#unccd

[intlforestday]

Forests for Sustainable Land Restoration- UNCCD COP16 (UNFF16 Side Event).

The requested side event will share experience from Saudi Arabia on these major forestry initiatives for sustainable land restoration, and will help inform the forest restoration debate at UNCCD COP 16. In support of the global debate for land restoration, Saudi Arabia will host the 16th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 16) in Riyadh on 2-13 December 2024.

Watch Forests for Sustainable Land Restoration- UNCCD COP16 (UNFF16 Side Event)

[preponias]

Global Drought Snapshot report

[vari-medical-academy]

Happy World Soil Day 🌍. Let us all save soil for a better future.

#WorldSoilDay #SoilHealth #SaveSoil #ConsciousPlanet #UNCCD #climate #nature #sustainable #neetcoachingcentreincoimbatore #varimedicalacademy

[dayofcombattingsandandduststorms]

Launch of the SDS Toolbox of the UNCCD on the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms (SDS).

The frequency of sand and dust storms (SDS) is on the rise in various regions across the globe. This rise is attributed to factors such as human-driven climate change, desertification, land degradation, and persistent droughts. These storms occur when strong winds lift large amounts of sand and dust from dry, arid soils into the atmosphere. They often carry these particles long distances, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. The effects of these storms are widespread and often devastating. The World Health Organization estimates that 7 million people die from poor air quality every year, which is at least partly attributed to dust. Sand and dust storms pose numerous threats to human health, disrupt livelihoods, and wreak havoc on the environment. Managing these impacts is a major challenge, as human activity, and desertification in one region can trigger sand and dust storms that cause significant damage in remote regions. Recognizing the urgent need for international cooperation to address SDS, the General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/77/294) on 8 June 2023, designating 12 July as the International Day to Combat Sand and Dust Storms. This day is intended to raise awareness of the link between health and sustainability in the context of SDS. To mark the first observance of the International Day to Combat SDS, several events were organized around the world. The “Commemoration of the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms” event, co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Senegal at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, featured various speakers from organizations collaborating in the UN SDS Coalition. At the same time, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) hosted a series of regional webinars bringing together stakeholders from different regions. In line with the observation of the day, the UNCCD launched the new SDS Toolbox, a result of its collaboration with SDS Coalition partners. The toolbox provides a comprehensive set of tools, strategies, and guidelines for understanding and mitigating the impact of SDS. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, extended a warm welcome to this initiative, stating, "We welcome the focus and efforts to raise awareness of this serious phenomenon. It shows how desertification and drought can have far-reaching effects beyond national borders and underlines the crucial role of cooperation in addressing these issues. We anticipate that the newly launched SDS Toolbox will foster much-needed collaboration by providing tools and guidance to our stakeholders." During the commemoration of the International Day to Combat SDS in New York, representatives of the SDS Coalition discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the Coalition and various national and regional initiatives. They emphasized that regional cooperation is essential to address the transboundary nature of sand and dust storms and their impacts, and that regional action can complement national efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.

See also:

General Assembly Proclaims 12 July International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, Aiming to Raise Awareness about Importance for Health, Sustainability

SDS toolbox

[hermosaman]

Financial and digital inclusion for last mile payments: Trends, sustainable land use and disruptive financial service options

A lot of hard work here by my very dear friend who is more like a brother and son to me, and his associate Stephano Celeda Helping to change the world! Publication year 2023 Resource type UNCCD Publication As the world addresses the necessary realignment in investment strategies to tackle a range of existential issues including climate change, land degradation, polluted oceans and gender…

[wetlandsday]

Let these success stories of wetlands restoration inspire you to Revive And Restore these wonderlands.

Did You Know that wetlands support livelihoods of 1 billion people worldwide? Let these success stories of wetlands restoration inspire you to Revive And Restore these wonderlands.

[economicsinaction]

Why do people take actions which lead to the restoration of land and ecosystems?

Why do people take actions which lead to the restoration of land and ecosystems?

Those who are not exposed to economics may think that this discipline is concerned about only profit or making money. They may think that people may not restore land and ecosystems since it is not profitable.  This view is not fully correct. Getting higher profit is not the only motivation in economics. Moreover economics is an academic discipline that evolves continuously. Hence certain…

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Nation of Change:

A startling new report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has found that up to half of the world’s natural pasture lands have been degraded due to the combined effects of climate change and over-exploitation. This widespread degradation poses a severe threat to the global food supply, potentially affecting billions of people who depend on these lands for their livelihoods.

Range lands, which include natural grasslands, savannas, wetlands, tundra, shrub lands, and deserts, cover 54 percent of the Earth’s land surface. These ecosystems are crucial for grazing livestock and wild animals, providing essential resources for food production and biodiversity. The UNCCD, dedicated to addressing desertification and land degradation, has released the Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists, emphasizing the urgent need for better management and restoration of these vital areas.

The report reveals that as much as half of the Earth’s rangelands have suffered significant degradation. The primary causes include climate change, unsustainable land use practices, and policy-driven over-exploitation. The transformation of rangelands into cropland and urban areas, driven by population growth and increasing demands for food and fuel, has led to excessive grazing and abandonment of land by pastoralists.

This land degradation manifests in various detrimental ways, including the depletion of soil nutrients, loss of fertility, salinization, alkalinization, erosion, and soil compaction. These factors inhibit plant growth and contribute to severe environmental issues such as fluctuating precipitation, drought, and biodiversity loss, both on the surface and below ground.

The degradation of range lands directly threatens the food security of billions of people. According to the UNCCD report, a sixth of the planet’s food supply is at risk. Approximately two billion people worldwide, including small-scale farmers, herders, and ranchers, depend on healthy range lands for their survival.

In many regions, the stakes are even higher. In West Africa, for instance, 80 percent of the population relies on livestock production. Similarly, in Mongolia and Central Asia, grazing range lands constitute 60 percent of the land area, supporting nearly a third of the population.

[female-malice]

1: Humans have already transformed more than 70% of the Earth’s land area

2: ​​Food systems are responsible for 80% of deforestation, 29% of greenhouse gas emissions and are the single largest cause of biodiversity loss on land

3: ​​Protecting and restoring ecosystems could provide more than a third of the land-based climate action needed to meet global warming goals

4: Land degradation threatens marginalised communities the most – but these groups have much to contribute to ecosystem restoration and protection

5: The world faces a stark choice between protecting and restoring land and ‘business as usual’

[worldecologyday]

Principle 1 - Ecosystem restoration contributes to the SDGs and the goals of the Rio Conventions.

Restoration projects, programmes and initiatives at all spatial scales, from individual sites to large landscapes and seascapes, play an essential role in achieving ambitious global targets for sustaining life on Earth. Successful ecosystem restoration aims to contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seek to end poverty, conserve biodiversity, combat climate change and improve livelihoods for everyone, everywhere. The SDGs are unlikely to be met unless ecosystem degradation is stopped and ecosystem restoration is undertaken at cumulative scales of hundreds of millions of hectares globally. Effective restoration simultaneously supports achievement of the biodiversity, climate and land-degradation neutrality goals of the Rio Conventions – CBD, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – and allied global initiatives. Preventing, halting and reversing ecosystem degradation, as a contribution to global targets, is a shared responsibility among all public and private sectors and stakeholders at local, national and international levels.

[environmentaltreaties]

Seminar 4 - Regimes dealing with desertification and sustainable land management (15 October 2024)

In this week's seminar we will primarily engage with the treaty regime of the (1994) United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This treaty regime, which has often been described as an half-environmental, half-developmental treaty, has evolved quite significantly over the past decades. It is critically interconnected with the climate change and biodiversity regimes. It is equally relevant to the sustainable management of forests and other terrestrial ecosystems. During the seminar, we will discuss the circumstances under which the UNCCD was negotiated and adopted, how it has evolved over time, and how it relates with other international instruments that are relevant to the achievement of SDG 15 (Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

This seminar will be led by Dr Antonio Cardesa-Salzmann.

Guiding questions

Completion requirements

How does the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) contribute to SDG15 (Life on Land)? Is its contribution limited to target 15.3? Or does it equally contribute to other targets on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, forests, mountain ecosystems, and the protection of biodiversity in general?

The UNCCD has pioneered a decentralised, bottom-up approach later emulated elsewhere: does the regional implementation strengthen its implementation? Why (or why not)?

Would a human rights-based approach support the implementation of the UNCCD? Consider its pros, as well as any cons.

How have the UNCCD treaty bodies evolved over time?

How does the UNCCD link up institutionally with the other Rio Conventions (UNFCCC and CBD)?

M7930 Environmental Treaties: Fragmentation & Regime Interactions / M9850 International Environmental Law

Required reading

Completion requirements

Treaties (for reference):

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 18 October 1994 (1995) 1954 UNTS 3

UNCCD COP Decisions:

Decision 7/COP.13: The future strategic framework of the Convention (UN Doc. ICCD/COP(13)/21/Add.1).

Decision 7/COP.15: Modalities, criteria and terms of reference for a midterm evaluation of the 2018-2030 Strategic Framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UN Doc. ICCD/COP(15)/23/Add.1).

Academic publications:

E. Morgera, 'SDG15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss', in J. Ebbesson & E. Hey (eds), The Cambridge Handbook of Sustainable Development Goals and International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2022), pp. 376-398. Available here.

N. Laurens, 'Institutional Adaptation in Slow Motion: Zooming In on Desertification Governance' (2023) 23 Global Environmental Politics, 31-53.

A. Cardesa-Salzmann, 'Combating Desertification in Central Asia: Finding New Ways to Regional Stability through Environmental Sustainability?' (2014) 13 Chinese Journal of International Law 203-231.

Z. Akshatayeva, L. Yerkinbayeva, G. Aigarinova and D. Saipinov, 'Legal Problems in Implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification' (2019) 49 Environmental Policy and Law 30-35.

Further reading

Completion requirements

IPCC Reports

Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change, Climate Change and Land. An IPCC Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems (2019). Summary for Policymakers available here.

Academic publications

A Rechkemmer, Postmodern Global Governance. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (Nomos, 2004).

B Kjellen, 'The Saga of the Convention to Combat Desertification: The Rio/Johannesburg Process and the Global Responsibility for the Drylands', (2003) 12 Review of European Community and International Environmental Law 127-132.

W C Burns, 'The International Convention to Combat Desertification: Drawing a Line in the Sand?' (1995) 16 Michigan Journal of International Law 831-882.

[intlforestday]

Identify, develop and implement targeted joint activities on sustainable land management and sustainable forest management, including through the development of transformative projects to achieve land degradation neutrality and sustainable forest management and through greater information exchange.

The UN Forum on Forests Secretariat, DESA and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today, on the margins of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. The MoU was signed by Ms. Juliette Biao, Director of the UNFF Secretariat, and Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. The key objectives of the MoU are to identify, develop and implement targeted joint activities on sustainable land management and sustainable forest management, including through the development of transformative projects to achieve land degradation neutrality and sustainable forest management and through greater information exchange.

Through this MoU, the two Secretariats aim to strengthen cooperation in the mobilization of financial resources for sustainable land and forest management and build strategic partnerships for implementation. This will include working together to raise awareness on the links between forests and sustainable land management, their contributions to climate change adaptation and mitigation and biodiversity conservation and on enhancing synergies between the Rio conventions and the UN Forum on Forests. The duration of the current MoU is for three years.

The UN Forum on Forests Secretariat and UN Convention to Combat Desertification Secretariat have a long history of working together as partners in the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), and the current MoU will serve to strengthen this existing collaboration in areas of mutual interest. Activities undertaken in implementing the MoU will support the achievement Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 15, the Global Forest Goals of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030, Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, targets of the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework and Paris Agreement of the UNFCCC amongst others.

[insurgentepress]

La degradación global de los pastizales ha sido subestimada

El informe publicado por la @unccd marca el camino para restaurar y gestionar mejor los pastizales e insta a proteger el pastoreo.

Agencias, Ciudad de México.- La degradación de los extensos pastizales naturales y otras tierras de pastoreo del planeta supone una grave amenaza para el suministro de alimentos de la humanidad. Esta tendencia, que pone en riesgo el bienestar y la supervivencia de miles de millones de personas, se debe a la sobreexplotación y el uso indebido, al cambio climático y la pérdida de biodiversidad,…

[rabbitcruiser]

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought arises on June 17 of every year. The primary purpose of the day is to highlight the ways to prevent desertification and recover from the drought. The day also aims to increase the visibility of the drylands issue on the environmental agenda. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is the perfect day to remind everybody that desertification can be efficiently tackled, that solutions are possible, and that key tools to this aim lay in strengthened community participation and co-operation at different levels.

“Without a long-term solution, desertification and land degradation will not only affect food supply but lead to increased migration and threaten the stability of many nations and regions. This is why world leaders made land degradation neutrality one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.” – General Ban Ki-moon

History of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly announced June 17 as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. The assembly recognized that desertification and drought were the main global problems as they affect all regions of the world. The meeting also realized that joint action by the international community was required to combat desertification and drought, particularly in Africa. The States were asked to devote the World Day to promoting awareness of the necessity for international participation to combat desertification and the effects of drought and also the implementation of the Convention to Conflict Desertification. After then, the country parties to the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), stakeholders and non-governmental organizations to celebrate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought with some Worldwide activities on June 17 each year.

Themes of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

The past Themes of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought are listed below

2003: International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD).

2004: Social Dimensions of Desertification: Migration and Poverty.

2005: Women and Desertification.

2006: The Beauty of Deserts – The Challenge of Desertification.

2007: Desertification and Climate Change – One Global Challenge.

2008: Combating land degradation for sustainable agriculture.

2009: Conserving land and energy = Securing our common future.

2015: Attainment of food security for all through sustainable food systems.

2016: Inclusive cooperation for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality.

2017: Link between land degradation and migration.

2018: Land has true value. Invest in it.

2019: Let’s Grow the Future Together

2020: Food. Feed.Fibre. – the links between consumption and land.

2021: Restoration, Land, and Recovery.

2022: Rising from drought together.

How to celebrate World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

On World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, promotional events may include the distribution of awareness raising materials, like fact sheets, calendars, posters, and postcards, to educational organizations and the general public. The day also features the educational case studies, forums or discussions on drought and desertification, its associations with society and steps to minimize the problem.

Source

[dayofcombattingsandandduststorms]

Drought risk management and mitigation strategy 2022-2032.

The incidence and intensity of droughts is expected to increase in Southern Africa over the coming years. In order to mitigate these trends, the region has developed the SADC…

[yo-sostenible]

Se calcula que el 45% de la superficie terrestre está afectada por la pérdida de tierras, y expertos en la materia aseguran que la inversión en la restauración, al igual que la energía sostenible, son opciones rentables para ayudar a mitigar la desertificación, que se ha convertido en un efecto mundial causando un sin número de repercusiones como la sequía, migración forzada, y acceso a alimentos. Las fuentes sostenibles de energía, incluidas la solar y la eólica, pueden ayudar a las comunidades de todo el mundo a revertir la desertificación y la pérdida de tierras, según Ibrahim Thiaw, secretario ejecutivo de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación.  Thiaw habló con Noticias ONU antes del Día Mundial de Lucha contra la Desertificación y la Sequía, que se celebra anualmente el 17 de junio, para entender mejor este fenómeno y cómo se puede controlar. UNCCD Ibrahim Thiaw: La desertificación está ocurriendo tanto a nivel local como mundial. Si no la abordamos a nivel local, nunca podremos controlarla a nivel mundial. Se necesitan políticas y decisiones globales.  Las repercusiones son enormes en términos de seguridad y soberanía alimentarias. También provoca migraciones forzosas. Si la gente ya no puede producir alimentos en su tierra, emigrará. Como hemos visto, por ejemplo, en el Sahel o en Haití, puede tener graves consecuencias para la seguridad mundial. Cuando la gente se pelea por el acceso a la tierra y al agua, se generan más conflictos. Estamos viendo más de esto, y tiene consecuencias en la homogeneidad de las comunidades y en las economías nacionales. Se calcula que hasta el 50% del PIB mundial podría perderse de aquí a 2050 debido a los problemas de la agricultura y la producción de alimentos, a menos que abordemos la cuestión de la pérdida de tierras y la desertificación.  Noticias ONU: ¿Cuál es la tendencia actual en términos de pérdida de tierras? Ibrahim Thiaw: La pérdida de tierras se está produciendo en todo el mundo y la degradación del suelo afecta tanto a las tierras áridas como a las menos áridas. Pero en lo que respecta a las tierras áridas y la desertificación, se calcula que el 45% de la superficie terrestre está afectada por la desertificación. Quizá sea más llamativo decir que 3200 millones de personas, es decir, un tercio de la población mundial, se ven afectadas por ella.  Cada año se degradan cien millones de hectáreas de tierra, una superficie del tamaño de Egipto. Tenemos que detener la degradación de la tierra, pero también tenemos que restaurar 1500 millones de hectáreas de tierra. © Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA) Noticias ONU: ¿Cómo va a hacerlo?  Ibrahim Thiaw: Mejorando las técnicas de agricultura, reduciendo el impacto que estamos teniendo sobre la tierra en términos de extracción de minerales y otras industrias extractivas. También es importante que reduzcamos la presión en términos de actividades humanas en algunas partes del mundo para diversificar la economía y crear más oportunidades de generar ingresos. Restaurar las tierras degradadas no es una actividad cara de emprender, pero es absolutamente esencial para proporcionar más seguridad alimentaria y reducir los conflictos. Cada dólar invertido en la restauración de tierras puede generar hasta 30 dólares en beneficios económicos, por lo que la inversión en actividades de restauración es bastante rentable desde el punto de vista económico. Esto no es sólo responsabilidad de las comunidades locales, sino también de los gobiernos y, de manera crucial, del sector privado, porque el mayor impulsor del uso de la tierra en el mundo es la gran agricultura. Noticias ONU: ¿Estamos hablando principalmente de pequeños países en desarrollo?  Ibrahim Thiaw: No. Es un fenómeno global que afecta a todos los países, incluidos Estados Unidos, India, China o Pakistán. Pero el impacto es mucho más grave en los países pequeños, y en las economías pequeñas que no tienen reservas, ni s...