Land for Life Programme

Desertification and land degradation affect around three billion people worldwide. Science tells us that land restoration is a cost-effective way to combat climate change and biodiversity loss. At the same time, reclaiming land helps us transition toward a green economy, better living conditions, jobs, health, food security, equality and sustainable growth for all.

Tackling the land issue can help achieve many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Globally, nearly two billion hectares of land – twice the size of China – can be restored and rehabilitated. To restore degraded land to its productive state, significant attention must be drawn to achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN).

The Land for Life Programme was launched at the tenth UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP10) in 2011 in the Republic of Korea as part of the Changwon Initiative. The Programme seeks to address the challenges of land degradation, desertification and mitigation of drought.

To demonstrate that LDN is necessary and achievable, the Land for Life Programme engages in awareness-raising and knowledge support. Every two years, the programme presents the Land for Life Award which aims to provide global recognition to individuals and organizations whose work and initiatives have made a significant contribution to sustainable development through sustainable land management (SLM).

Everyone can make a difference, from citizens and farmers to political leaders, businesses, scientists and media channels. There are many ways to support sustainable land management practices. These include policy implementation, innovation, changing agricultural practices, education and awareness-raising.

The Land for Life Programme is involved in a variety of awareness-raising and knowledge support activities to provide information and sensitize the public about the importance of land for their life and for achieving the SDGs by 2030. These activities include:

• Promoting land degradation neutrality (LDN)
• Highlighting sustainable land management (SLM) success stories and the achievements of Land for Life Award winners
• Promoting public outreach activities such as:
  • Producing educational videos
  • Holding photo contests
  • Sharing and disseminating knowledge
  • Conducting media trainings
  • Organizing campaigns and e-Forums  

Thank you to our partners!