Stories

On the afternoon of 11 January 2017, the ceremony that celebrated the opening of  the UNCCD Northern Mediterranean Regional Coordination Office took place on the Forestry Campus in Istanbul, Türkiye. The campus, located north of the capital, was established in 1951 and serves the Regional Forestry Directory, Regional Directory of Natural Parks and Wildlife, Forestry Research Institute and the Permanent Secretariat of the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution. The event, hosted by the UNCCD Northern Mediterranean Regional Coordinator Mr. Erdogan Ozevren and the Regional Director of National Parks and Wildlife Mr. Osman Demirel, was attended by the UNCCD Executive Secretary Mrs. Monique Barbut, the UNCCD Chef de Cabinet Mr. Rajeb Boulharouf and the following country officials: the Undersecretary of Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs Mr.Ali Rıca Diniz, General Director for Combating Desertification Mr. Hanifi Avci, Regional Director of Forestry Mr. Galip Uzun and the Regional Director of State Water Works Mr. Sedat Özpinar. The UNCCD Northern Mediterranean Regional Coordination Office will serve the following countries: Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia and Türkiye. For more information, please contact Mr. Erdogan Ozevren, UNCCD Northern Mediterranean Regional Coordinator, eozevren@unccd.int.

Join us to celebrate the 2017 Land for Life Award Recognizing the excellence   The UNCCD Secretariat has the pleasure to invite you and your organization to nominate potential candidates for the 2017 Land for Life Award. This year, the Award will give recognition to candidates who have made an outstanding contribution to ensure stability and security of communities suffering from the impacts of land degradation and desertification due to environmental deterioration. The deadline for nomination is 28 February 2017. For more information, click here.   

Congratulations to top three winners and finalists of the Challenge! They will receive the distinction as the UNCCD Land for Life Youth Social Media Activists for a year. The winners and finalists will be given the task to spread key messages and create awareness of the UNCCD work and campaigns by reaching their peers and communities through social media networks. To find out more about the winners and the finalists, click here...  

Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Future Council in Hamburg, Germany, to establish a framework of cooperation in the fight against desertification and land degradation. This is a key element in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The World Future Council advises policy-makers on effective policy solutions for a sustainable future. Every year, the most visionary policies are honoured with the Future Policy Award, the only award that celebrates polices rather than people. This year, the World Future Council and the UNCCD Secretariat will identify and award policies that effectively combat desertification and land degradation. Monique Barbut explains, “Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilizing communities on a global scale. It is important to identify and promote laws and policies that successfully protect, monitor and regulate combating desertification. We look forward to working closely together with the World Future Council.” The winners of the 2017 Future Policy Award will be recognized in a formal ceremony with the participation of ministers, decision-makers and the media during the Thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP13), which is scheduled to take place in September 2017 in Ordos, China. Desertification and land degradation are among the greatest environmental challenges of our time and a threat to the food security, livelihoods and health of hundreds of millions of people. More than 1.5 billion people in the world depend on degrading land for their daily needs. Droughts kill more people than any other single weather-related catastrophe and can amplify tensions within and between communities. It is estimated that 135 million people are at risk of being displaced by desertification. Drylands are the most conflict-prone regions of the world. "The World Future Council looks forward to further collaboration with the Convention Secretariat in identifying and spreading best practices in combating desertification policies in the interest of future generations. It is crucial to learn from the policies that are already making an impact,’’ said Alexandra Wandel, Director of the World Future Council. More recently, world leaders committed in 2015 to Sustainable Development Goal 15, target 3 of which calls on them to: “By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.” To combat desertification and protect life in the drylands, decision-makers must enact, implement and expand policies for the conservation and sustainable management of land and water resources. The memorandum of understanding kicks off the cooperation on the Future Policy Award 2017 to combat desertification. Photo: WFC Director Alexandra Wandel (left) with Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary at UNCCD Photo: WFC Director Alexandra Wandel (left) with Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary at UNCCD.

Canada Deposits its Instrument of Ratification to Re-Join the UNCCD Statement of Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD Yesterday, the Government of Canada communicated to the Secretary-General of the United Nations its accession to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). We welcome the action Canada has taken to rejoin the Convention, which will become a full party after 90 days, on 21 March 2017. The international community is facing new and growing challenges to its peace and security, wealth and sustainable development. No country is immune. No country can face these challenges alone. Many of these challenges stem in large part from the crises poor rural people are facing in meeting their daily needs of food, water, energy and income, and made worse by climate change. Canada’s contribution will take us further and faster in ensuring that the 2.8 billion people affected by land degradation today have the means and knowledge to avoid further degradation of their land and to recover what they have lost. Canada’s scientific expertise and practical experience in combatting desertification and drought can benefit rural households to improve their food and water security, and ensure every child has a fighting chance for a better life.  Further information About the Convention List of ratification Media release by the Government of Canada (external link)English  Français

According to the National Institute for Hydrometheorological and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), 40% of the national territory presents some degree of soil degradation by erosion. Additionally, it is estimated that 24% of land in Colombia is susceptible to degradation by aridity. Within the affected areas are the Colombian main cities, irrigation districts and regions with the highest population density. “Sustainable land management is a responsibility that concerns all sectors of society, so I invite you to join efforts and create joint actions aimed at protecting this natural resource that fulfills vital functions for human survival" said the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Luis Gilberto Murillo during a national event to celebrate World Soil Day, held on December 5th. In order to address this issue, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, together with other national and regional actors, are working in the implementation of the National Policy for Sustainable Soil Management. This policy seeks to promote sustainable soil management in a context in which biodiversity, water and air protection, land and disaster risk management converge, contributing to the sustainable development and the well-being of all Colombians. This policy proposes the implementation of a plan of action and the development of six strategic lines such as institutional strengthening and harmonization of standards and policies; education, training and awareness; strengthening of environmental and sectoral planning tools; monitoring of soil quality; research, innovation and technology transfer and preservation, restoration and sustainable use of the soil. Moreover, Colombia has been advancing in the assessment of soils, through the development of soil inventories, assessment of land use conflicts and degradation by erosion and salinization, among other aspects. The promotion of sustainable soil management in the region will contribute to addressing the global challenges and the fulfillment of Colombian international commitments, including: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Commitments to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought, especially efforts to achieve the national Land Degradation Neutrality targets (currently under preparation) Eradication of hunger and malnutrition and ensuring food security for a growing population Adaptation and mitigation to climate change, especially in the light of the Paris Agreement, which contains a firm commitment to address climate change and at the same time attributes to the agriculture sector a leading role in this process The Aichi Targets, which highlight an important agenda for preserving biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services.