Source arabnews.com
RIYADH: According to Osama Faqeeha, the deputy minister of environment, water, and agriculture of Saudi Arabia, desertification and drought are two of the most urgent environmental issues facing the globe today.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the minister stated in a statement commemorating the UN Convention to Combat Desertification's 30th anniversary that land degradation might impact as much as 40% of the planet's land area and result in the annual loss of 100 million hectares of productive land.
Faqeeha emphasised the Kingdom's dedication to sustainable land management, saying that drought, land degradation, and desertification are three of the most urgent environmental issues of our day. The UNCCD is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and COP16 is anticipated to be a turning point for sustainable management and land restoration. By working together, we can restore our land and turn the tide. The sustainable management of our land will determine our future.
According to him, every second, the world loses an area of healthy land the size of four football fields due to land degradation.
"A healthy land base is critical to our future. For sustainable land management, let's band together," he remarked.
Leading international initiatives to address drought and land degradation has been Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Green Initiative and other land restoration initiatives were cited as examples of sustainable development programmes.
According to the minister, the programmes sought to enhance community well-being and generate employment opportunities in addition to promoting environmental sustainability.
Germany sponsored the 30th Desertification and Drought Day, which came to an end this week.
"This year, we focus on sharing the wisdom of our ancestors with future generations," stated UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. In underdeveloped nations, over a billion youth under 25 rely on land and natural resources. They are essential to changing their neighbourhoods and fostering creativity in environmentally friendly land management.
The launch of the UNCCD Youth Engagement Strategy and the Land Youth Negotiators Programme, as well as the introduction of the new class of UNCCD Land Heroes, were among the event's major highlights.
These programmes enable youth to influence land management practices and participate in the formulation of policies, particularly in the run-up to the UNCCD COP16 talks that are scheduled to take place in Riyadh from December 2 to December 13.
Source arabnews.com
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