WAD3 presented at the European Commission

Brussels, Belgium – The third edition of the World Atlas of Desertification (WAD3), developed in partnership by UNCCD, the European Commission and its Joint Research Center, was presented at the European Commission headquarters on 27 November 2018. Juan Carlos Mendoza, the Managing Director of the Global Mechanism of UNCCD, welcomed the Atlas as an essential source that can enable evidence-based policy-making and help the Convention's country Parties' to find environmental solutions based on sound science. 

Mr. Mendoza congratulated the Atlas team on their work of "the highest analytical caliber" and emphasized that at the time when policy makers and the general public demand a clear rationale for the use of scarce resources in taking policy action, the Atlas provides a comprehensive overview of sustainable land management examples and the economics of land degradation, presenting the analytics for quantifying the cost of inaction and analyzing potential solutions.

The data and analysis in the Atlas will become integral tools that countries can use in their work towards achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN). So far, 120 countries are working to establish targets to achieve LDN by 2030 as part of their Sustainable Development Goals.  

Read more about WAD3 on the UNCCD Knowledge Hub.