News & stories

On 12 April the Team of the Capacity Building Marketplace (CBM) visited the high school students of the CJD Christophorusschule in Königswinter, Germany. The main purpose of this visit was to raise awareness about the importance of engaging the youth in sustainable development and the value of the land to our lives. The multinational/multicultural CBM Team comprising Anna Berecz (Hungary), Lina Pérez (Colombia), Jorge Sanz (Spain), Raissa Tadia (Cameroon) and Ines Belhous (France) engaged around 80 students between the ages of 15 and 18 on several issues including the importance of proper land management, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the work being done under the Convention, and the opportunities that  the Marketplace offers, such as scholarships, university programs, vacancies, and much more. They also demonstrated through video and stories of personal experiences what it means to be an intern at the UNCCD, and doing daily work at the Marketplace.

Ankara, Türkiye – To raise global awareness of desertification that affects the livelihoods of millions of people around the world  and to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD), the government of Türkiye, together with the Photographic Arts Federation and other partners, is launching an international photo contest "Desertification and Life." The winning entries will be awarded and exhibited at the WDCD global observance event in Ankara on 17 June 2019. Deadline for submissions is 28 May 2019. More info...

Bolgatanga, Ghana – Entrepreneurs and policy makers from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali and Niger came together on 15-16 April to explore the potential of creating new markets for crops grown in the Sahel. The workshop, organized by UNCCD together with a social enterprise Aduna and a local NGO ORGIIS, invited the participants to share views on the potential of growing and exporting dryland crops such as moringa and fonio for creating new jobs in the region. SEED, MBC Africa, Ecocert, SINERGI and Tree Aid also contributed to the workshop, providing information on organic certification, opportunities for landscape restoration in supply chains, financing and support for entrepreneurs. “Now we know who to ask for support as a start up," said Aziz Kasim from Moringa Connect in Ghana. Workshop participants also visited the Aduna and ORGIIS baobab-processing center and met with representatives of women’s cooperatives who harvest and process baobab fruit. The outcomes of the training session in Northern Ghana will help develop a Great Green Entrepreneurs training kit that can be used throughout the Sahel region. Funding for the workshop was provided through the Local Environmental Coalition for a Green Union project (FLEUVE) financed by the European Commission and the Soil Leadership Academy to support the Great Green Wall Initiative. Read more: The Great Green Wall Initiative

Bouznika, Morocco – The UNCCD Regional Coordination Unit for Africa is taking part in the OSS (L'Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel) board meeting to review and take decisions on the financial and activity report for the 2018 work plan as well as adopt the proposals for the current year. OSS is an intergovernmental organization that supports African countries in monitoring land degradation and facilitating the development and implementation of projects related to desertification, land degradation and drought. OSS, created in the context of the Rio process in 1992, brings together member states from Africa and developed countries. The organization is based in Tunis, Tunisia.

Santiago, Chile – The annual Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) on Sustainable Development opened on April 24 at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). More than a thousand people, including representatives of government, international institutions, the private sector, academia and civil society, will review the progress and challenges regarding implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the region. During the meeting, ECLAC will present the quadrennial report on regional progress and challenges in implementing 2030 Agenda, prepared in collaboration with UN agencies including UNCCD.  “This Forum will also allow the region to speak with one voice, its own voice, in the global debate on implementation of the Agenda 2030, which is a civilizing and transformative agenda that the world has set for 2030. That voice, your voice, expresses shared motivations and concerns, without denying regional diversity, and it is capable of incorporating distinct views. For all these reasons, we invite you to take an active part in this regional gathering,” said ECLAC’s Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena. The Forum was launched in May 2016 in Mexico City as a regional mechanism for implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Agenda, adopted in 2015 by the 193 countries represented in the UN  General Assembly, encompasses 17 goals and 169 related targets in diverse areas of development.  Read more: About the Forum Land and SDGs  

Marrakech, Morocco – The "Sustainability, Stability and Security" (3S) Initiative was presented at the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in Marrakech on 18 April 2019. The Initiative was highlighted as an example of good practice in south-south cooperation to leverage the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs during the event organized by the Centre de Competence Changement Climatique and the Secretariat of State on Sustainable Development of the Kingdom of Morocco with support from UNDP.  Addressing the audience, the representatives of Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and Niger reiterated their firm commitment to the implementation of the 3S Initiative in their countries. The Initiative is an inter-governmental action to provide alternatives to forced migration and radicalization by creating jobs for young people, women and migrants through the restoration of degraded lands. It aims to contribute to environmental and climate change action as well as prevent radicalization in both transit and origin countries, minimizing forced migration caused by environmental factors. Read more: 3S Initiative Land and human security Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development 2019