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G20 race to reduce land
degradation
begins
Riyadh, 30 November 2021 –
The Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman
Abdulmohsen AlFadley, and the Executive Secretary
of the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD), Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, this
morning signed a cooperation agreement between the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and UNCCD to implement the
G20 Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation
and Enhancing the Conservation of Terrestrial
Habitats.
The Initiative, adopted during
the G20 Saudi Presidency in 2020, aims to realize
the G20 leaders’ aspiration to halve degraded land
by 2040. The agreement commits the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia to provide financial support to
implement the Initiative’s aspirations as laid out
in annex (I) of the 2020 G20 Environment
Ministers' Communique.
The terms include
the G20’s aim to prevent, halt, and reverse the
degradation of land on every continent, complement
and support existing initiatives and avoid
duplicating efforts. To this end, the G20 Global
Initiative will work in tandem with existing
multilateral initiatives, and add momentum to the
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem
Restoration.
G20 is made up of
the world’s 20 most powerful economies. They
account for more than 80 percent of the world’s
Gross Domestic Product, 75 percent of global trade
and 60 percent of the population of the
planet.
The United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification will house the mechanisms
needed for the effective implementation of the
Initiative, as laid out in the 2020 G20
Environment Ministers' Communique.
“We have one shot – this decade – to
save our lands. Saudi Arabia's pledge is to
provide financial support for a strong start to
the implementation of the G20 Global Initiative on
Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing the
Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats. This also
signals the G20’s commitment to lead in the global
efforts to reduce land degradation and restore
degraded land to deliver multiple benefits at
national, regional, and global levels for people
and the planet,” said Minister
AlFadley.
“The G20 Global Initiative
will reduce land degradation, support biodiversity
conservation, build resilience to and mitigate the
effects of climate change and drought, as well as
lock away carbon in the soil, contribute to food
security and provide incomes and jobs to local
populations. We hope this pledge motivates
everyone - governments, the private sector,
ordinary people – to be part of the change we all
want to see,” he added.
Ibrahim
Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, said “in the
Middle East and across the world, land degradation
is a substantial and growing problem. The
leadership of the G20 countries through this
Global Initiative may become a watershed moment in
the global turn to good land stewardship and the
restoration of balance with
nature.”
“The G20 Global Initiative
brings to the table at least three new elements.
First, it incentivizes the global community to
tackle climate change, biodiversity losses and
land degradation together. Second, it demands that
while we think globally, we pursue inclusive
solutions at the regional and national levels
alongside indigenous and local communities, with
their traditional knowledge at the heart of
action. Third, it demands the engagement of the
public and private actors,” Thiaw
added.
The G20 Rome Leaders’
declaration issued in October in Italy elaborated
in greater detail how good land use and
stewardship can solve some of the most urgent
global challenges facing humanity
today.
In the Rome declaration, G20
leaders confirmed their continued support for the
Global Initiative and their eagerness for the
implementation strategy and its operational
plan.
UNCCD, after a workshop
organized by the Italian Presidency of the G20, is
developing the 10-year strategy and a flexible and
an adaptable three-year operational plan through a
consultative process with G20 countries and the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Land
restoration and drought will be at the heart of
discussions to be held at the UNCCD COP15 taking
place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in May
2022.
Notes to
Editors:
- G20
Rome Leaders’ Declaration, 30-31 October
2021
- Leaders’
declaration from the G20 Riyadh Summit, 21-22
November 2020
- G20
Environment Ministers Communiqué, 16 September
2020
About
the G20The G20 is the international
forum that brings together the world’s major
economies. The forum has met every year since 1999
and includes, since 2008, a yearly Summit, with
the participation of the respective Heads of State
and Government. The G20 members are:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South
Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United
States, and the European Union. Spain is also
invited as a permanent guest. Each year, the
Presidency invites guest countries, which take
full part in the G20 exercise. Several
international and regional organizations also
participate, granting the forum an even broader
representation. | | |
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About the
UNCCD
The United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is
the only legally binding international agreement
on land issues. The Convention promotes good
land stewardship. Its 197 Parties aim, through
partnerships, to implement the Convention and
achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The
end goal is to protect our land, from over-use
and drought, so it can continue to provide us
all with food, water and energy. By sustainably
managing land and striving to achieve land
degradation neutrality, now and in the future,
we will reduce the impact of climate change,
avoid conflict over natural resources and help
communities to
thrive. | | |
Copyright © 2017*
United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification*, All rights
reserved.
For more information on the
Press Release, contact
Wagaki Wischnewski
Public
Information and Media Officer
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
4:44 PM
Subject: G20 race to reduce land
degradation begins
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