Davos: The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat and the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced the official launch of the Business4Land (B4L) Champions' Council at a high-level event during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the B4L Champions' Council brings together global CEOs and senior executives from various sectors including agriculture, fashion, food, paper, mining, and building materials, all of which rely heavily on land resources. The council's primary goal is to drive private sector leadership towards the restoration and sustainable management of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030, in alignment with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for land degradation neutrality.

Deputy Minister for Environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Advisor to the COP16 President, Dr. Osama Faqeeha, emphasized the critical need for the business community's involvement. He highlighted that half of the global GDP depends on land resources, and each year, 100 million hectares of land are degraded due to existing business practices. Dr. Faqeeha stressed the necessity of shifting to innovative approaches in land management and investment.

The council supports B4L actions aligned with the Riyadh Action Agenda, a plan to catalyze private sector contributions, which was launched at COP16 in Riyadh. At this event, over $12 billion was pledged for land restoration and drought resilience, with significant contributions from the Arab Coordination Group, the Islamic Development Bank, the OPEC Fund, and the Government of Saudi Arabia. The B4L Champions' Council aims to build on this momentum through coordinated business efforts.

Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Yasmine Fouad, noted the financial benefits of proactive land management, stating that for every dollar spent on land, approximately 30 dollars in revenue could be generated. Fouad highlighted that the B4L initiative is the only official private sector platform among UN conventions, encompassing climate change and biodiversity, marking it as a critical element of Corporate Social Responsibility rather than a voluntary contribution.