From 9 to 20 May, the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP15) was held in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire, a West African country. With the theme of "Land, Life and Heritage: From Scarcity to Prosperity", the conference focused on providing sustainable solutions for land restoration and drought recovery, with a focus on future land use. Since signing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, China has been actively promoting the implementation of the Convention, and at the same time vigorously promoting the construction of green Africa with African countries and contributing to the "Great Green Wall of Africa" plan.
△ LOGO of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Africa is deeply affected by desertification and land degradation
Desertification refers to land degradation in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid arid regions caused by factors such as climatic anomalies and human activities. Drought can trigger desertification, but human activities such as overcultivation, overgrazing, deforestation, inadequate irrigation, etc., are often the main triggers. At present, about 40 per cent of the world's land mass and 3.2 billion people are directly or indirectly affected by desertification and land degradation, particularly in Africa.
As the growing problem of global desertification continues to threaten the survival of humankind, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 17 June as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought in 1994, and on that day adopted the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, referred to as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The United Nations General Assembly calls upon Member States to use World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to promote public awareness of the need for international cooperation and the implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification to Combat the Effects of Desertification and Drought.
The 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was scheduled for the end of 2021 but was postponed until 9-20 May this year in Abidjan, the largest city in Côte d'Ivoire and the economic capital. The Conference of the Parties is meeting at a critical time to combat desertification, land degradation and drought, and at a time when the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration projects are being implemented, providing concrete responses to the interrelated challenges of land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss. Through leaders' summits, round tables and interactive dialogue sessions between ministers and other senior officials, the General Assembly specifically explored the linkages between land and other key sustainability issues, such as land and climate, land and biodiversity, land and green employment, and gender equality.
△ Schematic map of "Great Green Wall of Africa" (Source: "Great Green Wall of Africa" initiative)
In order to cope with the severe situation of desertification and land degradation in Africa, inspired by China's "Three Norths" shelterbelt and other large-scale green projects, the African Union has led the launch of the "Great Green Wall of Africa" plan, which aims to actively respond to the adverse impact of land degradation and desertification on the local society, economy and environment caused by climate change in the Sahel and Sahara, so that forestland, pasture and other natural resources in arid areas can be managed or used sustainably, and local poverty and food safety issues can be dealt with. The construction goal is to build an ecological shelterbelt belt of about 8,000 kilometers along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and treat 100 million hectares of desertification land. The plan is not only an ecological project, but also a matter of food security and regional stability, and is an important part of Africa's construction of a community with a shared future for man and nature.
China and Africa jointly promote the construction of green Africa
The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the fight against desertification and has been actively promoting the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and conscientiously fulfilling the obligations of States parties. At the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, China pointed out that the global sustainable development map cannot be less than a large part of Africa, and China is committed to jointly building a green "Belt and Road" and jointly promoting the construction of a green Africa with African countries through the "Forum on China-Africa Cooperation" and South-South cooperation. China will continue to vigorously promote the implementation of the "Nine Projects" of China-Africa cooperation, including green development projects, and the Declaration on China-Africa Cooperation on Climate Change, to help Africa improve its environmental governance capabilities and promote economic and social development.
Over the years, China has actively carried out international cooperation and jointly established the "International Training Center for Combating Desertification" and the "International Knowledge Management Center for Desertification Control" with the United Nations, and has shared its experience with the international community without reservation. As early as September 2017, the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which specializes in the study of the ecology, environment and resources of arid areas, signed an agreement with the "Green Great Wall of Africa" organization, and the two sides plan to provide scientific and technological support for the implementation of the "Green Great Wall of Africa" project in the member countries of the Pan-African Green Wall Organization; carry out training, research and transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements in the monitoring, evaluation and sustainable management of regional agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry ecosystems; and strengthen the exchange of personnel visits and exchanges To enhance the application of geographic information systems and remote sensing technologies in desertification control, thereby enhancing the capacity of African countries to combat desertification.
Desertification is threatening a village in Chad, An African country. Over the past 50 years, the basin area of Lake Chad has shrunk from 25,000 square kilometers to 2,000 square kilometers. (Image source: UNDP Chad)
On April 13 this year, China supported the construction of the "Great Green Wall of Africa" seminar in Beijing. More than 20 officials from six African countries, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Senegal, participated in the training online. Relevant experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the China Society for Sand Control and Sand Industry and other institutions gave lectures on the latest scientific research achievements and achievements in desertification control, and the participants interacted and exchanged views on the experiences gained by various countries in desertification control and the difficult problems encountered. In his speech, Brahinside, Executive Secretary of the "Green Wall of Africa", highly praised China's achievements in desertification control and the sincerity of supporting the construction of the "Great Green Wall of Africa", and expressed his willingness to conduct in-depth exchanges with China, seek common development and jointly fight sand. Ambassador of Burkina Faso to China Adama Compaoré and Executive Director of the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Louise Baker respectively elaborated on the significance of cooperation in combating desertification between China and Africa from the perspective of ensuring global stability and safeguarding ecological security.
At the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Côte d'Ivoire, China put forward three suggestions: First, effectively strengthen international cooperation. The drought and desertification situation facing developing countries, especially In Africa, is even more severe, and the international community should lend a helping hand. The second is to firmly promote green development. Food security, climate governance and green development are the key areas of cooperation of President Xi Jinping's global development initiative, and alleviating drought and achieving sustainable land governance are its due meanings. China welcomes the active participation of all parties. The third is to effectively improve international rules. We should actively respond to the drought problems concerned by African countries, continuously develop and improve drought control rules, and build a fair and reasonable desertification governance system.
It should be said that the three-point proposal put forward by the Chinese side has contributed to the Chinese plan to jointly promote global desertification control, and has also added impetus to the joint efforts of China and Africa to promote the construction of green Africa and implement the "Great Green Wall of Africa" plan. (Reporter Wang Xinjun)