Our solutions are in nature
“Without nature’s help, we cannot thrive or even survive on this planet Earth.”
– UN Secretary-General António Guterres
We rely on nature for our survival. Mother nature provides us with our oxygen, regulates our weather patterns, pollinates our crops. However, nature is suffering. Human activity has altered almost 75 percent of the earth’s surface, squeezing wildlife and nature into an ever-smaller corner of the planet and increasing the risks of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.
Ending environmental decline and restoring the health of our planet is imperative despite past progress. A recent UN report on biodiversity found that around 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction and biodiversity is deteriorating faster than at any other time in human history. Declining biodiversity and degraded ecosystems driven by external pressures such as development, pollution and land use change are threatening especially poor and vulnerable communities, as narrowing sources of food, medicine, fuel and clean water combined with land degradation and soil erosion create detrimental impacts upon people’s life. Sustainable forest management is gaining ground, but deforestation remains high and affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Every year, some two million people die from neglected zoonotic diseases.
The world needs a robust plan for protecting nature and shifting to a more sustainable economy. The global COVID-19 outbreak also highlights the urgent need to address threats to ecosystems and wildlife.
In April’s Goal of the Month editorial, we focus on Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss . Check here to learn more about why the Goal matters and what you can do to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
In Focus
- International Day of Sport for Development and Peace | 6 April “The Role of Sport in Combating Climate Change”
- World Health Day 2022 | 7 April
- 2022 Financing for Sustainable Development Report | 13 April
- ECOSOC Youth Forum 2022 | 19 to 20 April 2022
- International Mother Earth Day | 22 April
- UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) | 2022
- Feature: Farmers in northern Haiti dig for resilience
- First Person: I know what it’s like to go hungry as a child
- Multimedia story: Invisible no more
The world of sport is in a unique position to display leadership in climate action and in mitigating the effects of climate change. On this International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, a virtual event – the Role of Sport in Combating Climate Change – will be held to discuss innovative actions to limit the carbon footprint and how sports play a major role in amplifying awareness and contributing to low-cost, high-impact solutions. The virtual event will take plan on April 2022 at 9:30 a.m. EDT through the UN YouTube Channel and UN Web TV. |
The World Health Day 2022 will focus on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being. As part of the campaign “Our planet, our health”, the Healing Arts event: Visions and Voices of a Healthy Planet will be held virtually by World Health Organization on 5 April, 15:00 – 16:00 CET. Watch live on the WHO YouTube channel. Visit here to learn more. |
|
The 2022 Financing for Sustainable Development Report will present solutions to help countries find needed resources to close the finance divide and invest in sustainable development through strengthening the role of international public finance and addressing the high cost of financing on capital markets. It will also address rising risks of debt distress. The report will detail how countries can raise both new financing and align existing investment with combatting climate change and promoting gender equality, including rethinking incentives in the international financial system. The launch will be broadcasted live through UN Web TV on 13 April. |
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum will take place on 19 and 20 April 2022 in a virtual format. The Youth Forum will address the theme of ECOSOC and the 2022 UN High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development on “Building back better from COVID- 19 while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda.” The Forum will provide a platform for young people to engage in a dialogue with Member States and other actors on concrete actions to rebuild from COVID-19 and to advance towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Decade of Action. It will also review progress in the areas of life on land (SDG15). Young activists, scientists, practitioners have been supporting global efforts in sustainably managing forests, combating desertification, reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss through their direct work, and by engaging with Governments and other partners to accelerate the transition towards green and climate friendly ways of living and economies. Young people have a vested interest in ensuring that the health of the planet and its ecosystems are at the core of all plans and policies to build back better. A panel discussion on SDG15 will take place virtually on 19 April at 3:15 PM EDT. Visit here to learn more. |
Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Climate change, ocean pollution, deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production have affected millions of people. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 22 April as International Mother Earth Day through the adoption of a resolution in 2009. The Day called for greater protection of the natural environment to improve livelihoods, counteract climate change and halt the degradation of biodiversity. Find out more here. |
The second part of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) will be convened in the third quarter of 2022 in Kunming, China. The Conference will convene governments from around the world to agree to a new set of goals for nature over the next decade through the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework process. The framework sets out an ambitious plan to implement broad-based action to bring about a transformation in society’s relationship with biodiversity. Find out more here. |
| “People in this area are poor, so for many years they cut down trees to make charcoal,” says community leader Emile Elinos. “This led to soil erosion and so it became impossible to grow crops to sustain our community.”
Decades of deforestation has made land in northern Haiti unworkable. But, with the support of the government, the World Food Programme (WFP) and other partners, farmers are now producing crops again. Read the series, including the feature news and photo story on Farmers in northern Haiti dig for resilience. |
Rose Senoviala Desir, an agronomist working for WFP in Haiti, suffered from hunger as a child. She shared her passion for building resilience amongst rural populations, helping them to adapt to the changing climate, and supporting their efforts to protect their land and livelihoods by building structures that will prevent erosion and help irrigation. |
Read her story here.
Women play a vital role in sustainably managing biological resources and are disproportionally affected by biodiversity loss. Women have vast knowledge and skills to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity. Women’s environmental leadership is crucial. Check here to read the multimedia story on women environmental leaders. |
The UN SDG Action Awards is looking for initiatives and individuals from around the world that #FlipTheScript and rethink how we live and what progress and development look like.
Finalists and winners will be celebrated at a special event held in Bonn, Germany during the UN General Assembly and the Global Week to #Act4SDGs in September, and showcased on UN SDG Action Campaign platforms throughout the year.
The deadline to apply or nominate is 1 May 2022 and more information can be found here.
Upcoming key Goal 14 moments
World Migratory Bird Day (8 May)
UN Forum on Forests (9-13 May)
UN Convention to Combat Desertification, COP15 (9-21 May)
World Bee Day (20 May)