With an estimated 2.8 million hectares of forests lost each year, deforestation and land degradation remain significant challenges for Africa. Bringing together diverse public and private sector voices, alongside indigenous groups, scientists and youth activists, the 2018 Global Landscapes Forum…

Close to 20 million hectares of land restored back to health by the Great Green Wall countries since 2007. Annual restoration of 8.2 million hectares and USD4.3 billion may be needed to achieve the planned 100 million hectares by 2030. GGW ministers meeting virtually today to agree on next steps…

Mr. President Duque, Secretary General, Ministers, Friends and Colleagues Warmest greetings from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. We are at a critical point in the discussions on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Hence the timeliness of this meeting. Biodiversity and climate…

Bonn, Germany – At least 90 countries have already set voluntary national targets to restore more than 450 million hectares of land under UNCCD – the largest global restoration initiative and a significant milestone for the Convention. But where is the land that is being restored? How many people…

Remarks by UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw Dear colleagues and friends I am honoured to participate in the launch of this year’s State of the World's Land and Water Resources, and I thank our friends and partners at FAO for their kind invitation and for our continued collaboration. The…

The event, facilitated and attended by Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, offered the opportunity to recommit to achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN) by 2030. The LDN tool is recognized as an accelerator and integrator to speed up the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals…

Co-Chairs, Council members, Fellow colleagues Heads of the Conventions’ secretariats, Ladies and Gentlemen: First, allow me to express my gratitude to Dr Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, for his kind invitation. I wish him great success in his new role as CEO of the Global Environmental Facility. We are…

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…

“From Pilots to Scale – Supporting Countries to Translate the Convention into Action”, was the theme of the evening reception hosted by the Global Mechanism on 14 October on the occasion of COP12. Opening the event, Markus Repnik, the Global Mechanism’s newly appointed Managing Director stated “the…

To mark the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, this event in the margins of twenty-fifth anniversary of UN Bonn will bring together UNCCD, Global Landscapes Forum, IFOAM and Fairtrade will discuss land restoration and land–nature–climate–agriculture–consumption nexus Register here.

Speech by the UNCCD Executive Secretary Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw First, I wish to express my deep gratitude to you, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, and to Costa Rica, for hosting the global manifestations of the 2021 Desertification and Drought Day. This year, COVID-19 has given our global celebrations…

Bonn, 29/03/21 – Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, has welcomed the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives that were made public this week. The Initiatives aim, among other things, to restore roughly 240 million hectares of degraded land in…

Photo: Minister of Environment/Germany Mr. Jochen Flasbarth and Vice-Minister Environment/Cuba Mr. Fidel Santana Havana, Cuba – Delegates from Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Uruguay, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Cuba, together with representatives of the German government, attended the fifth meeting of…

Bonn, Germany – The COVID-19 pandemic is the most recent crisis facing the humankind, but unless we ease the pressure on nature, it might not be the last, warns the new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that includes an experimental index on human progress that takes into…

New York, USA – On Friday 17 December 2021, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution on the implementation of UNCCD, recognizing that combating desertification, land degradation and drought are important for sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient recovery from the COVID-19…

Remarks by UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw Co-Chairs, Council members, Colleagues, and friends First, allow me to wish you a Happy Anniversary. As our instrument turns 30, let us celebrate its great achievements. Celebrate above all thirty years of cooperation. Thirty years of working…

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…

UNFCCC SBSTA 52 Climate Dialogues: Dialogue on the relationship between land and climate change adaptation related matters Opening remarks by UNCCD Executive Secretary Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw Excellencies, Colleagues and friends, I am truly delighted to be here today. I want to congratulate my friend Tosi…

Statement by the UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw This year’s International Day of Forests theme of ‘Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being’ emphasizes the role forests must play in building a better, heathier and more equitable world as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic…

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a UN Food Systems Summit (FSS) to raise global awareness and shape global commitments that can transform food systems to resolve hunger, reduce diet-related diseases and restore the planetary health. The Secretary General is calling for…

In this corner of the UNCCD, I will occasionally share my thoughts and highlight significant developments of interest to our readers and stakeholders. As with most international organizations, COVID-19 impacted our work. But I am convinced that we are moving in the right direction and that now is…

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…

FR | SP | AR | CH | RU Event photos on Flickr A statement by UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw As the latest round of climate negotiations got underway in Glasgow, at an event co-hosted by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, French President Emmanuel Macron and Mauritanian President…