The President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, together with more than 100 world leaders, joined today in the Glasgow Declaration on Forests and Land Use, which, as announced, reaffirms the commitment to stop forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
It is stated that the goal of the Declaration is simultaneously achieving sustainable development and promoting inclusive rural transformation.
In the Declaration, the signatories emphasize the crucial and interdependent roles of forests of all types, biodiversity and sustainable land use in enabling the world to meet its sustainable development goals.
"To help achieve a balance between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and sink emissions, to adapt to climate change and maintain ecosystem services," the Declaration states.
The signatories confirmed the obligations, collective and individual, according to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Convention on Combating Desertification, the Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant initiatives.
"We reaffirm our obligations related to the sustainable use of land and to the conservation, protection, sustainable management and restoration of forests and other ecosystems on earth," the Declaration says.
Its signatories are said to recognize that meeting land use, climate, biodiversity and sustainable development goals at both global and national levels will require transformative further action in the interrelated areas of sustainable production and consumption.
"Development of infrastructure, trade, finance and investments and support to small farms, indigenous peoples and local communities that depend on forests as a source of survival and play a key role in their conservation," the Declaration added.
The signatories highlight areas of strong progress in recent years and opportunities ahead to accelerate action.
"Therefore, we undertake to work together to stop and reverse the trend of forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while at the same time achieving results in the field of sustainable development and promoting the inclusive transformation of rural areas," the Declaration says.
The signatories of that document state that they will strengthen joint efforts to conserve forests and other ecosystems on earth and accelerate their restoration.
It is added that it will facilitate trade and development policies, at the international and domestic levels, that promote sustainable development and sustainable production and consumption of goods, that are mutually beneficial to countries and that do not lead to deforestation and land degradation.
The signatories stated that they will strive to reduce vulnerability, build resilience and improve living conditions in rural areas.
"And through the empowerment of communities, the development of profitable, sustainable agriculture and the recognition of the multiple values of forests, recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples as well as local communities in accordance with all appropriate relevant domestic laws and international instruments," the Declaration added.
It states that the signatories will strive to implement, and if necessary, redesign agricultural policies and programs to encourage sustainable agriculture, promote food security and contribute to the good of the environment.
The Declaration states that the signatories will seek to reaffirm international financial commitments and significantly increase funds and investments from a wide range of different public and private sources.
"And at the same time improve their effectiveness and availability to ensure sustainable agriculture, sustainable forest management, conservation and recovery of forests and support to indigenous peoples and local communities," the document added.
It states that its signatories will also seek to help align financial flows with international goals to halt and reverse the trend of forest loss and degradation.
"At the same time ensuring that there are strong policies and systems in place that will accelerate the transition to a resilient economy and advance the goals of sustainable forests, sustainable land use, biodiversity and climate," the Declaration added.
The signatories of the Declaration strongly encourage all leaders to join forces in the transition to sustainable land use.
It is said to be essential to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, including reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and keeping the rise in global average temperatures well below two degrees Celsius, as well as efforts to limit it to one and a half degrees.
"Together we can succeed in the fight against climate change, ensuring resilient and inclusive growth and halting and reversing the trend of forest loss and degradation," the Declaration concludes.
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