STORY: UNCCD chief calls for joint efforts to tackle global land degradation
SHOOTING TIME: June 17, 2024
DATELINE: June 18, 2024
LENGTH: 0:03:37
LOCATION: BONN, Germany
CATEGORY: POLITICS/ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1.SOUNDBITE 1 (English): IBRAHIM THIAW, UNCCD Executive Secretary
2.SOUNDBITE 2 (English): IBRAHIM THIAW, UNCCD Executive Secretary
3.various of UNCCD logos and promotional materials

STORYLINE:

Monday marked Desertification and Drought Day 2024, as well as the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Monday in Bonn, Germany, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said that joint efforts are required to tackle challenges such as desertification and land loss.

According to UNCCD statistics, about 40 percent of all land area worldwide has been degraded.

Thiaw stressed that the biggest challenge is restoring the balance between increasing demands and shrinking resources.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): IBRAHIM THIAW, UNCCD Executive Secretary
"So it is important that we all think as one planet. Regardless of where we live in the world, we are so interconnected. When a situation occurs in a country where food insecurity is threatening that country, you know it is having a rippling effect on multiple other countries from around the world. We are so connected to nature. We do not seem to understand that any action on nature anywhere in the world will have an impact everywhere else in the world."

Thiaw praised the remarkable efforts of many countries, including China, to restore degraded land. He said those efforts prove the possibility of bringing the land back to life even after it has gone through a period of degradation.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): IBRAHIM THIAW, UNCCD Executive Secretary 
"I have not only heard, but I have seen with my very eyes. I visited Xinjiang a few years ago. I went through 1,200 kilometers across the Taklamakan Desert and I saw what was being done there. I saw really good progress being made by experts under very difficult circumstances. And I saw also the magnitude of what is left to be done to protect that environment. So yes, China is making great contributions to the UNCCD and the world. We do have very good cooperation also in terms of international partnerships between China and other countries in the world. China is reaching out to the Middle East, sharing knowledge and experiences. China is working with many countries in Africa and elsewhere, so we appreciate that."
   
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Bonn, Germany.
(XHTV)