High-level UN conference debates precious commodity: Land
The 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), kicked-off on Monday, in the Ivorian “economic” capital.
Against the backdrop of a UNCCD warning that up to 40 per cent of all ice-free land has already degraded, threatening dire consequences for climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods, world leaders are meeting in Abidjan under the theme of “Land, Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity”.
“We are faced with a crucial choice,” Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the participants.
“We can either reap the benefits of land restoration now or continue on the disastrous path that has led us to the triple planetary crisis of climate, biodiversity and pollution”.
Land, the lifeline on this planet
Every year 12 million hectares of land are lost, according to recent data.
“The Global Land Outlook report just issued by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification shows that our current approach to land management is putting half the world’s economic output – $44 trillion USD – at risk”, said Ms. Mohammed.
“We must ensure that funds are available for countries that need them, and that those funds are invested in areas that will have a decisive impact and create a more inclusive, sustainable future for all,” she continued, reminding that land restoration connects all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With a focus on restoring one billion hectares of degraded land between now and 2030, the conference aims to contribute to future-proofing land against the climate impacts, and tackling escalating disaster risks such as droughts, sand and dust storms, and wildfires.
Gamechanging role
The Deputy Secretary-General said that despite that women spend 200 million hours each day collecting water, and even more tending the land, they still lack access to land rights and finance.
“Eliminating those barriers and empowering women and girls as landowners and partners is a game-changer for land restoration, for the 2030 Agenda, and for the African Union’s Agenda 2063”, she said underlining their central role in building a land restoration economy.
Concrete action
Also speaking at the Summit, General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid, emphasized the importance of addressing the serious issues affecting the well-being of people and their livelihoods, and of the environment.
“We can either reap the benefits of land restoration now or continue on the disastrous path that has led us to the triple planetary crisis of climate, biodiversity and pollution”.
Land, the lifeline on this planet
Every year 12 million hectares of land are lost, according to recent data.
“The Global Land Outlook report just issued by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification shows that our current approach to land management is putting half the world’s economic output – $44 trillion USD – at risk”, said Ms. Mohammed.
“We must ensure that funds are available for countries that need them, and that those funds are invested in areas that will have a decisive impact and create a more inclusive, sustainable future for all,” she continued, reminding that land restoration connects all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With a focus on restoring one billion hectares of degraded land between now and 2030, the conference aims to contribute to future-proofing land against the climate impacts, and tackling escalating disaster risks such as droughts, sand and dust storms, and wildfires.
Gamechanging role
The Deputy Secretary-General said that despite that women spend 200 million hours each day collecting water, and even more tending the land, they still lack access to land rights and finance.
“Eliminating those barriers and empowering women and girls as landowners and partners is a game-changer for land restoration, for the 2030 Agenda, and for the African Union’s Agenda 2063”, she said underlining their central role in building a land restoration economy.
Concrete action
Also speaking at the Summit, General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid, emphasized the importance of addressing the serious issues affecting the well-being of people and their livelihoods, and of the environment.
And according to a report released last year by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), up to 65 per cent of Africa’s productive soils and agricultural land are degraded, while desertification affects 45 per cent of the continent’s land overall.
Nine African heads of State are expected to attend the meeting to discuss developing drought resilience and future-proofing land use, as well as pathways to land restoration.
Call to action
The Summit against desertification is a call to action to ensure that land – the lifeline on this planet – will also benefit present and future generations.
Over the next ten days, 196 states plus the European Union will be striving for concrete action against the rapid degradation of land, exploring links between land and addressing other key sustainability issues.
Source: United Nations