Caux Dialogue on Land and Security

Representatives of governments, international organizations, businesses and media from different regions, cultures and age groups attended the Dialogue on Land and Security in Caux, France from 11 – 15 July 2017. The Dialogue recognized that the restoration of degraded lands is not only a key element of environmental sustainability – it is instrumental to peace and security as well. Loss of productive lands and livelihoods exacerbated by climate change, desertification and population growth are major drivers of forced migration and conflict in fragile regions and economies. Re-establishing land’s productivity is central to promoting peace and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Dr. Pradeep Monga addressed the forum in the keynote speech, presenting the organization’s activities and programmes that focus on land, security and stability. He highlighted the UNCCD flagship 3S (Sustainability. Stability. Security) Initiative, which addresses root causes of land-related migration and conflict and works to provide alternatives to forced migration and radicalization.
Recognizing social and financial opportunities and challenges of fighting land degradation, the Dialogue participants emphasized the following steps to reshaping the approach to agricultural investments:

• Provide incentives for farmers who invest in land restoration and reward the global services of small farmers who nourish their soils
• Focus action and capacity building on local communities, where knowledge of land management exists, partnerships for change can be forged and land-related conflicts can be prevented or resolved
• Include women and youth in all sustainable action, provide them with leadership opportunities and create land-based jobs for the most vulnerable social groups
• Increase drought resilience by developing early warning systems and building resilience to drought through effective policies and risk mitigation
• Realize enormous investment opportunities of land restoration by blending public and private financing to bring successful initiatives to scale

The issues of restoration and conservation of ecosystems and resources will also become the focus of the next year’s Dialogue on Land and Security, as well as the summer academy for mid-career policy-makers, experts and development partners involved in the issues of land and security.