AFRICAN countries want a United Nations-based legal, institutional, and governance framework and financing mechanisms as the best way to address desertification and land degradation.

The demand was made in a statement by the African caucus at the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

They expressed this demand at the opening session of the conference yesterday, expressing concern that despite the critical importance of land and the pivotal roles it plays, land degradation has been on an upward trend.

This has especially been the case in recent years, resulting in huge social and economic losses and serious environmental challenges, they said, noting that COP16 is an opportunity to adopt coherent and action-oriented decisions that will lead to tangible achievements on the ground. 

“Africa attaches great importance to this conference and hopes that its concerns will be considered,” the statement intoned, drawing attention to how acute is this phenomenon and how it needs to be addressed in an integrated manner that includes key pillars to effectively address the issues.

Drought affects a big number of African countries but it has not yet received the attention it deserves, despite being one of the main spheres of focus of the convention framework since its adoption, they exclaimed.

Expressing their commitment to the land degradation neutrality target setting programme (LDN TSP) since its adoption in 2015, they said a number of measures have been taken for its practical implementation.

These include the preparation of transformative projects that remain subject to the mobilization of necessary financial resources to activate them, they asserted.

There is need to accelerate the implementation of anti-desertification programmes and land management mechanisms to reverse degradation and restore ecological balances, they said.

Africa is calling upon the international community to “respond to the great challenges of sustainable land management in an environment fraught with multiple constraints including climate change, scarcity of water resources, rapid population growth and urbanization,” it emphasised.

Khamis Hamza Khamis, the Union and Environment deputy minister in the Vice President’s Office (VPO said in remarks to the plenary session that Tanzania’s actions on drought resilience include developing a ten-year environmental master plan for strategic interventions (2022 – 2032).

Other measures include promoting integrated smart practices in water, agriculture and forest sector through measures like facilitating drought smart agriculture to ensure the resilience of food systems, providing timely information to vulnerable communities, and catchment conservation to improve water security and efficient use.

He praised gestures of support from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) to increase funding to scale up implementation of projects, strengthen national systems, promote public-private partnerships and support mechanisms for the involvement of the private sector.

“Tanzania is committed to ensuring pro-active and inclusive drought resilience so that every community, particularly vulnerable groups—women and youth are not left behind.”

Ibrahim Thiaw, the UNCCD executive secretary appealed in his opening speech for the UNCCD to address desertification, land degradation, and drought. “This is no longer a whisper as it is recognized at the highest levels of global decision-making,’ he stated.

The cost of land degradation seeps into every corner of peoples’ lives following the surging price of groceries, unexpected energy surcharges, and the growing strain within communities.

“I have spoken to farmers, mothers, and young people who are living this reality every day. Their resilience is inspiring, but their struggles remind us that land degradation and drought do not recognize borders,” he declared.

Themed, ‘Our Land. Our Future’ conference brings together the 197 state parties to the framework convention, slated for 2nd to 13th December. It represents a critical moment to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centred approach, the UN executive underlined.