Haiti is participating in the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 2nd to 13, 2024, a crucial step to intensify global efforts against desertification, land degradation and drought. These closely linked issues are putting increasing pressure on productive land and water resources, jeopardizing ecosystems and food security worldwide.

The UNCCD, adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992, embodies a historic commitment to address the impacts of human activities on the environment. Today, 197 countries and the European Union are Parties to the UNCCD, underscoring its importance in combating land degradation. The main objective of the UNCCD is to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030.

Haiti’s commitment to combating land degradation :

According to the 2023 National Land Degradation Report, Haiti is seeing a gradual reversal of this phenomenon, although some departments are still recording an upward trend. Agronomist Eder Audate, Director of the Forestry and Renewable Energy Directorate, emphasizes that without a major change in this trend, young farmers risk falling into poverty and migrating to urban centers, amplifying insecurity and social instability.

The Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with other sectoral ministries and its technical and financial partners, is implementing various initiatives, including:

- The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which includes the development and sustainable management of watersheds, as well as a significant increase in reforested areas;

Download the NDC (PDF in French) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/CPDN_Republique-d-Haiti.pdf

- The National Adaptation Plan (2022-2030), prioritizing reforestation, agroforestry, water resource management and the development of climate-smart agriculture;

Download Haiti’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) (PDF in French 91 pages) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/PNA_HAITI.pdf

- The National Biodiversity Strategy, aimed at restoring and protecting soils, terrestrial ecosystems and ecosystem services.

- The definition of national Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, which constitutes the largest global commitment (2018-2030) to restore the productivity of large areas of degraded land, thereby improving people’s livelihoods and reducing the impact of drought on vulnerable populations (2018-2030);

These efforts aim to promote a green and blue economy while improving the living conditions of local populations, for whom the sustainable exploitation of natural resources represents a survival solution.

Expectations of Haiti :

The Ministry of Environment of Haiti is participating in this COP16 with great expectations, while urging the Parties to:

• Mobilize financial and technical resources for the implementation of priority actions, particularly in the most vulnerable countries. The creation of a fund dedicated to projects to mitigate the effects of drought and land degradation;

• Promote equitable governance by strengthening the voice of the most affected countries in decision-making processes, with a view to truly inclusive cooperation;

• Strengthen synergies between the Rio Conventions, by integrating sustainable land management objectives with those of climate and biodiversity to maximize the impact of the actions undertaken.

HL/ HaitiLibre