Bhupender Yadav leads Indian delegation at COP15 summit on desertification

Tags: Summits

The Indian delegation led by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has reached Abidjan, Cote D Ivoire to attend the Conference of Parties, 15th meeting of the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD COP15) from 9th to 20th May 2022.

• India had hosted the fourteenth session of this Conference from 2nd to 13th September 2019, in New Delhi.

• The COP15 theme is ‘Land, Life, Legacy from scarcity to prosperity'.

• It is a call to action to protect land which is the lifeline on this planet, and continues to benefit present and future generations.

• Land is the cornerstone of a healthy, productive society, and COP15 will explore the relationship between land and other key issues.

• Agenda of the Conference 

• Drought, land restoration, land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment are the top subjects on the Conference agenda.

• Through its decisions adopted by UNCCD’s 197 Parties, COP15 is expected to galvanise sustainable solutions for land restoration and drought resilience.

• About UNCCD 

• It stands for United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

• It was established in 1994.

• Its aim is to combat desertification and the ill effects of drought.

• It is a legally binding convention that links development and the environment with sustainable land management.

• The Convention obliges national governments to take measures to deal with the issue of desertification.

• India ratified the Convention to Combat Desertification in December 1996.

• India is the COP president for 2019 – 2021.

• About COP

• The conference of the parties (COP) is the meeting of the ratifying governments.

• The Prime Minister of India at COP14 announced that the country will resettle an additional 50 lakh hectares of land by 2030.