Today marks the end of Ibrahim Thiaw's six-and-a-half-year term as Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. In this special farewell episode of our podcast, Mr. Thiaw reflects on his extraordinary journey, from a village in Mauritania to some of the highest positions in the United Nations.“I never saw drought or desertification as statistics,” he says. 'I saw people. I saw their faces. I lived it.'Under his leadership, land was prioritized as a key issue for global sustainability, resilience, peace, and justice. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, the UNCCD successfully organized a COP, amplifying the voices of women and young people and bringing land issues to the forefront of the international agenda. What’s next? Listen to this heartfelt conversation about leadership, resilience, and perseverance.

#Leadership #UNCCD #Diplomacy #Sustainability #UnitedNations #IbrahimThiaw #GlobalGoals #EnvironmentalGovernance #Legacy

Ce podcast célébrant la Journée des peuples à l'occasion de la COP 16 explore comment autonomiser les communautés autochtones, les femmes et les jeunes pour un avenir plus durable. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim fondatrice de l'Association des femmes et des peuples autochtones du Tchad (AFPAT), et Inna Modja ambassadrice de bonne volonté de la convention des Nations unies sur la lutte contre la désertification,, invitées de ce podcast, discutent des initiatives portées par les femmes et les communautés autochtones pour restaurer les terres dégradées.

Les sujets principaux abordés sont les suivants :

• Le rôle essentiel des peuples autochtones dans la protection de la biodiversité et des écosystèmes.

• L'utilisation des savoirs traditionnels par les communautés pour relever les défis climatiques.

• L'importance de donner aux femmes autochtones accès à la terre.

• Le pouvoir de la musique et de la culture pour sensibiliser et inspirer le changement.

In this insightful conversation, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chair of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Louise Baker, Managing Director of the UNNCD Global Mechanism, discuss the important role of finance in achieving land restoration and drought resilience goals and the paradigm shifts needed to fully implement the Convention by 2030.

Key Takeaways:

1. Bridging the financing gap to address land degradation and build drought resilience
2. Need for a paradigm shift to address funding and action gaps in the Rio Conventions, including UNCCD targets
3. Challenges in scaling up conservation efforts and the need for economic and institutional reforms
4. Emphasis on stakeholder engagement beyond environment ministries to achieve global environmental goals
5. Importance of local government involvement and financial support for sustainable initiatives