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Today, half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – lives in cities. By 2050, 70 per cent of the world population is predicted to live in urban settlements. The world’s cities occupy just three per cent of the Earth’s land, but account for 60–80 per cent of energy consumption and 75 per cent of carbon emissions. 95 per cent of urban expansion in the next decades will take place in developing world. With the most rapid rates of urban expansion, Asia and Africa are projected to experience 80 per cent of the global cropland loss due to unplanned urban expansion. The population and footprints of cities everywhere are growing fast, and when problems emerge, cities are often on the frontlines. While over 90 per cent of COVID-19 cases are occurring in urban areas, the accompanying socio-economic effects of the pandemic – lockdowns, export bans and quarantines – are spreading far beyond the city limits, restricting food supply chains and purchasing power while labor and input shortages have disrupted food production, processing and distribution. While the pandemic continues to redefine the urban life around the world, local communities are also working hard to keep people safe and maintain economic activities. As the cities around the world ponder the future, they also look for inspiration to those daring communities that successfully devise and implement sustainable solutions for resilient urban living. Resilient cities have the ability to absorb, recover and prepare for future shocks – economic, environmental and social. They promote sustainable development, well-being and inclusive growth. The Local and Regional Governments Day at UNCCD COP14 highlighted the necessity for rural and urban communities to act as partners, not competitors. The sustainable management of land and water resources must become a key part of resilient and integrated land-use planning, with a clear focus on limiting the excessive consumption of natural resources – one of leading causes of land degradation. Incorporating the principles of circular economy into the urban management and nurturing the synergies between agricultural production and urban-based enterprises can bolster vibrant local economies and local food production chains. Generating employment and livelihood opportunities in rural and urban areas is also critical, and there is incredible potential for introducing technological innovation to local resource management as a way to secure rural livelihoods and create green jobs, support community resilience and maintain the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services. The UNCCD together with its parties is supporting the urban and rural commutes ready to work together and take action on land. Read more: Daring Cities 2020: statement by UNCCD Executive Secretary UN-Habitat webinar series on urban-rural linkages Resilient cities on UNCCD Knowledge Hub
The UNCCD Executive Secretary Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw held a virtual meeting with the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Nicaragua Ms. Sumaya Castillo, the Executive Secretary of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) Mr. Salvador Nieto, and the special envoy for LAC, Mr. Edgar Gutierrez, to discuss a future cooperation cooperation agreement and review land restoration activities in the region. Both parties expressed strong interest in the upcoming agreement to establish a formal cooperation mechanism and map out specific activities. Mr. Nieto then presented a land restoration project developed by CCAD countries – Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic – with financing from the Green Climate Fund in the Central American Dry Corridor, a strip of dryland that extends throughout the continent. The UNCCD focal point for Nicaragua Mr. Rene Castellon described activities financed through the LDN Fund to restore 2 000 ha of degraded land. The area designated for regreening and soil recovery is located near the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, which contains the last of Nicaragua's natural rain forest inhabited by indigenous peoples. Minister Castillo reflected that the project will rely on the active participation of the local population while respecting their rights and interests. At the closing of the meeting participants remarked that regular dialog must support the detailed understanding of actions undertaken by countries to implement the convention and helps identify the support that the UNCCD secretariat can provide.
UNCCD and the International institute of applied systems analysis (IIASA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 30 September 2020 to promote the application of integrated system analyses in support of science, technology and UNCCD implementation.
The UNCCD secretariat met the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 29 September to advance the partnership on Land-Solar Plus model from technological assistance to regional pilot projects, following the recent event “Land-Solar Plus: Combining Solar-powered Land Degradation Neutrality and Food, Water, Energy Security and Ecosystem Services." Both sides acknowledged the great potential to integrate the Land-Solar Plus model in poverty alleviation, sustainable livelihood and value chain development, as well as an ecological stewardship model to engage both land and energy stakeholders. Next, the focal points from UNCCD Science, Technology and Innovation team and Energy Division of ADB together with specialists on land and renewable energy from Tsinghua University will map key steps for cooperation in knowledge sharing and technical assistance, including an innovation competition.
The UNCCD secretariat and the Indian Center for Environment Education (CEE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance innovation in the field of environmental education with focus on desertification, land degradation and drought.
The text of the declaration has been shaped through extensive negotiations. Every participating group, UN organization, programme, CSO and other stakeholders wanted their concerns reflected in this milestone document while ensuring that it remains concise and focused. UNCCD NYLO worked with the Group of Friends on DLDD to ensure that desertification and drought are highlighted among the environmental threats and climate-related challenges that require immediate action for the protection of our planet. The declaration acknowledges the urgent need to take transformative measures for safeguarding biodiversity and addressing climate change to build back better and greener. It is also a political blueprint that expresses collective belief in multilateralism at a time of the global pandemic crisis. The declaration can be accessed through the following link: http://bit.ly/UN75declaration