New Delhi Declaration to combat Drought

At the end of Conference of Parties (COP) 14, countries party to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) adopted a series of breakthrough measures in the accord of the New Delhi Declaration.

Features of the Delhi Declaration

• Along with an agreement to achieve land degradation neutrality wherein the countries pledged to halt the degradation of land to the point where ecosystems and land use can no longer be supported, the countries agreed to a landmark decision to boost global efforts to mitigate and manage the risks of crippling drought.
• The participating countries are required to address insecurity of land tenure, including gender inequality; promote land restoration to reduce land-related carbon emissions, and mobilize innovative sources of finance from public and private sources to support the implementation of these decisions at a national level.
• The parties expressed support for new initiatives aiming to improve human health and well-being, the health of ecosystems and to advance peace and security.
• The declaration hosts 35 decisions which are legally binding on each of the 196 countries
• India which holds the presidency of COP till 2021 will monitor the activities being carried out over the next two years.
• The declaration lays emphasis on community-driven transformative projects that are gender-sensitive at local, national and regional levels to drive implementation.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is an international agreement which promotes good land stewardship.

The convention through a bottom-up approach helps people, communities and countries to create wealth, grow economies and secure enough food and water and energy, by ensuring land users have an enabling environment for sustainable land management. Through partnerships, the parties to Convention strive to build robust systems to manage drought promptly and effectively.

Entered into force in December 1996, UNCCD is one of three Rio Conventions along with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement to address the problem of land degradation, desertification and other land issues.