Zhang pledges international action on desertification

"International communities are obliged to deepen joint action with effective campaigns in driving global desertification issues a new progress."

Zhang Jianlong, director general of the State Forestry Administration, addressed the opening ceremony of the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 6.

He called for global action to tackle the problem.

"China is trying to find a path that balances the environment and the economy, and combines desertification control with poverty alleviation," explained Zhang.

In the context of climate change, the agenda for global desertification control is acute and severe. Around 1.5 billion people in more than 100 countries and regions have been impacted by the situation, which poses a direct threat to world food security and the environment. As a result, famine, poverty and conflict occur, impeding development, Zhang added.

"Experts predict that 135 million people will be forced to migrate due to exacerbated soil loss in the coming decades, which may pose a threat to international peace and security," Zhang claimed.

Desertification in China has been reduced over three consecutive monitoring periods by continuous research and anti-desertification initiatives –– helping curb desert expansion since 2004.

In 2012, the Chinese government resolved building an ecological civilization a national target, and set a goal of attempting to tackle desertification in over 50 percent of areas suffering from the problem by the end of 2020.

Zhang called on the UNCCD COP 13 parties and relevant international organizations to work together to advance the new strategic framework for the future, and to establish a new blueprint for controlling desertification around the world.

The conference was themed around global efforts to tackle desertification for human well-being, with nearly 2,000 officials and experts from 196 parties and more than 20 international organizations participating in a two-week meeting.

From Sept 6 to 17, attendees will examine the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and attempt to establish a new strategic framework for combating desertification. The conference aims to achieve the goal of zero growth of desert areas, and to organize campaigns to raise funds and support from global communities.

At the conference, Zhang was appointed as the chairman of the UNCCD COP 13. 

Zhang Jianlong, director general of the State Forestry Administration, presides over the opening ceremony of the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Ordos, North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sept 6, 2017. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]