Good morning Excellencies, representatives from the German Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Commission, UNCCD, Esteemed Experts, Fellow Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. We are having these discussions today to launch a new report, which points out, in no uncertain terms, the scale and complexities of land degradation, erosion and desertification in the world, especially in Africa.
Land degradation represents one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time and yet too many people are still unaware that it will cost us more to do nothing about this problem than it will to fix it. But this new report on "The Economics of Land Degradation: Benefits of Action Outweigh the Costs of Action in Africa," is an important step towards fixing that and the timing couldn't be more appropriate.
...