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Excellency, President of UNCCD COP14, H. E. Patrick Achi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Excellencies Ministers, High Level Officials Representatives of International Organisations, Representatives of Civil Society, Ladies and gentlemen, First, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to H.E. Patrick Achi, Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, for honouring us with your presence today. Mr Prime Minister, may I kindly ask you to convey our deep gratitude to the people of Côte d’Ivoire, to President Alassane Ouattara and to the entire Government, for offering us such a warm welcome in this beautiful country. Ministers, Ladies and gentlemen, Every COP is important. Each has its characteristics. To my mind, this one is, however, particularly special. We are still reeling from the consequences of major disruptions that affect our food, energy, industry and economy. From the pandemic to major conflicts. From the climate crisis to nature and land loss. Never before in history, has humanity faced so many complex challenges. Never before, have so many humans depended on so little arable land. Never before, have our land and soils been so damaged. And – fortunately - never before, has a generation been in a such a powerful position to change the course of history for the better. To deploy so much science, knowledge and financial resources in making and implementing the right decisions. The findings of the Global Land Outlook published just over a week ago cannot be clearer: we can either shrink or grow our economy by half. If we continue with current production and consumption patterns, we will also continue to damage the global economy. Already, every second person on the planet is affected by land loss. Which is why, I think this is the most important COP in the history of the UNCCD. In terms of both the complexity and the urgency of the issues we need to address.   Indeed, there are less than 8 years and 3 or 4 COPs left to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. But 20 million people in the Horn of Africa suffering from the most severe drought in over 40 years can’t wait that long. 700 million people would have no choice but to flee, as their productive land degrades. With women and girls still carrying most of the burden and few of the benefits. Let me be clear: this isn’t just the poor peoples’ problem. If global food prices are hurting from the war in Ukraine, how will they react to the US losing 40% of its maize crops to pests? If global health systems and businesses are hurting from the cost of the pandemic, how will they react to paying $2 trillion a year for more zoonotic diseases? And if the global economy is already faltering from pandemic and war, how will it react to output being halved because we mismanaged the natural capital supporting everything we eat and drink; the same land that produces the clothes we wear, and the air we breathe. Excellencies, While the diagnosis is frightening, procrastination and inaction scare me a lot more. The longer we wait, the more complex these issues will be, the more difficult and costly our actions will be, and the more terrifying the consequences will be too. That’s why one of the scenarios in the Global Outlook shows how we can increase global GDP up to 50% by 2050 if we take action now to restore and conserve 35% of our global land. It offers practical and pragmatic solutions to achieve this. For example, over the next 10 years, investing just a fifth of the finances currently spent on harmful subsidies could restore land the size of China - increasing the productivity of our soils and the quality of our food. In other words, investing tax-payers money to protect their assets, not to destroy their lives. Indeed, if we leverage the natural synergies between the Rio Conventions for land, biodiversity and climate change, we can not only reverse destructive trends, but also: accelerate progress across every single Sustainable Development Goal. and multiply opportunities for a sustainable post-pandemic recovery. Excellencies, This COP offers us a unique opportunity to share our combined experiences and renew our collective commitments to protect our planet. To protect ourselves. This High-Level Segment will facilitate open and honest discussions about land regeneration and stewardship, the futures of our young people and our consumption habits, and the path to both drought resilience and economic recovery. But I also need your support to ramp up the speed and ambition of all COP negotiations. The Abidjan COP is a generational opportunity to tackle desertification, degradation and drought. To deliver spill over benefits for biodiversity, security, equality and the economy before climate change tips them beyond our reach. To save lives. Millions of them. Now. And that, ladies and gentlemen is a chance we may never get back. Which is why, I say again, this is the most important COP in the history of the UNCCD. Thank you.

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 9 May 2022 -- Heads of State and Government meeting at the United Nations’ global conference on land have called on the international community to take urgent action to stem the loss of life and livelihoods that communities all over the world are experiencing due to the increasing and devastating impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought. Speaking at the Heads of State Summit convened ahead of the opening of the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d’Ivoire, declared: “Our Summit must be one of hope, of the collective mobilization of States and development partners, in favour of land and forest restoration initiatives of our countries. We must use all the resources of our Conventions to meet the ever-increasing food needs and cope with the ever-increasing water stress of an ever-growing world population.” Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “As we approach the halfway point of the Sustainable Development Goals, they remain our best hope to build a sustainable and inclusive future. The ground beneath our feet is the perfect foundation on which to build that future.” Abdulla Shahid, President of the United Nations General Assembly, said: “Productive land is critical to global food security and healthy ecosystems, as well as to the maintenance of stable livelihoods. It is a precondition for the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; for progress on the Rio Conventions on biodiversity and climate change; and for tackling pollution on land and at sea.” Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, said: “Now is the time for action. There is no future for our children or the planet if we continue with ‘business as usual’ when it comes to managing our land. COP15 is our moment in history, as the international community, to put people and the planet on a new course; on the path to life, to COVID-19 recovery and to prosperity. The decisions countries take at COP15 must be transformational, not incremental, to achieve land restoration and drought resilience the world longs for.” The Summit concluded with the adoption of Abidjan Call, which urges giving the highest priority to the issue of drought and reinforces the commitment towards achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030. The leaders’ call to action comes in response to a stark warning by the UNCCD that up to 40% of all ice-free land is already degraded, with dire consequences for climate, biodiversity and livelihoods. Business as usual will, by 2050, result in degradation of 16 million square kilometers (almost the size of South America), with 69 gigatonnes of carbon emitted into the atmosphere. But land restoration would help reduce the estimated 700 million people at risk of being displaced by drought by 2030. During the Summit, President Ouattara also announced the ambitious Abidjan Legacy Programme to boost long-term environmental sustainability across major value chains in Côte d’Ivoire while protecting and restoring forests and lands and improving communities’ resilience to climate change, which will require mobilization of US$1.5 billion over the next five years. Initial pledges made during the Summit towards this goal include those by the African Development Bank, the European Union, the Green Growth Initiative, and the World Bank Group. At the top of the COP15 agenda are the restoration of one billion hectares of degraded land between now and 2030 and future-proofing people, their homes and lands against the impacts of disaster risks linked to climate change, such as droughts, and sand and dust storms. COP15 is also expected to agree on policy actions to provide an enabling environment for land restoration through stronger tenure rights, gender equality, land use planning and youth engagement to draw private sector investment to conservation, farming, and land uses and practices to improve the health of the land. During the Gender Caucus convened alongside the Heads of State Summit, the First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire Dominique Ouattara and the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed launched a new study on the differentiated impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought on men and women. The study shines the spotlight on the disproportionate impacts women and girls are facing when land is degraded and how, if given the agency, they can be at the forefront of global land restoration efforts. Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire, said: “Women are the backbone of the rural economy, especially in developing countries. They represent almost half of the world's farmers. We must at all costs win together in our quest to empower women farmers through various measures including land tenure security and access to rural finance.” Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, added: "Women and girls are central to building a land restoration economy. But they continue to be marginalized, and to pay the heaviest price when it comes to land loss, climate change, COVID and conflict." Over 2000 participants, including a dozen Heads of State and Government, some 50 ministers and high-level delegates are expected at UNCCD COP15, which is taking place from 9-20 May in Abidjan. UNCCD COP15 is convening under the theme, ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity', a call to action to ensure land, which is the lifeline on this planet, will also benefit present and future generations. UNCCD COP15 is the first of the three Rio Conventions meetings to be held in 2022, with Biodiversity COP15 and Climate change COP27 convening later on in Kunming, China and Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, respectively. The High-Level Segment continues on 10 May. The UNCCD COP15 formally opens on 11 May and is expected to adopt a set of decisions on these issues by the time it closes on 20 May. For more information contact: Xenya Scanlon, Chief of Communications, xscanlon@unccd.int Wagaki Wischnewski, Head of Press and Media, wwischnewski@unccd.int About The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner. 

We, representatives of States, and institutions, civil society, forming a group of political, business and civil society leaders, committed to promoting gender equality as a means of accelerating land restoration, gather in Abidjan at the Gender Caucus of the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 2022, Recognize that land provides a source of food, feed, fiber, shelter, income, and social identity, and reduces vulnerability to food and water insecurity, hunger, and poverty, particularly in rural areas, Acknowledge that land remains amongst the most fundamental asset for most of the women and men living in developing countries, essential to their life, livelihoods, and resilience, Recognize that securing women’s access to land and control over land, and access to finance for land-based economic activities are central components of women’s economic empowerment and women’s rights, generating opportunities for economic prosperity and autonomy, Acknowledge that the lack of secure land tenure contributes to land and forest degradation, and exacerbates poverty, social instability and conflict over land and natural resources, Recognize that equitable land governance and land tenure security are fundamental components to enable land degradation neutrality and land restoration efforts, We will strengthen our shared efforts to: Promote all necessary measures to identify and eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in the context of fighting against desertification/land degradation, and drought (DLDD), in relation to land tenure security and access to, ownership of, and control over land and natural resources, and other forms of property and inheritance, with particular attention on the rights of older women, widows, women with disabilities and young women. Foster measures to ensure the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation of women at all levels in land and natural resource governance at the regional, national and landscape levels through the inclusive national-level coordination and promotion of women’s leadership in planning and implementation activities. Strengthen and enforce legal frameworks for women’s access to land and control over land, including common lands, and equal land rights both under customary and statutory law, and continue efforts on advocacy for women’s land rights. Facilitate access to technology, services, and resources for women and groups in vulnerable situations for their effective participation in land restoration efforts, including through gender-transformative land use planning and management that addresses the root causes of gender inequality. Actively work to close the gender gap to move towards evidence-based interventions and responses, collecting, analyzing and disseminating data disaggregated by sex, age, disability, race/ethnicity, class, livelihood source and migrant status and other relevant factors to support the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of land-related interventions and policies. Appeal to development agencies, multilateral development banks, national banks and other financial institutions and mechanisms to lift structural barriers and increase funding that specifically target women’s rights organizations and movements, women entrepreneurs, women cooperatives and enterprises led by women and indigenous groups, and civil society organizations that design and implement programmes contributing to DLDD initiatives.  Commit to working towards the inclusion of gender equality criteria in the development – and granting – of finance for sustainable land management, land restoration and drought preparedness and resilience at the regional, national, subnational and local levels. Call upon the COP of the UNCCD to incorporate these commitments into their deliberations around the gendered aspects of DLDD, and into their policy decisions accordingly. Parties and other stakeholders who wish to join the Declaration may send an email at the following address external-relations@unccd.int

Access UNCCD COP15 webcast via this link: https://unccd-cop15.org/room_detail?cop-room=6

Excellencies, The Great Green Wall is an historic opportunity. An opportunity for the Sahel - and for each of the GGW states - to deliver something truly remarkable. A renaissance for land and the natural world.  And - just as important - true resilience and a renaissance for communities on the frontline of climate change and poverty. The GGW is an inspiration and a beacon of hope for humanity worldwide. At a time when people need inspiration and hope.  For that Excellencies, you are to be congratulated. However, projects of this ambition and magnitude do not materialize on inspiration and hope alone. They need financial support.  Good governance.  And coordinated action. The pledges made at the One Planet Summit in January 2021 totaled USD19 billion for the period until 2025.  So, while progress is there, we cannot congratulate ourselves. Hope is not yet turning into action at the scale or pace you aspire to.  Because collectively, we are struggling to turn those pledges into projects and investments.  Understandably, this is leading to frustrations. There are, indeed, lots of bottlenecks. To my mind though, two critical bottlenecks have emerged. Coordination at national level. The complexity of accessing financing – the donor system. Firstly, I am convinced genuine national ownership – led by you, your Excellencies - and a national coalition for action would make progress happen faster.  In each country, the GGW is a massive undertaking.  With the best will in the world, neither the national Agency of the GGW, as currently set up, nor a single line ministry can make all the necessary wheels turn.  At national level, a more joined-up “all of government” response is needed.  The Ministry of Planning and Development or Treasury have an important role to play.  Along with the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, Infrastructure or Energy as technical focal points. Concerned local authorities, the private sector, civil society and research should be fully engaged.  But government – at all levels – can take steps to assume its responsibilities more effectively.  In the case of Senegal, we noted the creation of Presidential Council, led by his Excellency President Macky Sall, that is guiding and accelerating this work in Senegal.  Each country will need to establish their own institutional framework. We would however suggest you consider setting up a political oversight, close to you.   Secondly though, we would all acknowledge that the current system for accessing the pledged financing is complex and cumbersome at best. International partners are better coordinated than ever around a common results framework.  But to access the financing, currently, your officials must navigate the different processes and timelines of the ten international partners who have committed to support you.  Accessing much of the funds will take a great deal of upfront investment of staff resources and a considerable time.  With your bold and ambitious timeline, this business-as-usual approach will not work. As Heads of State and Government, you might consider requesting the simplification and streamlining of the way financing is channeled to you – potentially through a common window, joint assessment or more co-funding of projects. You may want to task your Ministries in charge of Planning or Economy to lead the Programmatic Coordination with donors. We may need to follow adequate, perhaps specific procedures. It is certainly recommended that each Government set up a robust programmatic team to unlock the financing.      Excellencies, a Sahelian renaissance awaits.  With the restoration of land and nature and the right investments for a resilient and vibrant future, we can capitalize on the inspiration and hope and the unique opportunity that the GGW offers.  Thank you.

In Pursuit of Gender Equality for Strong Land Stewardship S.E. Mme Dominique Ouattara, Première Dame de Côte d’Ivoire; merci de votre leadership et votre intérêt manifeste à ce Caucus Genre. S.E Dr Mariam Mint Mohamed Vadel Ould Dah, Première Dame de Mauritanie. Merci madame, d’être venue, particulièrement, pour cet événement,   S.E Mr Abdulla Shahid, President de l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies. Merci aussi, monsieur le Président, d’avoir tenu à participer à cet événement.      S.E. Mme Amina Mohamed, Vice-Secrétaire Générale des Nations-Unies. Merci madame, pour votre vision et votre courage.               Je salue également tous mes collègues ici présents: Chefs d’Agence des Nations-Unies et représentants d’Organisations Internationales. Distingués invités, Mesdames et messieurs, J’éprouve un immense plaisir à vous souhaiter la cordiale bienvenue à cet événement de haut-niveau sur le genre, organisé au premier jour de la Conférence des Parties de la Convention des Nations Unies sur la Lutte contre la Désertification (UNCCD). Je savoure d’autant plus ce plaisir que nous sommes de nouveau en mesure de nous retrouver dans cette salle, après une longue et difficile période de restrictions sanitaires. Permettez-moi avant tout, d’exprimer toute ma gratitude à nos généreux hôtes à savoir le peuple et le Gouvernement de Côte d’Ivoire. Nos remerciements s’adressent en particulier à vous, madame la Première Dame, Dominique Ouattara. L’enthousiasme avec lequel vous présidez à cet événement et votre soutien sans faille, sont notés avec une grande satisfaction. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The negotiations on land degradation and drought at this COP are the most important in the UNCCD’s history and they can only succeed if they are built on balanced foundations, which must include gender equality. The conclusions of the study we’re presenting today are sobering. The study demonstrates that women and girls are particularly vulnerable to impacts of land degradation and droughts.    For example, when drought hits a region, food and water become naturally scarce. This affects the way food is distributed within a family. Women, the study found, tend to eat smaller portions or skip meals. They give priority to members of their family, starting with young children.  In least developed countries, agriculture is the main livelihood for nearly 80% of employed women. Yet, more often than not, they do not own the land – only 23% in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and just 4% in the Middle East and North Africa. Think about it: if we bring 100 people from that region with land titles to this room, only 4 of them will be women. And limited rights mean limited access to loans, credits, services and training, stacking the odds against the very people working the land and perpetuating poverty. Nothing stable can be built  with half the foundation missing, so there will be no sustainable development if half of humanity and half of our producers are left on the sidelines. This vicious cycle of poverty must be turned into a virtuous one of prosperity by unleashing the transformative power of women and girls to heal land and soil. They are achieving many of the land restoration successes, often with little support or recognition. In West Africa for example, women are involved in major land restoration initiatives such as the Great Green Wall.   In the Middle East and North Africa, they undertake land conservation and restoration initiatives that bring food security. Where water is scarce, they find innovative or traditional solutions like as fog harvesting, which we have seen in Morocco. Examples are plentiful from around the world where women and girl exercise their leadership on land restoration. Unnoticed and unpaid. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues, Now is the time for action with inclusion and solidarity. To halt climate change and reverse biodiversity loss and land degradation we cannot ignore half of the population. This is a decisive decade, where we need to: ·      Change our mindsets ·      Invest heavily in education, training and access to sustainable technologies for millions of women and girls ·      Facilitate the inclusion of women into the financial system ·      Dismantle all barriers and eliminate laws and practices that prevent women and girls from accessing and using land Our UNCCD Convention is about the people and the planet. Healthy land for healthy people and healthy economies. All people. Not just half of them. With that in mind, I invite you to join « The Abidjan Declaration on Achieving Gender Equality for Successful Land Restoration". I also invite you to commit and act to improve the lives and dignity of women and girls facing the formidable daily challenges of drought, land degradation and desertification. Thank you.