Addressing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Conference of Parties at its fifteenth session in Cote d'Ivoire, the minister delivered the national statement emphasising on the fundamental and cross-cutting role of land in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, called for action to ensure that land is sustainably managed and continues to benefit the present and future generations.
• Meeting Sustainable Development Goals can help accelerate tree cover, soil conservation and transition towards sustainable agriculture production.
• Land restoration is one of the proven strategies that can put us on a pathway to green recovery. It can create jobs, uplift rural communities, and deliver significant co-benefits for human health, biodiversity and adaptation to climate change.
• The COP15 theme, ‘Land. Life. Legacy