Prime Minister Modi Ji to address the UN high-level virtual meeting on desertification, land degradation and drought today.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a United Nations high-level virtual dialogue on desertification, land degradation, and drought on Monday.
Prime Minister Modi, President of the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), will address the high-level virtual dialogue today at 7.30pm.
Volkan Bozkir, President of the UN General Assembly will convene the meeting with the support of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to assess the progress made in the fight against land degradation and chart the way forward in global efforts to revive and restore healthy lands.
The meeting will be attended by world leaders, government ministers, and representatives, leaders of the agricultural industry, representatives of United Nations institutions, international organizations and civil society groups, as well as members of the general public, according to the notice issued by the UNCCD.
"Land is the foundation of our societies and is the cornerstone of global food security and environmental health, zero hunger, poverty eradication, and affordable energy. It is the foundation for the success of the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, "the notice reads.
In addition to Prime Minister Modi, the high-level event will also be led by UN Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohamed, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw and the Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Indigenous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, as well as Heads of State and Government, ministers, and senior UN officials.
It will put the land restoration at the center of the entire SDG agenda and for climate, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction, on the way to COP15, UNFCCC COP26, UNFCCC COP15 CLD and the 2021 Food Systems Summit.
The Dialogue aims to focus the international community's attention on land issues and generate the political will to implement land solutions within COVID-19 adaptation and recovery strategies.
It will encourage all Member States to adopt and implement land degradation neutrality targets and national drought plans.
It will also encourage Member States, the private sector, and all stakeholders to partner for land action and support the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund and other funding mechanisms to scale-up land restoration across all sectors of society, according to the notice. It will allow participants to share experiences and best practices, cutting-edge technologies and innovative business models that promote green, resilient and inclusive recovery strategies.