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Press Release
22
August 2017 |
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Future Policy
Award crowns the World’s Best Land Restoration
Policies
Ethiopia wins Gold Award │ Other
winning policies from China, Brazil and Jordan
Hamburg /
Bonn / Ordos, 22nd August 2017:
More people, less erosion – Ethiopia’s
Tigray region demonstrates that this can be a
reality: They will take home the Gold Future
Policy Award 2017, beating 26 other nominated
policies to the prize. Also known as “Oscar for
Best Policies”, the Future Policy Award
highlights the world’s best policies that combat
desertification and land degradation this year.
With unique collective action, voluntary labour
and the involvement of youth, the people of
Tigray are restoring land on a massive
scale. As a result, erosion has
decreased significantly, groundwater levels are
recharged, and the uptake of sustainable
agricultural practices made a significant
contribution to food self-sufficiency and
economic growth.
Two Silver
Awards were granted to:
- Brazil’s Cistern
Programme, which empowered millions of the
country’s poorest people by building 1.2 million
cisterns in the Semiarid region and providing
water for consumption and for growing food and
keeping livestock
- China’s Law on
Prevention and Control of Desertification, the
world’s first integrated law dedicated to
combating desertification. Over the last 15
years, China has reversed the trend of
desertification.
The international jury
further bestowed Bronze Awards
to:
- Australia’s
Indigenous Protected Areas and Rangers
Programmes, since the more than 2,600 indigenous
rangers are at the forefront of tackling
environmental degradation
- Jordan’s Updated
Rangeland Strategy, which is enshrining the
Middle East’s most widespread and longstanding
indigenous traditional conservation institution
‘Hima’ into law
- Niger’s
large-scale, cross-sectoral 3N Initiative
‘Nigeriens Nourishing Nigeriens’ addressing land
degradation and food security.
The
Vision Award goes to the
international “4 per 1000” Initiative which
communicates a new concept for mitigating
climate change through the increase of soil
organic
carbon.
Statements from
the UNCCD and the World Future
Council
Monique
Barbut, Under-Secretary-General of the United
Nations and Executive Secretary of the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD):
“Drylands cover close
to 40% of the Earth’s land surface. Hundreds of
millions of people are directly threatened by
land degradation and climate change is only
going to intensify the problem. So far, this
underestimated environmental disaster has
received far too little attention. The Future
Policy Award 2017 is turning the spotlight on
the looming environmental challenge and
effective responses. The seven Future Policy
Awardees are all from affected countries, and
demonstrate great environmental and political
determination.”
Press-release: English French Alexandra
Wandel, Director and Vice-Chair, Management
Board of the World Future Council
(WFC):
“The Ethiopian Tigray
Region’s win of the Gold Future Policy Award is
sending a strong, empowering message: they show
how a small region in a climate vulnerable
country can find a smart and highly effective
way to successfully address a global
challenge.This is placing Ethiopia
firmly on the map as an environmental
leader.”
The
Future Policy Award is the only
award which honours policies rather than people
on an international level. Each year, the World
Future Council chooses a topic for the Future
Policy Award on which policy progress is
particularly urgent. In 2017, in partnership
with the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD), laws and policies were
evaluated that contribute to the protection of
life and livelihoods in the drylands, and help
achieve Sustainable Development Goal 15, target
3, to “combat desertification, restore degraded
land and soil, including land affected by
desertification, drought and floods, and strive
to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.”
The Awards will be presented at a ceremony on
11th September 2017, at the
thirteenth session of the Conference of the
Parties of the UNCCD in Ordos,
China.
The World Future
Council
The World Future Council
brings the interests of future generations to
the centre of policy-making. Its up to 50
eminent members from around the globe have
already successfully promoted change. The
Council addresses challenges to our common
future and provides decision makers with
effective policy solutions. In close cooperation
with civil society actors, parliamentarians,
governments,
business and international
organizations the World Future Council
identifies “best policies” around the globe. The
World Future Council is registered as a
charitable foundation in Hamburg, Germany.
www.worldfuturecouncil.org
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More
information:
Read more about the
winning policies and the award at: Link to
brochure
Follow the 2017 Future Policy Award
on Twitter with #FPA2017
For more information
about the Future Policy Award, see
here. | |
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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 196 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. | | |
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Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2017 1:07 PM
Subject: World’s best policies on land restoration
shortlisted for global
award | |
