The President of the General Assembly will convene a High-level Dialogue to assess the progress made in the fight against DLDD, and map the way forward in view of the end of the UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification.
The dialogue will take place on 20 May 2021, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The dialogue’s objectives are to:
- Bring attention to recovery opportunities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic that can be aligned with action to address DLDD through job-creating, shovel-ready projects like land restoration, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and investments in sustainable land management that strengthen our planet’s resilience.
- Elevate the discourse on DLDD issues’ global significance for the entire SDG agenda and for climate, biodiversity and disaster risk reduction.
- Build upon the commitments and initiatives from Member States and stakeholders made during the Summits on Biodiversity and Climate Change, along the path to the CBD COP15, UNFCCC COP26, UNCCD COP15, and the 2021 Food Systems Summit.
- Encourage all UN Member States to adopt and implement Land Degradation Neutrality targets and National Drought plans, in line with implementing the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and as part of their Nationally Determined Contributions and future commitments under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to safeguard global food security, and guard against future systemic health or environmental risks and cascading hazards.
- Call for countries to support the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund, and other funding mechanisms, to accelerate efforts to scale-up land restoration by all sectors of society and support the global movement inspired by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
- Share experiences and best practices, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative business models that build greater awareness of green, resilient and inclusive recovery strategies.
Event page: https://www.un.org/pga/75/event/high-level-dialogue-on-desertification-land-degradation-and-drought/