UN praises billion trees programme

Islamabad: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw has admired Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam for successfully planting a billion trees in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He expressed these views at Kabuqi Desert Forum held in China last month

Terming the success story of KP fantastic, Thiaw said, "The best investment we can make in the world today is to combat desertification, combat climate change and to reduce biodiversity loss. But at the same time build the local and rural economy, create job opportunities, promote renewable energy. Land restoration is essential because 98 percent of the food comes from land."

He said it was critical that we understand links between land degradation and poverty alleviation. The executive secretary later in his tweet termed Pakistan's presentation as "impressive" one and hoped to work together in partnering with Pakistan.

The Kabuqi Desert Forum was held last month in China in order to showcase efforts of the Chinese government to restore Kabuqi Desert into green forests. Since 1988, about a third of the desert, which is more than 6000 square kilometers, has been transformed into forests. Ibrahim Thiaw is the Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Combating Desertification. UNCCD works to mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership.