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UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut participated in the meeting with the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi as the World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 (#WSDS2018) opened in New Delhi, India. Bringing together representatives from over 40 countries, many at the ministerial level, #WSDS2018 is a global forum where governments, industry, academia and institutions come together to discuss the challenges of sustainable development and climate change. During the Forum the UNCCD presented on the governance challenges and opportunities for the private sector and civil society to become fully engaged in delivering on India’s commitment to achieving LDN by 2030. You can follow the event here. Photo: TERI  

Video "Ma terre, héritage pour mes enfants" ("My land, a heritage for my children") has been produced by the Ministry of the Environment, Ecology and Forests, Madagascar, and the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD. Madagascar, known as the Green Island, committed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030. In order to stop soil erosion and water shortage, the Government and the people of Madagascar have put efforts in reforestation. Watch the video to learn more. 

Unveiling the theme of the 2018 World Day to Combat Desertification, Monique Barbut, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, said “the campaign slogan, ‘Land has true value. Invest in it’, reminds us that land is a tangible asset with measurable value beyond just cash. That value is lost through degradation. But we can encourage land users to use land management practices that keep the land productive by the decisions we make every day in what we buy to eat, drink and wear.” Read full article from Africa Science News.

1-2 February 2018 − Rome, Italy − UNCCD has presented its new Drought Initiative to the UN-Water members and partners who gathered for the 28th UN-Water meeting at the IFAD Headquarters in Rome to discuss global water challenges.  The preparations for the first phase of the Drought Initiative are in full swing with the focus on helping countries develop national drought preparedness plans. The initiative has been adopted by the recent UNCCD COP13 in Ordos, China in response to the growing need to assist countries, communities, agriculture, businesses and individuals threatened by drought − a disaster that has a negative effect on a broad spectrum of social and economic aspects, from food production to public health. The UNCCD secretariat aims to implement the Initiative in the biennium 2018−2019 by taking action on: •    national drought preparedness plans  •    regional efforts to reduce drought vulnerability and risk, and •    a toolbox to boost the resilience of people and ecosystems to drought By being prepared and acting early, people and communities can develop resilience against drought and minimize its risks. UNCCD experts can help  country Parties review or validate existing drought measures and prepare a national drought plan to put all the pieces together, identify gaps and ensure that necessary steps are taken as soon as the possibility of drought is signaled by meteorological services. It is envisaged that such a plan would be endorsed and eventual action triggered at the highest political level. Read more: Advocacy Policy Framework on Drought (pp. 9-13)  COP Decision on drought 

French Spanish Bonn, 7 February 2018. The World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) to be marked worldwide on 17 June 2018 will focus on how consumers can regenerate economies, create jobs and revitalize livelihoods and communities by influencing the market to invest in sustainable land management through what we buy. Unveiling the theme, Monique Barbut, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said “the campaign slogan, ‘Land has true value. Invest in it.’, reminds us that land is a tangible asset with measurable value beyond just cash. That value is lost through degradation. But we can encourage land users to use land management practices that keep the land productive by the decisions we make every day in what we buy to eat, drink and wear.” A mapping of the impacts of our individual decisions by the Global Land Outlook shows the real picture. An analysis of the food consumed in the city London found that around 80 per cent of the food is imported from other countries. The footprint for the Netherlands shows that the country needs four times its own land area to feed its people. Thirty percent of all land is degraded, and has lost its true value. Land grabbing and a headlong rush for productive land signals a growing recognition that access to productive land will be crucial for future economic growth, peace and stability.  The sustainable development goal target to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 is an important response to these challenges. It will help to recover degraded lands, stop land grabbing, fight climate change, increase food production and provide clean water. “Every coin a consumer spends determines where investments by the private sector and governments go – either to land degrading ventures or towards good land use practices. Let’s not underestimate how our small individual decisions transform the world, so let’s choose wisely with our purchases,” Ms Barbut said. The global observance of the Day in 2018 will be hosted by the Government of Ecuador.  Ecuador promotes smart and healthy consumerism and supports the use of sustainable land use practices such as bioeconomy, which is an impact indicator of the National Development Plan (2017-2020). The World Day to Combat Desertification was established by the UN General Assembly 23 years ago to be celebrated by every country in order to raise global awareness about the status of, and the priority actions taken at global and national levels to reverse desertification land degradation and strengthen responses to drought.  Notes to Editors

30-31 January 2018 – Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran – The High-level regional conference on information management for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience took place on 30-31 January 2018 in Tehran, with a strong focus on regional cooperation for combating sand and dust storms (SDS) in Asia and the Pacific. SDS along with drought, land degradation and desertification, as well as wind and soil erosion, present a formidable challenge to sustainable development. Approximately two trillion tons of dust are emitted into the atmosphere each year, creating SDS threat that negatively impacts agriculture and livelihoods in many areas and regions in Asia and the Pacific. Today, disaster risks are outpacing disaster resilience, and the gap is growing in the countries with the least capacity to prepare for or respond to disasters. Opening the conference, the Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Dr. Shamshad Akhtar emphasized that disasters impede the social and economic development of nations and communities at a global scale. She also underlined the importance of finding sustainable solutions to address the SDS risks in the highly vulnerable Asia-Pacific region.  UNESCAP together with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has established the Asian and the Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM) in Tehran with the focus on strengthening regional cooperation in DRR and promoting effective policies for inclusive, sustainable and resilient development in the region. Dr. Akhtar emphasized that establishing APDIM and the regional conference in Tehran is just one example of support that countries receive to increase their resilience through targeted capacity development for disaster information management and knowledge sharing. The significant and increasing impacts of sand and dust storms affect a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to human health, productivity, agriculture, land, infrastructure and transport. Reducing the harmful impacts of sand and dust storms is essential to making progress on achieving the SDGs. UNESCAP put forth a four track-strategy to create a regional cooperation mechanism for SDS mitigation and adaptation. The strategy proposes addressing the disaster drivers through a multiple-hazard approach, developing a sand and dust storms alert system. establishing an Asia-Pacific sand and dust storm network, and leveraging the APDIM for enhanced technical support. Further information is available on UNESCAP website.