During a mission of UNCCD in the Agadez region in Niger in January 2017, the team discovered the “Projet d’Appui au Développement Agricole de l’Irhazer, du Tamesna et de l’Aïr” (project to support agricultural development of Irhazer, Tamesna and Aïr), supported by AREVA during 5 years, until 2020…

To commemorate the World Day to Combat Desertification, the CSFD (French Committee on Desertification) will organize a one-day seminar in Paris on 20 June 2017 at Agence Française de Développement, Paris. This event will be dedicated to desertification combat: agroecology, pastoralism and degraded…

The Permanent Missions of Qatar, Iceland and Namibia, in conjunction with the office of the President of the General Assembly, organized a High-Level Event on Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought at United Nations headquarters on Monday, 1 May 2017. The event underlined the role of Land…

This Earth Day, we invite you to take your children outside, into nature, to strengthen their connection with the environment. It is the best way to motivate them to protect it. The effects of climate change are not always obvious to us. Yet, they are undeniable. It is easier to see the harmful…

Desertif’actions is a non-State actors’ international summit dedicated to land degradation and climate change. The event will take place on 27 and 28 June 2017 in Strasbourg (France). Over 300 stakeholders from more than 50 countries are expected to participate. The two-day event shares concerns…

Through the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Target Setting Programme, the Global Mechanism (GM) and the secretariat of the UNCCD, in collaboration with multiple international partners, are supporting interested countries with their national LDN target setting process, including setting national…

The Ankara Initiative was launched at the UNCCD COP12 to strengthen implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It will support the global sustainable development agenda and leverage the lessons learned from Turkey’s past experience and approaches to land…

Country experiences on setting LDN targets with climate benefits Date/Time: 16 May 2017, 13:00-15:00 Place: Bonn Marriott World Conference Hotel Lounge (17th Floor), Germany Why land matters for climate? A “lunch and learn“ seminar, scheduled on 16 May 2017, will answer the question. The seminar…

As the first of the six lecture series, “Research meets Development: Drought resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa”, a kick-off event was held at Deutsche Welle in Bonn, Germany, on 6 April. The event started with an introductory statement by MinR. Stefan Schmitz, Commissioner at the German Federal…

Catalysing SDG Implementation through a Soil and Land Review 22-24 May 2017 This year, the Global Soil Week 2017 will support the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by looking at the subset of SDGs that are under review by the High-level Political Forum 2017 (HLPF)…

Mediterranean countries commit to restore at least 8 million hectares of degraded forest ecosystems by 2030. An important target for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality Through a series of thematic discussions on all aspects of forest and landscape restoration, including governance and…

The Mali singer and actress, Fatoumata Diawara visited the UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut at the UNCCD headquarters on 22 March. Fatoumata came to Bonn, Germany, to perform at the opening of the “Over the Border Music Diversity Festival”. Fatoumata is also known as a strong advocator for…

By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and 2/3 of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions. In the meanwhile, we continuously waste precious natural resources like land and water. A number of statistics indicate that we are wasting our natural capital at…

In 2013, the Conference of the Parties decided to establish a Science–Policy Interface (SPI) to facilitate a two‐way science–policy dialogue and ensure the delivery of policy‐relevant information, knowledge and advice on desertification/land degradation and drought (DLDD). The SPI is composed of 20…

The International Day of Forests is observed on 21 March every year. This year, a special event to observe the Day was held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome under the theme, “Forests and energy”. The observance was held in conjunction with the…

Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 6.00 pm – approx. 8.00 pm Venue: Festsaal, Main Building of the University of Bonn A get-together reception follows. The lecture will be given by: Dr. Richard A. Byron-Cox, Ph.D. International Law UNCCD Action Program Alignment and Capacity Building Officer ___________…

*/ According to the Kenyan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, over 80% of land in Kenya is classified as arid and semiarid. These areas are home to approximately 10 million people, 50% of Kenya’s livestock, and 70% of wildlife. As stated by the Principal Secretary in the State Department…

Numbers can tell a compelling story. In this brochure, the numbers highlight how much we rely on productive land. Amongst other valuable services, land feeds our families, provides fresh water and powers our future ambitions. Much of the data collected here, however, demonstrate how close we are to…

International Women’s Day this year focuses on economic empowerment in the changing world of work. The vision is to achieve gender equality and empowerment of women and girls by 2030. Girls’ aged three will become adults with a legal right to work in 2030. Together, with those aged up to 10, these…

President Hollande announces that France will participate in the investment fund for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN Fund) In his address to the Heads of States Summit held on the occasion of the 22nd Session of the Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate…

Turkey’s General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion invites participants from the eligible countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia to take part in the International Training Course on Combating Desertification, which will take place on 22-26 May 2017 in Konya-Mersin…

The Scientific Conceptual Framework for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) provides a scientific foundation for understanding, implementing and monitoring LDN. It has been designed to create a bridge between the vision and the practical implementation of LDN, by defining LDN in operational terms. The…

En français. En español. “Our land. Our home. Our Future,” is the rallying call for this year’s celebration of the World Day to Combat Desertification on 17 June 2017. The slogan draws global attention to the central role productive land can play in turning the growing tide of migrants abandoning…

Monique Barbut, the United Nations Under Secretary-General and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Noriko Suzuki, Senior Vice President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) met today at the JICA Headquarters in Tokyo to discuss…

Poor rural women in developing countries are critical to the survival of their families. Fertile land is their lifeline. But the number of people negatively affected by land degradation is growing rapidly. Crop failures, water scarcity and the migration of traditional crops are damaging rural…