| UN conference highlights importance to tackle land degradation |
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A UN General Assembly High Level meeting saw the discussion of global challenges posed by land degradation and drought. Bringing together over 100 heads of state and government, participants stressed the need for a global strategy to combat desertification and to restore degraded land if the international community is to meet its sustainable development targets, such as in climate change, biodiversity and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). According to recently published UN figures, land degradation poses a threat not only to humid and tropical areas but has become a global challenge, with 78% of the degrading land taking place in non-dry areas. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) lately declared 900 million hectares of degraded land as being viable to restoration, posing an opportunity for investment. At the conference that marked the first ever meeting of global leaders to discuss the issue of land degradation, speakers pointed to the intrinsic link between environmental policies and poverty alleviation and the impact the neglect of desertification and draught might have on global stability. A global strategy is indispensable if the international community is to alleviate poverty and hunger in rural areas and ensure “long-term food security, build resilience to drought and water stress”, warned United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja. If it fails to do so, “political conflicts over scarce resources and continued forced migrations” are likely to aggravate, he continued. In his address to the panel, EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs stressed the importance of supporting a sustainable use of natural resources in developing countries as a means to improve their poor living conditions in the long-run. “Investing in sustainable land management is an integral part of achieving a shift to a green economy”, Piebalgs said. Participants also discussed ways to raise scientific advice to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, with several calling for the creation of an Intergovernmental Panel. Germany moreover announced the launch of an International Economics of Land Degradation (IELD) initiative on 20 September. The outcome of the conference will serve as input for the preparatory processes towards the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the UNCCD and the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Read the outcome document here: UN - General Assembly - Meetings Coverage Sources:
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