UN: $278 Billion Annual Funding Gap for Land Restoration

The United Nations has highlighted a significant annual funding gap of $278 billion required to meet global land restoration commitments by 2030. The organization estimates that $355 billion is needed each year, but current investments only reach about $77 billion. Private funding accounts for a mere six percent of these global investments.

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For the implementation of global land restoration commitments by 2030, $355 billion is required annually.

Progress was made at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. A flagship initiative for drylands, involving 45 projects worth $1.2 billion, was launched. This represents the convention's largest single resource mobilization initiative for drylands to date. Additionally, governments, development banks, funds, and companies committed $1.3 billion for projects in 23 countries across five continents, with $644.5 million in new funding.

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The current volume of investment is about $77 billion.

The conference took place amid a challenging global land resource situation, with up to 40 percent of land degraded. Countries have pledged to restore over one billion hectares by 2030. In Central Asia alone, over 80 million hectares, more than a quarter of the region, are degraded, affecting 24 million people. Despite this, all five Central Asian countries have set land degradation neutrality targets, with half of these commitments already met.

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Thus, there remains an annual deficit of $278 billion.

While national drought plans have increased significantly, with over 70 countries now having them compared to just three in 2013, the scale of funding and practical action still lags behind the growing problem. The COP17 session launched the first global financial mechanism specifically designed to attract investment in drought resilience, aiming to mobilize up to $400 million for water security, sustainable agriculture, nature-based solutions, and land restoration.

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Private funding accounts for only about six percent of global investments in land restoration.