#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.

[yo-sostenible]

COP29 de Bakú (Azerbaiján) Cerca de 900 asistentes a los eventos organizados en el Pabellón y 22.000 visualizaciones en streaming demuestran que este espacio se ha convertido ya en lugar de referencia para debatir sobre las principales temáticas que centran estas cumbres 220 entidades representantes del sector gubernamental, privado o académico han participado en los 47 eventos celebrados durante la Cumbre del Clima de Bakú 270 ponentes y moderadores han pasado por el Pabellón de España, que ha contado con un 51% de mujeres participantes Por tercer año consecutivo, el Gobierno de España, bajo la coordinación del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (MITECO), ha promovido la participación de entidades nacionales e internacionales en el Pabellón de España de la COP29, que concluye su actividad con datos, de nuevo, muy relevantes que demuestran el gran interés que han generado los 47 eventos organizados y la calidad de los ponentes y moderadores que han participado. Durante los nueve días de actividad han pasado por el pabellón 860 asistentes, 292 ponentes y moderadores y 220 entidades de diversos sectores. Así, el 33,4% entidades participantes procedían del ámbito gubernamental, el 16,5%% del sector privado, 16,2% sociedad civil y ONG, 11,6% academia e investigación y otro 2,8% han sido jóvenes. Otro tipo de actores han conformado el 2,5% de los participantes restantes. Además, el 32,2% de las entidades representadas en el pabellón han sido españolas y 67,8% entidades internacionales.   Otro de los objetivos del pabellón era promover la equidad de género entre los participantes, algo que se ha logrado gracias al 51% de mujeres participantes en los distintos paneles de alto nivel.  Tal como sucedió en la COP28 celebrada en Dubái, el 100% de los eventos se han retransmitido por streaming a través de los canales de redes sociales de la Fundación Biodiversidad del MITECO, logrando cerca de 22.000 visualizaciones, con un seguimiento medio de cerca de 500 visualizaciones por evento. En total, durante las cerca de 50 horas en directo, se han conectado para seguir la actividad del pabellón a través de X (antiguo Twitter) cerca de 13.000 personas. Otras 7.600 han seguido los eventos a través del perfil de Linkedin y más de1.300 lo han hecho en Youtube. Estos datos refuerzan los objetivos que se pretendían lograr este año con el Pabellón de España, diseñado para dar respuestas y mostrar soluciones y compromisos, y que ha vuelto a convertirse en un punto de encuentro clave para actores e instituciones de gran relevancia en el ámbito nacional e internacional en materia de cambio climático. VISIÓN INTERNACIONAL Gobiernos, empresas, jóvenes y organizaciones internacionales han tenido su espacio para tener una visión completa sobre las soluciones que necesitamos para afrontar los retos generados por la crisis climática. Gran parte de los paneles han tenido un marcado carácter internacional, logrando la participación de muchos países y sectores para poner en común los restos transversales y compartidos de la agenda climática. Por el pabellón de España han pasado casi 220 organizaciones nacionales e internacionales. Entre los participantes destacan representantes de Gobiernos y de organismos multilaterales como UN Women, FAO, UNECE, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNCCD, la Organización Mundial de Meteorología, o la propia UNFCCC. A nivel gubernamental, han estado presentes representantes de los gobiernos de Brasil, Madagascar, Finlandia, Portugal, Argentina, Uganda, Colombia, Perú, Uzbekistan, Emiratos Árabes, Estados Unidos o Guatemala, incluyendo, por ejemplo, a ex primeros ministros como Carlos Alvarado, de Costa Rica, o al ministro de Medio Ambiente, Acción Climática, Comunicaciones y Transporte de Irlanda, al secretario de Estado de Portugal o al subsecretario de Desarrollo de Finlandia. También han pasado por el pabellón de España representantes de la Unión Europea como el subdirector general. de la Dirección General del Clima de...

[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…

[greenfue]

مرصد جديد لتتبع التقدم المحرز في الجدار الأخضر العظيم في أفريقيا

تم الكشف عن مرصد الجدار الأخضر العظيم، وهو عبارة عن منصة رقمية من شأنها أن تساعد في تتبع التقدم المحرز في أكبر مبادرة لاستعادة الأراضي في أفريقيا، تم تطوير المرصد من قبل مسرع الجدار الأخضر العظيم، الذي استضافته اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمكافحة التصحر (UNCCD) كجزء من دورها الداعم للوكالة الأفريقية للجدار الأخضر العظيم (PAGGW) وشركاء آخرين. الجدار الأخضر العظيم هو مبادرة طموحة وتحويلية أطلقها الاتحاد…