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Innovative finance imperative to unlock the social, economic, environmental, and risk-reduction benefits of drought preparedness  Bonn/Stockholm, 22 August 2023 – Preparing for droughts, instead of waiting until they strike, saves lives and livelihoods. Building drought resilience comes with an array of social and environmental co-benefits, and the economic returns are between 2 and 10 times bigger than the initial investment, according to new analysis by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).  The policy brief ‘Investing in resilience: Innovative finance for drought preparedness’, demonstrates that enhancing resilience is one of the most cost-effective actions countries can take, and is typically far less expensive than interventions focused on responding to the impacts of droughts. But innovative financing mechanisms such as insurance schemes, risk pools, and government issued bonds are essential to fund the necessary long-term investments.  The Spanish Deputy Prime Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, H.E. Teresa Ribera, said: “As we know too well in Mediterranean countries, drought can devastate vital economic sectors such as agriculture and tourism. Our planet reached the hottest month on record in July: a reminder that investing in early warning systems and better land and water management is not a choice, but an existential imperative.”    The Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry of Kenya, H.E Soipan Tuya, noted: “With the Africa Climate Summit just days away, the need to invest in drought resilience becomes both urgent and clearer. By building our preparedness to drought, we also pave the way for a resilient tomorrow that echoes our commitment to combat climate challenges and chart a course toward prosperity for Africa and the world.”   Mobilizing investments in drought resilience is a key pillar of the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), a growing coalition of more than 30 countries and 20 institutions driving drought resilience in the face of climate change that is hosted by UNCCD.   Benefits beyond mitigating risk  Investing in drought resilience comes with a triple dividend: it helps avoid future losses; reduces risk, boosting productivity and innovation; and can improve human health, rural livelihoods, soil and water quality and climate change adaptation, among other benefits. For example, improving early warning systems and weather forecasts could save 23,000 lives and up to USD2 billion in developing countries every year.   According to the brief, sound economic evidence is essential for decision- and policy-making. An investment of USD 1.8 trillion in resilience and adaptation, focused on five priority areas from 2020 to 2030, could generate USD 7.1 trillion in total net benefits. Also, for every USD 1 spent in building resilience there could be up to USD 3 in benefits from reduced need for humanitarian aid and avoided losses.  Innovative finance solutions  Despite all multiple benefits, the costs of drought to societies and economies are often underestimated and investments in drought resilience are insufficient. Over the past decade, for instance, the official development assistance linked to disasters reached USD 141 billion, but only 5 per cent was allocated to preparedness.   The public sector will continue to be a major source of finance for drought resilience, meaning that governments must both make a more effective use of existing resources and increase available funding through innovative finance options.   The policy brief encourages governments to incorporate drought preparedness into existing financing plans, and to leverage a mix of financial strategies such as national disaster funds, credit lines, social protection programmes and weather-indexed insurances.   Policies, regulations and environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards can make it easier for private actors to invest in adaptation and resilience while staying competitive, and blended finance arrangements can draw on public resources to de-risk private investment.  UNCCD’s Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said: “Droughts are one of the world’s costliest and deadliest natural hazards, and they are hitting harder and faster because of climate change. Decision-makers must urgently leverage innovative financing mechanisms to boost resilience and deliver new economic opportunities for their countries, communities and companies.”  Notes to editors  Access the policy brief and its recommendations for governments, development partners, financial institutions and businesses here.  For media related inquires please contact the UNCCD Press Office: press@unccd.int  About UNCCD   The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner.  About IDRA  IDRA is the first global coalition creating political momentum and mobilizing financial and technical resources for a drought-resilient future. As a growing platform of more than 30 countries and 20 institutions, IDRA draws on the collective strengths of its members to advance policies, actions, and capacity-building for drought preparedness, acknowledging we are only as resilient to drought and climate change as our land is. The work of IDRA is aligned with, and supportive of, the mandate of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which hosts the IDRA Secretariat. 

From potatoes grown in recycled sacks to “more crop per drop” fruit tree varieties, climate-smart and women-led agriculture initiatives became the center of discussions at a recent interregional conference convened by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.   Fertile land is a precious commodity in Tajikistan, where 90% of the country's territory is covered by mountains and 60% of the population directly depend on agriculture for livelihood. Agriculture is a major part of Tajikistan’s economy. Can you spot the colors of one of its best-loved crops in the stripes of the national flag?   As heatwaves, droughts and other extreme climate events become more frequent and severe across the globe, regional cooperation and knowledge sharing are becoming a priority in building drought resilience and fighting land degradation.   In response to these growing challenges, representatives of Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from 1-2 July 2023 to discuss upscaling and coordinating legislative, educational, scientific and technical cooperation aimed at achieving Land Degradation Neutrality.  Water is so precious in Central Asia, some say it’s worth more than gold. Burrowing deep into the soil, this well in the Gissar Valley carries water that contains trace amounts of the precious metal  “Though we come from different climates and landscapes, we are united in the face of climate-induced drought and land degradation. Women who develop and test climate-smart and cost-effective solutions locally should be the ones spearheading regional and global efforts to grow and protect our food in the times of climactic stress,” participants stated.  Reflecting the theme of this year's Desertification and Drought Day “Her Land. Her Rights”, discussions centered on the key role of civil society organizations, particularly those led by women, in harnessing donor financing and advancing legislative action in support of gender-responsive land restoration projects that provide sustainable rural livelihoods.   Apples are the most popular fruit worldwide, and so are new ways to grow them more efficiently  After attending a training series at the Youth Ecological Center in Dushanbe, Mavluda Akhmedova is using the technology of growing potatoes directly in recycled sacks on her homestead in the Dekhanabod village. This approach has proven particularly effective as more frequent and sudden heatwaves and droughts in Tajikistan raise the risk of harvest loss. Growing potatoes in sacks lets the farmers control the temperature and humidity better and is of particular use on small plots where growing space is at a premium.  Greenhouses at the Agricultural University in Dushanbe use the latest technology, encouraging the students to test new approaches to efficient and sustainable crop production   During a visit to an experimental farm in the Gissar District, participants learned how students from Agricultural University in Dushanbe test classroom knowledge to implement the “more crop per drop” approach on their 800 hectares under tillage, including a fruit orchard, a vineyard and pasture.   Nothing tastes better than bread fresh from the oven! Farm-to-table is the way of life at the experimental farm of the Agricultural University of Dushanbe  The university hopes that new investments and focus on research, smart tech and innovation will bring more female students to the classrooms and labs.   Using compact varieties of fruit trees combined with drip irrigation means less water, less labour and less land are needed to produce comparable crop yields  By the end of 2023, Tajikistan intends to complete the process of joining the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Target-setting programme, bringing the number of countries who set voluntary LDN targets to 130, including all Central Asian nations.  Furthermore, participation in the World Bank’s RESILAND CA+ Initiative will allow Tajikistan to access the knowledge base of other engaged countries – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan – and train forest management and rangelands biodiversity specialists. Women are expected to become the majority of RESILAND CA+ projects’ participants and beneficiaries.   Photography by Didor Sadulloev via UNDP Tajikistan

Following the “Call for Requests for Support to Assist Countries in Strengthening Land Degradation Neutrality Targets and Integrated Land Use Planning Frameworks” launched on May 12th, the UNCCD would like to thank all the countries that responded to the call. After a thorough evaluation of all applications against the established selection criteria, and taking also into consideration a balanced representation of countries at (sub)regional levels, the following 18 countries were selected for participation in the second phase of the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme (LDN TSP 2.0) and the related GEF Enabling Activity project “Integrating Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) into land use planning frameworks to strengthen national UNCCD enabling environments”: Argentina, Benin, Central African Republic, Georgia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Republic of Moldova, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia and Türkiye. Detailed information on the selection process is included in document ICCD/CRIC(21)8 to be presented at the upcoming 21st Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention. The Secretariat and the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD look forward to working closely with the 18 selected countries as they advance in transforming their land-based agendas and lead the way for the UNCCD community in this regard.  

Visual Assets including b-roll, photos with captions and social media assets are available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1GSIl_7nTGVMwQySQGwoLGtggRzHkIn-m Bonn (Germany), 02 June 2023 - The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is proud to announce that three-time Grammy Award winning Indian musician Ricky Kej has been appointed one of its official Goodwill Ambassadors. He has previously served as UNCCD Land Ambassador, helping the Convention raise awareness of land degradation, desertification and drought with his fans around the world. In this new designation, he will act as an honorary spokesperson, playing a crucial role in raising awareness and advocating for the objectives of the Convention with youth, women, children and affected communities. This announcement comes two weeks before the global observance of Desertification and Drought Day with a high-level event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 16 June where Ricky will be performing alongside fellow UNCCD Goodwill Ambassadors, musicians Baaba Maal and Inna Modja. This year’s Desertification and Drought Day will put the global spotlight on women’s land rights under the slogan “Her Land. Her Rights”.   The UNCCD was set up in 1994 in response to the global challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought. The Convention works with its 197 Parties to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030,  a global target enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals. Up to 40 per cent of land worldwide is currently degraded, with dire consequences for our climate, biodiversity and livelihoods. Droughts are up 29 per cent since 2000, driven by climate change and land degradation. Women, especially those from poor and marginalized communities, are disproportionately affected, due to various factors including their limited access to and control of land. In all parts of the world, they face significant barriers in securing land rights, limiting their ability to thrive and prosper. Ibrahim Thiaw, Under-Secretary-General and UNCCD Executive Secretary, said: “I am honoured that Ricky Kej has agreed to take on the important role of UNCCD Goodwill Ambassador, joining musicians Baaba Maal and Inna Modja appointed to the same role earlier this year. With his global influence and commitment to sustainability, this outstanding artist will play a crucial role in raising awareness around the importance of combatting desertification, land degradation and drought. “I am confident that his appointment will significantly strengthen our efforts to mitigate today’s impacts of land degradation and advance tomorrow’s land stewardship to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner.” Ricky Kej, internationally renowned and three-time Grammy-Award-winning Indian music producer and singer, said: “It's a privilege to be a UNCCD Goodwill Ambassador, and I'm committed to raising awareness about land degradation neutrality while championing gender equality. I believe that by empowering women, we can inspire global action to protect our Earth and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.” “My passion for music and environmental action extends to promoting empowerment and equality for all. It is important to tackle desertification and land degradation while uplifting every member of our global community. As part of my mandate as UNCCD Goodwill Ambassador, I will continue to contribute to these efforts.” ENDS Notes to editors For more information or interviews, please contact:  UNCCD Press Office: press@unccd.int or unccd@portland-communications.com Xenya Scanlon, Chief of Communications, External Relations and Partnerships, xscanlon@unccd.int   Sarah Banda Genchev, Goodwill Ambassador Focal Point, sbanda-genchev@unccd.int About UNCCD  United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner. About Ricky Kej Ricky Kej is a music composer, US Billboard chart No.1 artist, and a three-time Grammy winner. He is also a passionate advocate for sustainable development and environmental action. In 2019, Ricky composed the UNCCD anthem “Born from the Land”, which he performed at the high-level event with his co-writer and fellow Goodwill Ambassador, Baaba Maal. Ricky’s environmentalist advocacy efforts have been recognized by various accolades over the years – he received the United Nations “Global Humanitarian Artist” award, the Ban Ki-moon Award and was named one of the 100 Real Leaders who ‘Inspire the Future’ as well as the Parliament of Canada’s Outstanding Musical and Humanitarian award and was named as one of the 100 Real Leaders who ‘Inspire the Future’. About Desertification and Drought Day 2023 This year’s Desertification and Drought Day, marked on 17 June, will put the global spotlight on women’s land rights with events taking place in New York and around the world.  The global observance event, titled “Her Land. Her Rights: Advancing Gender Equality and Land Restoration Goals” will take place at the United Nations Headquarters’ General Assembly Hall on Friday, 16 June 2023.  The event will be opened by the President of the 77th General Assembly, and will convene high-level policymakers, women leaders, renowned scientists, land activists, and youth representatives from around the world to discuss policies and actions needed to advance women’s land rights and promote stronger female leadership and decision-making power in sustainable land management.    The event is open to media and can be followed online via UN Web TV. More information, including registration details, can be found here.

Tobacco growing not only harms human health, but the health of our land as well, undermining the future of our food. While today a record 349 million people are facing acute food insecurity, tobacco is grown in over 124 countries, taking up 3.2 million hectares of fertile land that could be used to grow food. The World No Tobacco Day on 31 May under the slogan “Grow food, not tobacco” encourages governments to end tobacco-growing subsidies and use the savings to support farmers who make a switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition.    While we are aware of the health impact of tobacco, which kills more than 8 million people annually around the globe, we tend to think less about the destructive effect of tobacco cultivation for the environment. To meet the demand for land needed for tobacco cultivation, 200,000 hectares of forests are destroyed each year. For every 15 boxes of cigarettes sold, a tree is chopped down.  Tobacco causes other forms of land degradation, such as soil erosion, because it is usually planted as a monocrop, leaving topsoil poorly protected from wind and water, reducing soil fertility and disrupting water cycles. Tobacco crops also require large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that pollute the soil and pose a serious hazard for farmers and their families.  Recognizing that there is no sustainable future in tobacco, farmers in Kenya and Zambia are making a shift to growing high-yield and nutritious food crops such as high-iron beans with the support of the Tobacco-Free Farms Initiative launched by World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the UNCCD, supported by the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and in collaboration with the national ministries of health and agriculture.  Creating a supportive crop production and marketing ecosystem means mapping value chain options for nutrient-dense alternative food crops and supporting sourcing of inputs, training in good agricultural practices, enabling access to microfinance opportunities and credit, and improving post-harvest processing systems. Tobacco-Free Farms Initiative has been active in Migori County, Kenya for the last four growing seasons, successfully supporting over 1,400 farmers switching from tobacco to food crops and is currently being scaled to three new tobacco growing counties in Kenya (Meru, Busia, Bungoma) and one tobacco growing province in Zambia (Eastern Province).  By the end of 2024, the project expects:  At least 4000 farmers in Kenya (across four counties) and 1000 farmers in Zambia (across one province) will have converted from tobacco growing to alternative crops   At least 25 per cent increase in acres of land attributed to alternative crops in target counties/provinces  At least 200 per cent increase in annual income of 80 per cent of farmers who switch from tobacco growing to alternative crops  One of the key outcomes of the project is increased return-on-investment for farmers who shift from tobacco to alternative crops. Farmers supported by the initiative to grow high-iron beans are earning at least three times as much as they were growing tobacco in one season. What is good for the farmers is also good for the land. The Tobacco-Free Farms Initiative supports the 2030 agenda on poverty reduction, human health, reduced inequality and economic growth while tackling climate change and combating environmental degradation to secure land resources that feed the growing world population. 

While children are the least responsible for the environmental degradation, they are likely to inherit a tremendous burden of land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate crisis unless we take the urgent action to address these challenges. Children across the world – whether in Bhutan or Barbados, India or Namibia – have beautiful dreams of what the world should be, now and in the future. The UNCCD Capacity Development and Innovations Office is launching a project "Painting a beautiful World: A children's art story," inviting children to visualize how they feel (and why) about the land they inhabit. We invite children to harness their imagination and artistic gifts to draw pictures of nature, animals, their families, and the surrounding landscapes, highlighting the vital role of healthy land. We hope that the children’s art will carry the messages of environmental awareness while showcasing the uniqueness of cultures, regional landscapes and languages. Through art, the children can express their dreams of the world they want and portray solutions to help achieve a better life on Earth. The deadline for submissions is 19 June 2023. Campaign objectives The main goal of the project is to raise children's awareness on the importance of protecting the land and the environment, so that they can: Appreciate the great significance of land in their daily lives Become future stewards of healthy land Connect with other children in the common quest to protect the land Gain greater awareness of the importance of sustainable development to ensure a secure future for the children of the world We also hope to facilitate an active dialogue between children and adults on environmental stewardship and the need to create a secure future together.   Rules Format for submissions: A hand-drawn illustration in crayon, paint, pencil, pen or any other color medium The maximum size of the finished artwork should be A4 Participation is FREE and open to an individual child or group of children of the same school Individual participants may submit up to two pieces of artwork, groups are allowed to submit one piece Participants must be between 6 years and 12 years of age by the submission deadline  The artwork must be the original work of the participant(s), not published previously The submission of each participant or group of participants must be approved by a parent, teacher or a guardian All drawings must be submitted through this link, in a gif, jpg, jpeg or png format scanned from the original artwork created by hand The participants grant the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), its partners and other UN agencies, as well as other persons or entities authorized by the Secretariat, a free-of-charge, non-exclusive, irrevocable, transferable, perpetual, worldwide right to use the copyright, related rights or any other intellectual property rights in accordance with existing law or that may arise by law concerning the submitted drawings The UNCCD is entitled to publish the drawings while carrying no obligation to do so If an entry is considered for an award, the intended awardee will be asked to submit proof of age All entries and the participants' details (name, age, school or town) may be used in publicity campaigns by UNCCD Participation in this exercise means full acceptance of all rules stated above. Selection process All submissions will be evaluated by the UNCCD Capacity Development and Innovations Office, which will grant awards of 50 euros each for the submissions considered the six best.  Special awards of 100 euros with be given to the school submissions considered the three best. All participants will receive certificates of recognition.