The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat has published an anniversary book to celebrate 30 years of “put[ting] people, land and drought firmly at the center of the sustainable development agenda,” building awareness, and galvanizing action to revive degraded land and build communities’ resilience against drought.

In a foreword, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns that without accelerated action to protect land and freshwater resources, the world “will see more hunger, more thirst, more unemployment, more poverty, and more destruction of our environment and the biodiversity.” He highlights the UNCCD’s “critical role in promoting innovative, sustainable, nature-based land management solutions as we tackle these challenges.”

In his foreword, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw describes the Convention as “the vision and voice for land” and “the world’s foremost platform where governments, businesses and civil society come together to discuss present-day challenges and chart a sustainable future for land.”

Titled, ‘Unite for Land: 30 Years of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification,’ the publication casts the UNCCD as “the first ‘sustainable development’ treaty.” The report explains that the Convention “takes the economic and social development needs of people into account, while also addressing a serious environmental problem with global implications.” For 30 years, the UNCCD has provided “a critical opportunity to advance sustainable development by producing more food and fiber without depleting precious soil and water resources, increasing carbon emissions, or degrading forests,” it emphasizes.

The publication describes the history behind the UNCCD’s adoption on 17 June 1994. It explains that earlier efforts to address desertification, including the 1977 Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (PACD), were “not particularly effective due to lack of funding and prioritization.”

The report notes that the Convention, which today is universally ratified, “recognizes the physical, biological, and socioeconomic aspects of desertification [and] the importance of redirecting technology transfer so that it is demand-driven….” It outlines the Convention’s “bottom-up” approach in that it reflects the importance of participatory sustainable development and acknowledges the role of women, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities in implementing the Convention on the ground.

Among other aspects, the report discusses: negotiations towards the establishment of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) and its work; financing efforts to combat desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD), including through the Global Environment Facility (GEF); and strategic implementation. It outlines the origins of the land degradation neutrality (LDN) concept, science-policy considerations, and indicators and measurement, including the UNCCD’s Data Dashboard launched in 2023. Policy frameworks and thematic issues are also covered.

Looking ahead to the next 30 years, the publication places the UNCCD “firmly at the center of the political process that aims to protect the most fundamental resource that is healthy land.” It underscores the need “to accelerate action to restore at least 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030.”

The lead author for the book was Pamela Chasek. The book was published to mark the UNCCD’s 30th anniversary celebrated on 17 June – Desertification and Drought Day 2024. [Publication: Unite for Land: 30 Years of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification] [Publication Landing Page]