India to host UNCCD COP 14 in New Delhi

For the first time, India will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in New Delhi between September 2 -14, 2019. It will see participation from at least 5,000 delegates from nearly 197 countries. Ahead of the COP-14, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar launched a flagship project (a part of a larger international initiative called the Bonn Challenge) to enhance India’s capacity for Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). It will be implemented during a pilot phase of three-and-a-half years in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Karnataka. The project will aim to develop and adapt the best practices and monitoring protocols for the country, and build capacity within the five pilot States. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land under restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. The United Nations has three major Conventions: UNFCCC, UNCCD and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Established in 1994, the UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development issues to the land agenda.