UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Every second, about four soccer fields of healthy land are destroyed.”
“The safety, prosperity and health of billions of people depend on fertile lands that support lives, livelihoods and ecosystems. But we are destroying the planet that sustains us.”
Desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental problems today.
united for the land
Today’s topic is Unite for the land. our heritage. our futurehighlights the future of land management, Earth’s most precious resource, ensuring stability and prosperity for billions of people around the world.
Healthy land not only provides us with nearly 95% of the food we eat around the world, but so much more. They clothe and shelter people, provide jobs and livelihoods, and protect communities from worsening droughts, floods and bushfires.
“As the focus of this year’s World Day reminds us, we must ‘Unite for the Land,’” he said. “Government, businesses, academia, and the community must come together and take action.”
‘We know what we must do’
Population growth, coupled with unsustainable production and consumption patterns, is driving demand for natural resources, putting undue pressure on land to the point of degradation.
At the same time, desertification and drought are causing forced migration, putting tens of millions of people at risk of forced displacement every year.
Of the world’s eight billion people, more than one billion people under the age of 25 live in developing countries, especially in areas that depend directly on land and natural resources for their livelihoods. Creating employment prospects for rural populations is a viable solution to provide young people with access to green entrepreneurship opportunities while also scaling up best practices.
“We know what we have to do.” The UN Secretary-General said: “This is clearly stated in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). “As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Convention, the world must dramatically accelerate its implementation.”
To this end, he pointed to building momentum towards the UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh and ensuring that the voices of young people are reflected in the negotiations.
“Together, let us sow the seeds for a prosperous future for nature and humanity,” he said.
fast facts
NOOR by FAO/Benedict Kurzen
Women in Senegal work at a tree nursery created as part of the Great Wall of China initiative to improve living conditions, biodiversity conservation and land sustainability in the Sahel region.
- Every second, healthy land equivalent to four football fields is degraded, totaling 100 million hectares each year.
- Every dollar invested in land restoration can yield up to $30 in return.
- In many countries affected by desertification, land degradation and drought, agriculture accounts for a high share of economic income.
- Under the UNCCD, more than 130 countries have already committed to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030, moving towards a world where human activities have a neutral or even positive impact on land.
- The UN is committed to innovative efforts globally, including the newly launched Great Green Wall Observatory, which tracks progress on Africa’s largest land restoration plan to combat the negative impacts of land degradation, desertification and climate change in the Sahel region. Supports.
- UN Education. The Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has established a national and global network of ‘Geoparks’ that combine conservation and sustainable development, with 213 UNESCO Global Geoparks operating in 48 countries.
- Find out more about how the UN is helping here.
