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UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut visited Lebanon to witness the adoption of national LDN voluntary targets and discuss with the President Michel Aoun and members of the government the importance of setting LDN targets, implementing transformative projects and involving both the private and the public sector to achieve land degradation neutrality. The adopted targets include reforesting 10 000 hectares of land, restoring 1 000 hectares of grasslands in the mountains of Lebanon and implementing sustainable agriculture practices on 80 000 hectares of farmland –measures that will increase land productivity and boost SOC stocks by 2030. The importance of water management measures in fighting land degradation and the plans of the Lebanese government to build dams in more than 15 districts of Lebanon have been also discussed. During her visit, Ms. Barbut came to the village of Anjar, where bare lands and swamps have been transformed into a green city when over a million trees have been planted to create a natural reserve. The visit also included a trip to Bekaa Valley, where desertification and land degradation are addressed by planting vineyards. Ms. Barbut also visited Aamiq Wetland – the largest remaining freshwater wetland in Lebanon, which is recognized by BirdLife International as an important site for migratory birds. It is also a Ramsar site and a UNESCO Biosphere reserve. In the photo (from left to right): Director of Rural Development and Natural Resources Department at the Ministry of Agriculture Chadi Mohanna, Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture Louis Lahoud Lahoud, UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut, President of the Lebanese Republic Michel Aoun, Minister of Agriculture Ghazi Zeaiter, Environmental Advisor to the President Claudine Aoun Roukoz and UNCCD Associate Programme Officer Sabine Sakr.  

To raise awareness on the importance and benefits of sustainable land management in combating land degradation and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), a workshop was held by the National Soil Services Centre (NSSC) in Thimphu on 26 July. Find out more by following this link.

Representatives of governments, international organizations, businesses and media from different regions, cultures and age groups attended the Dialogue on Land and Security in Caux, France from 11 – 15 July 2017. The Dialogue recognized that the restoration of degraded lands is not only a key element of environmental sustainability – it is instrumental to peace and security as well. Loss of productive lands and livelihoods exacerbated by climate change, desertification and population growth are major drivers of forced migration and conflict in fragile regions and economies. Re-establishing land’s productivity is central to promoting peace and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Dr. Pradeep Monga addressed the forum in the keynote speech, presenting the organization’s activities and programmes that focus on land, security and stability. He highlighted the UNCCD flagship 3S (Sustainability. Stability. Security) Initiative, which addresses root causes of land-related migration and conflict and works to provide alternatives to forced migration and radicalization. Recognizing social and financial opportunities and challenges of fighting land degradation, the Dialogue participants emphasized the following steps to reshaping the approach to agricultural investments: Provide incentives for farmers who invest in land restoration and reward the global services of small farmers who nourish their soils Focus action and capacity building on local communities, where knowledge of land management exists, partnerships for change can be forged and land-related conflicts can be prevented or resolved Include women and youth in all sustainable action, provide them with leadership opportunities and create land-based jobs for the most vulnerable social groups Increase drought resilience by developing early warning systems and building resilience to drought through effective policies and risk mitigation Realize enormous investment opportunities of land restoration by blending public and private financing to bring successful initiatives to scale The issues of restoration and conservation of ecosystems and resources will also become the focus of the next year’s Dialogue on Land and Security, as well as the summer academy for mid-career policy-makers, experts and development partners involved in the issues of land and security.  

The Government and the people of Eritrea are committed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030. In order to restore, sustain and enhance the productive functions of the country’s natural ecosystem resources, Government of Eritrea has massively invested in the agriculture sector. All Eritrean regions are involved in various land rehabilitation campaigns, mainly in soil and water conservation, as well as tree planting activities. Thanks to various initiatives, more than 41 million trees have been planted on 16 thousands ha of land, and more than 150 thousand energy-saving stoves have been distributed throughout the country. Moreover, farmers are introducing cultural farming and farmland levelling to enhance productivity of the land. Eritrean students have been engaged in afforestation and soil and water conservation programs for more than 20 years and many have been engaged in the 430 Green Clubs in their schools. The growing number of Green Clubs in recent years also means more trees planted around the country. Watch this video to learn about the journey of Eritrea to achieve LDN.

The importance of sustainable land management (SLM) in fighting sand and dust storms (SDS) has been recognized by the International Conference on Combating SDS that took place in Tehran on 3-5 July 2017. Ministers and other high-level officials have called for collective response to the rising environmental challenge of SDS. They have agreed that unsustainable land management is among leading factors contributing to SDS, which pose a major obstacle to the development in affected countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. Promoting SLM can minimize the risk of future storms and reduce their impact on human health, agriculture, food security, infrastructure and the environment in rural and urban areas and across a broad range of ecosystems that includes croplands, rangelands, wetlands and deserts. Creating collaborative risk reduction programmes, sharing early warning information and developing joint mitigation measures are also among key areas where countries should cooperate to effectively combat SDS. The Conference was hosted by the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, UN Environment, UN Development Programme and other UN agencies. You can find more information on the conference by following this link. Visit the UNCCD Knowledge Hub to find information on best practices in sustainable land management.

Registration for the thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) hosted by the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from 6-16 September 2017 in Ordos, is open. Media visas take 30 days to process. Therefore, online pre-registration will take place from 1 July to 25 August 2017. Once the request for online registration has been cleared, the UNCCD secretariat will validate and send a confirmation of pre-registration to COP 13 to the participants by e-mail. Detailed information about accreditation, participation or other media-related inquiries is available on the UNCCD COP13 website: /convention/conference-parties-cop/cop13-towards-new-generation L’INSCRIPTION DES MEDIAS POUR LA COP13 L’inscription pour la treizième session de la Conférence des Parties (COP13) à la Convention des Nations Unies sur la lutte contre la désertification (CNULCD) aura lieu du 6 au 16 septembre 2017, à Ordos, en République Populaire de Chine est maintenant ouvert. Le processus de visas prend au moins 30 jours. Etant donné les exigences concernant les entrées sur le territoire chinois, l'inscription en ligne pour les représentants des médias sera disponible du 1 juillet au 25 août 2017. Une fois l’inscription acceptée, celle-ci sera validée par le secrétariat par une lettre de confirmation d’inscription, envoyée par courrier électronique aux participants. Plus d'informations à propos de la participation ou d'autres requêtes liées aux médias sont disponibles sur le site du secrétariat: /convention/conference-parties-cop/cop13-towards-new-generation LA INSCRIPCIÓN DE LOS MEDIOS PARA LA COP13 La invitación para registrarse en el decimotercer período de sesiones de la Conferencia de las Partes (COP13) de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación (CNULD) organizada en Ordos por el Gobierno de la República Popular China (6-16 septiembre) ha sido abierta. Los visados de los medios de comunicación tardan 30 días en procesarse. A la luz del proceso de solicitud de visados, la pre-inscripción online tendrá lugar del 1 de julio al 25 de agosto de 2017. Una vez que se haya aprobado la solicitud de registro online, la secretaría de la CNULD validará y enviará una confirmación sobre la pre-inscripción de los participantes a la COP 13 por correo electrónico. Información más detallada acerca de la participación o de otras cuestiones relacionadas con los medios se encuentra disponible en la siguiente página web: /convention/conference-parties-cop/cop13-towards-new-generation