United Nations

High-level UN conference debates precious commodity: Land

The 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), kicked-off on Monday, in the Ivorian capital.

Against the backdrop of a UNCCD warning that up to 40 per cent of all ice-free land has already degraded, threatening dire consequences for climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods, world leaders are meeting in Abidjan under the theme of โ€œLand, Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperityโ€.

โ€œWe are faced with a crucial choice,โ€ Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the participants.

โ€œWe can either reap the benefits of land restoration now or continue on the disastrous path that has led us to the triple planetary crisis of climate, biodiversity and pollutionโ€.

Land, the lifeline on this planet

Every year 12 million hectares of land are lost, according to recent data.

โ€œThe Global Land Outlook report just issued by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification shows that our current approach to land management is putting half the worldโ€™s economic output โ€“ $44 trillion USD โ€“ at riskโ€, said Ms. Mohammed.

โ€œWe must ensure that funds are available for countries that need them, and that those funds are invested in areas that will have a decisive impact and create a more inclusive, sustainable future for all,โ€ she continued, reminding that land restoration connects all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With a focus on restoring one billion hectares of degraded land between now and 2030, the conference aims to contribute to future-proofing land against the climate impacts, and tackling escalating disaster risks such as droughts, sand and dust storms, and wildfires.

Gamechanging role

The Deputy Secretary-General said that despite that women spend 200 million hours each day collecting water, and even more tending the land, they still lack access to land rights and finance.

โ€œEliminating those barriers and empowering women and girls as landowners and partners is a game-changer for land restoration, for the 2030 Agenda, and for the African Unionโ€™s Agenda 2063โ€ณ, she said underlining their central role in building a land restoration economy.

Concrete action

Also speaking at the Summit, General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid, emphasized the importance of addressing the serious issues affecting the well-being of people and their livelihoods, and of the environment.

โ€œThrough it, we aim to move closer toโ€ฆcombatting desertification and restoring degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods,โ€ Mr. Shahid said.

Reversing the current trends โ€œis vital for effective action on behalf of climate and biodiversity,โ€ especially to vulnerable communities, the President added. 

Mother nature deterioration not an option

According to the UN, land degradation undermines the well-being of some 3.2 billion people.

Unsustainable land use, agriculture and soil management practices are all major drivers of desertification, land degradation and drought.

โ€œWe are responsible for the bulk of this, considering that human activities directly influence 70 per cent of the worldโ€™s landโ€, Mr. Shahid alerted.

Attesting that โ€œwe cannot afford the alternative, of letting our relationship with mother nature deteriorate to the point of no return,โ€ Mr. Shahid reiterated the importance of reflecting โ€œupon the truth that a healthy relationship with nature is critical to prevent our exposure to new diseases and potential future pandemicsโ€.

Calling all the parties to recommit to land degradation neutrality by 2030, Mr. Shahid said that it is necessary to tackle climate change, conserve and protect biodiversity, and maintain vital ecosystem services for โ€œour shared prosperity and well-being, in the context of a climate responsible worldโ€

Africaโ€™s soils and agricultural land

Drought, land restoration, and related enablers such as land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment are among the top items on the Conference agenda, which is a pivotal moment in how the African continent will move forward in the face of climate change.

The meetings come as many African nations face unprecedent soil and land conservation issues. Drought in Ethiopia โ€“ the countryโ€™s worst in 40 years โ€“ is believed to be worsening the already deteriorating humanitarian situation for around 3.5 million people, more than half the local population.

ยฉ UNICEF/Zerihun Sewunet
Displaced families affected by drought, Somali Region, Ethiopia.

And according to a report released last year by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), up to 65 per cent of Africaโ€™s productive soils and agricultural land are degraded, while desertification affects 45 per cent of the continentโ€™s land overall.

Nine African heads of State are expected to attend the meeting to discuss developing drought resilience and future-proofing land use, as well as pathways to land restoration.

Call to action

The Summit against desertification is a call to action to ensure that land โ€“ the lifeline on this planet โ€“ will also benefit present and future generations.

Over the next ten days, 196 states plus the European Union will be striving for concrete action against the rapid degradation of land, exploring links between land and addressing other key sustainability issues. 

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