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This project, “Children vs Desertification” is part of the UNCCD Capacity Development and Innovation Office’s (CDIO) series ‘‘Children and the UNCCD.’’  It was designed and managed by Giorgio Falchi as part of his internship with support from the CDIO Team. The aim of the project was to raise awareness of desertification and land degradation among younger generations in two Italian primary schools located in the municipality of Montespertoli (25 km far from Florence). 40 children ages 10 to 11, pupils of the schools "Don Lorenzo Milani" and “Rita Levi Montalcini” were involved in 2-hours of exercises on ways of combatting desertification and land degradation. Planning and development     The efforts and spirit of our multicultural/international Team were central to the development and realization of this project. First School: Istituto Comprensivo Statale "Don Lorenzo Milani" Second School: Scuola Primaria "Rita Levi Montalcini".   Giorgio's experience As I walked through the front door of the school that had shaped my childhood mindset for five years, I was overwhelmed by a flood of memories and emotions. Since taking the final examination, I had not set foot in primary school again. Why? I would like to say it was because of lack of time, but perhaps it would be more correct to say lack of will. It was as if I wanted to consign all the moments and memories I had experienced there, both the good and the bad, to that yellow and grey building, so that I would never have to deal with them again.   While I was explaining to the caretaker the reason for my presence, I looked around me: the entrance, the stairs, the large mosaic in front of the door, the lockers, the colors had not changed one bit. Even the arrangement of the benches seemed the same. After shaking the teacher's hand, we entered the classroom assigned to me. It was strange to occupy the place that for five years, as a child, had been occupied by people to whom we, or at least I, attributed absolute authority. As I laid out the materials I had prepared for the exercise, I kept asking myself: "Will I be able to get the message across to them? Will I be interesting? Will I be able to make them learn and enjoy themselves?”. The answers to these questions I hoped to gage from their smiles and their happy faces at the end of the exercise.   Description of the simulation   The idea of preparing an exercise in which the children had to combat the advance of desertification came from the CDIO Team's passion for resource management board games. The training activity was then studied and approved together with the councillor for the culture of the municipality of Montespertoli, Daniela Di Lorenzo, and Professor Barbara Papini. After a brief introduction to  the United Nations and the role played by the Convention to Combat Desertification in particular, the children were immersed in the fantastic world of Alkubra, the imaginary place where a simulation would take place.   The world of Alkubra consists of four billboards, each corresponding to a district controlled by a city that is very proud of its past and traditions. In the centre, there is the Great Desert, which, to the misfortune of the inhabitants, is expanding in all directions. The children's ultimate goal is to make the right decisions in order to stop the advance of desertification.   First, the children were divided into four teams, each representing a city council. Next, each team was given one of the four cardboards to draw their city in the white space and give it a name. Each city council was then assigned 16 resources to be placed in the yellow space between the city and the desert. Ponds represented water, trees represented forests, houses with fields represented agriculture and rabbits represented fauna. Finally, each team had to elect its own representative, who would report back with the answers during the simulation. The simulation consisted of a quiz with six multiple-choice questions. The aim was to stimulate the children's intuition and try to get them to understand how they could help combat and possibly prevent desertification. Each question had 4 possible answers: each city had to choose an answer and declare this through their representative. To make the simulation more challenging, as soon as one of the answers was chosen by one of the cities, the others had no further access to that answer.   Each answer meant an increase or decrease in resources depending on whether the right decision was made, i.e. one which will help in combatting desertification. These were not abstract or theoretical questions or decisions but had a clear educational purpose. For example, one of the questions was about water consumption: the right answers included turning off the tap when brushing one's teeth and the wrong answers included increasing meat consumption. At the end of each question, the children themselves tried to explain why some decisions were right and others wrong in combatting desertification and in using natural resources in a sustainable way. The winning team at the end of the game was the one with the most resources, namely the one that made the right decisions to combat desertification in the shortest possible time. In class 5a A at the "Don Lorenzo Milani" school the winners were the "Fantastic City" city council, while in class 5a C at the "Rita Levi Montalcini" school the "Bonus" city won. Outcome / Feedback Preparing all the materials needed to carry out the simulation was not easy; in fact, we had to work under pressure, mainly due to a very tight time schedule. However, thanks to organization and teamwork we managed to prepare the simulation in time. The children showed a great interest in the exercise and in the need to combat desertification; they intervened very often and, in some cases, provided more than comprehensive explanations of phenomena that are not easy to understand. Finally, some children talked of their dreams and/or their difficulties. One girl said that her dream was to bring peace to the world. Another said that, due to financial difficulties, she could not afford to take a shower every day. Smiling, she added that she was glad that at least she could not waste water.     Intern in charge of the project   As an intern at the UNCCD - CDIO, I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity I have been given. Through this project, I have been able to contribute, albeit in a small way, to combating climate change by raising awareness in schools, the place where future generations are educated. Moreover, preparing for this project has allowed me to grow on a personal level: being in an environment that values creativity and team spirit in favor of sustainability is a unique opportunity. Finally, being surrounded by people who believe in you and your work has allowed me to gain more confidence in myself. Children and UNCCD The CDIO launched the  - project “Children and the UNCCD” aiming to raise awareness amongst children of the world about the importance of the preservation of our environment and the land in particular. Would you like your school to be part of this exciting and important project -? Kindly let us know soonest.  

As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, one fact has never been more evident – our world, our planet and our lives are inextricably interconnected. There are very few issues that can be considered simply “health problems,” as nearly every aspect of life is connected to other societal, economic and environmental issues. While we recognize the negative impact of tobacco on our health, we tend to think less frequently about the economic impact of tobacco use on health costs and productivity losses. What is even less well known is how tremendously destructive tobacco cultivation and tobacco use is for the environment – on land, water and air.

The Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), in collaboration with the United Nations to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), organized a panel discussion that took place on Saturday 29th of May, from 10:00 to 12:00 (GMT -4). The event aimed to bring together youths from across the entire Caribbean and panelists from five different islands in the region to discuss the topic “Covid-19, Land and the Future”. The main objective was to raise awareness among Caribbean youth about the importance of sustainable land use in relation to different vital aspects, crucial for the future of the region, as well as to inspire their youth action regarding the same. Attendees The webinar was attended by more than 575 participants from the Caribbean and the rest of the world. As part of the promotion of the event, several pieces of multimedia content were created and widely distributed through social and traditional media channels. More than 30,000 people in the Caribbean were reached through UNCCD CBM and CYEN's social media platforms. Professor Richard A. Byron-Cox and Mr. Elijah James conducted an interview with ABS TV media where they shared with viewers and 100K social media followers the major issues covered by the panel discussion. There was participation from the entire Caribbean and further afield. Panelists The panelists were all Caribbean nationals and came from different countries of the region: The keynote address was delivered by Honourable Hugh Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guyana, who really set an excellent foundation for the rest of the exercise. Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guyana, Mr. Hugh Todd made a keynote address for the panel discussion. Prof. Richard A. Byron-Cox Ph.D. He is the Head of the Capacity Development & Innovation Office at the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat. Ms. Jhannel Tomlinson, a youth climate activist and member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), Jamaica. She is co-founder of Young People for Action on Climate Change (YPACC), Jamaica. Ms. Maria Beckles, a member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) Barbados, and part of the organization’s Biodiversity working group. Mr. Chetwynd Osborne, a lecturer at the University of Guyana, currently pursuing Ph.D. studies in Environmental and Life Sciences at Trent University. He is also a technical advisor to the Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Land Management (PISLM). Mr. Davidson Baptiste from Sandy Bay, a village of the Carib settlement on the Northern part of St. Vincent. Due to the recent volcanic eruption on that island, this area of the island is presently deemed  “The Red Zone.” Mr. Baptiste is a farmer, community worker, and a God-fearing man who is very committed, responsible, influential in his community. He spoke on the effects of the La Soufrière volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The meeting on “Advancing the design of a LDN Transformative Project/Programme in Caribbean SIDS for climate change mitigation and adaptation” took place online on 20-21 May 2021 to coordinate regional collaboration on the development of the new programme and seek synergies with national climate change mitigation and adaptation agendas. The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management in the Caribbean (PISLM), the UNCCD Global Mechanism (GM) and the UNFCCC brought together 24 participants, including National Focal Points (NFPs) of both Conventions and a representative of the GCF secretariat. Following the outcomes of this inception workshop, the next step  in the process will be collecting input on suggested country-specific activities and other additional guidance to share with PISLM, once UNCCD, UNFCCC and GCF NFPs have consulted with relevant stakeholders. All the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (CSIDS) are parties to the UNCCD and UNFCCC, participating actively in the Conferences of the Parties and the activities of both conventions . Under UNCCD, CSIDS are actively engaged in the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Programme of the GM. Welcoming the attendees, the Executive Director of PISLM, Mr. Calvin James remarked on the continued collaboration of the GM with the PISLM, noting that the inception workshop ia a critical stepping stone to support CSIDS in shaping a land-based transformative programme that can boost climate resiliency and address land degradation issues in the region. Ms. Louise Baker, the Managing Director of the GM, highlighted that the CSIDS have always understood the real importance of safeguarding land capital, since for small island states every hectare of healthy land is a precious resource. Ms. Baker also recognized the progress the region has made in setting voluntary LDN targets, with 11 of the 15 participating countries already completing the process. Additionally, during the first day of this workshop, representatives of the GCF secretariat, the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) at St .George’s and the GM of the UNCCD provided an overview of GCF financial modalities and ongoing support provided for relevant initiatives in the region, including guidance to formulate multi-country funding proposals Current climate change mitigation and adaptation priorities set by CSIDS in their  Nationally Determined Contributions and National Action Plans, highlighting the relevance of the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector and land-based interventions The status of the LDN target setting process in CSIDS and related implementation efforts that require support. The country delegates shared information on the national priorities for climate change mitigation and adaptation, LDN targets and GCF financing. On the second day of the workshop delegates discussed proposed themes and project components to define the scope of both regional and country-specific elements of the proposal and agreed to develop the concept as an umbrella programme proposal to be submitted to the GCF through its simplified approval process. They have also discussed which accredited entity would be best positioned to effectively support countries in the development of this initiative.  

Ricardo is an Environmental Engineer and a Master's degree candidate in Environmental Management, with studies in Economics, Environmental Consulting, environmental law and GIS. He is developing a recovery project of saline and sodic soils in the costal area of Peru and strongly believes that without science, there is no sustainable future. Ricardo has founded EnviroPro, a company that provides green solutions and technology to the public and private sectors in Peru. They develop intelligent and customized tools to allow the farmers to save money and obtain better results with a sustainable mindset.  Facebook: @rlandazurim Twitter: @Ingamblandazuri Instagram: @rlandazurim

Opening remarks by UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw: As UNCCD, we care about land. We care about people’s livelihoods. We care about ecosystems. Having “Land in balance” is our motto. Reconciling the needs of a growing population -and a growing middle class- on one hand, with the need to protect our land, the most precious resource that provides us with food, fodder, water, air, and energy. I believe this is the first Global Rangelands Atlas ever published. Rangelands are social and economic systems as much as ecosystems, which makes them harder to define. This lack of definition has been a barrier to mapping them, which in turn has been a barrier to building global support to protect them. The Atlas shows that rangelands dominate the drylands, making them hugely important to the UNCCD. If we do not understand land degradation in the rangelands, then we are likely to see investments that are biased towards other land types. Or, even worse, we may see investments that are blind to specific conditions of rangelands, ending up being harmful to its systems. The lack of proper investment in rangelands is a challenge. A challenge we should address head on. Starting with the way we communicate. Our narrative about rangelands is rather reductive. “Rangelands,” “grazing lands,”c “pastoral lands” – all these terms suggest these lands are only used for domestic animals. Is this entirely true? Some say: Rangelands are degraded lands; therefore, they are not worth investing. I am sure the Atlas will debunk that myth. Think about the beautiful National Parks and Landscapes where Tourism is thriving? Where big businesses are being made. Are they not a big part of climate solutions? Are rangelands not biodiversity reservoirs and hot spots? When the extractive industry operates in areas that are rangelands, the land is called something else. I am reminded of the late Taghi Farvar’s 10 myths on mobile pastoralism (https://www.iccaconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mobility-myths-Farvar.pdf). Among the myths he argued should be debunked, I chose the following: 1. Pastoralism is an archaic form of production not adapted to modernity. 2. All conflicts are caused by pastoralists. 3. Rangelands are degraded because of over-stocking and overpopulation. 4. Pastoralism destroys biodiversity and leads to desertification. 5. Pastoralists overgraze their land. These are wrong assumptions that are not proven by science. What is generally accepted is that investments in rangelands are low. That the economy of pastoralism has attracted less policy attention, and therefore less political interest. That hundreds of millions of pastoralists from around the world are calling for more attention; more care; more investments. Dear friends, Mapping the rangelands is only the first step in ensuring they are sustainably managed, in line with the LDN targets. We hope this Atlas will inform and influence governments to raise rangelands in their national agendas, to start allocating investments to rangeland restoration, in line with national targets under all 3 Rio Conventions as well as ambitions to improve food and water security and other development goals. The Atlas also helps us to move the conversation forward so that rangelands – half of all land on Earth – can benefit from the UN Decade on ecosystem restoration, the UN Food Systems Summit, and the International Year on Rangelands and Pastoralism in 2026. The opportunities are lining up nicely – the momentum is picking up – and we must keep building pressure to accelerate action. Thank you