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Statement by the UNCCD Executive Secretary Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw The Biden-Harris Administration last week outlined its vision of how the United States can conserve and restore 30 per cent of its land and waters by 2030. The report titled, Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful, identifies six priority areas of action. It calls for the establishment of a tool that shows better the voluntary contributions farmers, ranchers, tribal leaders, forest and private landowners make in this process.  I welcome this remarkable step taken by the Biden-Harris Administration within the first six months of being in office.   The vision outlined by the Administration is commendable in many ways.  The announcement came two weeks ahead of the high-level dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought convened on 20 May 2021 by the President of the United Nations General Assembly. The purpose is to mobilize political will to restore degrading lands as part of the post-COVID19 pandemic recovery process.   Leading by example will inspire action among leaders who have yet to make commitments to join the global effort to restore as much land as possible by 2030. The benefits are immense. We can slow climate change, halt biodiversity loss, increase food production and create green jobs without clearing new forests or put the Earth at greater risk. Halting and reversing current trends could generate up to USD 1.4 trillion per year of economic benefits.  More than two billion hectares of land is degraded globally. So far, countries have earmarked about one billion hectares for restoration by 2030. The voluntary national target to restore conserve and restore 30 percent of US land and waters will motivate other countries and raise the ambition to restore all two billion hectares.   The G-20 Initiative set up last December will contribute to support for this restoration. But a lot more is needed. The private sector, foundations, governments not yet engaged and individuals, all need to join in.  So far, 127 countries have committed to set up voluntary national targets to avoid, reduce and restore degrading land. Of these, 104 have already set targets to restore land in an area that is now well over 400 million hectares –a size larger than India.   The Biden-Harris Vision was developed through a consultative process. The administration consulted tribal leaders, governors, members of congress and their staff, scientists, elected county and state officials, environmental advocacy organizations, representatives of fishing, farming, hunting, trade and industry.   Consultation is tedious but getting everyone’s buy-in is the key to success. The Administration has signaled that it is focused on long-term change and believes that acting together in this area is consistent with America’s values and interests.  We have run out of time. It is my hope that the vision outlined by the Biden-Harris Administration will be realized quickly and successfully. I am encouraged by the actions countries have taken since the pandemic started in 2020 to prioritize good land stewardship in charting the path to a sustainable future. I urge all UN member states to raise the ambition for 2030 to the restoration of all two billion hectares of land. 

  Protecting and restoring nature can help drive a green recovery and prevent future pandemics. Investing in nature-based solutions, specifically land restoration, will allow us to build forward better, greener, healthier, stronger, and more sustainably. COVID-19 has revealed how vulnerable our societies and economies are to global, systemic risk. Its root causes - land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change – are interlinked. Furthermore, they are planetary crises in themselves. The pandemic, rooted as it is in exploitation of the environment, has been a devastating but timely wake-up call. It has shown that if we continue to abuse nature, waves of crises will cascade across our economies and societies. On the other hand, it has also shown that we can respond decisively when political will, collective action and sustained investment are aligned. Today, more than ever, societies are ready for change; there is broad consensus that it is not only desirable but possible to build forward better, towards sustainable development anchored in multilateralism and global solidarity. Land restoration is an essential component of any building-forward strategy. In preparation for the UN PGA High-level event on desertification, land degradation and drought, the UNCCD secretariat prepared a brief that presents land-centered solutions for green recovery post COVID-19. Read more: High-level dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought Role of land in COVID response  

On June 20, 1996 the German government handed over Haus Carstanjen as an office building to the United Nations, a day now celebrated as the birth of Bonn as a UN city. The UNCCD Secretariat moved to Bonn in 1999. Today, Bonn is seen and appreciated worldwide as a genuine UN city with international staff of almost 1 000 and the UN campus hosting 24 different agencies. Sustainable development has become a clear trademark for the UN entities in Bonn supported by Bonn’s environment with numerous international and national governmental and non-governmental organizations, a number of important scientific and academic institutions and the city itself. All of these institutions strive to operate in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way – a unique cluster of excellence. The fact that Bonn also was the capital of Germany for almost 50 years plays an important role, especially in a city of such cozy dimensions. Here, following the Rhineland tradition, people are hospitable, cosmopolitan and knows how to welcome other cultures and lifestyles. That’s why wherever you come from, once you're in Bonn, you feel at home. Adapted from UNRIC news  Read more: UNBonn 25th anniversary UNCCD history 

UNCCD secretariat regrets to inform that we are postponing the third webinar on land-based jobs for youth originally scheduled for Thursday 6 May 2021. Asia is hard hit by the current wave of COVID-19 infections, he region this webinar aims to support. But keeping the focus on everyone’s health condition and situation is our priority. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will email you as soon as possible to confirm the date of the next webinar. Tentatively we are planning for either 16 July 2021 or 12 August 2021. Please take note of those dates. We will stay in touch and let you know when the next podcasts is accessible. In case you have questions that you would like to submit to the panel before the webinar, you can send it to us on a video of not more than 1 minute, on horizontal format and to be sent to press@unccd.int latest Tuesday, 15 June 2021. If you participated in the other two webinars, we would like to ask for testimonials from you if you found the webinars beneficial. For example, you can do so by sending us a text of about 400 words on:  Which region/country you are from Which webinar (s) you participated in  What do you find to be most beneficial  What the webinars mean for people like you  If you would allow us to share this testimonial with your name and age. We remain available for any inquiries you may have on the webinars and we continue to vie for job creation for the youth. Sincerely yours,  UNCCD secretariat 

The UNCCD secretariat is deeply saddened by the news that Mr. Philbert Brown, UNCCD National Focal Point (NFP) for Jamaica for many years, passed away on 1 May 2021. His contributions to the convention over the years touched every aspect of the UNCCD process and included serving as a Chair of the CRIC, Chair of the CST, President of the COW, Vice President of the COP, Closing President of the COP in Geneva and Jamaica’s UNCCD NFP for 20 years. Mr. Brown was one of the major negotiators in the UNCCD process and a dedicated supporter of the implementation process at the regional and sub-region levels. He also helped develop several National Action Plans for countries in the Caribbean sub-region and was honored by the Jamaican government for his representation of the country within the UNCCD process, and for his contribution to the process at the global, regional, sub-regional and national levels. He will be remembered fondly by many as an inspirational colleague and a mentor who successfully built positive and productive relationships between various Annexes of the Convention. Photo: IISD/ENB

There is growing evidence of regreening in the Sahel. It is widespread. It cuts across the entire area, and it’s dynamic. In fact, almost all of West Africa is experiencing this regreening that is considered the ultimate weapon in the fight against global warming. Sahelians also growing valuable trees that act as natural air conditioners, provide food and ertilize the land in the Sahel in ways that could be making a difference to resilience that is far better than elsewhere in the world.