Bonn, 8 June 2018 - Ahead of the World Day to Combat Desertification to be celebrated on Sunday, 17 June 2018, Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification, has penned an opinion for dissemination by mainstream, alternative and social media, on this occasion. The opinion is available in all UN languages: Arabic, Chin…
9 May 2018 - Bonn, Germany – The global economy will lose a whopping USD23 trillion by 2050 through land degradation, a review by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) warns. To take urgent action now and halt these alarming trends would cost USD4.6 trillion – only a fraction of the predicted losses.
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.
Ordos, September 12 – “Consumption of the earth's natural reserves has doubled in the last 30 years, with a third of the planet's land now severely degraded. Each year, we lose 15 billion trees and 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil. Smallholder farmers, women and indigenous communities are the most vulnerable, given their reliance on land-based…
Ordos, September 11, 2017 – Up to 2 billion hectares of land are degraded. On average, 12 million hectares are lost every year and 169 countries are affected by land degradation, desertification and drought. In an unprecedented global campaign to save productive land, 112 countries, as of today, have agreed to make the Sustainable Development Goal…
Hamburg/ Bonn/Ordos – 22 August 2017 – More people, less erosion – Ethiopia’s Tigray region demonstrates that this can be a reality: They will take home the Gold Future Policy Award 2017, beating 26 other nominated policies to the prize. Also known as “Oscar for Best Policies,” the Future Policy Award highlights the world’s best policies that…
Hamburg/Bonn, 20 July 2017 – The 2017 Future Policy Award has released a shortlist of the world’s best policies for tackling land degradation, one of humanity’s foremost challenges that undermines food security, livelihoods and the health of hundreds of millions of people.
The global observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification took place on Thursday, 15 June 2017 at the Centre des Conférences de Ouaga 2000, in Ouagadogou, Burkina Faso. Over 400 international and local participants attended the ceremonies including Presidents, ministers and high-ranking officials, and Cardinal and Archbishop of Ouagadougou. …
“Our land. Our home. Our Future,” is the rallying call for this year’s celebration of the World Day to Combat Desertification on 17 June 2017. The slogan draws global attention to the central role productive land can play in turning the growing tide of migrants abandoning unproductive land into communities and nations that…
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Marrakesh, (15/11/16) - “The Kingdom of Morocco will host the Africa Regional coordination Unit of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This will provide the secretariat with vital support services that the Parties to the Convention need to effectively implement the Convention in Africa.”
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Alarmed by the dangerous effects of climate change especially on fragile and unstable communities, African governments meeting at the Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, agreed on practical measures to set the region on a path towards security, stability and sustainability. A Task Force, with regional…
Stockholm, Sweden, 1 September 2016 – On the occasion of the world water week in Stockholm, the UNCCD coordinated a panel discussion event together with the German Development Institute (DIE), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The event was attended by approximately 50…
Stockholm, Sweden, 26 August 2016 – Given the multi-faceted nature and interconnectedness of drought, food security, conflict and migration, the UNCCD is co-hosting a panel event focusing on the need for integrated approaches and the institutional coherence in order to identify solutions, minimize cross-sectoral trade-offs and harness synergies.…
Konya-Mersin, Turkey, 23 August 2016 – Each year Turkey’s General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion organizes an International Training Course on Combating Desertification. This year, the training will take place from 23-27 August in Konya-Mersin for experts from Central Asia and the Balkans. The training is supported by Turkish…
Windhoek, Namibia, 19 August, 2016 – African Drought Conference hosted by the government of Namibia ended with adaption of “The Windhoek Declaration for Enhancing Resilience to Drought in Africa” on 19 August. The declaration states the commitments to implement the Strategic Framework for Drought Risk Management and Enhancing Resilience in Africa;…
Windhoek, Namibia, 15 August 2016 – Some 400 delegates from across Africa and beyond have come together in Windhoek, Namibia for the first African Drought Conference. International and African leaders and experts are set to find solutions to the recurring drought events and their associated impacts.
Windhoek, Namibia, 8 August 2016 – The Third Africa Drylands Week started today in Windhoek, Namibia. The opening ceremony was chaired by H.E. Mr. Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment and Tourism of Namibia. Messages were delivered by the representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations…
Ottawa, Ontario, June 17, 2016 – We welcome the joint statement by Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, on the World Day to Combat Desertification, announcing that Canada intends to re-sign the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and…
Beijing, China, 17 June 2016 – China and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification today launched the Joint Action Initiative to combat desertification, rehabilitate degraded land and mitigate the effects of drought (JAI). The initiative aims to make the whole region along the “Silk Road” environmentally sound and ecologically sustainable.
Konya-Mersin/Adana, Turkey, 5 June, 2016 – International Combating Desertification Training” was held in Konya, Mersin, and Adana, Turkey from 30 May to 5 June, 2016. The training course was conducted by the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, supported by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). 68 participants attended to the…
