Kazakhstan will be the first country to host a national dialogue supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The consultation will be convened by the UNCCD Focal Point for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Committee for Land Resources Management in the Ministry of Agriculture from 6 to 7 December 2023 in Astana. It will be attended by representatives from the land governance and land management sectors from the national and local government, academia, development partners, civil society, and the private sector. 

The aim of the event is to exchange experiences and share knowledge on the role of secure tenure in improving natural resource management practices and rural livelihoods and to bring together diverse actors to raise awareness and enhance collaboration on sustainable land use and tenure security issues. 

The consultation will be hosted directly after the celebration of World Soil Day on 5 December 2023 and feed into Kazakhstan’s efforts to update the National Action Plan to combat desertification and restore already degraded lands, while ensuring sustainable development. 

Land resources, the foundation of the wealth of societies and economies all over the world, are under considerable pressure. Human activities such as grazing, deforestation and agricultural expansion have degraded 70 percent of the Earth’s land area and considerably contributed to climate change. The consequences of degraded land significantly impact global food systems, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and societies, especially highly vulnerable groups.