Education is where land restoration begins 🌱🌍

On 21 August at #COP17UNCCD, the French Pavilion hosted the workshop “Educating Future Generations for Resilient Lands: Education on Desertification, Land Degradation Neutrality and Global Citizenship Responsibility” jointly organized by DesertNet International, the French Scientific Committee on Desertification (CSFD) and the Youth Negotiators Academy (YNA).

Bringing together researchers, practitioners, educators, young UNCCD negotiators and members of the public, the 90-minute interactive workshop explored a crucial question: how can education equip future generations to address desertification, land degradation and drought?

The discussion highlighted the need to:
📚 Integrate land degradation and desertification into education from primary school to higher education
🌍 Connect scientific knowledge with local realities and community experience
🔬 Promote transdisciplinary learning across natural and social sciences, agronomy, economics, governance and digital innovation
🤝 Recognize and integrate local and traditional knowledge
👩‍🎓 Invest in young people and create meaningful opportunities for their participation in the UNCCD process

The workshop concluded with three powerful messages:

Land restoration begins with knowledge.
Complex environmental challenges require transdisciplinary skills and collaboration.
Investing in young people, education and inclusive participation is essential to building resilient territories and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality.

At #COP17UNCCD, the conversation is not only about restoring land today—it is about equipping the generations who will steward it tomorrow.

#Desertification #LandDegradation #LandDegradationNeutrality #Education #Youth #ClimateAction #ResilientLands #DNI #UNCCD

Full report here!