The head of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has issued a stark warning that a “massive” increase in funding is urgently required to prevent agricultural land worldwide from turning to dust. Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Yasmine Fouad, the UNCCD executive secretary, emphasised that failing to bridge the financial chasm would exacerbate food crises and heighten the risk of conflict.
The Funding Gap
According to the latest UNCCD assessment, approximately £260bn ($355bn) is needed annually to tackle land degradation globally. However, only £56bn ($77bn) is currently mobilised each year. Of this, around 72 per cent comes from the countries most affected, 22 per cent from foreign government aid, and a mere six per cent from private sector investment. With international aid budgets shrinking, Ms Fouad stressed the urgent need to design mechanisms that attract more private finance.
“Today, there is a massive gap between the finance available and the finance required, but closing that gap cannot rely on public budgets alone,” she said. “We need the financial sector, development banks, insurance systems, and private capital to treat healthy land as foundational infrastructure for our economies and societies.”
Understanding Land Degradation and Desertification
Land degradation refers to the decline in land quality and productivity due to processes such as soil erosion, deforestation, overgrazing, and loss of soil fertility. Desertification, as defined by the UNCCD, is persistent land degradation in dryland areas, leading to desert-like conditions. This poses a significant threat to agriculture, farming, and livestock.
Consequences of Inaction
Ms Fouad warned that the risks of inaction extend beyond environmental concerns. “Land degradation and drought are already contributing to food insecurity, supply chain disruptions, forced migration, rising inequality, and instability in vulnerable regions,” she said. “In a deeply interconnected world, no country is insulated from these impacts. Investing in land restoration is not charity; it is preventive investment in resilience, stability, and shared prosperity.”
UNCCD data reveals that land degradation is accelerating. In 2019, 15.4 per cent of reported land worldwide was classified as degraded, a four per cent increase over four years. This means at least 100 million hectares of formerly healthy land become degraded annually, affecting 1.3 billion people. Each year, desertification, land degradation, and drought cost affected countries the equivalent of two per cent of their GDP—some £640bn ($878bn)—impacting food availability, soil fertility, wood production, and groundwater replenishment.
International Recognition and Solutions
The G7 environment ministers recently echoed Ms Fouad’s warning, describing desertification and drought as “systemic global challenges” and “security risk multipliers” in a communique ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit.
Despite the grim outlook, Ms Fouad highlighted that ample solutions exist if sufficient funding is secured. “We are supporting watershed management projects in Ethiopia and Kenya, and programmes encouraging farmers in the Nile Delta to plant crops that can withstand increasingly salted soil,” she said. Another major UNCCD-backed initiative is the Great Green Wall across Africa’s Sahel region, aiming to plant 100 million hectares of trees in desert-prone countries by 2030. Additionally, 74 drought-vulnerable low- and middle-income countries have submitted drought management plans to the UNCCD, which now require funding for implementation.
Upcoming COP17 in Mongolia
In August 2026, the UNCCD will hold its 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where generating finance to combat desertification will be a key focus. While some are sceptical about the effectiveness of such conferences, Ms Fouad remains optimistic. “I see COPs as more important than ever, as they are critical to bringing together countries from both the Global North and Global South,” she told The Independent. “The world depends on COPs to reach the consensus needed to solve different global environmental challenges.”
This article is part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project.
