New Delhi,  A draft report about effective policy and implementation measures for addressing drought will be discussed during the ongoing session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP15 on Tuesday.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Bhupender Yadav on Monday night (India time) landed at Abidjan, CA'te d'Ivoire to attend the COP15 of the UNCCD. India has been the president of this COP since the last Convention was held here in September 2019.

Leaders are meeting in Abidjan against the backdrop of a stark warning issued by the UNCCD that up to 40 per cent of all ice-free land is already degraded, with dire consequences for climate, biodiversity and livelihoods.

"An Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG) on effective policy and implementation measures for addressing drought under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was established at the COP14. A draft report has been prepared and will be discussed during the current session of COP15," said an official from Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

In another significant development during India's presidency, G-20 leaders recognising the importance of combating land degradation and creating new carbon sinks, put up an aspirational goal to collectively plant 1 trillion trees, urging other countries to join forces with G20 to reach this global goal by 2030.

This COP15 from May 9 to 20 will bring together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders from around the world to drive progress in the future sustainable management of land and will explore links between land and other key sustainability issues.

These issues will be discussed during the high-level segment on May 9-10, including a Heads of States Summit, high-level roundtables and interactive dialogue sessions, as well as numerous other special and side events.

Drought, land restoration, and related enablers such as land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment are among the top items on the Conference agenda. "Through its decisions adopted by UNCCD's 197 parties, COP15 is expected to galvanise sustainable solutions for land restoration and drought resilience, with a strong focus on future-proofing land use," the officials said.