Stories

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

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.

8 May, 2018 – Tel Aviv, Israel – Focusing on the challenges and opportunities for developing sustainable agricultural practices in the arid and semi-arid regions, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ms. Monique Barbut addressed the participants of Agritech Israel 2018, one of the world’s leading exhibitions in the field of agricultural technologies and innovations. Agritech Israel is the forum that brings together policy makers, economists and project managers from business and industrial sectors around the world who work to promote innovative solutions in water and land management, expand food sources and advance agricultural development. Speaking of modern agriculture, Ms. Barbut compared it to the complex recipe where all the ingredients should remain of high quality and mix well together. While present-day technology has allowed a dramatic increase in productivity, it has also put an enormous pressure on land resources by demanding higher inputs of water, fertilizer and pesticides. Modern agricultural methods are in large part unsustainable, leading to widespread land degradation and loss of biodiversity, leaving people and ecosystems more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and other environmental challenges, such as drought and water scarcity.  To expect farmers to keep feeding the growing world while preserving land resources for generations to come, it is essential to equip them with tools and technologies to do things differently. By moving towards sustainable intensification with fewer but smarter inputs, empowering small-hold farmers, reducing food waste and rewarding sustainable land management practices, we can create a lasting recipe for success, Ms. Barbut concluded.  Read more: Sustainable land management Land degradation neutrality

4 May 2018 – Kyiv, Ukraine – The Coordination Council to Combat Land Degradation and Desertification met to discuss the implementation of national action plan (NAP) to combat land degradation and desertification in Ukraine, as well as the results of the land degradation neutrality (LDN) target setting process, in particular the proposed national voluntary targets.  The meeting has brought together representatives of central and regional governmental bodies, local municipalities, scientific institutions, international and civil society organizations, and experts.  The Coordination Council has outlined the recommendations on protection and sustainable use of land, as well as the proposed national voluntary LDN targets, focusing on the stabilization of soil organic matter (humus) as the main target to achieve LDN in Ukraine by 2030. Regarding supplementary LDN targets, proposals have been made on rehabilitation and sustainable use of peatlands, restoration of irrigation and the improvement of soil conditions in irrigated lands. Read more: Achieving land degradation neutrality Land degradation neutrality target-setting programme  

9-12 April, 2018 – Fortaleza, Brazil – The Global Support Programme workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has brought together 62 delegates from 26 countries to develop technical capacity for the UNCCD national reporting process.  During the opening session, representatives of the national and regional government, local institutions and the UNCCD spoke of Brazil's historical commitment to the work of the convention, as well as the role that capacity building can play in the UNCCD implementation in the country and across the region. An extensive agenda with considerable technical components motivated the participants to work closely with the UNCCD team of facilitators to gain expertise on how to effectively use the UNCCD reporting tools, including the recently revamped PRAIS3 platform and the innovative Trends.Earth tool developed by Conservation International. These instruments will enable country Parties to prepare and analyze their indicator data as part of the UNCCD reporting process and LDN monitoring, as well as future reporting under the SGD process.  The workshop included a discussion on various UNCCD-related issues of regional importance, as well as additional sessions with the representatives of UN Environment and Mirova, during which the delegates received detailed information on the operationalization of the GEF funded Umbrella Project and the LDN Fund. FAO and the Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Land Management (PISLM) have also organized side events to discuss UNCCD initiatives related to the implementation of the convention. The event has been positively evaluated by the delegates as an on-target initiative to ensure a successful UNCCD national reporting process and prepare for the seventeenth Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC), which will take place in Guyana in January 2019.