Land is instrumental in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), says CS Tobiko
Kenya’s Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has said land and soil are two sides of the same coin.
Speaking at the Sustainable Post pandemic recovery meeting on the sidelines of UNCCD COP 15 in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire the CS said “there cannot be inheritance or legacy to bequeath the future generations without healthy soils”
CS Tobiko added that the country cannot achieve the targets and commitments on climate change without land which is also key in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The CS stated that Parties should interphase, integrate and synergise the three Rio Conventions – Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Convention Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The CS reiterated the need for the three conventions to be placed at equal status. UNCCD currently occupies a lower priority than the other conventions.
The CS intimated that Kenya is a party to and has ratified several treaties and put in place policies and laws and institutions undertaking huge projects in that aspect including Land Neutrality Targets, CBD, long term strategy, and Nationally Determined Contribution among others where land occupies a central position.
On policies, the CS said “It should be based on science and backed by data and evidence and technological capabilities as means of implementation for collective global action on land and soil restoration.
CS Tobiko led the Kenyan delegation to the UNCCD COP15 whose theme is ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity, a call to action to all nations to ensure land, the lifeline on this planet, continues to benefit present and future generations.
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