45percent of Africa consist of dry lands, three quarters of productive active land is degraded and desertification and mitigating the effects of drought are needed for economic growth.
The African continent is particularly affected by desertification, especially in its Sahelian band, so the heads of state, leaders of private sectors and civil society converged in Abidjan to provide effective steps in preventing land degradation and drought.
Under the initiative of president Alassane Ouattara, the leaders were urged not to relent their efforts in restoring land especially as Africa is hardest hit. He equally stressed on climate change and its effects on the environment.
Decisions Arrived at During
the Conference
- The parties present pledged to boost drought resilience and invest in land restoration for future prosperity.
- more robust monitoring and data to track progress against land restoration
- new political and financial impetus to help nations deal with devastating impacts of drought.
The fifteenth session of the conference of the party’s cop 15 of the united convention to combat desertification held on the theme, land, life legacy from scarcity to prosperity.
On the sidelines of the summit, Ivorian President launched the Abidjan legacy program to restore degraded forest and promote sustainable land management.