ILO and UNCCD to work together on human impacts of desertification and creating green jobs
Ahead of the UN Climate Summit, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding supporting closer cooperation on climate-related issues, including halting desertification and land degradation, and creating green jobs.
Sustainable development
The ILO’s Director-General, Guy Ryder, and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Ibrahim Thiaw, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in New York that strengthens collaboration between the two UN agencies with the goal of promoting sustainable development.
Welcoming the partnership, Ryder said, “Together ILO and UNCCD can step up efforts to accelerate progress towards prosperous and sustainable rural economies that offer quality job prospects and greater protection for their youth and help to fight land degradation.”
Environmental challenges, such as desertification, land degradation and drought affect sustainable development and have major implications for creating decent work. If not addressed they can exacerbate conflicts, displacement and migration and undermine prospects for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ILO estimates that 68% of workers in low-income countries work in agriculture, and for them land and water are often critical lifelines to human security and prosperity.
3 areas of work
Collaboration between ILO and UNCCD will aim at advancing sustainability, contributing to halting desertification and supporting green jobs and decent work opportunities.
Particular attention will be paid to addressing the linkages between desertification and migration trends. The collaboration will focus around three areas of work:
- Knowledge development on the linkages between desertification, employment and migration.
- Increasing awareness and mobilizing political support for an integrated approach to these issues.
- Technical assistance to countries with delivering workable solutions.
