New Delhi, 10 September 2019: Today, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released “The UNCCD Delhi Declaration from Business”, at the COP14 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in New Delhi. This call to action from business highlights business action for land degradation neutrality and drought resilience to improve the livelihoods of many. The Declaration captures and synthetizes business perspectives, commitments and policy asks.
The Declaration is a direct result of a multi-stakeholder consultation process which took place with the participation of representatives from over a dozen stakeholders during the UNCCD Business Day on Soil, Land and Agriculture on 7 September, led by WBCSD.
Recognizing that the world needs to build a future that avoids, minimizes and reverses desertification and land degradation but also mitigates the effects of drought, leading business voices have come together to call for unprecedented collaboration between all stakeholders, including business, governments and society, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is essential for the resilience and success of our societies, and for the businesses that operate within them.
Tony Siantonas, WBCSD’s Director of Climate Smart Agriculture and Sustainable Landscapes presented the declaration today at the UNCCD COP14’s high-level segment session on Boosting sustainable value chains for land-based business.
“To achieve change at scale, we call on all businesses and wider organizations to support this statement and these priorities while striving for solutions towards a land degradation neutral world with a new deal for nature. We also call on governments to act to create an enabling environment in which to shift policy so business can maximize its contribution,” said Siantonas.
In addition to the Declaration, businesses have come together at the UNCCD COP14 with key stakeholders to emphasize their critical role in creating sustainable food an land use systems and to commit to action towards a land-degradation neutral world, prioritizing solutions for sustainable land management and soil health, value chain and landscape-based approaches, climate and water-smart solutions in support of strengthening the resilience of communities and improving livelihoods through robust business decision-making.
Business calls on governments to adopt a new deal for nature and people through a wide range of policy shifts in alignment with UN priorities on Land Degradation Neutrality as well as biological diversity and climate change ahead of key conferences in 2020 on the UN CBD and UNFCCC.
For more information on a wide range of solutions already applied by WBCSD members are highlighted in our publications:
- Co-optimizing Solutions: water and energy for food, feed and fiber
- The Business Case for Investing in Soil Health
The UNCCD COP14 Business Day was organized in partnership with the Global Environment Facility and sponsored by Nutrien and Syngenta.
