COP 14 on land desertification to kickstart on Monday

The 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 14) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to tackle the issue of land degradation will begin here on Monday. With this conference, the Indian government, which is hosting the global event, will take over the COP Presidency from China.

The event, which will take place in Greater Noida from September 2 to 13, will have over 6,000 participants from 196 countries, who will identify mutually viable solutions to the growing challenges of desertification, land degradation, and drought. Ministers from nearly 80 countries, scientists, representatives of national and local governments, NGOs, organizations and global youth networks will share their experience and expertise in tackling land degradation.

The conference will be inaugurated on Monday by Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry area of land becomes a desert, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife.

It is caused by a variety of factors such as climate change and over-exploitation of soil through human activity.