Becoming land degradation neutral is not simply about restoring degraded lands. It is about self interest making sure the land can still provide food and fresh water for us, our children, and to the third and fourth generations. It is about giving every child, from Mongolia to Afghanistan and from…

At the 1st Africa Action Summit which was held on 16 November on the margins of the Climate Change meeting in Marrakesh (UNFCCC COP22), the African Heads of States agreed to speed up the implementation of initiatives that are critical to their countries’ development. These initiatives include the…

On Friday 16 October in Ankara, Turkey, Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, addressed a COP12 side event on the conceptualization and further development of the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund. In a video message Mr. Lambertini emphasized that the Land Degradation Neutrality…

On Friday 16 October, a COP side event took place on the conceptualization and further development of the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund - a collaborative undertaking, anchored on achieving the Land Degradation Neutrality target of the Sustainable Development Goals. Opening the event, the…

The Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change (AAA) and the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Fund Project have joined forces to support land rehabilitation in Africa. Within the project development framework of the LDN Fund, which is co-developed by the UN Convention to…

The first national workshop on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) was recently held in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. This event brought together participants from both national and local public administration institutions, scientific and civil society, the business community, and representatives of…

In view of the implementation of the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme (LDN TSP), an inception workshop for countries that recently committed to set national voluntary LDN targets and did not participate in previous workshops, was organized on 14th-15th October 2016, prior to ‘The…

The UNCCD’s Virtual Reality (VR) film, Growing a World Wonder, has been awarded ‘Best Documentary’ at the Screen4All 360 Film Festival in Paris. An international Jury, headed by the actress Julie Gayet, selected the film from a final shortlist of 18 other submissions and hundreds of original entries…

Of the Convention’s 197 Parties, 169 countries have declared that they are affected by desertification. More than 1.5 billion people directly depend on land that is slowly being degraded. Every year 75 billion tons of fertile soil is lost to land degradation. Similarly 12 million hectares of land…

The fifteenth session of the Committee of the Review of Implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CRIC 15) concluded last October 19 in Nairobi, Kenya. Three issues are deemed particularly important to move forward with Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). First, a very successful…

The fifteenth session of the Committee of the Review of Implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CRIC 15) concluded last October 19 in Nairobi, Kenya. Three issues are deemed particularly important to move forward with Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). First, a very successful…

2 billion hectares of productive land are degraded worldwide while a further 12 million hectares are degraded every year. This has severe consequences for the livelihoods of land users, both at social and environmental levels. Stopping land degradation is critical in mitigating climate change: soil…

The academic session titled “Conservation, restoration and sustainable use of dryland ecosystem” was organized during the IUFRO Regional Congress of Asia and Oceania on 26 October at China National Convention Centre, Beijing. The session was jointly sponsored and organized by Institute for…

To achieve the target of a land degradation-neutral world (SDG target 15.3) by 2030, large amounts of financial resources must be mobilized. Public and philanthropic resources alone will not suffice, as acknowledged in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. New financial instruments and intermediaries, as…

This page presents the original submissions by outside authors and contributors on events and activities around the world that promote action against desertification, land degradation and mitigation of drought. Your contributions are welcome (see contribution guidelines on the right). Information…

Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilizing communities on a global scale. As the effects of climate change undermine livelihoods, inter-ethnic clashes are breaking out within and across states and fragile states are turning to militarization to control the situation. The…

With an expected 9.5 billion people living on earth by 2050, population pressure, higher consumer expectations and climate change will tax and degrade our natural resource base, especially the land. Land degradation puts the livelihoods of billions of people at risk. It threatens the future…

In this brochure, we set out the case for the full implementation of goal 15 “Life on Land”. In particular, we highlight how UNCCD Parties are working together to achieve target 15.3 on land degradation neutrality (LDN). At this stage, we are losing around 12 million hectares of land each year. We…

The conclusion of the preamble to “transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” stresses the importance of the linkages and integrated nature of the global Goals in realizing the 2030 Agenda. To meet the SDGs, it will be vital to manage these linkages, to harness synergies…

Africa is growing a real wonder of the world. The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel could play a decisive role in the future of the African continent. The Sahel region is one of the most arid and most vulnerable places on earth. Food, water and economic opportunity are often scarce. The…

Achieving LDN requires a paradigm shift in land stewardship: from ‘degrade-abandon-migrate’ to ‘protect-sustain-restore’. This is the rationale that underpins the LDN Target Setting Programme that became operational in spring 2016. Through this programme, the UNCCD’s operational arm — the Global…

Land in Balance is a science-policy brief prepared by the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI). It gives an overview of the scientific conceptual framework for land degradation neutrality (LDN). The conceptual framework creates a common understanding of the LDN objective and consistency in…

​On 16 October of each year, the United Nations bodies commemorate this day as World Food Day to remind us that no one should be in hunger. The life of humans depends on land. Unprecedented rates of degraded land and ecosystem loss will bring unwanted consequences such as hunger, forced migration…

On 16 October 2016, the first China Poverty Eradication Award ceremony was held in Beijing to recognize efforts of individuals across China, who have contributed to alleviating poverty in the country. The chairman of Elion Resources Group (ELION), winner of 2015 UNCCD’s Land for Life Award and…

The fourth “International Sand and Dust Storms Workshop” started today in Istanbul. The workshop will enable countries to share knowledge and experience in search of solutions to reduce the negative impacts of sand and dust storms. The workshop, hosted by the Government of Turkey, will continue…