Summary
Details
- Global
UNCCD is mandatory for Parties as an international treaty. Parties are expected to implement the Convention through national laws, programmes and policies.
For companies, requirements become mandatory when UNCCD-related priorities are translated into domestic rules, such as:
Land-use permits.
Restoration obligations.
Mining rehabilitation requirements.
Agricultural soil protection rules.
Drought restrictions.
Water abstraction controls.
Environmental impact assessment requirements.
Forestry rules.
Protected area controls.
National biodiversity or land restoration policies.
Public procurement criteria.
A company’s legal obligations depend on the country, sector, project type and local permitting regime.
UNCCD does not create direct universal company obligations. A business is not directly fined by the UNCCD Secretariat for land degradation. The Convention also does not operate as a product standard, certification scheme or market label.
Practical variation comes from:
National implementation differences.
Sector-specific land rules.
Whether the operation is in an affected dryland or drought-prone area.
Whether the activity requires land-use approval.
Whether restoration duties are attached to permits.
Whether a project affects Indigenous peoples or local communities.
Whether the company participates voluntarily in land restoration or LDN initiatives.
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What’s Required
1. National action against desertification, land degradation and drought
UNCCD requires Parties to develop and implement policies, strategies and programmes to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. The Convention is implemented mainly through national and regional action programmes rather than direct company-level permits.
These programmes can cover:
Soil conservation.
Sustainable agriculture.
Drought preparedness.
Water management.
Restoration of degraded land.
Dryland ecosystem protection.
Rural livelihoods.
Land-use planning.
Agroforestry.
Sustainable grazing.
Community participation.
Monitoring and reporting.
The Convention’s practical focus is on helping countries restore degraded land, reduce drought vulnerability and build resilience in affected communities.
2. Land Degradation Neutrality
A core modern implementation concept under UNCCD is Land Degradation Neutrality, or LDN. LDN means avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation so that the amount and quality of productive land remains stable or improves.
UNCCD describes LDN as a way to halt and reverse land degradation. It also notes that 131 of the world’s 196 countries have pledged, or are aiming, to arrest land degradation by 2030.
For companies, LDN is relevant where business activity affects land condition, including:
Agriculture.
Forestry.
Mining.
Infrastructure.
Renewable energy.
Real estate.
Food production.
Livestock.
Water-intensive operations.
Restoration projects.
Nature-based carbon projects.
A project may be climate-positive on paper but still create land degradation if it damages soil, water systems, vegetation or local livelihoods.
3. Drought resilience and preparedness
UNCCD covers the effects of drought, including preparedness, monitoring, early warning and response. This makes it relevant for climate adaptation and water risk.
Drought governance can include:
Early-warning systems.
Drought risk assessments.
Water-use planning.
Resilient agriculture.
Emergency preparedness.
Soil moisture monitoring.
Groundwater protection.
Crop diversification.
Restoration of degraded watersheds.
Community-level resilience planning.
At COP16 in Riyadh, drought was a major negotiation issue, but Parties did not reach a binding global drought agreement. The issue is expected to remain central at COP17 in Mongolia in 2026.
4. Sustainable land management
UNCCD implementation depends on sustainable land management. This means using land in ways that maintain its productive, ecological and social functions over time.
Sustainable land management can include:
Reduced soil erosion.
Improved soil organic matter.
Better grazing management.
Restoration of degraded ecosystems.
Sustainable irrigation.
Protection of wetlands and watersheds.
Agroecological practices.
Reduced deforestation.
Protection of vegetation cover.
Land restoration after mining or infrastructure.
This is especially important for sectors whose operations or supply chains depend directly on land productivity.
5. Reporting, monitoring and review
UNCCD operates through national reporting, Conference of the Parties decisions, scientific review, implementation review and data systems. Companies are not normally required to report directly to UNCCD, but they may be affected where governments translate UNCCD commitments into domestic reporting, land-use permits, restoration obligations or drought-risk planning.
Relevant indicators can include:
Land cover.
Land productivity.
Soil organic carbon.
Drought exposure.
Restoration progress.
Land degradation neutrality performance.
National action programme implementation.
Financial flows for land restoration.
6. Participation of local communities and affected land users
UNCCD has a strong focus on affected communities, especially in drylands and rural areas. Land degradation and drought often affect farmers, pastoralists, Indigenous peoples, women and local communities first.
For companies, this makes social safeguards important in land-related activities. Projects should assess:
Customary land use.
Community access to water.
Grazing rights.
Food security.
Local livelihoods.
Land tenure.
Gender impacts.
Indigenous and local knowledge.
Benefit-sharing from restoration or carbon projects.
Ignoring land users can turn a restoration or climate project into a social-risk problem.
7. Integration with climate, biodiversity and food systems
UNCCD is closely linked to climate adaptation, biodiversity protection and food security. Land degradation can reduce carbon storage, increase drought risk, damage habitats, reduce crop yields and increase migration pressure.
Companies should therefore treat UNCCD alignment as part of:
Nature strategy.
Climate adaptation.
Biodiversity planning.
Food supply-chain resilience.
Water stewardship.
Soil health strategy.
Restoration investment.
Land-based carbon project due diligence.
Important Deadlines
1994 (Convention established): UNCCD was established in 1994 as the global legally binding framework to address desertification and the effects of drought.
1997 (permanent Secretariat established): the Convention’s permanent secretariat was established in 1997 and is located in Bonn, Germany.
2030 (Land Degradation Neutrality target horizon): the 2030 horizon is central because many countries have pledged, or are aiming, to halt land degradation by 2030 through LDN-related commitments.
2 to 13 December 2024 (COP16 in Riyadh): UNCCD COP16 took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024. It was a major global land and drought summit, but Parties did not reach a binding global drought agreement.
17 to 28 August 2026 (COP17 in Mongolia): UNCCD COP17 will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026, under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” This meeting is expected to be important for the future strategic framework of the Convention, drought negotiations, land restoration finance and private-sector engagement through initiatives such as Business4Land.
Current Status
UNCCD is active and legally binding for its Parties. It remains the core global treaty addressing desertification, land degradation and drought.
Current status:
Established in 1994.
197 Parties, including 196 countries and the European Union.
Permanent Secretariat located in Bonn, Germany.
Legally binding at treaty level for Parties.
Implemented mainly through national policies, action programmes, reporting and land governance.
Strongly linked to Land Degradation Neutrality, drought resilience, restoration and sustainable land management.
COP17 scheduled for August 2026 in Mongolia.
The Convention is not a company-facing regulator. It does not directly issue permits or fines to businesses. Its company relevance comes through national land-use rules, agricultural policy, drought planning, restoration obligations, water management, public procurement, financing expectations and nature-related disclosure.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
UNCCD does not impose centralised company fines. Penalties arise through national law and domestic enforcement.
Possible consequences include:
1. Permit refusal or suspension
Projects that degrade land, damage soil, worsen erosion or create unsustainable water pressure may face permit refusal, suspension or stricter operating conditions.
2. Restoration and rehabilitation orders
Mining, infrastructure, agriculture or forestry operators may be required to restore degraded land, rehabilitate sites or finance remediation.
3. Administrative fines
Domestic authorities may impose fines for breach of land-use, environmental, forestry, water or soil protection rules.
4. Civil liability
Companies may face liability for soil degradation, contamination, loss of ecosystem services, damage to neighbouring land, water depletion or harm to local livelihoods.
5. Criminal enforcement
Severe cases involving illegal deforestation, illegal land conversion, water theft, protected area destruction or deliberate breach of environmental permits may trigger criminal enforcement under national law.
6. Financing and insurance risk
Banks, insurers and development finance institutions may impose land degradation, biodiversity, restoration or water-risk conditions.
7. Reputational damage
Companies may face public criticism if they claim sustainability benefits while contributing to desertification, land degradation, water stress or failed restoration.
8. Supply-chain exclusion
Food, textile, forestry and commodity buyers may exclude suppliers associated with deforestation, soil degradation, illegal land conversion or poor water management.
Examples of Known Violations
Typical violations and failure modes include:
Expanding agriculture into fragile drylands without soil safeguards.
Overgrazing that accelerates erosion and vegetation loss.
Deforestation in drought-prone or erosion-sensitive landscapes.
Water extraction that worsens desertification or local water scarcity.
Mining projects that fail to rehabilitate disturbed land.
Infrastructure projects that fragment land and accelerate erosion.
Irrigation systems that cause salinisation or groundwater depletion.
Poor soil management that reduces soil organic carbon.
Monoculture production that increases land degradation risk.
Restoration projects that fail after initial planting because they ignore local ecology.
Carbon or nature projects that restrict customary land use without fair governance.
National LDN targets without implementation finance or monitoring.
Weak drought early-warning systems.
Ignoring pastoralists, Indigenous peoples or local communities in land-use decisions.
Reporting restored land without evidence of long-term ecological recovery.
Treating tree planting as restoration even where it damages water balance or local biodiversity.
Resources
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