14th UN Conference on Land Degradation and Desertification

14th UN Conference on Land Degradation and Desertification

Question: Which South Asian country will host the 14th UN Conference on Land Degradation and Desertification?
(a) Bangladesh
(b) Nepal
(c) India
(d) Sri Lanka
Answer: (c)
Related facts:

  • The 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP -14) to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place in India from 7-18 October, 2019 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
  • Earth Observation data on the trends in land degradation dating from 2000, gathered from 120 of the 169 countries affected by desertification will be tabled. The first report on desertification and climate change prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global authority on climate change will be also received.
  • Participants from 197 Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) attending the Conference can assess trends in land degradation, desertification and drought more accurately.
  • Ahead of COP14, government representatives will gather for a preparatory meeting from 28-30 January in George Town, Guyana.
  • The government is committed to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals target 2030.
  • The last Conference of Parties, hosted by the government of China, was held in October 2017 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia.
  • The UNCCD was established in 1994 in Paris, France and entered into force in December 1996. It is the only internationally legally binding framework set up to address the problem of desertification

Links:
https://www.unccd.int/news-events/india-hosts-next-un-conference-land-degradation
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/india-to-host-un-conference-on-land-degradation-desertification-this-year/article26027080.ece https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_to_Combat_Desertification