PM Modi addressed key UN anti-desertification meet.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Fourteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Monday in Greater Noida. The Conference of the Parties, which began on 2 September, was attended by 196 States and the European Union (EU) and attended by some 8,000 people.

Its goal is to identify mutually viable solutions to the growing challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the high-level segment of the United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification on Monday in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a speech at the meeting, formally known as the Fourteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), to develop plans to combat the phenomenon that poses a threat to weather.

Speaking before the main conference, CLD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said that the “good announcement” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected on what India wanted to do to combat desertification at the meeting.

"The prime minister is expected to make his statement on Monday. I can't tell you more. Please keep an eye out. The prime minister will make his announcement. We expect a good announcement there," Thiaw said, citing PTI news agency.

Although Thiaw did not elaborate on the commitments India could make at the summit, he said, "There is great ambition that India has to address after the Conference of the Parties as part of its legacy for this whole process."

Ibrahim Thiaw said he expected the meeting to adopt the Delhi Declaration on Combating Desertification, which will contribute to the climate action summit in September.

Prakash Javadikar, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, was elected for two years as President of the Conference of the Parties, and his experience and experience "is well placed to help build synergies and cooperation" to combat desertification, said Thiaw.

"India is really engaged in building bridges between land, climate and biodiversity," Tiao said.

Who is attending the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification?

The Conference of the Parties, which began on 2 September, was attended by 196 countries and the European Union (EU) and attended by some 8,000 people.

Its aim is to identify mutually viable solutions to the growing challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought.

The high-level segment will begin on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves, Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and ministers from other participating countries.

Senior officials from UN agencies, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations are also expected to attend. Agriculture and Food (FAO).

On the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was adopted in Paris in 1994 as a legally binding instrument to combat desertification through sustainable land management and has been ratified by 196 countries and the European Union.

The Conference of the Parties is the principal decision-making body of the Convention and meets biennially to assess progress and its future course.

Land degradation is a serious problem for the world as it affects climate change, food supply and health, said Thiaw.

In 2018, 125 people died from dust storms and 200 were injured, he said. Around the world, 25 countries had been severely affected by the drought and had requested emergency assistance, he said.

Land degradation costs the world a loss of between 10 and 17 per cent of GDP, Thiaw said.

The main objective of the Convention is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought for sustainable development through measures at all levels through international cooperation and partnership agreements.