Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has urged to renew commitment to achieve a set goal of making land degradation neutral by 2030.
In his message to mark the world day to combat desertification and drought, PGA Shahid stated that the people must acknowledge the fact that human actions as well as ways of living have “dire” consequences.
Noting how in just over a century, droughts have impacted at least 2.7 billion people globally and caused 11.7 million deaths, PGA Shahid stated that it is anticipated that by 2050 droughts may affect over three quarters of the world's population.
PGA Shahid stressed that this all comes as the world continues to devastate the very land the people depend upon, highlighting that globally, 23% of the land, it's no longer productive, 75% has been transformed from its natural state, mostly for agriculture.
Highlighting that desertification has profound implications on everything from biodiversity, eco safety and poverty eradication to socio-economic stability and sustainable development, the PGA stated that the this can be turned around with joint efforts.
As such, he said that together, global communities can restore the productivity of over two billion hectares of degraded land and improve the livelihoods of more than 1.3 billion people around the world.
I had the honor to attend the recent COP15 on desertification, land degradation and drought in Abidjan, organized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the government of Côte d'Ivoire. I was encouraged to hear policymakers acknowledge the serious nature of desertification and to propose concrete solutions to move forward from the Great Green Wall to the Abidjan call.”Abdulla Shahid, PGA.
The PGA noted that such initiatives can help overcome some of the biggest threats to our rapidly degrading environment, adding that he had the opportunity to observe first-hand action in Angola, where hundreds of thousands stand to benefit from improved water at the Cunene River.
Highlighting that such measures give him hope, the PGA urged the people to build upon these examples and take the commitments made during UNCCD COP15 and renew commitment to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030.
