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Top sustainable land management prize totaling USD 70,000 goes to development organizations in Afghanistan and Republic of Korea Washington D.C., United States, June 17 2014 – For the third year running, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has announced the winners of the 2014 Land for Life Award with a USD70,000 cash award, to two organizations that showed tangible evidence in combating desertification, land degradation and drought. The announcement was made during the worldwide celebrations of the World Day to Combat Desertification taking place today. Conservation Organisation for Afghan Mountains Areas (COAM) from Afghanistan and Green Asia Network (GAN) from the Republic of Korea will share the first prize award of USD 35,000 each. COAM is a non-governmental organization working in Afghanistan. Green Asia Network works in Mongolia but plans to expand its work across other dryland Asian countries. H.E. Mr Uahekua Herunga, Minister of Tourism and Environment of Namibia and the President the UNCCD 11th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), announced the winners at the global observance event of the World Day taking place at the World Bank Headquarters, in Washington D.C., United States. The village of Adi Shimhabty in Eritrea received a special mention from the jury for its achievements in involving the community to regenerate degraded land in Eritrea’s dryland areas. “The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and its partner organizations recognize the champions of sustainable land management in a variety of ways – including the Land for Life Award” said Ms. Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary, UNCCD. “These are the people, mostly fantastic civil society leaders, who promote grassroots action and keep the land healthy and productive” she added.  The Award’s independent jury is made up of sustainable development experts from academia, government and civil society, among them, Professor Joachim von Braun, Director of the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn and Dr. Mary Seely from the Desert Research Foundation in Namibia. Notes to Editors:  Below is a summary about the winners, a quote from each organization and from Ms. Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary, UNCCD. The Conservation Organisation for Afghan Mountains Areas (COAM), Afghanistan Decades of war, extreme poverty and severe climate conditions in Afghanistan have led to severely degraded range-lands that are at risk of desertification. COAM’s interventions include the introduction of solar water heaters, bio-briquettes, tree planting, gravity-fed irrigation systems and watershed management planning. Their ‘clean cook stoves’ and other green technologies reduce the pressure on natural resources in vulnerable rangelands by 50% and provides health and livelihood benefits for women and families. Over 300 villages with more than 3000 households located in two districts in Bamyan province have benefitted directly. These are outstanding achievements under the challenging conditions of a country in transition. The work is driven by experienced youth and values the role of women in sustainable land management.  Quote from COAM: “COAM is greatly honored and thrilled to receive the Land for Life Award.” said the Execitive Director of COAM, Ms. Habiba Amiri.  “I want to take this occasion to thank all the people who have been supported, helped, and worked very hard to move COAM forward for the better application of its aim in Afghanistan. And of course a special thanks and appreciation to the UNCCD for selecting COAM as the first winner of Land for Life Award.” Green Asia Network (GAN), Republic of Korea  In Mongolia, 78% of the land is affected by desertification. This is life threatening because Mongolia depends a lot on livestock farming. GAN concentrates on three areas – the environment, society and economy. It is promoting self-reliance by creating a variety of economic opportunities for affected people at the local level. GAN has trained thousands of locals in forestry practices and sustainable agriculture and engaged as many as 25,000 volunteers to plant trees in the region among other activities.  Participants receive a wage. GAN also operates eco-tours that provide a close view of climate change impacts and allows participants to work on forestry project initiatives. Some of GAN’s participants are eco-refugees that return from the urban areas to the countryside. Upon their return, many are astounded at the transformation of the land they had once abandoned. GAN plans to expand its work to Myanmar, with a focus on building local infrastructure such as tube wells, generators, water tanks and fencing among other activities. Quote from GAN: "Climate change and desertification have affected low land productivity causing poverty in local communities. Since 1998, Green Asia Network has worked to improve the livelihoods of these affected communities and to restore the ecosystem by applying a model, which we developed,” said the Secretary General of Green Asia Network, Mr. Oh, Ki-Chul, “This model can be applied to areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America that are facing similar conditions. We are honored to receive the first place Land for Life Award. It encourages the local communities we work with, our staff and our volunteers, all of whom are dedicated and committed to our work." About the Land for Life Award The Land for Life award programme is a collaborative initiative between the UNCCD and the Korea Forest Service, Elion Resources Group, China, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Global Environment Facility, International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Qatar National Food Security Programme. About the UNCCD Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of healthy soils. The Convention’s 195 Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore the land’s productivity, and mitigate the effects of drought.

Bonn, Germany, 20 May 2014 – The 14 semi-finalists for this year's Land for Life Award unveiled today are from Afghanistan, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Peru, Togo, Türkiye, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.  Their work ranges from scientific breakthroughs on reversing desertification to combining indigenous agriculture knowledge with modern techniques for soil fertility. Launched by the UNCCD for the first time in 2011, the Land for Life Award will recognize efforts that promote the natural health and productivity of the earth’s soils.  These efforts are lifesaving and provide sustainability and a better life for all, particularly to the poorest communities in the world.   Winners who will share a prize fund of up to 100,000 USD will be announced on 17 June during the global observance event of the World Day to Combat Desertification to be held in Washington D.C. The event will be webcast live. The Award drew interest from people working in all regions of the world, signifying the global scope of land degradation and individual as well as collaborative initiatives to recover the productivity of the land.  The individual, NGO, government, business, media and other applicants all demonstrate a strong commitment to manage the land sustainably. The winners will be selected by a jury with expertise in sustainable land management. It includes personalities like Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned seed sovereignty activist from India and Professor Joachim von Braun, Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn among others experts drawn from government, the UNCCD, civil society and academia. The fourteen semi-finalists are: Abellon CleanEnergy, India Abellon supports and works with rural communities to generate value from waste, provides enhanced income and employment to enable higher productivity and efficiency through agricultural best practices training.  It buys biomass from farmers to produce bio-pellets/bio-power for bioenergy generation that replaces fossil fuels like coal and lignite. Adi-Shimhabty, Eritrea A remarkable village works together using scientifically sound techniques to improve the environment and conditions in which they live.  The community has established permanent land closures, all from their own land and conducts joint activities such as terracing, checking dams and land leveling.  They have converted what was virtually barren land to 95% recovered vegetation. This example of unity and action to improve their own lives has become a model for the neighbor villages to solve life threatening issues.  Africa Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM), Zimbabwe The majority of rural communities in Zimbabwe are situated on dry rangelands.  ACHM provides training and support to local and international communities in Holistic Land and Livestock Management (HLLM) programs to properly manage livestock for the restoration of degraded range and croplands suffering from severe degradation and drought.  Agro-pastoralists who depend upon these lands for survival use HLLM to improve the quality of their soil, raise the water-table, increase crop yields and raise healthier cattle. AGIDE, Togo AGIDE demonstrates the overwhelming benefits of mushrooms in making natural fertilizer.  This further improves soil fertility and crop yields and creates a natural biocide that improves pest and disease resistance. Mushroom cultivation and consumption was a traditional aspect of rural life in parts of Togo that had almost died out until AGIDE began training villagers, particularly women, on how to grow mushrooms and make the compost and biocide, and use these products to improve soil and crop yields. Carbon Green Africa, Zimbabwe The turmoil in Zimbabwe’s agricultural production and population growth has led to significant damage to forests from overexploitation.  This is risking its fertile land into becoming desert in northern Zimbabwe. Carbon Green Africa’s project Kariba RED++ addressed deforestation risks through food security conservation farming, fire management, participatory territorial planning, and alternative livelihood generation, and wildlife protection for ecotourism. Chirapaq, Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú Chirapaq incorporates sustainable technologies with ancient knowledge for the production of Andean crops, ensuring a way for comprehensive food security with sovereignty for the indigenous Ayacucho Quechua families.  They produce organic fertilizer to improve soil quality and conservation of rainwater in the soil. The Conservation Organisation for Afghan Mountains Areas (COAM), Afghanistan COAM Afghanistan has made outstanding achievements under the challenging conditions of a country in transition. COAM uses ‘clean cook stoves’, which not only reduces the pressure for natural resources on vulnerable arid rangelands by 50%, it also provides health and livelihood benefits for women and families. Drynet, Türkiye Drynet brings together different actors to generate outcomes on a larger scale.  It has created a bridge between local communities, scientists, national and international policy makers and provides sustainable development tools for dryland communities.  It serves as a hub for local knowledge, practice and scientific research and an advocate for sustainable natural resources management by local communities in national and international policy processes. Green Asia Network (GAN), Korea In the arid lands of Mongolia, the Green Asia Network has trained 2,800 locals in forestry practices and sustainable agriculture to restore degraded lands and improve the livelihoods of 14,000 people. GAN has also brought together over 25,000 volunteers (Mongolian: 21,700, Korean: 3,700) to work on sustainable land management projects.  Some 450,000 trees at six sites (total of 450 hectares) have been planted in Mongolia. GAN also operates eco-tours, giving an upfront look at climate change impact and allows participants to work on forestry projects. They have upcoming projects planned in Myanmar. Excellent Development, UK Transforming countless lives in drylands across East Africa, Excellent Development offers technical support for rural communities to build sand dams. Sand dams are benefitting communities in water use for livestock, domestic use and crop production and in coping with drought.  Water held in the dam spreads horizontally, recharging the aquifer, allowing trees and other fauna to grow and restore degraded lands. They have projects in many dryland regions of the world. Irob Community – the soil makers, Ethiopia Characterized by rugged and stony mountains in this geographical location of Ethiopia, there is little land suitable for farming.  Through hard work the communities are reclaiming farmland from valleys and gorges by building check dams and bench terraces.  Using indigenous techniques, the Irob Community has managed to generate almost non-existent farmlands and transformed them from a predominantly vulnerable pastoralism to a more resilient livelihood based on flood trapping and irrigation based agriculture in the face of overwhelming challenges brought by climate change. Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), India NCF works with agro-pastoralists in the high altitude areas of the Himalayas, an area that is home to unique plant and animal species.  NCF’s research in rangeland health has informed national policies and led to innovative community-based programs to improve soil health, increase water security, reduce livestock grazing pressures and protect this unique ecosystem. Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment – SCOPE, Pakistan Tharparkar of Pakistan is a drought prone region where a failed rainy season can cause a drought situation resulting in massive crop and livestock failure. Since its creation, SCOPE has carried out many activities in this region which include rainwater harvesting, rangeland management and enhancing agro forestry practices and has alleviated some of the suffering caused by food insecurity and malnutrition. Taking Root, Canada There was little incentive for agroforestry in Nicaragua due to the lack of missing markets for forest and non-timber forest products.  Since Taking Root was established, agroforestry has now become economically viable for smallholders.  This project takes a landscape approach. It considers how all the farms can work together within the landscape to reforest critical watersheds.  Smallholders are encouraged to reforest the under-utilized and degraded parts of their farms in exchange for direct payments over time as the trees deliver ecosystem services. For more information, click here. About the Land for Life Award The 2014 Land for Life award is a collaboration between the UNCCD and the Korea Forest Service, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Global Environment Facility, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Elion Resources Group, China. About the UNCCD Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of healthy soils. The Convention’s 195 signatory Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore the land’s productivity, and mitigate the effects of drought. Or contact: Mary Kapiniaris L4L@unccd.int +49 (0) 228 815 2830

As their resilience diminishes in vulnerable regions, the poor are forced to take a stand to fight for their survival – or flee.

Maseru, Lesotho. 4 March 2014 – “Too often in the past, we have exploited, ignored and come into conflict with the needs of our environment,” said Khotso Matla, Minister of Forestry and Land Reclamation of the Kingdom of Lesotho during the observance of African Environment Day/Wangari Maathai Day which was held yesterday. This year, Lesotho in Southern Africa hosted the Day which is celebrated across Africa. The host country for the continent-wide event is held on a rotational basis by the five sub-regions. Matla concluded his remarks by saying that our challenges is “to find the political will, the vision and the common sense to get together for the radical changes that will be essential and are crucial if we really mean business. If we do not see the urgency for such changes, our independence, our sovereignty as Africans, and integrity will  be in danger of becoming just hollow words.” Attended by dignitaries and journalists from all regions of Africa, the observance event was highly symbolic. The event and addresses were delivered by the Fika-le-Mohala rock, the historic venue where King Moshoeshoe 1 (pronounced moo-shwe-shwe), Lesotho’s founding father, addressed his people on national matters, including the founding of the nation. During the celebrations, the tree planting was held in memory of Nobel Peace Prize winner the late Wangari Maathai, a renowned environmental activist and crusader for tree planting in Africa. The African Union re-titled Africa Environment Day in her honor following her demise in 2011. Addressing the Day’s theme, Combatting Desertification in Africa: Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Food Security, Rhoda Tumusiime, Africa Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture said, “it is undeniable that agriculture cannot thrive in Africa if we do not pay due attention to the rational utilization of natural resources, including water and land.” “As other regions of the world turn to Africa looking for the energy, water and food resources need to generate and power their economies, we must ensure that the continent’s abundant natural resources, are by priority, harnessed to catalyze our sustainable development,” Tumusiime added. Lesotho, a country of 2 million people is land-locked, where only 8% of the land is highly productive. The rest is a mountainous plateau, of which nearly 70% are rangelands with thin and fragile soils whose productivity is threatened by overgrazing. Leaders of various international organizations, underscored the critical nature of combating land degradation in Africa, marked the Day as the starting point of the global campaign towards the World Day to Combat Desertification to be held on 17 June. Globally, over half of all agricultural land is moderately and severely degraded, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). And climate stresses account for 62.5% of all stresses on land degradation in Africa, according to the Natural Resources conservation Service of the US Department of Agriculture. National Reports submitted by Parties to the UNCCD show that all the countries in Africa claim they are affected by desertification. In her address at the celebrations, Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Head of UNEP’s Southern African Office, said “the world has witnessed an unprecedented sharp decline in terrestrial ecosystems services and functions during the last few decades. Forests and wetlands have been converted to agricultural land to feed a growing population, but at a cost that is not sustainable” by quoting a recent UNEP report. “We need to be more efficient, in the way we produce, consume and supply our land-based products,” she said. Over 300 people, including local schools and communities in the Ha Masana area, where the historic natural rock is located, attended the celebrations and planted the trees. Some 2,000 tree seedlings were delivered for the event. Africa Environment Day was established in 2002, by a decision of the African Union Summit to raise awareness about the benefits of the environment to the lives of the African people, and the threats possible by desertification and drought, among others.     About the UNCCD Emerging from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of sustainable land management. The Convention’s 195 signatory Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands by promoting a specific global response to desertification, land gradation and drought. Each Party is expected to agree and deliver against explicit commitments according to the Convention. For more information contact: Wagaki Wischnewski External Relations, Policy and Advocacy Unit Email: wwischnewski@unccd.int Tel:  +49 173 268 7593 (mobile) For interviews contact: Yukie Hori Spokesperson, UNCCD Secretariat Email: yhori@unccd.int Tel:  +49 228 815 2829 +49 173 268 7590 (mobile)

Maseru, Lesotho, 3 March 2014 – To mark Africa Environment Day, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has issued Desertification: The invisible frontline, a publication showing the link between desertification, climate change and the growing threats to national and international security. There is no systematic research to date showing that desertification, climate change and conflict interact. Scholars, leading security organizations and practitioners have often alluded to this possibility, but this is one of the first initiatives from the UNCCD recently to highlight possible relations among these dynamics. The study shows an overlap in the regions in Africa that are highly vulnerable to desertification and where seasonal temperatures as well as incidences of drought and erratic rainfall have risen over the last 40 years, with areas that had high incidences of terrorist attacks in 2012 and of conflict and food riots in 2007-2008. Food insecurity, water conflicts, migration, internal displacement, political radicalization and state failure are increasingly evident in countries where large poor populations that depend on fragile or desertified lands are increasingly exposed to extraordinary weather events, according to the report. “Climate change is bringing more extreme weather like prolonged droughts and flash floods to more communities – the communities, who are most vulnerable to desertification... World Day to Combat Desertification on the 17th of June is a unique opportunity to remind everyone that land degradation can be effectively tackled and that solutions exist,” according to Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary. Barbut delivered the remarks in Maseru, the Kingdom of Lesotho in Southern Africa, via a video-recorded message, at an event organized to kick-start the global campaign leading up to the 17 June World Day. The campaign promotes an ecosystem-based approach as a way to climate-proof land and secure its productivity for present and future generations. It is spearheaded by the UN and intergovernmental organizations behind the 2010-2020 UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification (UNDDD), including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). “The loss of arable land to desertification is a huge obstacle to eradicating poverty and hunger,” said Kanayo Nwanze, President of IFAD. “Every day at IFAD, we are confronted with the human cost of this. Subsistence farmers, nomadic herders and other people who depend on land and rain for their survival are hit the hardest. Their land is less productive and their soil is less resilient." "For millions of people, halting desertification is a matter of life and death. When people cannot earn an income from the land or feed themselves, they must migrate or starve. If we are going to eliminate rural poverty and make communities more resilient to climate change, we have to address how land and natural resources are managed,” continued Nwanze. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Biodiveristy (CBD) emphasized the importance of the conservation, effective management, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity for ensuring the maintenance of ecosystem services in times of climate variability and change. “As sister Rio Conventions, the CBD and the UNCCD have many areas of convergence, the most significant being the work to conserve, restore and sustainably utilize dryland ecosystems,” Braulio said. “In particular, I would like to highlight Aichi Biodiversity Target 15 which calls for the enhancement of the resilience of ecosystems and the restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combating desertification.” Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson said "Nowhere else in the world are the threats of desertification more inextricably linked to food security and political and economic stability than in the drylands of Africa. Since its inception, the GEF has been working with all African nations in overcoming these threats by investing in natural resource management innovations that are transformational at scale." "The GEF commitment is based on the recognition that having farmable land means engaging in good land management practices to fight desertification; making water available to support agriculture keeps rural economies strong; and supporting local livelihoods helps people not to simply survive, but thrive. From the oases of North Africa to the Sahelian region of West Africa and highlands of Eastern Africa, GEF investments have demonstrated time and again that these approaches can make a difference. Let's expand, scale up, do more, and do it better." A campaign guide with infographics, facts, data and examples of land degradation and sustainable land management were also released at the event that took place during the celebrations of the annual African Environment Day/Wangari Maathai Day being observed today across Africa. The campaign will peak on 17 June with the observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification in all countries. Resources are available here About the UNCCD Emerging from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of sustainable land management. The Convention’s 195 signatory Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands by promoting a specific global response to desertification, land gradation and drought. Each Party is expected to agree and deliver against explicit commitments according to the Convention. For more information contact: Wagaki Wischnewski External Relations, Policy and Advocacy Unit Email: wwischnewski@unccd.int Tel:  +49-173-268 7593 (mobile) For interviews contact: Yukie Hori Spokesperson, UNCCD Secretariat Email: yhori@unccd.int Tel:  +49 228 815 2829 +49 173 268 7590 (mobile)

Bonn, Germany, 9 January 2014 – Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland, has accepted her designation as Drylands Ambassador of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for at least two years, to promote the shift towards sustainable land management practices globally and better livelihoods for rural women in the drylands. "Sustainable development, poverty eradication and the empowerment of women are very close to my heart. That is why I agreed to serve as Co-Chair of the UN Millennium Summit, later as Co-Chair of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainably, and now as Drylands Ambassador of the UNCCD," Halonen said when she accepted the designation. "Soil protection and the promotion of sustainable land management and agriculture are central tools for tackling poverty. I intend to promote sustainable land management at all levels, and its inclusion in the sustainable development goals and the post-2015 Development Agenda. This is crucial for effective poverty eradication," Halonen added. Scientists estimate that every year, at least 12 million hectares of productive land is lost through desertification and drought alone, and that over 24 billion tons of fertile soil is lost through erosion. Poor agricultural practices are a leading driver and have become more powerful as weather events get more erratic and extreme. Welcoming Drylands Ambassador Halonen, Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary said, “Her Excellency is a global leader on sustainable development and women’s empowerment. We are deeply honored by her willingness to put her vast experience and expertise at the disposal of the Convention.” “Effective cooperation is a pre-requisite for addressing land degradation and reducing poverty. And she is a strong advocate on how to resolve the widespread poverty and gender disparities that are tearing apart societies, especially among many of the climate-vulnerable land-dependent dryland peoples of the world. We will also listen carefully to her advice,” Barbut added. At the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012, world leaders agreed to strive towards a land-degradation neutral world with a view to halt the rapid loss of productive land. Former Presidents Halonen of Finland and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde, who also became a UNCCD Drylands Ambassador in October 2013, intend to promote the realization of this vision. Halonen was President of Finland from March 2000 to March 2012, and is Finland’s first female head of state. Social justice and the promotion of equality have remained core issues in her political career. UNCCD Drylands Ambassadors are designated by the Executive Secretary and serve for a two-year term with the possibility of renewal.