Muscat, Oman – A national workshop, organized by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) took place on 25-28 June 2018, bringing together participants from the ministries of agriculture and planning, the national statistics office (NSO), as well as the academia to discuss UNCCD…

Doha, Qatar – The first national workshop on combating desertification and land degradation, organized by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) and the UNCCD, took place on 1–4 July 2018, attracting a lot of media attention and bringing together technical experts, representatives of…

Bonn, Germany – The 2018WDCD campaign "Land has true value. Invest in it" ran from 1-30 June, 2018 to raise awareness of the impact that our everyday choices can have on land resources and the role that wise investments in land, such as bio-economy, can play in shaping our future. The campaign's…

New York, United States – During the most recent drought in East and Southern Africa in 2016, an estimated 17.6 million and 41 million people in these regions respectively, needed assistance. It was the worst drought in Southern Africa in 35 years. Projections that future droughts will increase in…

The 3S Initiative – for Sustainability, Stability and Security in Africa – is an inter-governmental initiative helping to transform the narrative and unlock Africa’s potential. Countries participating in the 3S Initiative believe that social inclusion can be achieved hand-in-hand with environmental…

Beijing, China – Land degradation is a serious threat to the stability of communities and nations, and to peace and security throughout the international community. Land degradation neutrality (LDN), which is SDG Target 15.3 of SDG 15 Life on Land, is both an integrator and an accelerator of the…

New York, United States – During the High Level Political Forum on sustainable development, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the UNCCD and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to highlight the crucial role of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for sound land management and…

Konya/Eregli/Mersin, Turkey – An international training on combating desertification and soil erosion for Central Asian and Balkan countries took place on 11-16 July, 2018, bringing together experts and participants from various institutions, organizations and NGOs. Workshop sessions focused on…

Bogota, Colombia – The UNCCD regional coordination unit for Latin America and the Caribbean (RCU-LAC) participated in the regional workshop organized by FAO Global Soils Partnership on 9 July 2018 to discuss the development of national and regional capacity in organizing soil information for policy…

Ecuadorian Environment Minister Tarsicio Granizo speaks during an interview with IPS in his office in Quito. Credit: Nina Zambrano/IPS Ela Zambrano interviews TARSICIO GRANIZO, Ecuador’s minister of Environment ** En Espangol QUITO, Jul 20 2018 (IPS) - Ecuador has decided to move towards a…

Caux, Switzerland – This year, the main focus of Caux Dialogue on Land and Security (CDLS) has been on using land restoration for conflict resolution, with the UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Mr. Pradeep Monga moderating round table discussions on migration and financing for ecosystem restoration…

22 April 2017 – In commemorating International Mother Earth Day, the China Elion Foundation together with China Internet Information Center, China’s Poverty Reduction Online, Elion Resources Group, Aegon-Industrial Fund Management and Sand and Grass Industry Association of Inner Mongolian Autonomous…

Bonn, Germany – The multidisciplinary panel of experts at the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has developed a guide that focuses on key elements which practitioners may need to consider when undertaking an IPBES-inspired assessment. The purpose of the guide…

The plight of people migrating in the context of environmental degradation, climate change impacts and natural disasters as well as potential governance responses to such challenges have received a lot of attention in recent years. The finalization of the text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly…

Montevideo, Uruguay – The UNCCD regional coordination unit for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC RCU) participated in the LAC Climate Week organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 20– 23 August, 2018. The LAC RCU coordinator Mr. Jose Miguel Torrico took…

Nairobi, Kenya – Showcasing the success of large-scale restoration of landscapes burdened by natural or man-made disasters, the Global Partnership for Forest and Landscape Restoration (GPFLR) today launched the report "Restoring forests and landscapes, the key to sustainable future." The report…

Bonn, Germany – The UNCCD Lead Scientist Dr. Barron Joseph Orr presented the work of the convention at the UN Summer Academy 2018, emphasizing that the 2030 Agenda has underscored the importance of the UNCCD mandate and enriched the substance behind it. More than ever, the effort to address land…

Bangkok, Thailand – The UNCCD regional coordination unit for Asia and the Pacific (RCU-Asia), together with regional experts and country representatives, participated in the Expert Group Meeting on Space Applications for Sustainable Development (2018-2030) and the twenty-second Session of the…

31 years ago, the Montreal Protocol was signed to protect the Earth’s ozone layer. On 16 September, nations come together to celebrate the Ozone Day, marking the remarkable achievements of the treaty and urging everyone to "Keep Cool and Carry On" with the good work of protecting ozone and climate…

Bonn, Germany – The checklist is a tool prepared to help country-level project developers and their technical and financial partners to design effective Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Transformative Projects and Programmes (TPP). Use of the checklist is optional, not prescriptive. It provides a…

A book highlighting how communities and countries are practically putting life back into the two billion hectares of land we have degraded was launched today to mark the Forest, Food and Land Challenge Coalition event taking place at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) on 12 September 2018, in…

Reykjavik, Iceland – The UNCCD was invited to give the opening address at SERE Europe 2018, an event that has attracted over 400 practitioners, policy makers and scientists from governments, NGOs, industry and academia. The European chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SERE) asked…

Brazil has committed US$100 million dollars raised from domestic environmental fines to finance activities to reverse land degradation in an initiative known as the URAD model that combines social inclusion, local development and environmental sustainability. The results are amazing, with activities…

The plight of people migrating in the context of environmental degradation, climate change impacts and natural disasters and the potential governance responses to such challenges have received a lot of attention in recent years. Therefore, the finalization of the text of the Global Compact for Safe…

This July is the first time the United Nations will review the progress made towards meeting Sustainable Development Goal 15, which is about Life on Land. Healthy and productive land is important in the achievement of many of the SDG goals and targets – poverty reduction, food security, gender…