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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 13 January 2012 – The United Nations has released the draft document that will be negotiated by governments and adopted by the heads of state and government during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 20-22 June 2012. The 20-page document, which will serve as a decision-making framework, highlights national and international political determination to pursue a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. The zero draft, as it is referred to, calls for enhanced support by the international community in the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The document recognizes the economic and social significance of land and its impact on growth, food security and poverty eradication. It highlights the intensity of land degradation and desertification on most of Africa’s arable land as a serious challenge to sustainable development. The zero draft also highlights the need to support partnerships and initiatives for the safeguarding of soil resources and scientific studies aimed at raising global awareness of the economic benefits of sustainable land management. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hopes that the UNCSD, popularly known as Rio Plus 20 (Rio+20), would result in an agreement with Sustainable Development Goals. The UNCCD has called for Rio+20 to put an end to the unrelenting pace of land degradation by agreeing on a goal and target. The draft also outlines the urgent need for the engagement of all major stakeholders – civil society, governments and private sector – in order to eradicate poverty, achieve food security, guarantee effective water and energy management, public health, inclusive and equitable growth. Notes to Editors: The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio+20, will take place in Brazil on 20-22 June 2012. It will mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. The Conference will result in a political document, which will renew political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and address new and emerging challenges.

Bonn, Germany, 25 January 2012 – The Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture of Cape Verde, Ms. Eva Ortet, visited the secretariat on 23 January 2012. During the exchange with the Executive Secretary the discussion focused on the significant efforts and successes achieved by the Rep. of Cape Verde in the areas of reforestation, land reclamation and the integrated management of scarce water resources. They also discussed preparatory activities at the Rio + 20 Summit (June 2012), and the possible role of the CPLP countries that are all facing desertification, land degradation and recurrent droughts.

  25 January 2012, Bonn, Germany, 25 January 2012 – Hon. Dr. Haroun Kabadi, President of the National Assembly of Chad and recently elected Chair of the Steering Committee of the UNCCD Parliamentarian Forum was joined by Madame Khadidja Hassaballah and Mr. Keda Ballah, Members of the National Assembly for in-depth discussions with Luc Gnacadja at the UNCCD secretariat. The consultation covered practical measures needed to follow up on the declaration made by the 9th Parliamentarian Round Table, held at COP 10 in Changwon; upcoming activities of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentarian Forum; the role of the UNCCD at UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) and operationalization of the Convention in Chad.    

Bonn, Germany, 20 December 2011 – The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has recently announced the Land for Life Award, with a fund of up to 100,000 USD, to recognize excellence in sustainable land management, particularly efforts that promote the natural health and productivity of the earth's soils. The deadline for applications is 29 February 2012. The award will go to outstanding initiatives which reduce land degradation through sustainable land management, or are outstanding examples of political leadership, policy, business, advocacy campaigns or scientific research. With the launch of the award, the UNCCD secretariat and partners aim to raise awareness about the benefits of soil preservation, and that restoring degraded land is a key solution to some of the pressing problems of our time, such as hunger and global climate change. "Globally, two billion hectares of degraded forest and agricultural land offers opportunity for restoration and investment, and that does not include the potential in some dry areas such as the Sahel," said Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, when launching the award. "Turning this degraded land into productive land will require action from people at all levels, from business and policy makers, to community groups and farmers. By rewarding success stories and best practices through the Land for Life Award, we aim to celebrate and bring visibility to these unsung 21st Century heroes, to contribute towards the scaling up of their work and hopefully generate interest among others to support their initiatives. We also want to cultivate a culture of learning new and innovative ways to restore degraded land. Only then can we hope to achieve a land degradation neutral world." A jury of ten prominent leaders from the field of sustainable land management will select the award winners and determine the prize money allocation. Representing civil society, the jury includes: Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned seed sovereignty activist and founder Nevdanya International in India; Professor Mick Dodson, a prominent indigenous land rights advocate and the 2009 Australian of the Year; and Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF International and former Minister of the Environment in Ecuador. From the field of academia and science, the jury includes: Dr. Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Sustainable Development in the UK; Dr. Mary Seely, Founder, Desert Research Foundation of Namibia, and Dr. Dennis Garrity, UNCCD Drylands Ambassador and former Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre in Kenya. Dr. Joachim von Braun, Director of the Center for Development Research in Germany, and Dr. Naomi Kipuri, a Masaai anthropologist and Executive Director of the Arid Lands Institute in Kenya, will also serve on the jury. From the inter-governmental side, the jury will include the Minister of the Korea Forest Service, Dr. Don Koo Lee, who is also currently the president of the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the UNCCD, and Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. The winners will be announced on the World Day to Combat Desertification on 17 June 2012, and honoured at the 11th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention. The 2012 Land for Life award is a collaboration between the UNCCD and the Korea Forest Service, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Global Environment Facility, International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Qatar National Food Security Programme, the Business Forum in Korea and the Elion Resources Group, China. About the UNCCD Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of healthy soils. The Convention's 194 signatory Parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore the land's productivity, and mitigate the effects of drought. For more information, please visit the Land for Life web page. Or contact: Emily Davila Email: L4L@unccd.int Tel: +49 (0) 228 815 2831

Bonn, Germany, 14 December 2011 – Tropical timber is a valuable agricultural commodity whose production however has been associated with excessive forest clearing in dry tropical forests, causing degradation of these biomes with all its implications. To stop and reverse this detrimental process, measures for a sustainable management of the resource base of tropical timber are necessary, as is transparency in its international trade and utilization. This is addressed by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), whose members represent about 80% of the world's tropical forests and 90% of the global tropical timber trade. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has now joined forces with ITTO by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding which was signed by the Executive Director of ITTO, Mr. Emmanuel Ze Meka, and the Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Mr. Luc Gnacadja, during the 17th Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa on 7 December 2011. In an initial three-year cooperation within the framework of their respective ongoing work programmes, ITTO and UNCCD will aim to advance the implementation of sustainable forest management and sustainable land use management in dry tropical areas. Both bodies are well placed to further these endeavours, since all ITTO consumer and producer member countries, signatories of the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), are also members and signatories of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). For more information: Sergio A. Zelaya-Bonilla Coordinator Policy for Advocacy on Global Issues and Platforms United Nations Secretariat Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10 53113 Bonn, Germany Tel: +49 228 8152825 Fax: +49 228 8152898/99 szelaya@unccd.int

Bonn, Germany/New York, United States, 16 November 2011 – The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Luc Gnacadja, has named Leila Lopes, Miss Universe 2011, as the Drylands Ambassador of the Convention. Drylands Ambassadors are appointed to take a lead in raising international awareness of land degradation, its causes and possible solutions. The other recent appointees are Dr Dennis Garrity, outgoing Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre, South African gospel singer Deborah Fraser, and Spanish football star Carlos Marchena. "Miss Lopes comes from the African region where desertification, meaning the degradation of the land in the dryland areas, is the foremost environmental challenge. Part of her home country of Angola is threatened by desertification," said Mr Gnacadja during the announcement. Recent studies show that up to 2 billion hectares of degraded land and forest globally have the potential for restoration. "Land degradation entrenches affected populations into poverty, food insecurity and hunger and corrodes the three pillars of sustainable development. Achieving the change needed will take strong advocacy and outreach, but for long-term sustainability to be achieved three things are essential," Mr Gnacadja said. "We must commit to making the world land degradation neutral through preventive actions and by restoring an equivalent amount of the land we degrade every year. We must cultivate a culture of innovation and knowledge sharing required for an effective land stewardship, and we must contribute to the mainstreaming of sustainable land management techniques. The influence and aura that the Drylands Ambassadors possess can help us to achieve this essential endeavor for our common future, and we are delighted that Miss Lopes has agreed to be a part of this cause." Accepting the appointment, Miss Lopes said: "I am humbled and honored to be called upon to serve as a Drylands Ambassador for the Convention. This is an opportunity for me to be another voice for attending to land degradation and desertification throughout the world in order to create awareness on this important policy issue. By sharing knowledge and working together, we can help secure the health and productivity of all the drylands." Miss Lopes was crowned Miss Universe 2011 in São Paulo, Brazil, on September 12, 2011 after beating 88 competitors. Prior to being crowned, Miss Lopes held the title of Miss Angola Universe and was active with various social causes in her country. She worked with poor children and the elderly, as well as helped educate the Angolan community about HIV/AIDS. These are all concerns that resonate with a majority of the 1.5 billion poor people around the world who live off degrading land. In addition to speaking on behalf of these populations, the appointment of Miss Lopes as the Drylands Ambassador to advance the cause of the world becoming land degradation neutral enables her to fight for future generations, ensuring that we are good stewards of the land they have entrusted to us. For more information about Drylands ambassadors, or interviews with the UNCCD Executive Secretary contact: Ms Wagaki Mwangi Tel: +49 228 8152820 Email: wmwangi@unccd.int For interviews with the Miss Universe, contact: Ms Brenda C. Mendoza Tel: + 1-212-373 4983 Email: bmendoza@missuniverse.com