China launches knowledge management center for desertification control in cooperation with UNCCD

Guiyang, China – Mr. Pradeep Monga, UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary, on behalf of UNCCD, and Mr. Xu Qinglin, on behalf of Ningxia Forestry and Grassland Administration of China, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of the International Knowledge Management Center on February 26, 2019. 

Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, described the MoU as a very important step toward stronger cooperation between the UNCCD and China to enhance knowledge management as well as build capacity of national institutions and experience sharing among parties. 

Thiaw referred to the new satellite data released by NASA showing a planet greener than it was 20 years ago, thanks in large part to the massive tree planting and sustainable agricultural practices being followed in China and India. 

The event took place in the sidelines of the UNCCD COP13 Bureau meeting, held in Guiyang, China. The COP13 Bureau discussed, among others, the outcomes of the CRIC17 meeting recently held in Guyana, and the activities of the Committee on Science and Technology, including preparations for the upcoming CST14. The Bureau further addressed the draft agenda for the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP14) to take place in October 2019 in New Delhi, India; and the details of the midterm evaluation of the UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework and the status of the study to evaluate the potential of the Convention to address desertification, as a driver of irregular migration.