Desertification affects nearly 12 million hectares of land each year and affects 40% of the world’s population. Taking on an increasing scale and considered quite worrying by the UN, this institution found it useful to propose in June 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) a global convention on the fight against desertification (UNCCD).
Since then, the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification has taken place every two (02) years, in parallel with those on climate change and biological diversity. Delayed by one (01) year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the COP15 desertification was held from May 9 to 20, 2022 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in the presence of the 197 parties to the Convention. During this, on the proposal of H.E.M. Alassane OUATTARA, the delegates elected Alain-Richard DONWAHI, former Minister of Water and Forests of Côte d’Ivoire, President of COP 15.
President of COP15 Desertification
This conference aims to propose global solutions to address increased land degradation. Thus, the UNCCD encourages practices that avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation. It is based on an executive body, the Executive Secretariat, responsible for combating drought, land degradation and desertification.