The draft outcome of the UN summit on desertification has called upon rich nations to assist poor countries with not just money but also scientific research and technology.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 12th Conference of Parties (COP12) called on developed countries to increase financial resources made available to and by the Global Environment Facility to help countries achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).
The draft outcome called on developed countries to establish equitable partnerships that encourage responsible investments and practices by the private sector to help contribute to LDN and create enduring institutions that support the health and productivity of the land and its people.
The main forms of land degradation that affect Bangladesh are water erosion, soil fertility depletion, salinisation and water-logging. However, the problems of water erosion and fertility depletion are the most acute concerns for the low-lying, intensively farmed riverine country.
Flooding, droughts and salinity caused in part by climate change are common in Bangladesh, resulting in land degradation. The country is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Rapid population growth is the main driver of land degradation.
But this is exacerbated by the extensive use of natural resources, the existence of land ownership systems that do not protect long-term land use rights and policies that deform the prices of non-renewable resources and contribute to land degradation.
Affected countries are called upon to formulate voluntary plans to achieve LDN according to their specific national circumstances and development priorities, and taking into account the list of options for operationalising LDN at the national level.
The UNCCD’s Global Mechanism has been tasked with increasing incentives and financial support for this effort, including from market and non-market options (such as the creation of an LDN fund). The document called on GM executive secretary and subsidiary bodies to develop options for full realization of national LDN targets.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut called the convention an “organisation in motion.” She highlighted the inclusion of LDN in the Sustainable Development Goals and the acknowledgement of the importance of land in climate change negotiations.
Barbut noted the UNCCD’s increasing engagement with civil society organisations, with over 80 organisations accredited for COP12. She also spoke about reforms at UNCCD promising zero nominal growth of the core budget for the next biennium.
