Mr. Thiaw spoke to UN News ahead of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on 17 June
Many migrants, like these ones in Djibouti, are leaving home because they can no longer live off their land.
So basically, they are mutually interacting and it is therefore important to have a more comprehensive global picture. It is wrong to think that you can protect biodiversity or the land without tackling the climate issue and vice versa.
UN News: The small-scale interventions at a local level are very important, but it sounds as though it’s going to need a huge push from governments, from the private sector to make a real difference?
Ibrahim Thiaw: Yes, we should not discard all of the efforts that are being made by the local communities day in, day out. They need much more support from governments. They also need to see less subsidies for the agriculture industry, that is destroying the environment. Public money that, in some cases, is destroying the environment should be used to actually rebuild economies.
So, it is not necessarily that we need to inject more money, but we need to better spend the money that we have.
UN News: I guess some would say that’s quite an over optimistic view that governments will be changing the way they spend their money?
Ibrahim Thiaw: Well, no, it makes sense politically. As a taxpayer, I would like to see where my money is going. If it is being invested in activities that are destroying my environment and creating eco-anxiety for my children, destroying the livelihoods of my communities, then as a voter, I would insist that my government invests my money in other areas that would be generating more income for me and creating more sustainability.
UN News: You’re from Mauritania in the Sahel. Have you seen this land degradation happen in real time?
Ibrahim Thiaw: The situation is very sad. I’ve seen land degradation in my lifetime. But at the same time, I also have a lot of hope because I see positive changes coming. I see the younger generation being conscious of the fact that they need to reverse the trend.
I see more farmers and pastoralists trying to do their bit. I see more interventions from the international community, including from the humanitarian world that are investing in land restoration. So, I see a movement which gives me some hope that if we join our efforts and if we work in a collaborative manner, it would be possible to actually reverse the trend.
And the best hope I have is energy, which was the missing link for development and for small and medium enterprises. Energy is now accessible in remote places thanks to our ability to harness solar and wind energy.
And the possibility of combining energy and agriculture is very positive, as you can harvest water, store food, reduce the food loss. You can process that food to create chains at the local level.