(BONN, Germany) – As the impacts of climate change, unsustainable land use and conflict ripple across the globe, communities and ecosystems on the African continent are being hit hardest by the scourge of drought and desertification. It’s destroying formerly fertile land, and turning pastures – and livelihoods – to dust. But land restoration offers hope to turn degraded land back to health, whilst creating sustainable income opportunities and critical carbon sinks.
From 18-24 April, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) placed these issues – as well as critical enablers such as land rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment – in the spotlight through its Africa Week. The initiative comes in the lead-up to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)’s 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15), which will take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 9-20 May this year, and the GLF Africa 2022 Digital Conference, slated to run virtually on September 15th.
Africa Week marked the moment in which the UNCCD will be officially welcomed as GLF’s latest Charter Member. “The UNCCD Secretariat and the GLF have been working closely on advancing our shared vision of land restoration as a prerequisite for bringing about a sustainable future for all,” says UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. “I appreciate the support and commitment that the GLF has brought to the land agenda and look forward to taking our collaboration to the next level, starting with the UNCCD COP15 in Côte d’Ivoire.”
“By addressing the interlinked challenges of land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss, UNCCD will make an invaluable contribution to the GLF partnership’s mission to create prosperous, productive, equitable and resilient landscapes,” says John Colmey, director of the GLF. “We are honored to welcome them as our 33rd Charter Member.”
Watch here a special message from Ibrahim Thiaw as UNCCD and GLF join forces to create productive, equitable, and resilient landscapes across the planet.
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