India's minister for Ministry Of Environment Forests and Climate Change inaugurates 14th COP of UNCCD. Full transcript of speech

Full Transcript of India’s Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar’s inaugural speech

Friends I welcome Ibrahim Thiaw Executive Secretary UNCCD, my ministerial colleague Babul Supriyo and delegations who have come from all over the world. I welcome you in this beautiful city of Delhi Actually this is Noida a city which is very near Delhi as it is a suburb but it is in Uttar Pradesh. But welcome. You will find Delhi very interesting. And you will also move around and enjoy the city because that much time you will have in between. Ladies and Gentlemen I will extend heartfelt welcome to all dignitaries on the Dias, and participants addressing this occasion today at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida from today to 13^th September. As I told you Delhi is ancient city with tremendous history that has seen many dynasties and empires. It is therefore a multicultural and cosmopolitan city. Let me inform you that because of its history it has more than 1000 monuments marking the histories of many dynasties.

Javdekar said “Delhi is a cosmopolitan city with a forest within the city itself. At the same time I must thank China because China has very ably handled their presidency for the last two years and taken all our concerns together to a new level. We have to move ahead now.  But I must thank China for their role as a presidency in last two years.

On behalf of India’s 1.3 billion people I am delighted to welcome the distinguished participants, delegates, United Nations Organisations, Inter governmental organisation, think tanks, civil society organisations, industry, Press, Media, and Observers. I would also like to suggest that let us be optimistic because whenever I have (participated) – as an Environment Minister I was also a part of the Paris Agreement in UNFCCC, in CBD, in UNCCD, there are always two opinions. One section feels it’s a Doomsday now. …. Everything will be finished. I think we must have faith in our action I am optimistic about future. I am confident for one thing. If human actions have caused damage… maybe climate change, degradation of land, and also the biodiversity destruction … so if human actions have caused damage further human action intelligence, intent and technology can also restore the land ecology and environment. And with that positive confidence, we need to start deliberations of this COP 14. This is the 25 years of  UNCCD. And this is, in a way never before. COP. With 6500 + registrations, with 100 ministers confirming their attendance, in the high level segment, and practically all UN affiliate organisations’ heads are coming here, so this will become definitely historic COP (Conference of Parties). Ladies and Gentlemen, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted in Paris in 1994 and ratified by 196 countries and European Union. UNCCD works towards improving the living conditions of the affected people maintaining and restoring degraded land and enhancing soil productivity and mitigating the effects of drought on marginalised populations. 

I feel honoured to be head all three Rio Conventions, namely UNCCD, CBD and UNFCCC situated in my Ministry. We have a Ministry called Environment for Forest and Climate Change. So it covers all. And feel proud to applaud United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s Secretariat for the collaboration with the Government of India for the hosting COP 14 in India.  India ratified UNCCD Convention in 1996. This Convention can be called as Mother Convention. Of the other two Rio Conventions that emerged as a major outcome of 92 Rio Earth Summit  UNCCD and Convention on Biological Diversity or CBD since the land has strong interlinkages with Climate Change and Biodiversity. UNCCD and the Convention on Biological Diversity that is CBD, has strong interlinkages with climate change and biodiversity. For me this is all the more befitting and within India. We look (at) Earth as our Mother. We call our country as Bharat Mata because even in normal rituals or even when we are building a structure, or doing any good thing, we worship the land. Because in our ethos Land is also treated as our Mother; and therefore an inbuilt culture of protecting the Mother Earth and that is what the Indian ethos is. So ecosystem restoration is a very important aspect of our COP and I am very sure that this COP deliberations will help this in finding new ways.

The objective of COP 14 accompanied with 14 committees on science and technology and 218^th meeting of CRIC 18 is to discuss various issues of land such as sustainable land management, reversing land degradation, mitigation of drought, halting desertification, addressing sand and dust storms, linkages with gender, tenure, etc and guide the Convention as global circumstance and national needs change.  

This beautiful logo is also crowd sourced. We invited young minds to design and I think this is the beautiful logo which has come up which by just viewing it we can have the whole thing in our eyes that this is what we need to do from voluntary efforts, to a public policy efforts, from frustration to a Hope we have to travel and I am very sure we will. We can and we will. That is what we will achieve in this conference of parties or COP 14. The key outcomes of COP 14 will facilitate in delivering convergence and synergies on the existing programmes in the field of agriculture, forestry, land water management, poverty alleviation which will cater to the need to achieve sustainable development goals and focussed vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and am very happy to announce that on lines in the high level segment India’s most popular and UN recognised great environmentalist our protectionist is coming and opening the COP High Level segment on 9^th of September.

So we have already launched the scheme of doubling farmers’ income. It is improving the agricultural productivity with the basis being soil productivity. And that is again basic theme of soil restoration. On 25^th September 2015 the world leaders at United Nations adopted the 2030 agenda for SDGs with 169 Targets and 17 Goals. Out of this 17 SDGs SDG 15 is very ambitious SDG which encompasses all land based ecosystems and biodiversity with 12 targets and 12 indicators that draw heavily from 2011 to 2020’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, and achieve Targets to be reached  by 2020. Further, in March 2019, the UN declared 21-30 as the Decade for Ecosystem Restoration. Target 15 (3) of SDG 15 not only drives UNCCD implementation but also contributes to other SDGs relating to climate change biodiversity, ecosystem food and water security, and poverty alleviation. Hearty = Healthy ecosystem plays a critical role in 2030 Agenda for sustainable development imperative of “Leave none behind”. That is most important. We walk together. We work together; we share together; and there we make future which is more sustainable and we can hand over a better future than what it is today… to our new generations / future generations. That is our motto.

Desertification affects 2/3^rds of the countries of the world and 1/3^rd of the Earth. In an unprecedented global campaign to save the productive land 112 countries as of today have agreed to make the sustainable development goal of achieving Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030 a National Target for Action. The World’s largest and most populous nations including Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, have committed to their National Targets. About 40% of the world’s population are now living in water scarce regions. About 25% of all land globally is highly degraded because of land degradation. Displacement also takes place in some places. 36% of Carbon is stored in dry lands mainly soils. Thus dry lands are pivotal in the global fight against Climate Change and Desertification. The drivers of Desertification include direct drivers such as earthquakes, landslides, drought floods, human induced factors such as deforestation, wetland damage, over grazing, unsustainable land use planning and practices, and the expansion of agricultural industrial and urban areas. And the indirect drivers such as consumption patterns, population explosion, technological institutional and socio cultural causes.

I would appreciate initiatives of many countries who are working on increasing Climate Resilience, improving sustainable land management, improving land tenure, restoring degraded lands, improving livelihoods opportunities and rehabilitation. India is the seventh largest country as you know with 2.5 % of the world’s landmass and 17% of the world’s human population, 20% of the world’s cattle population, both require and land and water. And we have only 4 % of fresh land and water. Still we have 24% of tree cover and forest cover.  And in the last five years we have increased that cover by 15000 square kilometres. Once you start greening more, you restore the land automatically. That is how thigs happen.

Today on the 14^th session of Conference of Parties we reaffirm our commitment towards protecting our land resources. India will achieve sustainable land management and land restoration by 2030 as committed. I am proud to share that India has exceeded the IT Targets under the Convention of CBD. Also India’s tree and forest cover has shown an absolute good increase in the last five years. India wants to … India has done many things which my colleague Minister of State Babul Supriyo who is also a very popular artiste in India – a very good vocalist so he will also give you an account of what India has  done in his country statement. But I want to emphasise what is the global scenario. And let me also remind that India hosted the four days India specific regional workshop with UNCCD wherein the national and international participation from about 40 Asia Pacific countries were trained in the use of land degradation monitoring tool and build capacity of country parties for reporting to UNCCD for the performance and review on land based indicators. India being the country party to the Convention has submitted a national report on the future of strategic framework 2018 – 2030 comprising of three land based indicators – land cover, land productivity and soil organic carbon to UNCCD for the performance and review the implementation of the Convention, Paris Portal of the UNCCD. The opening session of the high level segment on 9^th September as I told you is to be inaugurated by our Prime Minister and he would be addressing the august gathering of the constitutive Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Executive Secretary UNCCD, President of the COP and all others, dignitaries and all ministers also who will join on the  8^th. There will be many side events and exhibitions. We saw it. UNCCD Executive Secretary and we went and opened that pavilion. It was very worthwhile to spend few hours in the exhibition.   There will be many side events, and exhibitions to demonstrate countries’ present and upcoming efforts to combat desertification and drought, and to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality from all over the world. India’s pavilion was also launched for showcasing the successful stories and actions. Achievements of India depicting the nexus between land water energy biodiversity climate change science and technology. The delegates will be given an information diary on the arrival at the airport which you must have received which will have all the necessary details, of the free shuttle bus services to hotels venue of the COP, and for return journey also and its important landmarks, markets, contact details, of all government and private facilities. Information is also available on our special website: https://unccdcop14india.gov.in The venue, India Expo Mart Ltd is a state the art facility and the host government has made all necessary arrangements in terms of providing Wi-Fi internet connectivity adequate food, beverages section, cafeteria, during the course of the stay here. Ladies and Gentlemen let us all resolve to make the local lands healthier, and more productive for providing a better homeland and better future to its inhabitants. I hope delegates joining us from all over the globe will have some time to see the history and splendour of Delhi. Your participation in this conference is of utmost value because I believe that the diverse world comes out with brilliant ideas and when they are based on their own experiences and perceptions and also based upon their research and technology and their experience they are much valued and we must talk, learn from each other take success stories back home, and try to emulate all the success stories so that we can combat desertification. Thank you and all the best.