COP14: Conference reaches major breakthroughs

New Delhi, India – The global community has long recognized that land degradation/desertification is a major economic, social and environmental problem of concern to many countries in all regions of the world. In an unprecedented global campaign to save productive land, country parties have agreed to make the Sustainable Development Goal target of achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030 a national target for action.

Countries will address insecurity of land tenure, including gender inequality in land tenure, promote land restoration to reduce land-related carbon emissions and mobilize innovative sources of finance from public and private sources to support the implementation of these decisions at country-level. 

The framework used for reporting action will be improved to ensure it captures key issues, such as gender equality, drought response and the influence of consumption and production patterns and flows on land degradation. Through the Delhi Declaration, ministers expressed support for new initiatives or coalitions aiming to improve human health and well-being, the health of ecosystems, and to advance peace and security.

Read more: 

• Joint Press Statement of Mr. Prakash Javadekar, President COP 14 and Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD