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The exhibition entitled “Save the Earth, Save the Land” was opened at UN Headquarters on 28 September 2016. In his opening remarks, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stressed the urgent need to address the causes and consequences of drought, desertification, and land degradation (DLDD) which impede efforts to eradicate poverty and the promise to leave no one behind, which is the main goal of the sustainable development goals. “As population grows, we will need more land and more productivity, not less”, he stressed. “We must do so in a way that is climate resilient and sustainable. SDG 15 aims to protect restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. That means we must sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, reverse land degradation, and end the loss of biodiversity in the world,” he emphasized.  The Secretary-General commended the more than 100 countries that had already agreed to set voluntary targets and emphasized that “the 2030 agenda for sustainable development was a road map for peace, dignity, and prosperity. But that vision depends on maintaining a healthy planet.” Melchiade Bukuru, Chief of the UNCCD liaison office, then addressed the audience on behalf of the  UNCCD Executive Secretary, Monique Barbut. In his statement, Bukuru reminded the audience that the    the poorest and most vulnerable people were those living under the scourges of desertification, land degradation and drought. Achieving land degradation neutrality would empower those populations to join others in the enjoyment of prosperity and in this context, he stressed that “addressing DLDD issues through the target of land degradation neutrality therefore appeared to be an SDG accelerator.” H.E Mr. Kwon Byong–Hyon, President of the Future Forest, and UNCCD drylands Ambassador also spoke on the occasion. He indicated that he had created the Green Corps with the belief that the Earth is Land, and that” our entire habitation would be lost when we lose our fight against land degradation”. Ambassador Kwon indicated that through the 16 years of work with Future Forest, he had  not only realized the importance of preserving land, but that countering desertification was indeed possible.  The exhibition is co-hosted by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), The Future Forest, the Korea Foundation, and the World Federation of the United Nations Association. The exhibition and event attracted high level participation from Ambassadors,  delegates, civil society and the business sector, including high level representatives of Samsonite and Subaru (China) and included a group of Chinese artists from the Forest-China organization, who presented artwork to the Chief of the UNCCD Liaison office. 

The milestone of 100 participating countries in the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) target setting process is cause for celebration! In 2015, 14 pioneer countries completed a LDN pilot project. Today, 100 countries are engaged in the process. This milestone on the LDN target setting journey is a cause for celebration as it reflects growing political interest of UNCCD country Parties in the LDN vision contained in SDG target 15.3. It embodies a bold and global ambition to shift the world to a more sustainable and resilient trajectory. It signals a new and more holistic approach to promoting the implementation of the UNCCD and effectively links UNCCD issues with national sustainable development agendas, illustrating that it is not, in fact, impossible to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality with sound planning and country-specific targets and actions. Thanks to the financial, technical and operational support provided by many donors and partners along with the coordinated efforts of the Secretariat and the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD, the LDN TSP is being implemented in a rapidly growing number of countries around the world. Land degradation has become a global issue. The multiple benefits of LDN are also global: climate change mitigation and adaptation; zero hunger; access to clean water; decent work and green jobs. In the words of Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, “We are beginning to see that with vision and bold action at the local and national levels, we can change the way we interact with nature. When we achieve land degradation neutrality, we can stabilize our natural resource base. We can revitalize landscapes and in doing so, entire communities.” This is why we encourage all countries, and particularly developed country Parties, to join this global movement, to see for themselves how the LDN vision can improve their land-based natural capital for current and future generations. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those donors and partners, who are already contributing to making the LDN vision a reality.

​Stockholm, Sweden, 1 September 2016 – On the occasion of the world water week in Stockholm, the UNCCD coordinated a panel discussion event together with the German Development Institute (DIE), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The event was attended by approximately 50 participants. The UNCCD’s presentation focused on the importance of leveraging drought as a ‘connector’ and as an ‘opportunity’ to harness synergies and minimizing tradeoffs. It was highlighted that in order to reduce society’s vulnerability to drought hazards and conflicts, we need to create a mechanism that links drought, food security, climate, water, migration and conflict. This will require the involvement of various actors from different strands of governments, civil society, international organizations and - more importantly- the affected people themselves. The need for policy coherence, capacity development and multi-sectoral approach was also highlighted. Read the event summary.

Stockholm, Sweden, 26 August 2016 – Given the multi-faceted nature and interconnectedness of drought, food security, conflict and migration, the UNCCD is co-hosting a panel event focusing on the need for integrated approaches and the institutional coherence in order to identify solutions, minimize cross-sectoral trade-offs and harness synergies. The panel event will take place at 11:00 am to 12:30 pm on 1 September 2016, at the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. Climate induced hazards such as droughts, heat waves, floods and typhoons have clear negative impacts on food security, conflicts and migration. The influx of migrants witnessed in countries such Israel and Jordan, with already highly stressed water resources, can elevate migration as a security issue.  Robert Mcleman, Wilfrid Laurier University, will deliver the keynote address titled, “Climate change, droughts, and migration: Adaptation or conflicts, which will we choose?" The panelists are Ousman Sowe, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Water and Wildlife, the Gambia, Rikke Olivera, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Martina Climesova, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and Daniel Tsegai, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Michael Brüntrup, German Development Institute (DIE) will moderate the event.  Drought and water scarcity are considered a contributing factor to the civil unrest and subsequent migration in Syria. Unfortunately, countries continue to manage drought and water scarcity as a ‘crisis’ and react only after the event has taken its tall with often poorly coordinated emergency relief measures. A silo approach is still the norm.  The event will highlight the interconnectedness of drought, food insecurity, conflict and migration. The role of empowering the vulnerable rural population, relevance of coherent and coordinated proactive policy approach will be discussed. For more information, contact: dtsegai@unccd.int For interview with UNCCD staff, contact: wwischnewski@unccd.int

Konya-Mersin, Türkiye, ​23 August 2016 – Each year Türkiye’s General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion organizes an International Training Course on Combating Desertification. This year, the training will take place from 23-27 August in Konya-Mersin for experts from Central Asia and the Balkans. The training is supported by Turkish International Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). The training course covers technical issues such as causes of desertification/land degradation, seed and seedling production, forestation, erosion control and participatory approach with the aim of increasing the level of regional collaboration among the countries of the region and enabling each country in the region to share the technical experience. The training course is open for two representatives of the countries (see below for eligible countries). The course has been developed for decision makers, forest engineers and NGO’s involved in the management of environmental problems related to desertification, land degradation, afforestation, erosion control and forestry. The deadline for application is 15 July 2016. For more information and application, download the attached documents. Information noteEligible countriesApplication form For more information of the training course, contact: Mr. Sebahattin ACIKGOZ (sacikgoz@ormansu.gov.tr) or Ms. Eda AKDEMİR (eakdemir@ormansu.gov.tr) At the last UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP12), the Ankara Initiative was launched to strengthen implementations of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for the period from 2016 to 2019. The Initiative supports the global sustainable development agenda and leverage the lessons learned from Türkiye’s past experience and approaches to land management. The training course is part of the Ankara Initiative actions.

Windhoek, Namibia, 19 August, 2016 – African Drought Conference hosted by the government of Namibia ended with adaption of “The Windhoek Declaration for Enhancing Resilience to Drought in Africa” on 19 August. The declaration states the commitments to implement the Strategic Framework for Drought Risk Management and Enhancing Resilience in Africa; to establish a continent-wide African Network with national institutions for Drought Monitoring and Early Warning Systems; and to convene biennial African Drought Conference to be held concurrently with the African Drylands Week to consider progress of the implementation of the Strategy adopted in Windhoek in August 2016, in order to promote investment among others. The conference was one of the distinct outcomes of the Namib Declaration adopted at the UNCCD COP 11/Decision 36 which emphasized a stronger UNCCD for land degradation neutrality with increasing focus on mitigating the impacts of droughts and the development of national drought policies.  The UNCCD was a co-organizer of the conference and provided technical and financial support. Read the Windhoek Declaration​ Read the op-ed by the UNCCD Executive Secretary (Inter Press Service)  The Op-ed in Spanish Other news coverage by Inter-Press Service: Arable Lands Lost at Unprecedented Rate: 33,000 Hectares… a Day! in  Portuguese, Kiswahili The conference opening​