Context:
Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, delivered India’s Formal Statement at the CoP16 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
About UNCCD COP 16
The sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of UNCCD is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2nd to 13th December 2024.
Theme: – “Our Land. Our Future”.
COP 16 will undertake a midterm evaluation of the 2018−2030 Strategic Framework, and adopt the UNCCD’s biennial budget.
COP16, marking the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, will be the largest UN land conference ever.
- It will also be the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa, a region that directly experiences the effects of desertification, land degradation, and drought.
It will be a landmark event to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centred approach.
COP16 is expected to catalyze new initiatives on land restoration and drought resilience.
It is set to leave a strong legacy, building on the G20 Global Land Initiative, as well as Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives.
Key Highlights of India’s Statement at COP 16
India has adopted a comprehensive approach to address land degradation, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity enhancement, including the launch of the “Plant for Mother” campaign, planting over 1 billion saplings this year.
India believes in the principle that land is shared by all life forms.
- India has been leading initiatives like the International Big Cat Alliance and the Bonn Challenge to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, of which more than 22.50 million hectares have already been restored.
India promotes a “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Society” approach to land restoration through community participation, with programs like the Green India Mission and a focus on traditional knowledge and environment-friendly lifestyles.
India encourages collaboration to strengthen drought resilience and improve early warning systems., with initiatives like the Amrit Sarovar for water conservation and the Green Credit Program for ecological restoration of degraded land.