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Land degradation in the Horn of Africa poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of millions, reducing agricultural productivity and exacerbating food insecurity. The region, where 70 per cent of the area is classified as arid or semi-arid, is experiencing its most severe drought in the past four decades, with dire consequences for local livelihoods and resilience. By December 2022, over 36.5 million people have been significantly impacted by the drought, with more than 20 million facing acute food insecurity as a direct consequence. Border communities face persistent poverty, as well as food insecurity, conflict, mass displacement, limited access to public services, environmental degradation, severe climate impacts and diminished agricultural outputs. In Ethiopia, for example, nearly 85 per cent of the land is affected by degradation, impacting approximately 30 million people, and costing the country an estimated USD 4.3 billion annually in lost agricultural productivity. The potential of sustainable land management and landscape restoration to address negative impacts of climate change and conflict became the focus of a UNCCD Peace Forest Initiative (PFI) workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 28–30, 2024. The goal of the Initiative is to foster peace and trust in conflict-affected and fragile settings by uniting communities across national borders to co-manage shared land resources and ecosystems. As climate change intensifies conflicts over natural resources, the PFI has the potential to assist countries in the Horn of Africa in integrating environmental and resource management into their conflict resolution practices, helping local communities secure livelihoods and address transboundary issues such as land degradation and water scarcity. The workshop in Addis Ababa focused on three main intervention areas: Sustainable, integrated landscapes management Development of agricultural commodities, value chains and trade\ Improvement of data management and sharing, and access Building on the groundwork laid at the inaugural PFI workshop in Nairobi in June 2023, this year’s event showcased a step-by-step approach to tackling environmental and socio-economic challenges in the Horn of Africa. Representatives of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda together with government officials, representatives of development agencies and regional organizations attended the workshop, organized by the Global Mechanism of UNCCD, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and CIFOR-ICRAF. As the Director General of the Ethiopian Forestry Development at the Ministry of Agriculture in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Kebede Yimam, noted, “Forest landscape restoration activities are of paramount importance to enhance our economic development, improve the livelihood of farm households, conserve biodiversity and enhance resilience to climate change impacts.” Workshop participants agreed on the need to align PFI activities with existing regional frameworks and initiatives, such as the Great Green Wall Initiative. IGAD representatives also presented existing projects that could be included in the PFI. Representatives of each participating country outlined national priorities and discussed challenges they face, such as data and resource availability. The workshop outlined actionable interventions to reverse land degradation, improve livelihoods and build climate resilience. The next workshop, planned for early 2025, will be validating project concepts and finalizing detailed project proposals in the participating countries. These outcomes will also contribute to the work of the upcoming UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP16), ensuring that the PFI approaches are integrated into broader international dialogue on land degradation and sustainable land management.

Paris, 26 July 2024 - Desertification and land degradation represent a major challenge for the global sporting community. Sports pitches are directly affected by these phenomena. Drought and extreme temperatures make playing surfaces harder and more brittle, increasing the risk of injury for athletes. In addition, frequent heatwaves mean sporting events must be rescheduled, disrupting athletes' preparation and performance.According to a recent survey, 75 per cent of athletes perceive a negative impact on their health and performance because of climate change. In addition to the direct effects on athletes, global warming reduces opportunities for community and youth activities, particularly affecting marginalized groups.Healthy land not only provides us with almost 95 per cent of our food but so much more: it clothes and shelters us, provides us with jobs and livelihoods and protects us from worsening droughts, floods and forest fires. At the same time, population growth and unsustainable production and consumption patterns fuel demand for natural resources. By 2050, 10 billion people will share our planet and depend on healthy land for their livelihoods.To address these issues, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is organizing a ‘Desertification Day’ on 31 July 2024 at the Africa Station of the Olympic Games on Ile-Saint-Denis. The aim of the event is to raise awareness and get the sporting community involved in land issues ahead of UNCCD COP16, the UN's biggest conference on land issues, in December 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.In partnership with the Mairie de l'île-Saint-Denis and the Association d'Esprit d'Ebène, the UNCCD is offering exciting activities such as a desertification fresco, an oasis of solutions, a desertification quiz with prizes to be won, and a screening of the film ‘The Great Green Wall’ by Inna Modja, the UNCCD's Goodwill Ambassador.To mark the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, a debate will be organized with athletes and personalities from the world of sport to demonstrate the links between desertification and sport.Among the participants are:Merem Tahar, Special Envoy on Youth of the President of UNCCDCOP15, Chad/FranceNaomi Akakpo, Olympic Athlete (hurdler), Togo/FranceMustapha Berraf, First Vice-President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, AlgeriaVladyslava Kravchenko, Para Swimming Athlete and member of the International Paralympic Committee's Athletes' Council, MaltaThe day will also see the launch of the UNCCD's ‘Sport4Land’ campaign, which aims to get sports personalities involved in protecting the land: #United4Land for a prosperous future.Restoring land is an effective method of promoting a better quality of life, ensuring food security and sustainable growth.A healthy playground starts with a healthy planet. Let's commit to preserving our land in the same way we commit to our favorite sport!For media enquiries, please contact press@unccd.int.

Accreditation for media is now available for the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).  The conference will take place from 2 to 13 December 2024 at Boulevard Riyadh City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ( Al Imam Saud Ibn Faysal Rd, Hittin, Riyadh).  Journalists are invited to apply for accreditation via our Online Registration System (ORS).  Please note that the Online Registration System (ORS) is the only platform through which media accreditation and permission to cover COP 16 can be obtained. The UNCCD secretariat does not accept accreditation requests via email or post. Any materials sent outside the ORS will not be processed.  Please ensure that all documents comply with the specified requirements and that the applicant details are consistent throughout the application. Kindly note that participation is moderated and that all registrations must be approved.  Please monitor your ORS account for any additional documentation or information requests that may be required to confirm your application. Once your registration has been confirmed, you will be sent a Registration Acknowledgement Form.  Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us via your online registration account or at press@unccd.int   Further details will be made available on our website in due course. 

The secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) presents its compliments to the Embassy and has the honour to inform that the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16), the twenty-second session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC22) and the sixteenth session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST16) to the UNCCD will take place in Riyadh, at Al Imam Saud Ibn Faysal Rd, Hittin,  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2 to 13 December 2024. The secretariat of UNCCD has the honour to invite the Government of your country to participate in COP16 under the overarching theme “Our land, our future”. Regional consultations of affected country Parties of the Convention’s regional implementation annexes for Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern Mediterranean and Central and Eastern European country Parties in preparation to COP16 will be convened  in two periods, one set of meetings will happen in the regions during September and October, and the second set of meetings will happen in Riyadh prior to the session from 30 November to 1 December 2024, at the same venue. For the regional consultation meetings, specific invitations and information will be sent to the different regions.  A high-level segment[1] including a Leaders Summit will be organized at the beginning of the session on 2 and 3 December. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working closely with the secretariat and numerous partners to deliver an ambitious Riyadh Action Agenda that will include thematic days to raise awareness and scale up transformative solutions. During the thematic days several side events and official high-level events will happen under different formats including High Level Interactive Dialogues, Ministerial Round Tables and Special Events. Specific information about the thematic days and the events will be uploaded at https://www.unccd.int/cop16. The high-level interactive dialogues focusing on the following topics: (a) agri-food systems, (b) land governance and (c) science-innovation and technology will be organized from 5 to 9 December 2024. Ministerial dialogues on drought resilience and finance will be organized from 10 to 11 December 2024. During the initial segment, from 2 to 6 December, in addition to the CST16 and CRIC22 sessions, the Committee of the Whole (COW) would initiate its work. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the civil society input in the deliberations of the COP, two half-days of open dialogue sessions have been planned on 5 and 9 December in the morning. During the concluding segment, the COP will consider all decisions not previously adopted. It will decide inter alia on the date and venue of the twenty-third session of the CRIC taking into account decision 13/COP.13 on the terms of reference of the CRIC, its operations and its schedule of meetings, and any further decision on the matter taken during the current session. The secretariat and the incoming presidency recognize the importance of whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, and welcomes the inclusion of representatives of youth, women, and civil society organizations, indigenous peoples and local communities, private sector, academia, local governments, among others, as part of your delegation. All Embassies of Parties and NFP to UNCCD In order to assist delegations in preparing for the conference, a provisional agenda and relevant documents for the session are being made available on the UNCCD website[2] including the “Information for participants” (ICCD/COP(16)/INF.1) document. It is requested that representatives of Parties to the Convention be provided with full powers to participate in the session, including the possibility to serve as officers of COP16 and its subsidiary bodies, and of any sessional committees, working groups or subsidiary bodies, established by the Conference. The secretariat of the UNCCD would like to remind that, in accordance with Rule 19 of the rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties, the credentials of delegations shall be issued either by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or, in the case of a regional economic integration organization, by the competent authority of that organization. Parties are kindly requested to observe this requirement. It is brought to the attention of States that are not Parties at the time of COP16 that, in accordance with article 22, paragraph 7 of the Convention and rule 7 of the rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties, anybody or agency, whether national or international, governmental or non-governmental, which is qualified in matters covered by the Convention and which has informed the Permanent Secretariat of its wish to be represented at a session of the Conference of the Parties as an observer may be so admitted unless at least one third of the Parties present at the session object. Please also note that COP16 will be a paperless session. Accordingly, official pre-session documents for COP16/CRIC22/CST16 sessions will be made available on the UNCCD website and the UNCCD Conference app. Official documents prepared in session will also be posted on the website and the Conference app. Limited quantities may be printed on demand only. The secretariat would be grateful if the Government of your country would kindly nominate the representative(s) who will attend COP16. Online registration will be available from 15 July 2024 on this link: https://www.unccd.int/cop16/registration. All participants are required to upload an official nomination letter confirming their capacity to attend the COP16 session. For more information on the online registration, please refer to the document “Information for participants” (ICCD/COP(16)/INF.1).  The secretariat would like to draw your attention that participants are responsible for getting their own visas, hotel reservations and any type of health or other insurance they may need. While the secretariat will assist with the issuance of Note Verbale, participants requiring visas must therefore obtain these from the Embassies or Consulates of Saudi-Arabia in their country before their departure to Riyadh. The secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification avails itself of the opportunity to renew to the Embassy, the assurances of its highest consideration. [1] Information about the high-level segment will be included in document ICCD/COP(16)/INF.2 and made available on the UNCCD website [2] Please check the following link: https://www.unccd.int/cop16/official-documents  

On behalf of the UNCCD, I welcome the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation to further align our efforts to provide quality water for all. At UNCCD, we are particularly focusing on ensuring the availability of water through one of the planet’s most important natural assets: our land. Land is a natural ally in our drive to secure quality water supplies. Yet up to 40% of our planet’s land is already degraded, affecting nearly half of the world’s population. Meanwhile, global freshwater demand is on track to outstrip supply by 40% by 2030, putting societies, economies, and ecosystems on the line. In this context, we cannot afford to continue taking our land and its crucial role in the provision of clean water, food and energy for granted.   Healthy lands are better at filtrating water, allowing aquifers to recharge, retaining soil moisture, and even supporting cloud formation!   Additionally, healthy lands reduce water runoff, erosion and the risk of floods, which can trigger serious sanitation and public health problems and, tragically, loss of life.   We tend to think of drought as the absence of rain. But often, it is also the result of poor land management, meaning we are only as resilient to climate change--and its impacts on water quality and availability--as our land is. Addressing water and land management as part of drought resilience policies is therefore critical. The new UN System-wide strategy is an opportunity to recognize this vital connection between water and land and to put in place the right policies, incentives and investments to secure these precious resources for present and future generations. 

Central Asia is a region confronting complex challenges related to land degradation, heightened vulnerability to impacts of climate variability and change including natural hazards and issues related to jobs and fragility. Land degradation has vast economic costs for the region, where it costs, on average, five percent of Central Asia’s GDPInvesting in landscape restoration is critical to address the complex nexus of local livelihoods, land degradation, climate change, environmental security and economic growth. A regional program aligned with a shared vision is the most effective approach to making a sustainable difference in the Central Asia region. With border areas representing hotspots for land degradation and poverty, addressing regionality aspects and building resilience to fragility in border regions are crucial. This includes establishing peace parks, undertaking joint dialogue on regional policies, regional knowledge generation and sharing, and supporting youth with access to jobs.The World Bank's flagship $256 million Central Asia Resilient Landscapes Restoration Program RESILAND CA has supported the development of projects in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and  Turkmenistan. RESILAND CA aims to address land degradation and bolster resilience to climate change in targeted degraded transboundary landscapes across Central Asia by developing analytics, providing advisory services and supporting investment projects to restore the region's degraded landscapes investing in the  resilience of ecosystems, infrastructure and people. RESILAND CA takes an integrated approach to sustainable land management, addressing common challenges across various land uses, including restoring degraded forests, pastures and mountain areas prone to mudflows. These actions are pursued through transboundary landscape restoration interventions in fragile border regions and regional policies to govern them.The $6 million RESILAND Kazakhstan, $52 million RESILAND Kyrgyz Republic, $45 million RESILAND Tajikistan and $153 million RESILAND Uzbekistan national projects work toward tangible and sustainable results on the ground especially in border areas as these are most impacted by land degradation,  direct benefits to transboundary ecosystem, infrastructure and communities living in the border areas. They serve as effective and replicable models at a global level for addressing national and regional land degradation, building resilience to climate change  and improving livelihoods. Specific interventions include:Implementing private sector, community- and farmer-centered landscape restoration using drought-resistant species of trees and shrubsMonitoring climate-change induced hazards and investing in nature-based, green and grey solutions to mitigate impacts of mudflows and floodsPromoting ecotourism and engaging communities in afforestation efforts, rehabilitating degraded natural habitats and protective infrastructureSupporting communities in diversifying economic activities to reduce pressure on pastures and forests.Developing skills with youth and creating jobsIn Turkmenistan, the World Bank is completing "Climate adaptation in Turkmenistan: Landscape restoration opportunities" study to identify hotspots of land degradation and declining  productivity along with adaptation opportunities where landscape restoration can best reverse these trends under changing climate conditions. Calling for increased financing for landscape adaptation and restoration initiatives, the study confirms that it costs less to fund land restoration interventions rather than deal with the economic costs of inaction.Recognizing that nature, landscapes and ecosystems know no borders, RESILAND CA fosters regional collaboration across Central Asia's shared borders and ecosystems. This contributes to improved connectivity of natural resources and increased greenhouse gas mitigation and greater resilience to impacts of climate change. The program also contributes to establishing jointly managed transboundary protected areas and peace parks to preserve biodiversity across transboundary corridors and strengthen regional collaboration on landscape restoration.As part of the UNCCD Peace Forest Initiative PFI, RESILAND CA unites Central Asian countries and communities across national borders to restore degraded landscapes and ecosystems and to manage forests, lands, soil and water. Through strengthened transboundary cooperation in restoring landscapes and building climate resilience as a cornerstone of food, water and energy security, RESILAND CA aims to reduce fragility of border areas and improve livelihoods of border communities RESILAND CA supports technical assistance, funded by GEF, Korea-World Bank Group Partnership Facility and PROGREEN and an investment program that national governments implement with low-interest financing from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and recipient executed trust funds. Participating countries also support complementary regional activities to advance dialogue, knowledge generation and sharing and collaboration among Central Asian countries.The Peace Forest Initiative is a global flagship programme of the UNCCD, highlighting the nexus between land, peace and security Sustainable Development Goals 15 and 16. PFI brings together stakeholders and partners to catalyze transboundary cooperation on ecosystem restoration with a view to building confidence and peace. It unites communities across national borders to jointly manage their land resources and ecosystems for a peaceful future. PFI has been launched in 2019 with the support of Parties to the UNCCD to assist countries affected by fragility or conflict through cooperation with their neighbors to rehabilitate and restore degraded lands, soil, water, forests and other ecosystems.