15th Session of the parties of UNCCD held

[GS Paper 2 – International Organizations]

Context – India’s Union Environment Minister delivers a national statement at the 15th session of the conference of parties of UNCCD.

The Union Environment Minister addressed the United Nations Convention to combat desertification conference of parties at its 15th session in Côte d’Ivoire (Western Africa).

Key Developments

• The ministers stated that several global developments indicate renewed and stronger resolve that provides direct and indirect support to the objectives of UNCCD. 
• He cited the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration(2021-2030) which aims at halting and reversing ecosystem degradation and loss as an example. 
• The importance of the conference was placed on increasing area connectivity in the integrity of natural ecosystems in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

About UNCCD

• The organization was established in 1994. It is a legally binding international agreement that links environment and development to sustainable land management. 
• The UNCCD addresses particularly the arid, semi-arid & dry sub-humid areas, called drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples are found. 
• The convention was drafted and opened for signing in 1994. It became effective in 1996 after receiving 50 ratifications. 
• The convention obliges national governments to take measures to tackle the issue of desertification. 
• It has initiated the Great Green Wall under a global environment facility where eleven countries are participating. 
• It constitutes the Bonn Challenge that works on bringing 150 million hectares of land that is in the state of degradation and deforested, restored by 2020, and the same of 350 million hectares land by 2030. 
• The convention focuses on having a bottom-up approach to achieve its goals, by involving the local communities. 
• The UNCCD is one of the three Rio Conventions, the other two being: 

• Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 

• The three Rio Conventions work in close collaboration with each other.

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