Newsletter de la Société Civile à la COP 14 UNCCD INDIA -9 september, 2019

1. ecoPUBLISHED FOR 2019 UNCCD COP-14
CSO NEWSLETTER
9 SEPTEMBER, 2019
ENGAGING THE YOUTHS
Youth constitutes majority of the population
who are aged between 10-24, which is 1.8
billion persons. For the youth forum session,
three working groups were divided to
contribute the ideas to form the framework
in preamble, thematic and meaningful youth
engagement. The workings in preamble
included overarching key messages and
narrative of the declaration. Thematic
included discussion on land degradation land
tenure, deforestation and resource
mobilization. Meaningful youth engagement
focused on its meaning and the ways that the
youth can contribute further.
Small grants programme gives the youth a
platform wherein the contribution by the
youth can be in the form of innovation and
new ideas, energy and passion for them to be
the leaders of the future.
“More than being a beneficiary and a
partner, be the one to change the projectory,
be a champion and a leader in engaging
stakeholders towards a change.”
Youth should be engaged as they are play
essential part in capacity building,
partnership and spaces for networking.
Hence, youth should be engaged on global
environmental issues using social inclusion
approach. The strategies for the same have
been initiated in 147 countries.
USE RESOURCES WISELY
Gram Bharti Samiti (GBS) held a discussion in
MET 07 on the title ‘Afforestation and
cultivation of drought resistant species in
Asian countries.’
Delegates from Bhutan, India, Nepal, China,
Japan etc were actively present and the event
began with the introduction of the Chief
Guest, Mr Pradeep Monga; Deputy Executive
Secretary of the UNCCD.
Mr Monga, in his introduction, talked about
how Drought affects every single one of us,
but still receives a reactive approach, rather
than a pro-active approach to tackle it.
“There is nothing like wasteland or
wastewater. Land or water can never be
wasted. There is always some use for them”
An announcement was made which declared
that Mr Bhavani Shanker Kusum had been
chosen to be the recipient of the Jamnalal
Bajaj Award, one of the greatest honours
bestowed in the nation to a man following
great Gandhian ideals. Next, Mr Sun from the
Department of Combating Desertification
from China led talks on afforestation in his
country. He spoke on the different areas
having different types of ecosystem and
therefore the need of different techniques to
do afforestation.

2. LAND RESTORATION IN BRAZIL
Today, Brazil has almost 140 million hectares
of abandoned in the process of erosion, an
area twice the size of France. These degraded
areas, specially the Cerrado and Caatinga,
demonstrate a trend towards desertification.
The restoration of degraded areas is a main
strategy of Brazilian policy.
This is the reason for Brazil to develop a
range of agricultural technologies that align
production with the conservation of natural
resources. These include, integrated Crop-
Livestock-Forestry systems, which integrates
different production systems in the same
area so that the interaction between each
component generates mutual benefits and
land is conserved. The Low-Carbon
Agriculture Project, funded by the British
Government, with the Ministry of Agriculture,
Livestock and Supply as a beneficiary and the
Inter-American Development Bank as
executor, had the objective of implementing
agricultural practices that align production
with the conservation of natural resources.
The project provided financial incentives,
technical assistance and training to over
3,000 rural producers in the Amazon and
Atlantic Forest biomass, supporting the
implementation of over 36,000 hectares of
sustainable agricultural technologies.
The recovery of degraded areas using forest
or pasture was implemented across 23,000
hectares and almost 11,000 hectares were
dedicated to the implementation of ICLF
systems.
In 2019 the Project enters into its second
phase in two new biomass in Brazil. The
Cerrado and the Caatinga, anticipating the
implementation of ICLF systems in over 2,600
properties, with an expected result of a
further 200,000 hectares of agricultural land
utilising this technology.
There was a call for everyone to rely on science
and technology for better effective results.
Speakers from India spoke about how Gram
Bharti Samiti (GBS) has helped the community
of people residing in the arid areas of Rajasthan
for 35 years and have been planting trees that
survive in drought conditions in more than 5000
villages including the Khejri, Robira, Kumatiyo
etc. Mr. Chen Peng, the Sec Gen of China
Green Foundation talked of how different goals
for better ecosystem were made. The Million
Forest Plan is the pilot project of CGF initiated
by UNEP, CGF and the climate group in 2009
under which 20 km of forest ecological belt has
been constructed and over 60 thousand
hectares of desertified forest has been restored.
The session was then concluded by World
Accountable Citizen, who called all the CSOs
and delegates to associate with them,
enlightening about the organization's vision and
mission of providing social management
consultancy services and thus, helping in
achieving the ultimate goal of increasing impact
and capacity building of the partners.