Viet Nam reaffirms commitment to land restoration and combating desertification

The conference will run until August 28, bringing together scientists and representatives from 197 member countries, international organisations, and businesses.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, representatives of the host country Mongolia and the UNCCD Secretariat stressed the urgency of issues such as land degradation, drought, and desert dust, which threaten food security and the livelihoods of millions of people around the world.

The conference is focusing on promoting solutions to mobilise and diversify financial resources for land restoration; pursuing the voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) target; and linking sustainable land management with biodiversity conservation, forest restoration, and climate change adaptation. Delegates are also promoting greater dialogue among governments, local communities, indigenous peoples, and the business sector to mobilise social resources for land restoration.

As a country affected by climate change, drought, soil erosion and saltwater intrusion, Viet Nam joined the UNCCD in 1998 and has consistently affirmed its proactive and responsible role in international efforts to combat desertification and land degradation.

In recent years, Viet Nam has implemented a range of programmes and policies on forest restoration, soil protection, and sustainable livelihood development. These include programmes to plant, restore, and protect forests; the One Billion Trees Project; and the Forestry Development Strategy, which have helped maintain forest cover at more than 42%, thereby enhancing water retention and reducing soil erosion, landslides, and land degradation.

Viet Nam has also stepped up its implementation of the forest environmental services payment policy, integrated the voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality target into forestry planning and climate change adaptation plans, and implemented the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification through 2030, with a vision to 2050.

The Vietnamese delegation to COP17 is headed by Nguyen Van Dien, Deputy Director General of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. On the opening day, the delegation took part in discussion sessions, reaffirming Viet Nam’s commitment to working with the international community to achieve the goals of land restoration and combating desertification.

During the conference, the Vietnamese delegation is expected to hold working sessions with the UNCCD Secretariat and several international partners, with a focus on land and forest resource monitoring technologies using remote sensing, mobilising climate finance, and sharing experience in sustainable forest landscape restoration.

Throughout COP17, the Vietnamese delegation will continue contributing to discussions and the conference’s decisions, thereby demonstrating the country’s responsibility for protecting land resources, restoring ecosystems, and responding to climate change.