A Future at Risk: The Policy Challenge of Land Degradation for Children’s Wellbeing. A child responsive approach to tackling Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD)

This policy brief is a call to action to Parties and non-Party stakeholders at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to prioritize investments in resilience and incorporate child-responsive policies into strategies addressing Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). It highlights the importance of cross- sectoral collaboration to place children at the forefront of these efforts, emphasizing approaches that enhance their involvement and improve their well-being and environment. 

For too long, children have been overlooked in environmental negotiations, including on land issues. There is limited integration of children and youth in policy debates, land programmes implementation and sustainable land management strategies. Yet, for the first time at COP16, Parties will adopt a Youth Engagement Strategy, a critical step towards the inclusion of youth into the Convention’s decision-making bodies and processes. This is an opportunity to seize, not only for youth, but also for children whose health, nutrition, education, and livelihoods are largely affected by DLDD.