Stories

Land is a powerful mechanism for overcoming climate change and can help achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement, preserve the environment and secure our well being. In support of the 23rd session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23) taking place in Bonn, Germany, the UNCCD is promoting land-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The #LoveLand4Climate campaign and petition are opportunities for you to join the COP23 momentum and raise public awareness on the importance of implementing sustainable land management (SLM) for climate action. A booth stationed in the exhibition hall located in the Bonn zone at the Rheinaue Park will provide information about Sustainable Land Management practices, an example of the climate actions that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on  Zero Hunger and the target Land Degradation Neutrality relating to Life on Land. Visit the UNCCD exhibition booth in the Bonn Zone from 6 to 17 November 2017 for insights on land-based approaches, to get an update of our recent publications and to learn about the #LoveLand4Climate campaign and petition.    For questions about the UNCCD exhibition booth, email: Ms. Katya Arapnakova, karapnakova@unccd.int For information on #LoveLand4Climate campaign and petition, visit: /actions/land-life/loveland4climate or email: Ms. Jenny Choo, jchoo@unccd.int  For interviews about land-based approaches, email: Wagaki Wischnewski, wwischnewski@unccd.int  You can download a schedule of UNCCD-related COP23 events. Read more: Global Land Outlook Sustainable Land Management Contribution to Successful Land-based Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation #LoveLand4Climate campaign at COP23 – Flickr album

Geneva, Switzerland – 31 October 2017 – The UN Library in Geneva partnered with the World Future Council, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Permanent Mission of Ethiopia to the United Nations, the University of Oxford’s Enacting Global Transformation Initiative, the Theatre of Transformation Academy and Green Cross International to pay tribute to the Future Policy Award 2017 by hosting an event that blended a unique theatre performance, heartfelt testimonies and a high-level roundtable dialogue. Following a warm welcome by the UN Library Director, Mr. Francesco Pisano, Councillor Dr. Rama Mani opened the roundtable. Mr. Pradeep Monga, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, set the scene by underlining the challenges of effectively addressing desertification, land degradation and drought. He stressed how useful it was for UNCCD to be a partner of the Future Policy Award 2017 highlighting impactful policies. There is an urgent need for UNCCD States Parties to adopt policies that effectively reduce the severe consequences that land degradation has for food security, water availability and livelihoods, which result in increasing migration pressure and conflicts. Ms. Alexandra Wandel, Director of the World Future Council, explained that the Council dedicated this year’s award to the “silent, under-reported crisis” of desertification. She highlighted that a common feature of all the winning policies is that they have effectively restored land on a massive scale. The impacts include substantial soil and water conservation measures, enhanced food security, provision of access to water to the poorest of the poor, the promotion of indigenous and traditional local knowledge, and the benefits for local people, in particular youth and women. Representing this year’s Future Policy Gold Awardee, Dr. Atinkut Mezgebu Wubneh, Head of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tigray, reported how thanks to political foresight and leadership, environmental conservation became a key feature of Tigray’s Regional Development Strategy. He emphasized that mass mobilization of local people and the involvement of youth were fundamental to the strategy’s operative implementation throughout Tigray region. Mr. Ousséni Diallo, President of Green Cross Burkina Faso, shared his experiences on afforestation and sustainable land management in combating desertification at local level in West Africa. He pointed out that it is vital to strengthen public policies that address this huge challenge in West African countries and that a number of key aspects of the winning policies could considerably contribute to improving the situation. A poetic interlude followed, presented by Councillor Dr. Rama Mani from the Theatre of Transformation Academy and Fellows of University of Oxford’s Enacting Global Transformation Initiative: Ms. Gargi Katikithala, Ms. Mahbubeh Kuhestani and Mr. Javier Ormeno. They offered a multi-cultural production on transforming the deserts into oasis through the art. First, students representing different continents and cultures shared emotional interpretations of ancient and original poems and texts. Dr. Rama Mani then enacted the “Vision poem” in honor of late Councillor Ibrahim Abouleish, who invested into desert land near Egypt’s capital Cairo and started to reclaim the infertile soil through biodynamic agricultural methods. His efforts led to the founding of SEKEM, which in the 40 years of its existence has transformed almost 684 hectares of arid land into vital soil. During the interactive dialogue, Ambassador Negash Kibret, co-host of the event, thanked the UNCCD and the World Future Council for awarding his country with the Future Policy Award 2017. He underlined the importance of land restoration in Ethiopia, where agriculture provides livelihoods to major part of the populations. Ms Saja Majali, Ambassador of Jordan, reiterated her country’s pride about the Future Policy Bronze Award for Jordan’s Updated Rangeland Strategy. She underlined that the strategy, developed to a partnership with IUCN, was particularly innovative, as it employs the “Hima” approach, which effectively integrates natural resources, community life, ethics and animal welfare. In addition, Ambassador Anda Filip, a representative of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and WFC Councillor expressed her organization’s gratitude to the World Future Council for cooperating on many of the past Future Policy Awards and stressed that the IPU is keen to join again as a future partner. The event concluded with informal talks accompanied with delicious traditional food and coffee offered by the Permanent Mission of Ethiopia.   

The new film "Drought resilience – instant responses and long-term solutions" produced by Patrick Augenstein highlights the importance of coordinated efforts of relevant actors with special focus on drought resilience and its implications for food security in sub-Saharan Africa, where drought is a major factor affecting populations and ecosystems.  The progress on drought preparedness has been slow, despite the devastating and lasting effects of this natural disaster. Collaboration among various sectors and different branches of governments, civil society and international organizations is key to achieving drought resilience. Enhanced early warning-systems, assessing hotspots of vulnerable populations and regions, appropriate drought risk mitigation, as well as efficient disaster relief measures are crucial to effective drought preparedness. The film, which was screened at the opening of the High-level Round table on “Drought and Sand Dust Storms: Early Warning and Beyond” during recent UNCCD COP13, is a joint product of UNCCD, the German Development Institute (DIE) and other partners, including German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Development Bank (KfW), University of Bonn and the Center for Development Research (ZEF).   

Istanbul, Türkiye – 23 – 25 October 2017 – The Fifth International Workshop on Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) attracted 74 local and 30 foreign experts and academicians from Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Somalia, Qatar, Oman, Mauritania and Senegal, as well as representatives of UNCCD, the World Meteorology Organization and the UN Environment. Heads of host institutions, General Director of Combating Desertification and Erosion M. Mustafa Gozukara and General Director of State Metrology Ismail Gunes welcomed workshop participants. In his speech, Mr. Gozukara stated that SDS often originate in the dryland areas, which cover 41 per cent of the Earth’s land surface and contain fragile ecosystems most susceptible to global climate change. Mr Gozukara also expressed strong belief that countries affected SDS have a lot to learn from each other, and that sharing information is the way to strengthen current cooperation.  The Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs Prof. Dr. Veysel Eroglu in his opening speech confirmed that following the decisions of UNCCD COP12, Türkiye aims to support the Pan-African Agency by delivering large numbers of seeds and seedlings to the region, in addition to financial aid. The goal of this initiative is to plant a seedling for every person on the planet – a total of seven billion plants – by 2023. Dr. Eroglu also addressed  relevant UN institutions, asking them to support the regions suffering from SDS in their afforestation, wind erosion control, and sand and dust storms prevention efforts.  

Bonn, 14 October 2017 – The historic Marktplatz in the center of Bonn came alive with lively crowds, festive music, fun activities and colorful balloons as the UN Day celebration unfolded. The UNCCD secretariat joined in the festivities to promote the role of sustainable land management in addressing climate change-related issues and the importance of combating land degradation and desertification to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.  UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Dr. Pradeep Monga together with Lord Mayor of Bonn Mr. Ashok Sridharan welcomed thousands of visitors to the celebration that took place under the slogan adopted by nineteen UN organizations based in the city, “Shaping a sustainable future.” In his opening speech, Dr. Monga congratulated the city of Bonn on “thinking globally, acting locally” in matters of sustainability, setting the example for others.   Dr. Monga also highlighted the role of UN Bonn in strengthening local and global partnerships to achieve a sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive future by building the capacity of stakeholders and supporting education and training, promoting volunteerism, health and human security, biodiversity conservation and disaster risk reduction. The UNCCD exhibition stand received hundreds of visitors who asked for information on secretariat’s work and shared their views on land issues. More than 90 participants took the Capacity Building Marketplace quiz, and over 200 people signed the #LoveLand4Climate petition to show their solidarity in promoting sustainable land management for climate change mitigation and adaptation. You can get a glimpse of the UN Day in Bonn by visiting Flickr.  

The UNCCD Secretariat joins the momentum towards the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP23) that takes place in Bonn this November by launching the #LoveLand4Climate campaign. We invite all stakeholders: governments, civil society organizations, non- governmental organizations, academia, private businesses and individuals to come together and take responsibility for how we manage the land – our home, our future. Read more about the campaign.