FAO calls for strategic investment in land restoration to combat drought and desertification in the NENA region

On Desertification and Drought Day (DDD) 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is calling attention to the urgent need for strategic investment in land restoration to address the mounting environmental and socio-economic challenges in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. This year’s theme, “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities,” highlights how restoring land can help build resilience and sustainable development.

Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, highlights the importance of innovative approaches to address this gap: “Innovative financing mechanisms, such as capital guarantees, results-based financing, climate financing, debt swaps, advanced market commitments, and innovation incubators, can contribute to closing the financing gap.”

The NENA region remains one of the most land- and water-scarce areas globally, facing a complex “poly-crisis” that includes accelerating land degradation, biodiversity loss, persistent drought, climate shocks, and increasing food insecurity. Despite these challenges, only 4 percent of degraded land in the region was committed for restoration as of 2020 (PBL, 2020).

FAO and its partners, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the League of Arab States, have developed a new white paper titled “Reimagining sustainable returns on investment for planet and people: A Near East and North Africa regional approach to ecosystem restoration and development solutions.” The Paper outlines a Regional Land Investment Framework for Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Development Solutions in NENA, building a compelling business case for ecosystem restoration as a development priority, and is due to be published by the end of July 2025.

This framework, developed under the umbrella of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, offers a structured, programmatic approach to mobilize investment and policy support. It focuses on aligning finance with the Rio Conventions and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), designing bankable restoration projects, and fostering blended finance models with high Sustainable Returns on Investment (SROI).

“With 86 percent of the NENA region’s land degraded, investing in ecosystem restoration is not just an environmental priority, it’s essential for securing livelihoods, boosting economies, and building a sustainable future for millions,” said Fidaa Haddad, Senior Programme Officer at FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa.

This white paper and investment framework were presented at a high-level event at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and was endorsed by the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE), underscoring its regional and global significance. COP16 also saw a major breakthrough in land restoration finance, with over USD 12 billion pledged, including USD 10 billion from the Arab Coordination Group and additional contributions from the Islamic Development Bank, OPEC Fund, and the Government of Saudi Arabia under the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership. Furthermore, under COP16 Decision 6, Parties agreed to advance private sector engagement through Business4Land (B4L), a new initiative structured around business transformation, finance, and advocacy.

To accelerate momentum, FAO will convene an Investors Day in October 2025 in Saudi Arabia, bringing together partners, investors, and the private sector to explore funding opportunities under the new regional framework.

Desertification and Drought Day 2025 is a powerful reminder that restoring land is not only about repairing nature, it is also a strategic path to opportunity and growth. The upcoming white paper offers a regional blueprint to turn this vision into reality, providing a practical framework to align policy, finance, and innovation in support of land restoration and sustainable development.

For more information, and to make sure you don't miss the official white paper launch coming soon, visit https://www.fao.org/neareast/en and follow @FAOinNENA_EN on X.