UNGA79 high-level event 'ROAD TO RIYADH' organized by Saudi Arabia in collaboration with UNCCD Secretariat

Your Excellencies, 

Distinguished Colleagues,  

Ladies and gentlemen, 

1. I would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and UNCCD for organizing this important event, and acknowledge all of the partners here today who are working collaboratively towards common goals. 
2. UNCCD COP16, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is an important milestone to highlight the attention to the restoration of agricultural land, which is key for the transformation to sustainable, equitable and inclusive agrifood systems.
3. We know that current agrifood systems are not sustainable.
4. The growing demand for food is placing increasing pressure on land and water resources, pushing the productive capacity of agricultural, forestry and pastoral ecosystems to the limit, and putting the food security and livelihoods of millions of people at risk.
5. FAO estimates that agriculture will need to produce almost 50 percent more food, feed and biofuel in 2050 than it did in 2012. 
6. Nevertheless, more than 60 percent of the human-induced land degradation is taking place on agricultural lands, which is also where 95 percent of the world’s food is produced.
7. Furthermore, over the past 40 years, droughts have affected more people than any other natural hazard, with an expected increase in intensity, duration, frequency and spatial extent in the context of climate change. Sand and dust storms also have major negative impacts on human health, the environment, and agriculture and food security, reducing production of crops and livestock.
8. Ladies and gentlemen,
9. We know that more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems hold many of the solutions to the challenges we face, including climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, food insecurity and malnutrition, and achieving the 2030 Agenda. 
10. Avoiding, reducing, or reversing land degradation as well as using and managing land and water sustainably are all essential to transforming our agrifood systems to achieve better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
11. However, we need political leadership, enabling policies, national strategies, investments, targeted financing and concerted actions to make this happen.
12. As part of the global drought response community, FAO supports countries to implement COP decisions by fostering knowledge-sharing and experience exchange to ensure countries can support innovative and transformative solutions for drought management and resilience-building.
13. We will continue working with countries and partners like the UNCCD to combat desertification and drought for a land degradation neutral world.
14. Let us all remember that without the restoration of agricultural land, the achievement of global targets of land degradation neutrality (LDN), land restoration and zero hunger are not possible.
15. Thank you.