New York: Qatar played a prominent role in the launch of the ‘Global Dryland Alliance’ initiative in recognition of the importance of the development of dry land, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani has said.
She told a seminar marking World Soil Day that Qatar took remarkable steps towards enhancing food security and reclaiming desert land for agriculture.
As a member of Group of Friends on Desertification, Qatar highlighted the phenomenon of desertification and soil erosion and drought, as one of the most dangerous of nature that has a serious impact on aspects of sustainable development, she added.
Qatar’s Permanent Mission to the UN hosted the seminar in cooperation with the permanent missions of Italy and Thailand, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme and International Fund for Agricultural Development as part of events at the UN headquarters in New York to mark the day under the theme ‘Soils, a solid ground for life’.
Sheikha Alya said there is a growing awareness of the importance of sustainable land management, including soil as an important factor to mitigate and adapt to climate change, noting its contribution to economic growth, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and food security.
She said Qatar recognises that sustainable development goals cannot be achieved without addressing desertification, soil erosion and drought so it launched initiatives to highlight the importance of issues related to sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition, and their relationship to water, poverty, health, energy and climate issues.
FAO presented a report on states of soil in the world, prepared by a group of soil scientists from 60 countries.
It said the soil is deteriorating rapidly at the global level because of corrosion, depletion of nutrients, loss of organic carbon, sclerosis and other threats. However, the report said it is possible to reverse the trend if countries took initiative to promote sustainable management practices and apply appropriate technologies.
The permanent representatives of Italy and Thailand to the Us, the director of the FAO office in New York representing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Professor Dan Pinnock from University of Canada, one of the report writers, attended the seminar.
It included discussions by specialists in the field of soil and agriculture on causes of soil degradation on a global scale, possible solutions to address erosion, drought and desertification and the combat of all factors of soil degradation.
QNA
