India commitment to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030: Bhupender Yadav

Riyadh: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav said India in combating land degradation and desertification, which are aligned with the overall objectives of the of UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Delivering India’s statement during the Ministerial Dialogue on Drought Resilience, at CoP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia The Minister
“Our journey represents a transformative narration of commitment, innovation and sustainable development.

He said India’s presidency at CoP 14, we proudly presented our commitment to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030

He further added the India announced the setting up of a Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management in India to promote a scientific approach towards land degradation issues and to help share India’s expertise with other countries.”

Minister noted that at the CoP 15 in Abidjan, India further emphasized the role of land restoration as a strategy for job creation and climate change adaptation. India also supported the G-20s goal to plant 1 trillion trees by 2030 and thereby creating carbon sinks.

Yadav stated that India understands the importance of land, water, rainfall and the effect of climate change on agriculture and livelihoods. Several programmes have been initiated to enhance resilience and recovery.

Earlier, in his opening statement, President AlFadley welcomed everyone and noted the Middle East is one of the regions most impacted by desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD).

He stressed the importance of international partnerships. He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, reminded participants that land degradation and drought affect all life on earth, threaten food and energy security, force migration, and obstruct trade.

He highlighted inequalities facing farmers and women in land ownership, he expressed hope this will be remembered as the COP that adopts the most important decisions on addressing drought.

The sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024.

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification also launched a report which says the world needs $1 billion daily to restore over 1 billion hectares of degraded land and build resilience to drought by 2030.

The report, “Investing in Land’s Future” highlighted the urgency of closing a $278 billion annual funding gap. According to UN today, up to 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded, affecting half of humanity and with dire consequences for our climate, biodiversity and people’s livelihoods.

If current trends continue, restoring 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030 will be necessary to achieve a land-degradation-neutral world.