In 2020, under the Presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, G20 leaders announced their shared ambition to achieve a 50 percent reduction of degraded land by 2040. They launched the Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing the Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats to prevent, halt and reverse land degradation, and an initiative coordination office to facilitate this process.

The G20-led land initiative, housed at the UNCCD, will achieve its objectives through four pillars of action:

· Showcase success stories that benefit nature and safeguard people’s lives, jobs and incomes.

· Engage the private sector in sustainable land management, land restoration and habitat conservation.

· Empower civil society and the public in land stewardship for sustainable development.

· Share knowledge and develop and mobilize capacity between G20 members, non-member countries and other stakeholders to collectively deliver on land conservation and restoration outcomes.

To fulfil the G20 members’ shared ambition, the G20 Global Land Initiative was mandated to avoid duplication, and support and work collaboratively with existing efforts and initiatives to prevent, halt and reverse land degradation.

This event is an opportunity to advance the conversation on how to achieve the global land restoration commitments supportively, collaboratively, inclusively and innovatively. In particular, the event will discuss the role the G20 GLI can play to enable the restoration by 2030 of the 450 million hectares of degraded lands committed for restoration under the Convention.