Other meetings & events

Monday 16 May | 18:00 GMT | room MET-11 | Sofitel Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 sets the goal to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems and enshrines restoration as a fundamental pathway for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing the interconnected environmental crises facing the world today: accelerating biodiversity loss, increasing global warming and advancing land degradation. The upcoming working paper “Ecological connectivity: An essential component of ecosystem restoration,” produced by UNCCD in collaboration the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the Convention on Migratory Species,  provides the scientific evidence and approaches for implementing pathways for land restoration. It articulates the interrelation between connectivity and restoration through two key messages: Connect to restore: The inclusion of ecological connectivity requirements in integrated land-use planning maximizes the benefits of restoration for the entire landscape. Increasing land-use changes drive the transformation of the landscape’s shape and function, creating disconnected patches that have lost the functionality to support wider ecological processes, and restoring connectivity is a vital ingredient of the restoration process. Restore to connect: Restoring ecological connectivity means restoring the unimpeded movement of species and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth.  Ecological networks are some of the tools that strengthen the connectivity of ecosystems and landscapes. Mapping and removing barriers between them is an important restoration opportunity that can add value to other sustainable management efforts. An example illustrating the “Restore to connect” message is linked to the Great Green Wall of Africa initiative. By creating a mosaic of green restored areas and productive landscapes in sub-Sahara, ecological connectivity will be increased at local and regional scales, improving the performance and ecological functioning of restored areas. At a continental scale, the Great Green Wall is envisioned to be an expanse of revitalized lands that overcomes the lack of ecological connectivity between West and East Africa by fostering natural processes and ecosystem functioning at the landscape and soil levels. At the intercontinental scale, the Great Green Wall has the potential to ensure that processes that occur on a broader scale, such as bird migrations along the African-Eurasian flyway, will not be disrupted. The findings of the working paper will be presented at an event organized on the margins of UNCCD COP15 by the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, WWF International, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, and the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group under the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.

At the occasion of UNCCD COP15, and for the first time in Africa, discover the movie in the cinema of the French Institute, get inspired by human stories behind the big History, and discover those who try to combat desertification at their scale, an African-led movement to inspire the world. 

The UNCCD SPI Science Day brings together a diverse and highly-engaged audience of participants, including scientists, policy-makers, practitioners, students, journalists and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and development agencies. This event is scheduled on Saturday, 14 May 2022: 8:00 – 13:00 Session 1: Land restoration Opening Reaching a desirable future What we measure we can manage better The next generation of key actors 13:00 – 16:00 Session 2: Drought IPCC AR6 - Implications for Drought Risk Measuring Progress towards Drought resilience Nature-Based Solutions for Drought Risk Reduction 16:00 –17:15 Closing session

The XV World Forestry Congress will take place from 2 to 6 May 2022 in Seoul under the theme "Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests" to further develop the outcomes of major global events scheduled before the Congress, including the Rio Conventions’ Conferences of the Parties. the IUCN World Conservation Congress and the UN Food Systems Summit. According to the Secretary-General of the XV WFC, Dr Eunsik Park: “The year 2022 is a critical year in that the international community’s concerted efforts and actions are required now more than ever to achieve a carbon-neutral world and combat the climate crisis. The Republic of Korea will keep up its efforts to help advance international cooperation in the forest sector. Organizing and hosting a successful World Forestry Congress in 2022 is an important part of the efforts. We expect that the Congress will also be an important milestone in paving the way for building back better after the pandemic.” The submission platform for papers, posters, and videos will be open from 28 April to 30 June 2021. The submission platform for side events will be open from 28 April to 30 July 2021. More info...

UNCCD’s flagship Global Land Outlook 2 (GLO2) report will be released tomorrow, Wednesday, 27 April 2022.   Five years in development, with 21 partner organizations and with over 1,000 references and 250+ case examples from around the world, it is the most comprehensive consolidation of information on the topic ever assembled.   The report offers both stark warnings and hundreds of practical ways to affect local, national and regional ecosystem restoration. It shows how restoring land means restoring life, economies, communities, climate, health and so much more.   Join us for the GLO2 virtual launch, Wednesday 27 April (12:00 GMT, 13:00 BST, 14:00 CEST, 08:00 ET) with speakers from across the globe sharing their perspective on the transformative power of restoring land, including:   Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary  Zac Goldsmith, Minister for Pacific and the Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), United Kingdom   Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.  Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates  Nicole Schwab, Co-Director of the Platform to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions and 1t.org, World Economic Forum  Sadhguru, Founder, SaveSoil Movement   Luis Figo, footballer and Zero Malaria champion   Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad    Patricia Kombo, Founder of PaTree Initiative and UNCCD Land Hero   Louise Mabulo, Founder, The Cacao Project, Forbes Under 30, Young Champion of the Earth 2019, UNEP   Join the live stream through on of our social media platforms:   Twitter   Facebook    Youtube   Help us spread the word! We invite you to use our promotional materials for the Global Land Outlook 2 – please be sure to mention @UNCCD and to use the hashtag #GlobalLandOutlook   The full GLO2 report, summary for decision makers and other materials will be available from 15:00 CEST (13:00 GMT) on our website.