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Metsola, time to answer Europe’s call

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European Parliament
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Europe’s call : In her speech, President Metsola spoke about the reality of a gap which exists between what people expect and what Europe is able to deliver at the moment, particularly in the areas of health, energy and security. She also said that the future of Europe is tied to future of Ukraine.

President Metsola’s speech can be found below.

President Von der Leyen,

President Macron,

Prime Minister Costa,

Dear Europeans,

I am so proud to be here today as we come to this milestone in this unique exercise in active citizenship. In Europe building. In future proofing our foundations.

Among the many speeches we hear today, I think there is one message that we can take away today: Europe’s future is yet unwritten and our story depends on you, on all of us.

This debate took on a new reality on February 24th – when President Putin ordered his army to invade Ukraine. An act of medieval aggression that has changed the world.

The post-February 24th world is a very different one. A more dangerous one. Europe’s role has changed with it. We cannot afford to lose any more time.

How we have responded to the invasion and how we must continue to respond is the litmus test of our values. The unity and resolve of our response has confounded critics and made us proud to be European. That must be the blueprint going forward.

But as we speak here, Ukraine is still being invaded. Bombs are still killing indiscriminately. Women are still being raped. Millions have fled and will continue to do so. People are still trapped in the tunnels under Mariupol.

Ukrainians look to Europe for support. Because they know what millions of Europeans who were forced to spend half a century behind the yoke of the iron curtain will tell you: There is no alternative to Europe.

The future of Europe is tied to the future of Ukraine. The threat we face is real. And the cost of failure is momentous.

And I ask: how will history judge our actions? Will future generations read about the triumph of multilateralism over isolationism? The cementing of an inter-dependent relationship between nations and people who are proud of their differences as Laura said earlier, but who understand that in this new world, the future can only be together?

That is all up to us. That is our responsibility. And let me tell you here today that the European Parliament will fight for a stronger Europe and all of what Europe means. That means freedom, democracy, the rule of law, justice, solidarity, equality of opportunity.

That means that we must listen more than we speak. This exercise must be about you. About our project working for people in villages and towns and regions across Europe.

Europe has a proud history. We have created the common market, ensured enlargement to successive States, embraced universal suffrage, eliminated internal borders, created a common currency and enshrined fundamental rights into our treaties. Our European project has been a success story. It may not be perfect but we represent a bastion of liberal democracy, of personal freedoms, of liberty of thought, of safety and security. That inspires millions in Europe and around the world.

However, this Conference also proves that there exists a gap between what people expect, and what Europe is able to deliver at the moment. That is why we need a convention as the next step. And that is what the European Parliament will insist on. There are issues that simply cannot wait.

That is true for defence. We need a new security and defence policy because we know that we need each other, that alone we are vulnerable. And here we do not have to reinvent the wheel. We can complement rather than compete with existing alliances.

It is true for energy. We are still too reliant on autocrats. Where Energy islands still exist. Where we must support each other as we disentangle ourselves from the Kremlin and invest in alternative energy sources. Where we understand that renewable energy is as much about security as it is about the environment. But we can only do that together.

This is also true for climate change. The challenge of a generation that Europe has proudly led the global charge on.

It is true for health, where we must heed the lessons of the pandemic and make our health systems interconnected, share information and pool resources. When the next virus hits us, we cannot let it shut down our lives. Our first instinct cannot be to re-create the borders of the past.

It is true for our economic model, where we must ensure enough flexibility without tying the hands for generations to come. Where we are able to create the jobs we need to thrive.

It is true for migration, as we heard in the videos and testimonies, where we still need a system that is fair with those in need of protection, that is firm with those who are not, but that is strong against those who abuse the most vulnerable people on the planet.

It is true for equality and solidarity. Our Europe must remain a place where you can be who you wish to be, where your potential is not impacted by your birthplace, your gender, or sexual orientation. A Europe that stands up for our rights – for women, for minorities, for us all. A Europe that leaves nobody behind.

In all these areas and more, I want Europe to lead. Because if not us, it will simply be someone else.

Dear Europeans,

This Conference on the Future of Europe involved hundreds of thousands of people across Europe. This has been an intense experience in the power of participatory democracy after months of discussions and powerful debate. I want to thank you for believing in the promise of Europe.

And I want to specifically thank Guy Verhofstadt and Dubravka Šuica and the different Presidencies of the Council – Prime Minister Costa, Minister Clement Beaune here today – thank you for leading this process. I also want to thank our late President David Sassoli who would be so proud. He would be so proud today. And of course none of this could have been done without all the staff, and I ask you please to applaud the staff of the European Parliament and the institutions who really worked for this to happen. I thank you all, for believing in this exercise, for fighting for Europe, for facing down the cynics.

It is easier to be cynical, to be populist, to look inwards but we should expose populism, cynicism and, nationalism for what they are: false hope sold by those with no answers. Those who are afraid to forge the hard and long road of progress.

Europe has never been afraid. Now it is time to step up and not step back.

We are once again at a defining moment of European integration and no suggestion for change should be off-limits. Whatever process is required in order for us to get there should be embraced.

As a student, I got involved in politics because I believed my generation’s place was Europe. I believe still. We see no old and no new Europe. We see no big and small States. We understand that ideas are bigger than geography.

That feeling, 18 years ago, when 10 countries including my own, joined the EU is a moment that will remain with me forever. We counted the seconds to midnight on May Day and you could feel the joy, the hope, the passion with which people believed. People today in Ukraine, in Georgia, in Moldova and still in the Western Balkans are looking to us with the same sense of purpose. Of course, every country must follow its own path, but we should not be afraid to unleash the power of Europe to change people’s lives for the better, as it did for my country.

Finally, we are gathered here on Europe Day, during the year dedicated to youth, in the seat of the European Parliament, in Strasbourg. There is nowhere more symbolic of the power of democracy, of the power of Europe to take the next step, together.

This is the moment to answer Europe’s call. This is our time.

Thank you.

The flamingo returned to the Turkish lake Tuz after the drought of 2021

By
News desk
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About 34% of bird’s  population of Europe is in Turkey

The flamingo population in Turkey makes up about 34% of the total population in Europe. The country is among the main destinations and habitats of birds, along with France and Spain.

Up to 71,000 flamingos spend the winter in Turkey each year. They are “semi-migratory” and some prefer to migrate to other Mediterranean countries, while others spend the whole year in Turkey. Flamingos usually remain in the Aegean, central Turkey and the country’s Mediterranean coasts. Some birds prefer the Black Sea and Marmara regions. Lake Tuz and the Gediz Delta in western Turkey are among the most important breeding grounds for flamingos.

The mass deaths of flamingos last year in the parched parts of Lake Tuz in central Turkey have raised concerns about the condition of birds already threatened by climate change. But bird counts and forecasts this year show flamingos are making a peaceful return to Turkey’s second-largest lake.

The census shows that 1,877 flamingos were born in Lake Tuz in 2021. Officials from the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change say the flamingo population in the lake could increase with expected rainfall.

Flamingos are animals included in the program of the Ministry of Conservation of Endangered Species. Lake Tuz, one of the most important wetlands for the hatching of this bird, has been identified as a nature reserve and a place to protect the species inhabiting the place.

The lake is also home to many other birds. Mass deaths of newly hatched birds last summer due to the unusual drought scared ornithologists. Lake Ace is a haven for most newborn flamingos who learn to fly over the wetland before heading south in the fall.

Climate change is the main cause of the drought, which is affecting animals relying on massive water resources, which are now threatened with drought. Although the past winter season of precipitation and snowfall has proved favorable and revived the parched parts of the lakes, the danger still exists, according to experts, who warn that future droughts are still possible.

2000-year-old Roman bath welcomes tourists with healing 50-degree water

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News desk
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Following a major restoration, the ancient Roman bath of the Basilica of the Thermae, known as the “daughter of the king”, near the city of Kayseri, central Turkey, was open to tourists.

After the ban on paganism during the reign of Emperor Theodosius, the Basilica of the Therma became an episcopal center thanks to the church built next to the Roman Bath. During this period, a marble baptismal font with a cross was placed in the middle of the large thermal pool. The pagans were baptized in the basin of the Basilica of the Thermae. This place was sacred to Christians.

The Basilica of the Thermae (Aqua Sarvenae) was used as a thermal medical center during the Roman Empire. It was also a place of rest and recovery for Roman soldiers going and returning from campaigns and battles.

The figure “snake with the tongue removed”, which is rarely seen in works from this period, is located in the Roman bath Sarkaya. This figure is also considered a symbol of medicine and health.

The relief of Asclepius, the god of health, proves that this structure was used not only for bathing but also for healing.

It is believed that the daughter of the Roman ruler, who lived in Kayseri and had an incurable disease, recovered in the pools of the ancient bath.

After the Byzantine period, the Turkish people continued to benefit from this healing water. People who want to find healing can still take a dip in the hot pool today.

The ruins of the ancient building were discovered during construction activities in the area in 2014. Restoration activities were initiated by the municipality of Sarikaya and the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.

After several years of cleaning, excavation and restoration work near the Sarkaya baths was continued by the Yozgat Museum Directorate. The unique structure attracts the attention of visitors with its architecture and healing water, which flows at 50 degrees for 2000 years.

In a conversation with the Anatolian State Agency (AA), provincial director of culture and tourism Hussein Shiftchi said the Roman bath was known as one of the world’s first centers of thermal medicine.

He explained that the excavations began in 2014 and continued until 2018. “The Roman bath is included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2018,” said Shiftchi.

A Turk in space, a mission to the moon, a kebab in the stratosphere – the Turkish space program inspires

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News desk
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Turkey continues to pursue its ambitious plans to become a space power and plans to send its first astronaut into space next year. Meanwhile, her ambitions seem to inspire even ordinary people – on the occasion of the International Day of Aviation and Astronautics on April 12, a chef from Adana sent a portion of kebab into the stratosphere with a helium balloon. Although many looked with scorn at his experience, which ended with the bursting of the balloon at a height of 35-40 km above the earth’s surface, the master kebab maker is determined to continue his “space” experiments.

However, it is not a joke that Turkey is rapidly moving towards achieving its goals in its ten-year space program, presented in February last year. The program outlines the country’s vision, goals and projects in space policies over the next ten years. It includes missions to the moon, sending Turkish astronauts on a space mission, and developing satellite systems.

The Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank announced these days that the requirements for the selection of candidates for space flight will be announced soon. Applicants will undergo a series of medical examinations and will have to meet a number of conditions, including not to use alcohol and cigarettes and not to have undergone major surgery in the past, CNN-Turk reported.

The head of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) Serdar Hussein Yildirim told the Anatolian Agency that the first Turkish astronaut will be prepared by the end of this year and will be sent into space in the first half of 2023. The selection of candidates will continue around 2- 3 months and the training process between 4 and 6 months, Yıldırım said. The Turkish astronaut will leave on a scientific mission – he will be sent to the International Space Station, where he will stay for ten days, conduct scientific experiments and return.

Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on citizens and linguists to come up with a Turkish word to replace foreigners such as astronauts, astronauts or tycoons, and among the most popular ideas are “turnaunaut”, “gokturk” ) and “Gokmen”, local media reported.

“The National Space Program will elevate Turkey to a higher league in the global space competition,” Erdogan said at the presentation of the ten-year program in February last year. “We will bring the success we have achieved in the defense industry to space,” he added.

However, sending a person on a space trip is by no means the only goal in Turkey’s space program. The country also plans to send a self-propelled vehicle to the moon in the coming years. The initial project has already been completed and the final one will be ready in June, Yildirim said. The device will be 70 percent locally produced and if there is no problem with the supply of parts from abroad, it is expected to be ready in late 2023 or early 2024, he added. The head of TUA predicts that Turkey’s first mission to the moon will take place in 2024.

Initially, Turkey planned to send a rocket to make a “hard landing” on the moon next year, on the centenary of the founding of the republic. However, as Yıldırım said, there will probably be some delay due to obstacles related to the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine. Sending a spacecraft to the moon will make Turkey one of only 5-6 countries in the world to achieve this, he said. The second stage of Turkey’s lunar mission is planned for 2028, when it is planned to make a soft landing on the moon with its own Turkish rockets.

Separately, in December, Turkey launched a new communications satellite with the SpaceX 9 Falcon 9 rocket, bringing the country’s number of satellites to eight. In January last year, the country sent another satellite – Turkksat 5A, and in the first months of 2023 will send into orbit the first fully produced in Turkey communications satellite – Turksat 6A. The project makes Turkey one of a dozen countries in the world that can produce its own satellite, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said some time ago.

Moreover, the first observer satellite made entirely in Turkey – IMECE – is ready, Hussein Yıldırım, TUA’s director, said last week in an interview with IHA. This satellite is planned to be launched on January 15 next year.

The country is also planning to build a spaceport in co-operation with other countries, and is already working on the venture, which it intends to pursue with “fraternal, friendly and allied” countries, the TUA chief said.

“Not a luxury, but a necessity” – this is how the head of TUA described Turkey’s space plans, comparing the country’s space program with its successes in defense.

On the agency’s website we read the motto: “The place where the future begins”. It remains to be seen whether Turkey will really become such a place.

Photo: TUA

Pope secretly allows € 1 million to be paid for release of Colombian nun

By
Gaston de Persigny
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Cardinal Angelo Beccu’s unexpected revelation could have serious consequences for the security of the Vatican and the Catholic Church

Pope Francis has allowed up to 1m euros to be spent on the release of a Colombian nun kidnapped by al Qaeda-linked extremists in Mali. The cardinal announced this yesterday, revealing the secret papal approval so far to hire a British security company to find the nun and help save her, the Associated Press reported.

Cardinal Angelo Beccu’s unexpected revelation could have serious consequences for the security of the Vatican and the Catholic Church, as he provided evidence that the pope was apparently willing to pay a ransom to Islamist extremists for the release of a nun who was eventually released last year. .

Redemption payments are rarely or never confirmed, precisely to dissuade future kidnappers, and it is not known exactly how much money the Vatican has reached extremists.

Bechu was one of the pope’s top advisers and a second-ranking clergyman in the Vatican’s secretariat of state. Prosecutors have accused a woman who is co-accused with him of using about half of the amount to acquire luxury items.

The cardinal did not testify before the Vatican tribunal for nearly two years for reasons of state and papal secrecy, but yesterday he spoke freely in his defense. This came after the pope released him from the requirement of confidentiality and Bechu gave the long-awaited testimony so far in the one-year trial.

Bechu is one of 10 defendants in a financial fraud case in the Vatican. It began with an investment of 350m euros in a luxury London property, but has gradually expanded to include other criminal acts. Prosecutors have accused defendants of a number of crimes involving the alleged draining of millions of euros from the Holy See in the form of fees, commissions and bad investments.

Bechu, who is the only cardinal in the dock, is accused of embezzlement, abuse of office and training of witnesses. Yesterday, he testified on charges of his links to a self-proclaimed Italian intelligence specialist, Cecilia Maronia, who is also accused of embezzlement.

Maronia had told Italian media that she had helped free Catholic hostages in Africa on behalf of the Holy See. Vatican prosecutors accuse her of embezzling half a million euros, citing bank statements from her Slovenian holding company. They show that 9 bank transfers were made from the Vatican for unspecified humanitarian purposes and payments from its account for luxury women’s goods and expensive hotels.

Bechu testified that he sought help from Maronia as an external consultant after the abduction in February 2017 of Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez in Mali. She was abducted by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which financed its subversive activities by kidnapping Western citizens. While the nun was in captivity, she was periodically shown in videos asking the Vatican for help.

The cardinal also said that Maronia advised him to involve the British security company Inkerman to ensure the release of the Colombian nun.

Sister Narvaez was released in October 2021 after more than five years in captivity. Shortly afterwards, she met with the pope at the Vatican.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized the Macedonian Church as the Ohrid Archbishopric

By
News desk
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The Ecumenical Patriarchate has announced that it is accepting the Macedonian Church into Eucharistic communion

The Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) was surprisingly recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the Ohrid Archbishopric.

A statement from Istanbul said yesterday that the term “Macedonia” and any other derivatives of it were excluded and that the church was recognized only by the name “Ohrid”, BNR reports.

After today’s meeting, the Holy and Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced that it accepts in Eucharistic communion the Macedonian Church “the hierarchy, the clergy and the people of this Church under the omophorion of Archbishop Stefan” and thus “the Mother Church heals the wound of schism and schism. and wine “on the wound of the Orthodox brothers there.”

The Church of Serbia must settle administrative issues with the Church in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, according to a statement from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

This is a knife in the back of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, for which the Ohrid Archbishopric is part of the historical and spiritual space, as well as the oldest Bulgarian church institution, theologians commented. Years ago, the MOC demanded that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church be declared their mother church, but as soon as a commission was formed at the Holy Synod of the BOC on the issue, bishops from northern Macedonia began seeking direct assistance from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The pandemic of deaths of Russian managers continues

By
News desk
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A former Lukoil boss has been found dead

Alexander Subotin was found in a room used for voodoo rituals

A former manager of the Russian oil company Lukoil has been found dead on May 8 in the town of Mytishchi near Moscow. The cause of death is believed to be a stroke, TASS reported.

The owner of the property where the businessman’s body was found is Alexei Pindyurin – also known as “the shaman of Magua”. The former Lukoil manager has reportedly visited the shaman several times to take advantage of his non-traditional treatment services. This time Subotin went to him to help him with a hangover.

Pindyurin says the businessman “came to him in a state of severe alcohol and drug intoxication”. Subotin’s body was found in a room “used for Jamaican voodoo rituals”.

Alexander Subotin is a former member of the board of Lukoil Trading House and owner of Nova Transport Company, and is a brother of Valeri Subotin, a former vice president of oil supply and sales at Lukoil.

This is another news about the death of a Russian businessman. Since the beginning of 2022, various employees of the gas companies Novatek and Gazprom have been found dead. In each case, the main version of the investigators is suicide.

In April, it became clear about the death of former Novatek manager Sergei Protosenya, as well as former Gazprombank vice president Vladislav Avaev. Earlier, other executives were found dead in Russia, including Gazprom Invest’s transport chief Leonid Shulman and Alexander Tyulyakov, deputy general director of Gazprom’s corporate security center.

Difficult to repeat today. Archaeologists stunned by engineering discovery in Petra

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News desk
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In places where water should have flowed, scientists found broken terracotta pipes

As scientists note, the main reason why Petra flourished was the ability of the semi-nomadic Semitic people of the Nabataeans to manage a scarce water resource. Petra is a famous archaeological site located in the desert in the southwestern part of the Jordan and surrounded by rocky desert canyons and mountains.

Once a bustling center of politics, culture and economy, it was one of, if not the region’s most important ancient waypoints where merchants stopped during their travels.

The area has been inhabited since at least 7000 BC, and the remains of a bygone era are scattered across its dusty plains. And when the Nabataeans, a semi-nomadic Semitic people, moved to Petra in the 4th century, the city reached its full flowering. But what strikes researchers the most is the city’s plumbing and drainage system.

“”Petra thrived on the Nabataeans’ ability to manage the storage and irrigation system. It was an incredible marvel of engineering, a complex network of cisterns, dams and canals using water from desert springs and 10 cm of annual rainfall to maintain a year-round water supply,” the scientists said.

Petra is located in a climatically unfavorable place. Carved into a narrow canyon called El Siq, the desert landscape shrouds buildings and temperatures often reach 42°C or more with no water source nearby. But Petra is believed to have had a population of 30,000 in its heyday, despite the fact that local water resources were only sufficient for 2,000 to 3,000 people.

As geologist Thomas Paradise of the University of Arkansas noted, in the 21st century it would be quite difficult for us to create a city that would be so sustainable.

“The fact that they were able to change the landscape to suit their needs is a testament to the resilience of the Nabataeans and their ingenuity,” the scientists added.

The system created by the Nabataeans begins at the top of the hills, where dozens of reservoirs dotted around the urban landscape capture and store every drop of winter rain.

At the highest point in the valley, a cistern was placed that could collect water from the entire area of​​ the peak, flowing into Petra through a huge interlacing of channels. In those places where water was supposed to flow, scientists found broken terracotta pipes. They are very similar to the same terracotta pipes that we use all over the planet two thousand years later.

A study of the water supply system showed that it provided Peter with 45 million liters of water per day – enough to meet all the domestic and agricultural needs of the city.

The peony festival began in Israel: how to visit

By
Gaston de Persigny
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Peony picking season has started in Israel. Millions of Israelis watch the blooming of these impeccably beautiful and magically fragrant flowers every year, waiting with bated breath for the start of the new season. After all, it is at this time that there is an opportunity to walk in the boundless peony fields and collect the desired fragrant bouquet.

A peony growing company run by Tamir Edri from the village of Shani (Livna), located in the southern part of the country, invites everyone to the peony festival for walks and picking fragrant flowers.

Tamira Edri’s company has long been known in many parts of the world: they present their amazing products in the Netherlands at the World Flower Exchange. And now residents and guests of Israel will also be able to appreciate and purchase branded peonies.

Flowers in the fields of Edri can be picked daily, including Friday and Saturday – from 9:00 to 18:00. In addition to picking flowers, here you can simply enjoy walking or capture wonderful shots against the backdrop of pink, red and white peonies.

Not everyone knows, but the fields of Tamir Edri are located in an incredibly picturesque place, from which such landscapes open that are instantly breathtaking. So if you are looking for a place for a picnic or want to barbecue in nature, consider this option. Here you will have a great time in your company and get a lot of pleasure from the picturesque views.

If you don’t have the opportunity to go out into nature, but you love peonies, you can easily order them on the website and get them delivered to your home: details here.

Entrance to the field: 10 shekels per person, each plucked flower – 8 shekels.

The fields are located in the village of Shani (Livna), in front of the entrance.

High-level UN conference debates precious commodity: Land

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officialinstitutions
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High-level UN conference debates precious commodity: Land
The 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), kicked-off on Monday, in the Ivorian capital.
Against the backdrop of a UNCCD warning that up to 40 per cent of all ice-free land has already degraded, threatening dire consequences for climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods, world leaders are meeting in Abidjan under the theme of “Land, Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity”.

“We are faced with a crucial choice,” Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the participants.

“We can either reap the benefits of land restoration now or continue on the disastrous path that has led us to the triple planetary crisis of climate, biodiversity and pollution”.

Land, the lifeline on this planet

Every year 12 million hectares of land are lost, according to recent data.

“The Global Land Outlook report just issued by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification shows that our current approach to land management is putting half the world’s economic output – $44 trillion USD – at risk”, said Ms. Mohammed.

“We must ensure that funds are available for countries that need them, and that those funds are invested in areas that will have a decisive impact and create a more inclusive, sustainable future for all,” she continued, reminding that land restoration connects all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With a focus on restoring one billion hectares of degraded land between now and 2030, the conference aims to contribute to future-proofing land against the climate impacts, and tackling escalating disaster risks such as droughts, sand and dust storms, and wildfires.

Gamechanging role

The Deputy Secretary-General said that despite that women spend 200 million hours each day collecting water, and even more tending the land, they still lack access to land rights and finance.

“Eliminating those barriers and empowering women and girls as landowners and partners is a game-changer for land restoration, for the 2030 Agenda, and for the African Union’s Agenda 2063”, she said underlining their central role in building a land restoration economy.

Concrete action

Also speaking at the Summit, General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid, emphasized the importance of addressing the serious issues affecting the well-being of people and their livelihoods, and of the environment.

“Through it, we aim to move closer to…combatting desertification and restoring degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods,” Mr. Shahid said.

Reversing the current trends “is vital for effective action on behalf of climate and biodiversity,” especially to vulnerable communities, the President added. 

Mother nature deterioration not an option

According to the UN, land degradation undermines the well-being of some 3.2 billion people.

Unsustainable land use, agriculture and soil management practices are all major drivers of desertification, land degradation and drought.

“We are responsible for the bulk of this, considering that human activities directly influence 70 per cent of the world’s land”, Mr. Shahid alerted.

Attesting that “we cannot afford the alternative, of letting our relationship with mother nature deteriorate to the point of no return,” Mr. Shahid reiterated the importance of reflecting “upon the truth that a healthy relationship with nature is critical to prevent our exposure to new diseases and potential future pandemics”.

Calling all the parties to recommit to land degradation neutrality by 2030, Mr. Shahid said that it is necessary to tackle climate change, conserve and protect biodiversity, and maintain vital ecosystem services for “our shared prosperity and well-being, in the context of a climate responsible world”

Africa’s soils and agricultural land

Drought, land restoration, and related enablers such as land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment are among the top items on the Conference agenda, which is a pivotal moment in how the African continent will move forward in the face of climate change.

The meetings come as many African nations face unprecedent soil and land conservation issues. Drought in Ethiopia – the country’s worst in 40 years – is believed to be worsening the already deteriorating humanitarian situation for around 3.5 million people, more than half the local population.

© UNICEF/Zerihun Sewunet

Displaced families affected by drought, Somali Region, Ethiopia.

And according to a report released last year by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), up to 65 per cent of Africa’s productive soils and agricultural land are degraded, while desertification affects 45 per cent of the continent’s land overall.

Nine African heads of State are expected to attend the meeting to discuss developing drought resilience and future-proofing land use, as well as pathways to land restoration.

Call to action

The Summit against desertification is a call to action to ensure that land – the lifeline on this planet – will also benefit present and future generations.

Over the next ten days, 196 states plus the European Union will be striving for concrete action against the rapid degradation of land, exploring links between land and addressing other key sustainability issues. 

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