Stories

Next year, Ecuador will host the global observance of World Day to Combat Desertification. The announcement was made by the GRULAC representative at the closing session of COP13. The country has been actively observing WDCD, promoting programs that involve young people in land restoration and reforestation. In 2017, the Ministry of Environmental Affairs of Ecuador, together with representatives of local government authorities, beneficiary organizations and the general public, gathered in the Paltas canton on 17 June to commemorate WDCD. During the event, collaborators have signed agreements for the implementation of the investment project "Integrated Management for Combating Desertification, Land Degradation and Adaptation to Climate Change’’(GIDDACC) to apply sustainable land management measures for climate change adaptation, focusing on gender equity and interculturality. Afterwards, authorities and beneficiaries of the project went on a field trip to observe the adaptation measures and to witness the improvements in agriculture, livestock production and general quality of life. In addition to the event held in Paltas, several meetings took place at universities in various provinces that can be engaged under the GIDDACC Project. Also, the Pasochoa Wildlife Refuge has organized an event “I Plant my Future: Responsible Reforestation to Fight Desertification” on June 17. The event informed young people on reforestation practices and engaged them with nature, building environmental awareness (See programme). Further reading: World Day to Combat Desertification WDCD 2017 events around the world

15 September 2017 – Ordos, China – By the end of the 13th meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, 113 countries had agreed to specify concrete targets with clear indicators, to rehabilitate more land and reverse degradation, which currently affects over a third of the world’s land resources.   At UNCCD COP13, countries also agreed on a new global roadmap to address land degradation. The new UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework is the most comprehensive global commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in order to restore the productivity of vast swathes of degraded land, improve the livelihoods of more than 1.3 billion people, and to reduce the impacts of drought on vulnerable populations.   “Some battles took place, but you took bold measures for our Convention. We have a new strategic framework and a new reporting cycle. We have a Drought Initiative. We have taken fundamental decisions on gender, capacity-building, migration and sand and dust storms.” said Ms Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary.    The Conference also witnessed the birth of the first global private sector fund dedicated to implementing the SDGs. Known as the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund, it will be a source of transformative capital bringing together public and private investors to fund projects to restore degraded lands, which come with environment, economic and social benefits.    With an initial target size of USD 300 million fund capital, the LDN Fund is co-promoted by Mirova, an affiliate of Natixis Global Asset Management that is dedicated to socially responsible investment, and the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD.  A separately-operated Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) will advise the Fund on the development of promising sustainable land use activities in order to build a strong portfolio of projects.    The Global Land Outlook, a new landmark publication unveiled at the Conference spotlighted the urgency for swift action. It reported that 20 percent of the world’s land has become degraded in just the last two decades.   “This is the most comprehensive study of its type, mapping the interlinked impacts of land on a range of thematic areas including urbanisation, climate change, erosion and forest loss,” Ms. Barbut said of the publication at its launch.   To reaffirm the progress made at the summit, more than 80 Ministers from around the world issued the Ordos Declaration urging countries to step up efforts on all fronts to tackle desertification – one of the planet’s most pressing global challenges.   “The Ordos Declaration reaffirms the contribution of ecological services to food security and peace and security…. It also recognizes the importance of addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and addressing food security,” said Zhang Jianlong, Minister of State Forestry Administration, China, when he closed the Conference.   He said the Convention will pay attention to regional hotspots and intensify cooperation, and underlined the Belt and Road Cooperation Mechanism that will support capacity building along the Silk Road in the region.   The Conference also took action to address three new and emerging issues linked to increasing land degradation – drought, sand and dust storms and  migration.    Sand and dust storms threaten the health of millions of people across the globe, and is a major concern in China where the Conference took place.    “Equally, drought mitigation,” Ms Barbut asserted, “would for the first time be an area of focus under the New Strategy.”   “National drought policies with effective early warning systems would be crucial in promoting vulnerability assessment and risk mitigation measures, particularly in light of the devastating droughts witnessed in Africa this year that have left more than 20 million people on the verge of starvation,”  she added.    The Conference took place from 6-16 September in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China.  About UNCCD The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the only legally binding international agreement on land issues. The Convention promotes good land stewardship. Its 196 Parties aim, through partnerships, to implement the Convention and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The end goal is to protect our land, from over-use and drought, so it can continue to provide us all with food, water and energy. By sustainably managing land and striving to achieve land degradation neutrality, now and in the future, we will reduce the impact of climate change, avoid conflict over natural resources and help communities to thrive.

12 September 2017 – Ordos, China – The Land Degradation Neutrality Fund (LDN Fund) was launched on 12 September 2017 at the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ordos, China. With an initial target size of US$300 million, the LDN Fund is a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle leveraging public money to raise private capital for sustainable land management and landscape restoration activities worldwide that contribute to the achievement of land degradation neutrality,  one of the global targets under Sustainable Development Goal no. 15 ‘Life on Land’.  Opening the launch event, Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary highlighted: ‘The LDN Fund is a very innovative instrument that we developed over the past three years through the Global Mechanism in close collaboration with Mirova and numerous partners from the public sector, the private sector, and civil society. We are proud to see it enter into the operational phase as it will significantly increase finance for transformative projects addressing land degradation.’ Philippe Zaouati, Chief Executive Officer of Mirova, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers dedicated to responsible investing, said: ‘Rehabilitating degraded land, protecting vital ecosystems and empowering sustainable business around the world is what the LDN Fund is all about, and we believe this can be achieved along with competitive market-level returns. To do so, it takes a strategic vision supported by specialist capabilities. Combining on-the-ground experience and extensive investment resources, Mirova values innovative solutions for financing sustainable development, and will demonstrate the commitment required for the natural capital investing market to develop and grow.’ A separate Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) is being set up to support project operators in the development of quality projects, in line with the Scientific Conceptual Framework for LDN, which was also presented at COP13, for consideration by the Fund. The LDN Fund and its TAF are backed by a large network of partners, including the European Investment Bank (EIB), the government of Luxembourg, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Credit Agricole du Maroc, the Canadian pension fund FondAction, WWF and IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative, all present at the event.  Christopher Knowles, Head of Climate Change and Environment Division at EIB, commented: ‘Reflecting EIB’s commitment to supporting climate related investment I am pleased that we were able to support such a sound and sustainable investment fund initiative. The LDN Fund is designed as a vehicle to complement innovative financing instruments with a range of technical assistance tools to provide rounded solutions for commercially promising sustainable land management projects, in ways that are greatly beneficial to local communities. In EIB’s vast portfolio, these type of projects are like the jewels of the crown’. Roland Reiland, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of China, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, added: ‘Luxembourg has supported the LDN Fund since the early days. Through a public-private partnership, the LDN Fund is expected to unlock new channels and higher levels of impactful financing for the fight against desertification and land degradation, thereby contributing to sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. Luxembourg’s decision to invest 5 million Euro in the LDN Fund is part of our commitment to international climate finance and comes on top of our ODA.’ More photos from the launch event (courtesy of IISD). Related news: Fund profile: Inside Mirova’s $300m LDN vehicle (Agri Investor) Here come the SDG-finance unicorns: Rockefeller Foundation’s ‘Zero Gap’ portfolio of financial innovations with billion-dollar potential (ImpactAlpha) UNCCD’s Global Mechanism, Mirova, Launch US$300 Million LDN Fund (IISD) China joins action on desertification (China Daily) IDH named TA Facility Manager at the launch of the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund (IDH) Launch of the “Land Degradation Neutrality Fund” (Mirova) UN conference ends with world commitment to stop desertification (Xinhua) More about the LDN Fund

12 September 2017 – Ordos, China – “Consumption of the earth's natural reserves has doubled in the last 30 years, with a third of the planet's land now severely degraded. Each year, we lose 15 billion trees and 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil. Smallholder farmers, women and indigenous communities are the most vulnerable, given their reliance on land-based resources, compounded by their exclusion from wider infrastructure and economic development,” according to the new publication, The Global Land Outlook (GLO), launched today, at the 13th meeting of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ordos, China.   Currently, more than 1.3 billion people are trapped on degrading agricultural land, drastically increasing competition for crucial ecosystem services such as food, water and energy. The GLO draws on an analysis of recent trends in land productivity and modelling of land demand scenarios up to the year 2050. It outlines how reversing trends in the condition of land resources could accelerate efforts to achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals, by adopting more efficient planning and sustainable practices.   Speaking at the launch, UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut said, “land degradation and drought are global challenges and intimately linked to most, if not all aspects of human security and well-being – food security, employment and migration, in particular.”   “As the ready supply of healthy and productive land dries up and the population grows, competition is intensifying, for land within countries and globally. As the competition increases, there are winners and losers. To minimize the losses, The Outlook suggests it is in all our interests to step back and rethink how we are managing the pressures and the competition. The Outlook presents a vision for transforming the way in which we use and manage land because we are all decision-makers and our choices can make a difference – even small steps matter,” she further added.   Welcoming the UNCCD’s new flagship publication, UNDP Administrator Mr. Achim Steiner stated, “over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification, and about one billion people in over one hundred countries are at risk. They include many of the world‘s poorest and most marginalized people. Achieving land degradation neutrality can provide a healthy and productive life for all on Earth, including water and food security. The Global Land Outlook shows that each of us can in fact make a difference, and I hope that in the next edition we are able to tell even more stories of better land use and management.”   This landmark publication on the current and future state of the world’s land resources is the first in-depth analysis of the multiple functions of the land viewed from a wide range of interrelated sectors and thematic areas, such as the food-water-land nexus, as well as the ‘less obvious’ drivers of land use change, notably the nature of economic growth, consumer choice and global trade patterns. Crucially, the report examines a growing disconnect between the financial and socio-economic values of the land and how this affects the poor.   The first edition of the GLO was published by the UNCCD secretariat with the support of numerous partners, including the European Commission, the Governments of Korea, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and UNDP. It is available in both print and digital formats on a dedicated web platform.   About UNCCD The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the only legally binding international agreement on land issues. The Convention promotes good land stewardship. Its 196 Parties aim, through partnerships, to implement the Convention and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The end goal is to protect our land, from over-use and drought, so it can continue to provide us all with food, water and energy. By sustainably managing land and striving to achieve land degradation neutrality, now and in the future, we will reduce the impact of climate change, avoid conflict over natural resources and help communities to thrive.   About UNDP UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. Find more on the Global Land Outlook on the UNCCD Knowledge Hub

13 September 2017 – Ordos, China – "…With the knowledge we are gaining, we will become better land and natural resource managers, because we’re understanding how we need to treat our land, and the plants and animals on it."     These are the words of Rinouzeu Karizembi, one of only two women in the nine-member management committee of the Wild Dog Conservancy from the Otjozondjupa Region in eastern Namibia. Rinozeu and her friend Jaqueline Tjaimi are pastoralists who hope one day to make a better living from raising livestock, but, they are also acutely aware of the constraints presented by the arid Kalahari landscape which is their home, the impacts of their livestock, and the effects of a changing climate. With the support their community has received through the GEF-financed, UNDP-supported project on Sustainable Management of Namibia’s Forest Land (NAFOLA), these pioneering young women envision creating a diversified, communally-managed landscape that supports sustainable use of local natural resources for subsistence livelihoods, and provides a safe habitat for plants and wildlife, for the benefit of people and the land. Rinouzeu and Jaqueline’s story is one of eight included in a new publication, titled “Listening to our Land: Stories of Resilience,” launched by UNDP, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Government of Namibia and the Secretariat for the UN Convention on Combatting Desertification (UNCCD) at the 13th Conference of the Parties to UNCCD being held in Ordos, China from 6 to 16 September, 2017. This publication features a selection of stories that demonstrate how sustainable land management (SLM) addresses land degradation, and promotes the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the experiences of people who earn their livelihoods by tending the land, these eight ‘Stories of Resilience’ reflect how, in countries as varied as Namibia, Cuba, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, SLM is improving living conditions of communities and strengthening environmental resilience. They also highlight the importance of improved land stewardship in striving to achieve land degradation neutrality, by restoring productivity and fertility to degraded land and preventing future degradation. This is the essence of target 15.3 under SDG 15 (Life on Land), which works towards meeting growing demands for food, water and other land resources, without depleting the systems that provide them. Globally, land degradation affects about two billion hectares of land – this represents nearly a quarter of all landscapes under human use. The deterioration of soil fertility, loss of forest cover, and erosion of rangelands, causes biodiversity loss and compromises the flow of ecosystem services that enable food production and support the livelihoods of millions of people. If current trends in land degradation are not reversed, an estimated 135 million people may be displaced by 2045 because of desertification, with cascading social, economic, and environmental consequences. “The scale of the problem is immense, but so is our determination and commitment to address it.” says Naoko Ishii, CEO for the GEF. “We believe that the tools we have at our disposal for addressing land degradation are better now than ever before – the stories in this book are evidence of that." As the financial mechanism for implementation of the UNCCD, the GEF has invested more than US$876 million in over 190 programmes and projects that encourage SLM as a comprehensive way to improve land stewardship in support of achieving multiple goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As an implementing agency of the GEF, and as a key partner for the UNCCD, UNDP currently provides support to implement 85 SLM projects in 53 countries, with a total resource envelope of about US$357 million and leveraging co-financing in the order of US$1.38 billion. This work is complemented by local and community-led efforts, supported by the UNDP-managed Equator Initiative and the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP). SLM provides a diversity of practical tools for managing soil, water, vegetation and animal resources in ways that are ecologically sound, socially inclusive, culturally sensitive, and cost-effective. It also promotes a land stewardship mindset that aims to integrate people’s co-existence with nature over the long term, so that the provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services of ecosystems are ensured. Each story featured in the book demonstrates the effectiveness of a particular approach to SLM, reflected through the personal perspectives of project beneficiaries, who describe their relationship with their land and their efforts to improve its quality through sustainable land management practices. A common thread running through the stories in this publication is that SLM has wide scope to provide multiple benefits that empower people and nations to restore life to their land, accelerate inclusive social transformation, reduce resource-use conflicts, and cope with the disturbances created by natural disasters and socio-political crises. These benefits are presented at the back of the book in ‘balance sheets’ that reflect how the featured projects contribute to achieving the SDGs, and build strong partnerships to scale up efforts to meet future needs for food, fuel and fibre, without degrading the finite land resource base on which these depend. Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD remarked at the conference “I am optimistic and enthusiastic. Despite the enormous challenges we face in halting, reversing and avoiding land degradation and desertification, the tools that we have at our disposal for addressing land degradation are better now than ever before – and the stories in this book are evidence of that.” In his address at the launch of ‘Listening to the Land’, the Honourable Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment and Tourism for the Republic of Namibia, said, “Land is a precious resource for everyone, especially those that directly depend on it every day for their livelihoods, so if we don’t listen to it, and care for it, poverty will defeat us. Combating land degradation and desertification and mitigating against their negative impacts, including drought, is therefore central to sustainable land management and natural resources in Namibia.’’ “We believe that a reversal of current trends of land degradation is indeed possible,” says Nik Sekhran, UNDP Director of Sustainable Development. “We now have an improved understanding of the kinds of actions that can reverse a great deal of the damage done. New opportunities to manage land in a fundamentally new way are emerging, including land management options that sequester carbon which can provide large ecological and economic benefits.”

11 September 2017 – Ordos, China – Up to 2 billion hectares of land are degraded. On average, 12 million hectares are lost every year and 169 countries are affected by land degradation, desertification and drought. In an unprecedented global campaign to save productive land, 112 countries, as of today, have agreed to make the Sustainable Development Goal target of achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030 a national target for action.   The world’s largest and most populous nations, including Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Russia and South Africa have committed to the national targets in a move that could see over 1.3 billion mostly poor people regaining food, water, energy and job security, and resilience to climate change. Conservative estimates put the cost of land degradation globally at US$297 billion per year.   Under the land degradation neutrality target setting programme spearheaded by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and supported by 17 international partners, more than 60 of these countries have already established national land degradation baselines and set neutrality targets.    Joining the initiative signals a country’s determination to restore degraded land to ensure the amoung of productive land available today is maintained going forward.   “Desertification is the joint mission of all mankind and the responsibility of the international community to ensure a beautiful planet,” said Mr. Wang Yang, China’s Vice Premier.   “Over the coming decades China will put an emphasis on the development of an ecological civilization - including by combating desertification – to ensure better societal fairness and human well-being,” he added.   Wang was speaking on behalf of President Xi Jinping at the Ministerial meeting of the 13th session of the UNCCD in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China, where more than 80 ministers discussed pursuing land degradation neutrality as a viable response to the growing threats of desertification, drought, and sand and dust storms.   Desertification, land degradation and drought are threats to global security due to their impacts on number of livelihoods tied to the productivity of land - more than 2 billion. This year, drought led to the worst humanitarian crises since the Second World War. Distress migration driven by desertification in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to reach 60 million out to 2045.   “The population is growing at an extra 200,000 people every day, while 20 countries have declared drought emergencies in the last 18 months alone. We were clearly not sufficiently prepared for these challenges. Hundreds of millions of people go to bed desperate, hungry and thirsty as a result. Under business as usual scenarios, there is no future relief,” said Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary, UNCCD.   She said the Convention, at its current Conference, “can offer the poor a new deal. By using our land resources rationally and acting before it is too late, there is enough for everyone to live well… We can be better prepared for drought and offer stable, green and land-based employment and development for millions of rural people. We can promote harmony between city and country and offer opportunity for all,” Barbut added.   A priority issue for the ministers is the mechanism needed to ensure communities that are vulnerable and at risk of drought have the means to take early action. They will also consider how to address the new sources of sand and dust storms, how to motivate the private sector to invest in land-restoration, and motivate mayors and local and regional leaders to support the achievement of these targets.   The 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention to Combat Desertification (COP13) is taking place in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China.   At a press conference with journalists, Mr Liu Dongshen, Vice Minister State Forestry Administration, said for some years now, China has restored more land than it has degraded. Last year, it registered a net surplus of more than 2,000 square kilometers. This year, the country has restored over 1,000 square kilometers above the net balance.   In addition to the strategic plan for 2018-2030, the ministerial declaration and the decisions COP13 will take on drought, land rights and sand and dust storms, he underlined the mobilization of youth as an important issue from the Conference, which China will pursue going forward.   More than 4000 delegates are participating in COP13, which runs until 16 September.   For more information or interviews contact: wwischnewski@unccd.int or telephone +8615598835711 (in China)