COP 28, an opportunity to improve the lives of communities

The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification confirmed that the UAE plays an important role in the fight against desertification at regional and global level, recalling that the climate conference “COP 28”, which will take place in the United States Emirates , is an opportunity to exchange and learn new practices e. Methods to improve the lives of communities under the influence of climate change.

The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification said in an exclusive statement emailed to Al-Ittihad: The UAE has been party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification since October 1998 and stands ready to develop action plans to combat it. Desertification and drought.

He added: “The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is working with the UAE and 196 States Parties to achieve the objectives of the Convention, which is to build a global partnership to prevent desertification and land degradation and reduce the effects from the drought. . in affected areas, to reduce poverty and support environmental sustainability”.

According to him, the UAE plays an important role in combating desertification, land degradation and drought, and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment developed the first national strategy to combat desertification in 2003 and updated it in 2014. the environment of the United Arab Emirates. and its resources, which form an integral part of its history and heritage, and combat the causes of desertification. This involved rehabilitating large areas and greenbelts and reforesting with salinity-tolerant native plants, trees and shrubs.”

The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification confirmed that the efforts of the UAE have expanded regionally and globally and made significant efforts to combat the causes of desertification and promote the agricultural conversion of land, desert lands, and that the efforts of UAE has led to greater adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, salinity and drought tolerant crops and use of treated wastewater for irrigation, as well as research to improve rainfall and public awareness and prevention of desertification.

The secretariat said, “The UAE has implemented large-scale initiatives to restore mangrove forests nationally and globally as a contribution to the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, with an additional 100 million mangroves by 2030 , a significant increase from the 30 million identified. On the Second Nationally Determined Contribution of the Paris Agreement.

With regard to the existence of joint projects between the UAE and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Secretariat noted that since the UAE acceded to the Convention, it has actively participated in the work of the Convention, including meetings of the Conference of the Parties. (COP), as well as ongoing training and awareness activities.

In November 2022, the UAE joined the International Drought Resistance Alliance (IDRA), established by Spain and Senegal, with support from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, to stimulate political momentum and mobilize resources for action. measures to strengthen drought resilience. Countries, cities and communities.

Hosting the “COP 28” conference in the United Arab Emirates, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification highlighted that it works closely with “sister conventions” on climate change or biodiversity, as one of three agreements to emerge from the Earth Summit. Rio, and that he is excited about the planned conference in the United Arab Emirates, because the Earth is a strong link between climate and biodiversity.