ecosystem restoration and value chain development are shared more broadly across communities.The broader framework: the Great Green Wall and its AcceleratorThe Acacia Project does not exist in isolation. It is part of a far larger continental ambition. The Great Green Wall initiative, launched by the African Union, aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs by 2030 in the Sahel.To accelerate progress toward these targets, the Great Green Wall Accelerator was launched during the One Planet Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in January 2021, securing USD 19 billion in funding commitments. Hosted by the UNCCD Global Mechanism, the Accelerator was created to strengthen the monitoring of the Initiative's funding and results, and has played a pivotal role in enhancing governance, fundraising efforts, and stakeholder engagement across the Initiative.Among its five pillars, the Accelerator specifically targets investment in small and medium-sized farms and the strengthening of value chains and local markets, the exact terrain where the Acacia Project operates. While governments provide the policy framework, achieving the Great Green Wall's ambitions will depend heavily on private sector investment capable of transforming restoration into viable economic opportunities for local communities.  Nexira's long-term commitment in Chad is precisely the kind of private sector engagement the Accelerator was designed to catalyse and scale.Value chains as the engine of restoration: what the evidence showsThe strategic case for nature-based value chains in the Sahel was crystallised in a landmark 2022 report by the World Economic Forum's 1t.org initiative. The Untapped Potential of Great Green Wall Value Chains: An Action Agenda to Scale Restoration in the Sahel, based on interviews with more than 100 stakeholders, identified nine tree crop value chains with the greatest environmental, social and market potential across the region: among them African baobab, shea, moringa and gum acacia, the very crop at the heart of Nexira's Acacia Project.The report's findings paint a striking picture of untapped opportunity. Beyond the environmental benefits of restoration, the Sahel's nature-based value chains represent a significant economic opportunity. Despite a global personal care market worth an estimated $240 billion per year, the Sahel captures only around $5 billion in value across all its products. In the $150 billion superfoods market, GGW products show stronger competitiveness, though production costs remain high and consumer awareness limited. The diagnosis is clear: the raw material, the ecological potential and the communities are there, but the value chains connecting them to global markets remain underdeveloped and underfinanced.Critically, the nine prioritised crops, including gum acacia, are all naturally adapted to Sahelian conditions, require no fertilisation or irrigation, and already deliver a range of co-benefits: community resilience, food security, income opportunities for women, soil quality improvement, biodiversity support and carbon sequestration. The report also flagged that despite significant carbon sequestration potential, almost no natural resource carbon projects were being implemented in the Sahel at the time of writing, pointing to a major financing opportunity still waiting to be unlocked.The report's core recommendation was that multistakeholder partnerships, bringing together public actors, private companies, civil society and local entrepreneurs, are the essential mechanism for scaling these value chains and turning their environmental and economic potential into reality on the ground.Nexira's Acacia Project is precisely this kind of partnership in action. By combining responsible sourcing with long-term landscape investment and producer support in Chad, it demonstrates that closing the gap between the Sahel's natural wealth and global markets is both achievable and transformative, for supply chains, for communities and for the land itself.Business leadership for land restorationNexira's work illustrates the growing recognition that land restoration is not only an environmental imperative but also a business priority. Through responsible sourcing, investment in producer communities and long-term landscape restoration, companies can help build more resilient supply chains while contributing to sustainable development.This approach aligns closely with the objectives of Business4Land (B4L), UNCCD's flagship private sector initiative, which seeks to mobilize companies to address land degradation, strengthen drought resilience and contribute to the global goal of restoring 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030. Achieving this target will require unprecedented collaboration between governments, businesses, financial institutions and local communities.As one of the founding members of the B4L Champions’ Council, Nexira is helping demonstrate how private sector leadership can translate ambitious land commitments into concrete action on the ground. Celebrating Desertification and Drought Day in ParisTo mark Desertification and Drought Day 2026, Nexira and SOS SAHEL are joining a special public event on 17 June at the Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil, Paris' botanical garden. The event will bring together experts, organizations and the public to explore the resources, knowledge and restoration solutions emerging from the Sahel, while highlighting the importance of combating desertification and strengthening resilience in drylands.The event offers an opportunity to showcase how sustainable value chains, community-led restoration and long-term partnerships can contribute to both environmental recovery and economic opportunity.Investing in land, investing in resilienceThe challenges facing the Sahel are complex and interconnected. Land degradation undermines livelihoods, increases vulnerability to climate shocks and can contribute to instability. At the same time, restoring productive landscapes creates opportunities for income generation, food security and community resilience.The experience of the Acacia Program demonstrates that when businesses, local communities and civil society organizations work together, nature-based value chains can become powerful drivers of sustainable development.In the Sahel, where the health of the land and the wellbeing of communities are deeply interconnected, initiatives such as the Acacia Project demonstrate that restoration can be more than an environmental objective. It can create jobs, strengthen resilience, support local economies and help turn global restoration commitments into tangible results on the ground.

As women’s rights are under increasing pressure worldwide and climate-related crises deepen existing inequalities, UN Women, UNCCD and UN Climate launched the Bonn Hub of the International Gender Champions.

Bonn, Germany, 8 June 2026 – The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in Bonn, reinforcing their cooperation on land restoration, drought resilience and sustainable rural development at a time when land degradation and water stress are increasingly affecting communities and economies worldwide. The agreement was signed by UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad and GIZ Executive Board Member Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven during a ceremony attended by representatives of UNCCD, GIZ and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Building on longstanding cooperation between UNCCD, GIZ and BMZ, the agreement aims to expand joint work on land restoration, drought resilience and sustainable rural development through technical cooperation, joint initiatives and knowledge exchange. The partnership comes at a time of growing international recognition that desertification, land degradation and drought are not only environmental challenges, but also major risks to food security, water resources, livelihoods, economic stability and resilience. Current estimates indicate that around USD 355 billion per year is needed globally to combat desertification, land degradation and drought, while investment remains significantly below that level.  At the same time, experience from many regions shows that sustainable land management can generate strong environmental and economic returns, with studies estimating benefits ranging from USD 7 to 30 for every dollar invested. “Land degradation and drought are increasingly affecting ecosystems, food systems and communities around the world, with impacts that go far beyond the environment,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad. “No single institution can address these challenges alone. Strengthening partnerships and accelerating implementation on the ground will be essential to build resilience, restore productive landscapes and support sustainable development. The scale of the challenge requires the same scale of ambition and cooperation. This agreement reflects our shared commitment to turning cooperation into practical action.” Through the agreement, UNCCD and GIZ will work together to help scale up practical solutions on land restoration and drought resilience, while promoting knowledge exchange, technical cooperation and new investment opportunities. "Land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss are interconnected challenges that require integrated solutions. Stopping desertification helps the climate, because farmland and forests store significantly more carbon dioxide than deserts. Our deepened partnership can really make a difference,”  said GIZ's Ingrid Gabriela Hoven.“As Germany’s National Focal Point to the UNCCD, BMZ strongly supports land- and nature-based solutions and underlines the central role of land for synergies between the Rio Conventions,” said BMZ's Kerstin Henke. “Today’s agreement further strengthens collaboration between UNCCD, BMZ and GIZ in securing land, strengthening resilience and building strong partnerships for sustainable development. Ahead of the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to UNCCD , which will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026, the agreement reflects growing international attention to land restoration and drought resilience as essential to food security, climate resilience and long-term stability. Under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope,” UNCCD COP17 will provide an important opportunity to accelerate partnerships, mobilize investment and advance practical solutions at the scale required to address global land degradation and drought challenges. GIZ has long supported sustainable development and international cooperation efforts worldwide, including initiatives related to land restoration, rural development and climate resilience. The agreement will help strengthen collaboration between GIZ and UNCCD in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and global efforts to address desertification, land degradation and drought.