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Konya/Mesin, Türkiye – The 14th International training on combating desertification took place between 9-14 May, 2018, bringing together 26 experts from 15 African countries. The course is organized by Türkiye’s General Directorate of Combating Desertification and covers technical issues, such as causes of desertification and land degradation, production of seed and seedlings, forestation, erosion control and participatory approach to increase the level of regional collaboration in sharing technical experience among the countries. The training is one of the actions under the Ankara Initiative, launched at the UNCCD COP12 to strengthen the implementations of UNCCD between 2016 and 2019. The Initiative supports the global sustainable development agenda and leverages lessons learned from Türkiye’s experience in sustainable land management (SLM). As a predominantly arid and semi-arid country, Türkiye has a wealth of experience in land management in areas vulnerable to drought. The country has made substantial investments in rehabilitating a wide variety of terrestrial ecosystems, with national activities often planned at the watershed scale. The success of these efforts can be attributed to an integrated, participatory approach that strengthens the engagement and build the capacity of local people. Land governance has evolved to create the necessary conditions and legal environment for the widespread implementation of SLM practices. Türkiye has also established itself as a leader in capacity building by investing in training and skill development of civil society and local authorities, sharing its expertise with land specialists from Africa, Central Asia and the Eastern Europe.  Read more: Land and drought Sustainable land management  

The global economy will lose a whopping USD23 trillion by 2050 through land degradation, a review by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) warns. To take urgent action now and halt these alarming trends would cost USD4.6 trillion – only a fraction of the predicted losses. The outcomes of the review have been assembled into comprehensive and easy-to-use Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Country Profiles, of which 21 are already available online. The LDN Country Profiles reveal that average losses for these 21 countries are equivalent to 9 percent of GDP. This figure is even higher for some of the planet’s worst affected countries, such as the Central African Republic, where the total losses are estimated at a staggering 40 percent. Asia and Africa bear the highest costs, estimated at USD84 billion and 65 billion per year respectively. “Healthy land is the primary asset that supports livelihoods around the globe – from food to jobs and decent incomes. Today, we face a crisis of unseen proportions: 1.5 billion people – mainly in the world’s most impoverished countries – are trapped on degrading agricultural land. This reality is fuelling extreme poverty, particularly in areas such as the Sahel and South Asia, where extreme and erratic weather events are on the rise due to the impacts of climate change,” says Juan Carlos Mendoza, Managing Director of the UNCCD Global Mechanism. The LDN Country Profiles aim to help guide policy decisions on land use management. The profiles are based largely on the analytical work undertaken by the Center for Development Research of the University of Bonn, the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative and the International Food Policy Research Institute. Globally, 169 countries are affected by land degradation and/or drought. Of these, 116 countries are committed to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) under the UNCCD LDN Target-Setting Programme that supports countries in reaching target 15.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Target 15.3, on Land Degradation Neutrality, encourages countries to halt land degradation in order to ensure the quantity of productive land remains stable. The target is now also recognized as vital for accelerating other SDGs, such as: Goal 1 (No poverty), Goal 2 (Zero hunger), Goal 5 (Promote gender equality), Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), and Goal 13 (Climate action). The 21 countries whose profiles have been released today are also engaged in the LDN target setting process, formulating targets and associated measures to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation. For example, the Central African Republic, has committed to restore more than 1 million hectares of degraded land – equal to 15 percent of its territory – which will limit its potential losses and economic burden nationwide. “The LDN Country Profiles provide policy-makers with easily accessible and scientifically sound information that can help estimate the value of their investments in land restoration and make informed choices on the economic returns they can expect from taking assertive action now. Moreover, the profiles illustrate the equivalent monetary value of land degradation and its impact on the international community, while providing strong incentives for cooperation among countries,” Mendoza adds. A broader picture of the economic costs of failing to act decisively and restore available land resources will emerge as additional country profiles are released. Read more: Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Country Profiles Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality Press release: Poor land use costs countries 9 percent equivalent of their GDP

Generally, the #gender equation is still largely viewed as, gender equals #women (Gender = Women). Often, the equation is more precisely defined as “Gender = Women’s Vulnerabilities.” But this is only a small part of the equation. As I demonstrate below through recent field work in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nepal, South Sudan and Uganda over the last six months, we have to address a missing parts of this equation to get to the bottom of #genderequality.

Is climate change the force behind the mass migrations into Europe? Is the rising radicalization and extremist behavior emerging in places like Pakistan and the Sahel region in sub-Saharan Africa linked to drought or climate change in any way? These are legitimate questions. And, although we lack sufficient evidence now that is supported by robust data to make very firm claims, history offers some lessons, which suggest that we should prepare for the worst now, and hope that the future reality will prove us wrong

The Capacity Building Marketplace (CBM) presented the UNCCD Secretariat's exposition at the recently concluded Subsidiary Bodies Session 48 (SB48) of the United Nations Climate Change (UNCC) held at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany, from 30th of April to the 4th of May. The CBM team shared with visitors to our stand information on the importance of achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) as part of efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change worldwide; and on the great opportunities and possibilities offered on the CBM, specifically concerning addressing climate change. The team consisted of Dimitrios Karatassios (Greece), Philip Kendekka Sinyan (The Gambia), Raluca Ionita (Romania) and Daniel Gonzalez Carmena (Spain). The exposition depicted inter alia: The link between the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 15.3 (Land Degradation Neutrality) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations; The undeniable connection between land-related issues which the UNCCD tries to tackle and matters of climate change; The platform of the Marketplace and its main on-going exercises, showing that it is a tool that can be used by anybody interested in matters of land and sustainable land management. Visitors were able to obtain various publications, both physically and digitally. The team made sure the stand was very interactive through inter alia assisting visitors with navigating the official UNCCD website and showing several videos about concrete initiatives and actions taken by the Convention. Many attendees of the Conference expressed their interest in the topics and promotional materials, and their disposition to collaborate with the Convention as a whole and more specifically the CBM through the establishment of partnerships for action.

9 May 2018 - Bonn, Germany – The global economy will lose a whopping USD23 trillion by 2050 through land degradation, a review by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) warns. To take urgent action now and halt these alarming trends would cost USD4.6 trillion – only a fraction of the predicted losses. The outcomes of the review have been assembled into comprehensive and easy-to-use Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Country Profiles, of which 21 are already available online. The LDN Country Profiles reveal that average losses for these 21 countries are equivalent to 9 percent of GDP. This figure is even higher for some of the planet’s worst affected countries, such as the Central African Republic, where the total losses are estimated at a staggering 40 percent. Asia and Africa bear the highest costs, estimated at USD84 billion and 65 billion per year respectively. “Healthy land is the primary asset that supports livelihoods around the globe – from food to jobs and decent incomes. Today, we face a crisis of unseen proportions: 1.5 billion people – mainly in the world’s most impoverished countries – are trapped on degrading agricultural land. This reality is fuelling extreme poverty, particularly in areas such as the Sahel and South Asia, where extreme and erratic weather events are on the rise due to the impacts of climate change,” says Juan Carlos Mendoza, Managing Director of the UNCCD Global Mechanism. The LDN Country Profiles aim to help guide policy decisions on land use management. The profiles are based largely on the analytical work undertaken by the Center for Development Research of the University of Bonn, the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative and the International Food Policy Research Institute. Globally, 169 countries are affected by land degradation and/or drought. Of these, 116 countries are committed to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) under the UNCCD LDN Target-Setting Programme that supports countries in reaching target 15.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Target 15.3, on Land Degradation Neutrality, encourages countries to halt land degradation in order to ensure the quantity of productive land remains stable. The target is now also recognized as vital for accelerating other SDGs, such as: Goal 1 (No poverty), Goal 2 (Zero hunger), Goal 5 (Promote gender equality), Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), and Goal 13 (Climate action). The 21 countries whose profiles have been released today are also engaged in the LDN target setting process, formulating targets and associated measures to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation. For example, the Central African Republic, has committed to restore more than 1 million hectares of degraded land – equal to 15 percent of its territory – which will limit its potential losses and economic burden nationwide. “The LDN Country Profiles provide policy-makers with easily accessible and scientifically sound information that can help estimate the value of their investments in land restoration and make informed choices on the economic returns they can expect from taking assertive action now. Moreover, the profiles illustrate the equivalent monetary value of land degradation and its impact on the international community, while providing strong incentives for cooperation among countries,” Mendoza adds. A broader picture of the economic costs of failing to act decisively and restore available land resources will emerge as additional country profiles are released. ------- About the UNCCD The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is an international agreement on good land stewardship. It helps people, communities and countries create wealth, grow economies and secure enough food, clean water and energy by ensuring land users an enabling environment for sustainable land management. Through partnerships, the Convention’s 197 parties set up robust systems to manage drought promptly and effectively. Good land stewardship based on sound policy and science helps integrate and accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, builds resilience to climate change and prevents biodiversity loss. For more information on the study review, contact: Pablo Munoz, pmunoz@unccd.int