Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

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The Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Tengiz Nasaridze, attended the meeting of the national working group of the program " Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality Targets of Georgia through Restoration and Sustainable Management of Degraded Pasturelands (LDN)".

Land degradation is a global problem. Desertification and land degradation threaten a third of the Earth's surface, leaving an estimated 1 billion people without a source of income or living conditions. The problem of land degradation is most acute in the Kakheti, Kvemo, and Shida Kartli regions of Georgia.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was adopted unanimously in 2015 by all UN Member States. The Government of Georgia took the initiative to contribute to sustainable development and carried out active measures to adapt the SDG agenda and its goals to fit the needs of the country. 

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia is in charge of carrying out the respective goals.

"Given the challenges of the current global climate change, we know how important and urgent the mentioned topic is across the world, including Georgia. This was reflected in the action plans and goals of the respective states, and obviously, we have made this direction one of our top focus areas. Moreover, combatting soil degradation was identified as one of the primary directions in the 2015 Sustainable Development Plans  " Mr. Tengiz Nasaridze said.

Most of the National LDN Goals set by Georgia in 2017 have already been achieved, primarily in expanding protected areas, improving reclamation systems, and the forestry sector. Considering the sustainable land management principles, a National Pasture Land Management Policy has been developed, which served as the cornerstone for a draft law incorporating the LDN principles. 

The revision of National Goals is possible since some time has already passed since their establishment. The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification has developed a program that reviews National objectives. Following applying, Georgia was selected as a participant in the program along with 18 other countries.

During the working group meeting, the parties discussed the current state of land degradation and related challenges in Georgia, the first phase of the support program aimed at achieving land degradation neutrality in Georgia, and the second phase of the mentioned program, including the presentation/update of National Goals for achieving land degradation neutrality in the country.

The representative of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Mrs. Nadezhda Dementieva, including the representatives of state agencies, non-governmental organizations, scientific circles, banking, and the private sector, attended the meeting.