11 July 2013: The Caux Dialogue on Land and Security, which took place from 7-11 July 2013 in Caux, Switzerland, was convened by Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Mohamed Sahnoun, Chair of the Caux Forum for Human Security. The event sought to help participants deepen their understanding of links between land degradation and human security, share lessons learned and best practices for sustainable land restoration, and examine the potential for investment in land restoration, among other objectives.

Among the speakers at the opening session: Gnacadja highlighted that the conference would discuss natural resources alongside human security; Rattan Lal, Ohio State University, emphasized the need for sustainable soil management; Ian Johnson, Secretary General of the Club of Rome, suggested exploring a new economic model that incudes values and humans alongside economic considerations; and Bianca Jagger, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Plant a Pledge Ambassador, stressed the importance of empowering women with regard to soil management.

In a keynote address, Allan Savory (Zimbabwean biologist, farmer, soldier, exile, and environmentalist, winner of the 2003 Banksia International Award and of the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge) discussed food security and policies that seek to reverse desertification, and suggested reintroducing livestock on dry lands as a strategy to help land fertility and reduce erosion.

During a closing plenary session, Martin Frick, Ambassador, Germany, encouraged participants to engage in local action. Participants also highlighted the subjects of land degradation, water management and human security issues. [Caux Dialogue on Land and Security webpage][Opening session webpage]