Stories

Istanbul, Türkiye – Public awareness event conducted by the UNCCD RCU for Northern Mediterranean on 15 February 2019 attracted 25 people who came to learn more about desertification and how it is addressed in Türkiye. Presenters Esra Bektaşoğlu and Büşra Öztürk described the work of UNCCD, how addressing land degradation can contribute to the mitigation of climate change and ways in which citizens can become involved to help address global issues.  Türkiye will be the host country of the 2019 observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification (#2019WDCD) on 17 June 2019. Please visit our website to see how this day is celebrated around the world and how you can support our quest for land degradation neutrality.  Read more:  World Day to Combat Desertification Achieving land degradation neutrality

Seoul, Republic of Korea – Deforestation, land degradation and increased natural disasters top the list of serious environmental issues that affect people’s livelihoods and the economic development of the North-East Asian region in general, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in particular.  Sustainable land management and achieving land degradation deutrality (LDN) as pathways to build long-term peace and cross-border understanding were explored by the panelists at the session on “Desertification in Northeast Asia and North Korea” which was held on 15 February during the Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development (GEEF2019). The panelists stressed the need of agroforestry approach and watershed management suitable for targeted ecosystems. Various practical measures to restore land and possible recommendations were shared. The session was organized by the Future Forest and the World Agroforestry Centre in cooperation with the UNCCD and Korea Forest Service. Read more: Achieving land degradation neutrality Sustainable land management

To reintegrate the returning migrants and create an alternative to migration for rural youth, The Republic of the Gambia recently submitted a project proposal to the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Impact Programme for USD5.3 million funding under the UNCCD 3S Initiative in collaboration with The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The project is expected to rehabilitate 50 000 hectares of land and create 25 000 green jobs over a five-year period for rural youth, returning migrants, farmers and small to medium scale entrepreneurs in agriculture, aquaculture, agroforestry and ecotourism. The project will be teaching sustainable forest and land management (SFLM) techniques and their application to degraded croplands, rice paddies, forests and fisheries.  The Gambian Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources will act as the executing agency to mobilize project stakeholders and address the environmental and socio-economic impacts that land degradation has on sustainability, security and stability in target communities. The project will conduct a small business incubator inviting youth and migrants to develop small businesses along the target land-based value chains, including rice production and distribution, wood lots for sustainable fuel wood production and supply contracts for local products that are sustainably produced and transported by local communities. The project is expected to work in collaboration with other initiatives in The Gambia targeted at migrants and unemployed rural youth. Read more More about 3S Initiative: Sustainability. Stability. Security 3S video (English with French/Arabic subtitles) 3S Initiative website Sustainable land management on UNCCD Knowledge Hub

Bonn, Germany – Reviving damaged lands and the livelihoods of people affected by desertification, land degradation and drought can be possible by 2030, according to participants who attended the 17th Committee to Review the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC17), which ended yesterday in Georgetown, Guyana. In the four years since countries reached the agreement to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN) by 2030, 120 of the 169 countries affected by desertification, land degradation or drought have started identifying where to reduce the risk of degradation and where to recover degrading land. The Committee reviewed the first-of-its-kind global assessment of land degradation by governments, based on quantitative earth observation data collected and analyzed in at least 127 countries. CRIC17 laid out a range of actions that address issues such as land rights, drought and gender equality, for governments to consider and agree on when they meet in October of this year in New Delhi, India, during the 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP14). The Committee also thanked the outgoing Executive Secretary for her outstanding commitment and dedicated service. Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania has been announced as her successor. Read more: Full press release UNCCD CRIC17

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultations with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to UNCCD announced the appointment of Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania as the next Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. He will succeed Monique Barbut of France, to whom the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude for her outstanding commitment and dedicated service to the Organization. Mr. Thiaw brings to the position almost 40 years of experience in sustainable development, environmental governance and natural resource management.  He is currently Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for the Sahel.  From 2013 to 2018, he was Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where he played a key role in shaping the organization’s strategic vision, mid-term strategy and programme of work, and strengthened collaborations with Governments and other environmental governing bodies, including the United Nations Environmental Assembly. Joining the United Nations in 2007, Mr. Thiaw was the Director of UNEP’s Division for Environmental Policy Implementation.  Before joining the Organization, he was the Regional Director for West Africa, and later Acting Director General, of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Mr. Thiaw started his career in Mauritania, his home country, where he served in the Ministry of Rural Development for 10 years.  He holds an advanced degree in forestry and forest product techniques. Source: UN Media Liaison

Bonn, Germany – Over the past hundred years, the increase in human populations has been three times greater than during the entire previous history of mankind. More natural resources have been extracted from the earth and more land converted for cities, agriculture and industry than ever before. On this warming planet, droughts seem to have changed their nature as well, increasing in spatial extent, duration, frequency and severity. The new film "When skies ran dry," produced by Dr. Patrick Augenstein, attempts to answer the following questions: How can we more actively prepare for drought on a planet more radically altered by humans than ever before? What’s causing drought in the anthropocene and how we can confront the risks and challenges it brings? The filmmakers visit some of the world’s regions affected and altered by drought, speaking to farmers, water managers, scientists and policy makers. The project is a joint effort of UNCCD, United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, University of Bonn, Embassy of the Earth foundation and Greening Africa project.  See more: Full 40-minute version of the film Two-minute version of the film Eleven-minute version of the film UNCCD Drought Initiative