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12 May 2022.
Introduction:
The 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is being held from 9th May to 20th May 2022.
Where is the COP 15 taking place?
Abidjan, a city in Cote d’Ivoire.
What is the theme of COP 15?
Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity.
What is the objective of COP 15?
To bring together stakeholders from governments and the private sector to drive progress towards sustainable management of land.
What is the top agenda of COP 15?
Drought, land restoration, land rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment are the focus areas of COP 15.
Who represented India at COP 15?
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav.
What are the highlights of the environment minister’s speech at COP 15?
- He called for action to ensure that land is sustainably managed and stressed the role of land in achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also said that to reduce pressure on land, change should be at the individual level.
What is the recent report released by UNCCD?
- UNCCD released the Second edition of Global Land Outlook (GLO2), which is being discussed at COP 15.
- The report observed that around 40% of all ice-free land is degraded.
What is the observation regarding droughts at COP 15?
- As per the Drought in Numbers, 2022 report released at the COP 15, the frequency and duration of drought are increasing across the world.
- According to the report, India is one of the severely drought-impacted countries. Around 66% of India suffered a drought during 2020-2022.
What is UNCCD?
- Adopted in 1994, UNCCD is the only internationally legally binding framework established to address the problem of desertification.
- It is ratified by the European Union (EU) and 196 countries, thus it has universal reach.
- The Conference of the Parties (COP) to UNCCD oversees the implementation of UNCCD.
