Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has urged to recommit to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030.
He made this remark at the 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP.15) ‘Summit of Heads of State and Government’, on Monday.
The meeting was convened under the “highly relevant” theme, “Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity”.
Taking the podium, the PGA said he's honored to participate at the “Head of States Summit” of the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
And he noted the significance of the platform to address serious issues affecting the wellbeing of people and their livelihoods as well as of the environment.
As such, PGA Shahid stated that “we” aim to move closer to achieve target 15.3 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda: combatting desertification and restoring degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, through the platform.
Productive land is critical to global food security and healthy ecosystems, as well as to the maintenance of stable livelihoods. It is a precondition for the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; for progress on the Rio Conventions on biodiversity and climate change; and for tackling pollution on land and at sea”Abdulla Shahid, PGA.
Stressing that land degradation undermines the wellbeing of around 3.2 billion people currently, PGA Shahid stated that some of the biggest drivers of desertification, land degradation and drought include unsustainable land use, agriculture and soil management practices.
With this being said, he noted how the people are responsible for the bulk of these issues, owing to the fact that human activities directly influence 70 percent of the globe’s land.
PGA Shahid asserted that reversing such trends is crucial for effective action on behalf of climate and biodiversity, adding that it is particularly important to the vulnerable communities residing in LDCs and LLDCs and SIDS.
We cannot afford the alternative, of letting our relationship with mother nature deteriorate to the point of no return. Even after two years, we have not fully escaped the shadow of COVID-19. We would do well to reflect upon the truth that a healthy relationship with nature is critical to prevent our exposure to new diseases and potential future pandemics.”Abdulla Shahid, PGA.
PGA Shahid went on to note that restoring degraded land and implementing sustainable land management practices will help sustain better livelihoods, tackle poverty and enhance food and water security, alongside empowering women who are forced to spend unproductive hours searching and fetching water. This, he said, is the result of restored lands collecting more water and replacing aquifers.
Shedding light on now global warming and climate crisis present the globe with devastating consequences, PGA Shahid said that land restoration will be a crucial part of our efforts to fight back.
Some of the most powerful strategies at the globe’s disposal to drastically reduce carbon emissions are reforestation and land restoration, said Shahid, who noted that this will help bridge the gaps between the Nationally Determined Contributions and the goals of the Paris Agreement.
By restoring degraded land at the global level, we can lock away three billion tons of atmospheric carbon into the soil every year. This would offset around 10 percent of the world’s current annual energy-related emissions. By taking action to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation, we can facilitate the kind of climate mitigation measures needed to keep global warming under 2°C by 2030.”Abdulla Shahid, PGA.
Expressing encouragement by the proclamation by the UNGA of the Decade on ecosystem restoration, as well as by growing regional and global initiatives on restoring degraded lands, PGA Shahid urged the people to build on this momentum and mobilize as well as implement effective drought policies to address water scarcity in the same spirit.
As such, he urged the people to ensure early warning systems and implement preparatory policies to be better prepared for draught.
With this being said, PGA Shahid stressed on the need to implement evidence-based research, share best practices and draw upon the insights of traditional knowledge and urged the global communities to present successful initiatives such as the African Great Green Wall.
The African Great Green Wall initiative in question, aims to build the resilience of the region’s natural systems through sound ecosystem management.
This is done through the sustainable development of land resources, protection of rural heritage and improvement of living conditions for local populations.
The PGA stated that exporting this inspiring initiative to other regions will benefit the global community.
With this being said, the PGA urged the people to recommit to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030 by the end of the summit and build upon the commitments and initiatives made during the Summit on Biodiversity, COP26, and the 2021 Food Systems Summit.
PGA Shahid went on to urge the people to “finally” resolve to take the necessary action to tackle climate change, conserve and protect biodiversity and maintain vital ecosystem services, which is how the PGA described the globe can ensure the shared prosperity and well-being of communities in the context of a climate responsible world.
