Reviving dying land is doable by 2030, UN review concludes

Bonn, Germany – Reviving damaged lands and the livelihoods of people affected by desertification, land degradation and drought can be possible by 2030, according to participants who attended the 17th Committee to Review the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC17), which ended yesterday in Georgetown, Guyana.

In the four years since countries reached the agreement to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN) by 2030, 120 of the 169 countries affected by desertification, land degradation or drought have started identifying where to reduce the risk of degradation and where to recover degrading land.

The Committee reviewed the first-of-its-kind global assessment of land degradation by governments, based on quantitative earth observation data collected and analyzed in at least 127 countries. CRIC17 laid out a range of actions that address issues such as land rights, drought and gender equality, for governments to consider and agree on when they meet in October of this year in New Delhi, India, during the 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP14).

The Committee also thanked the outgoing Executive Secretary for her outstanding commitment and dedicated service. Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania has been announced as her successor.

Read more:

• Full press release
• UNCCD CRIC17