ASEZ received an award from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification [UNCCD] Executive Secretary at the Global Choir Competition, which was performed to mark World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought and to celebrate 10 Years of Changwon Initiative; this contact-free competition was co-hosted by the UNCCD and Korea Forest Service.
There were three types of awards: the UNCCD Executive Secretary Award, the Korea Forest Service Minister’s Award, and the South Gyeongsang Province Governor’s Award. ASEZ was honored with the UNCCD Executive Secretary Award which is the best among the three. ASEZ submitted their own song, “Into the Forest,” along with “Born From the Land,” the theme song for UNCCD.
On May 13, the winners were announced at the UNCCD COP 15 in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Changwon Initiative. COP 15 was held in Côte d’Ivoire from May 9 to 20, 2022, under the theme: “Land. Life. Legacy: From Scarcity to Prosperity.” Through summits and high-level talks, and discussions with stakeholders in various fields, they confirmed the value of land, which is the foundation of a healthy society, and found out that it has an inseparable relationship with many international issues for sustainability.
You can watch the choir competition video via the ASEZ YouTube channel
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
- The UN Convention to Combat Desertification was established to prevent global desertification and to improve the capacity of the countries, which are affected by desertification, to cope with desertification.
- This Convention is one of the three major environmental conventions of the UN along with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC] and the Convention on Biological Diversity. It was adopted on June 17, 1994, and 197 member states are currently registered.
Changwon Initiative
- Korea proposed the Changwon Initiative at the UNCCD COP 15 held in Changwon, Republic of Korea. It established scientific foundations and partnerships to prevent land devastation, and supported pilot projects for it.
- It also played an important role in the adoption of Land Degradation Neutrality1 [LDN], which became part of the 15th goal, “Life of Land,” of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN Development Summit 2015.
