UNCCD COP14 Concludes; New Delhi Declaration To Be Adopted

This was One of the most successful COP says COP14 President Mr Prakash Javedhkar

Flawless says Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD

The UNCCD COP14 concludes today. As the New Delhi Declaration is waiting to be released in an hour COP14 winds up today after 10 days of meetings - 11 high level conferences, 30 committee, over 170 stakeholder meetings and 44 exhibitions.

At the concluding press conference, addressing the media, the COP 14 President Mr. Prakash Javadekar says the COP to be one of the most successful. He recalls upon PM Modi’s address and underlines the importance of water in combating land degradation. He also reiterated the country's commitment in achieving land degradation neutrality by the SDG target year 2030. Incentives given to the farmers takes into account the land degradation too. He also promised to provide an effective leadership to the UNCCD during his two year tenure of the Presidentship. Climate, Biodiversity and the Desertification conventions should work with synergy, said Javadekar.

Ibrahim Thiaw addresses the media by saying that this was a flawless COP with an amazing turn out of participants and India had well organised the logistics. He also reiterated on the specific dates dedicated in this COP. Dates were indicated to General awareness, Drought, Green energy, Sand storms etc. We had very successful business day with very clear messages and also had dynamic youth as negotiators to COP. Thiaw concludes by saying his four take away messages in the COP.

Land restoration, Biodiversity and climate are very much linked and its links have been established now. Investing in land and locking lot of opportunities, land restoration and bringing carbon back to soil should be the immediate measures. Business deals and investments to bring about land restoration should be taken very seriously. Business sectors were called in for incentives to bring about land restoration. Parties have negotiated to the decision on droughts and the last but not the least Land restoration is all about peace, security and dignity of the humans too.