5 June 2021, Islamabad - Leaders in global politics, science, communities, religion and culture joined hands today to officially kick off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration - a rallying call for the protection and revival of millions of hectares of ecosystems all around the world for the benefit of people and nature as Pakistan hosted the World Environment Day 2021.
Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Decade on Restoration - which runs from 2021 to 2030 - was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in a 2019 resolution.
The launch took the form of a high-level virtual gala with the participation, alongside the heads of UNEP and FAO and UN Secretary-General António Guterres; of Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who hosted World Environment Day  this year; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and President of China. Among other global figures who spoke were goodwill ambassadors, advocates, youth representatives, scientists and CEOs.
"By restoring ecosystems, we can drive a transformation that will contribute to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals. The task is monumental. We need to replant and protect our forests. We need to clean up our rivers and seas. And we need to green our cities," the UN Secretary-General said in his message. "Accomplishing these things will not only safeguard the planet's resources. It will create millions of new jobs by 2030, generate returns of over $7 trillion dollars every year and help eliminate poverty and hunger."
The FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, noting that the increasing pressure on the world's natural resources is affecting the well-being of 40 percent of the global population, called for a change of mindset.
"Business as usual is not an option!" he underscored. "We need to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide, including our farmlands and forests; our rivers and oceans. More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems can help restore ecosystems and safeguard sustainable food production, leaving no one behind," he added.
The UN Decade aims to inspire and support governments, UN agencies, civil society, private sector companies, youth, women's groups, indigenous peoples, farmers, local communities and individuals globally, to collaborate, develop and catalyse restoration initiatives across the world. The effort will involve a raft of activities. They range from redirecting fiscal incentives and financial flows to promote restoration to undertaking research on restoration in terrestrial and marine environments, building the technical capacity of restoration practitioners globally and monitoring global progress on restoration.
The Decade aims to mobilize hundreds of millions of people to restore nature and foster a global restoration culture in which restoration initiatives are scaled up across the planet.
"The world has no choice but to go on a nature positive pathway which will not only boost the economy but also protect the environment," said  Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, which in 2019 embarked on an ambitious plan to plant 10 billion trees.
About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. It aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems and restore them to achieve global goals. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the UN Decade and it is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The UN Decade is building a strong, broad-based global movement to ramp up restoration and put the world on track for a sustainable future. That will include building political momentum for restoration as well as thousands of initiatives on the ground.
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