UN Calls For $2.6 Trillion Investment To Reverse Land Degradation

Restoring the world's degraded land and halting desertification will require at least $2.6 trillion in investment by the end of the decade, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Reuters reported.

The UN emphasized the need to strengthen drought resilience through enhanced legal obligations, strategic planning, and secured funding. I Photo: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Facebook

Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw warned that the increasing frequency and severity of droughts, exacerbated by climate change, combined with the food demands of a growing population, put societies at risk of instability unless urgent action is taken.

Speaking ahead of a two-week summit in Riyadh, Thiaw emphasized the need to strengthen drought resilience through enhanced legal obligations, strategic planning, and secured funding.

Thiaw highlighted that much of the approximately $1 billion needed daily would have to come from the private sector.

Currently, the private sector contributes only 6% of the funds required to rehabilitate degraded land, despite being a primary driver of land degradation through food production.