UNCCD Executive Secretary interview with The National Horizons Daily on 9 June 2020 Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, shares his views on the impacts which COVID19 pandemic could have on the African continent in general, Mauritania and the rest of the Sahel countries in particular as an…

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultations with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to UNCCD announced the appointment of Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania as the next Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. He will succeed Monique Barbut of France, to whom the Secretary…

The UNCCD Secretariat held a thematic webinar on land tenure on 1 December 2021 for UNCCD country Parties, CSO panel and observers. The webinar introduced key tenure concepts and how land tenure is linked with UNCCD’s work. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) presented the draft technical…

Bonn, Germany, 16 February 2011 – “The international community’s battle against desertification and the effects of drought is on the threshold of a paradigm shift,” Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has said, ahead of a global conference on…

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…

Bonn, Germany – UNCCD is producing new podcast series on good land stewardship for present and future generations. This podcast is designed to share stories, news and conversations about land, desertification, climate change, sustainable development goals and environmental issues. Each month, UNCCD…

By Monica Chiriac and Maria Veger/IOM Niger Agadez, Niger – Since December 2018, migrants staying at UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) transit center have been undertaking training in sustainable agriculture. The target is to train close to 500 West African migrants as they wait for…

"Forests keep drylands working" World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) is observed every year on 17 June all over the world. The aim of the United Nations in designating a day of observance is to sensitize the public and policy makers to the increasing dangers of desertification, land…

An entire week of global programming will be dedicated to helping leaders choose innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery over the next year. The Davos Agenda will also mark the launch of the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset Initiative and begin the…

New York, United States, 31 January 2012 – On 24th January 2012, Miss Universe 2011, Leila Lopes, Drylands Ambassador visited the New York Liaison Office of the UNCCD. She was accompanied by Brenda C. Mendoza, Director, Public Relations from the Miss Universe Organisation. This is the first visit by…

The European Court of Auditors has published a background paper on the effectiveness of the actions being taken by countries in the region affected by desertification. The paper was published ahead of the World Day to Combat Desertification that will be marked on Sunday, 17 June 2018. The paper…

The online meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG) on drought on 13-15 December 2021 brought together 30 regional representatives, scientists, international organizations and members of civil society, to review new policy and institutional measures that can help address drought…

Bonn, Germany, 13 September 2011 – Speaking at a Press Briefing in Bonn ahead of the special UN High-level meeting in New York on 20 September, UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja said world leaders must put a cap on land degradation. He said every year some 12 million hectares of land are…

The international community has long recognized that land degradation/desertification is a major economic, social and environmental problem of concern to many countries in all regions of the world. In 1977 the United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD) adopted a Plan of Action to Combat…