Living Desert premiered at the IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi. Follow our amazing Goodwill Ambassadors Baaba Maal, Inna Modja and Ricky Kej to the awe-inspiring UNESCO sites of Al-Ula. Discover the bold…

For centuries, people’s lives have been tied to the land and the water – herders depending on the rangelands, farmers relying on the flow of rivers to nourish their fields. These landscapes have shape...

In Kyrgyzstan, where steep mountains and deep valleys define both the landscape and daily life, land degradation and drought are no longer distant threats — they’re reshaping everyday reality. These s...

Cutting food waste by 75%, restoring half of degraded lands, and boosting sustainable ocean-based food could spare land, says landmark study.

Today marks the end of Ibrahim Thiaw's six-and-a-half-year term as Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. In this special farewell episode of our podcast, Mr. Thiaw reflects on his extraordinary journey, from a village in Mauritania to some of the highest positions in the United Nations.“I never saw drought or desertification as statistics,” he says. 'I saw people. I saw their faces. I lived it.'Under his leadership, land was prioritized as a key issue for global sustainability, resilience, peace, and justice. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, the UNCCD successfully organized a COP, amplifying the voices of women and young people and bringing land issues to the forefront of the international agenda. What’s next? Listen to this heartfelt conversation about leadership, resilience, and perseverance. #Leadership #UNCCD #Diplomacy #Sustainability #UnitedNations #IbrahimThiaw #GlobalGoals #EnvironmentalGovernance #Legacy

The 10th Kubuqi International Desert Forum opened on Tuesday in Ordos, in China's northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. China's remarkable progress in addressing desertification was highlighted, with a focus on the restoration of 13.3 million hectares over the past five years. At the opening ceremony, Yasmine Fouad, the executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), delivered a video message in which she stated that land degradation is endangering our planet at an alarming rate. Every year, 100 million hectares — an area the size of four football fields — are lost. "The question is not whether the world can act, but whether we will. Here in Kubuqi, you have answered with a resounding yes," Fouad said. She noted that the Kubuqi model demonstrates a fundamental truth: when we restore our land, we restore human dignity. It means jobs — over 100,000 of them. It means new industries that sustain families. It means communities that no longer see the desert as an adversary, but rather as a partner in their future. She stressed that this transformation was not the work of one sector alone.

A UN University study finds that global agricultural trade eases scarcity for high-income populations while making water more scarce for the poor.

Mongolia has unveiled the official logo for the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), taking place in Ulaanbaatar fr...

YouTube video by UNCCD

A review of the significant advances Indigenous Peoples made in 2024 at United Nations negotiations on climate change, biodiversity, and desertification.

A review of the significant advances Indigenous Peoples made in 2024 at United Nations negotiations on climate change, biodiversity, and desertification.

Food, water, energy crises, human tragedies in 2023-2025detailed in sweeping analysis by U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center and the UN Convention to Combat DesertificationFueled by climate change...

Land degradation and drought are fueling a hidden health crisis – but we still have time to act.