Saudi Arabia wins UN award for global land restoration model

Saudi Arabia has been awarded the United Nations Global Model for Land Restoration Award, in recognition of its ongoing efforts to expand vegetation cover and restore degraded land, as well as protect ecosystems and enhance biodiversity, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

The honor was presented during a high-level event at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), hosted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The United Nations recognized Saudi Arabia, represented by the National Afforestation Program, as a leading global initiative in ecosystem restoration.

National efforts in afforestation and land restoration

The National Afforestation Program has contributed to planting more than 159 million trees, restoring nearly one million hectares of degraded land, and reintroducing several endangered animal species. The program has also established a comprehensive governance framework to address drought, desertification, and climate change.

Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, stated that the Kingdom continues its efforts to rehabilitate degraded land, enhance biodiversity, and build more resilient and sustainable ecosystems. He noted that restoring over one million hectares of degraded land reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to turning environmental ambitions into tangible results, in partnership with local and international entities.

Ambitious targets through 2030

Meanwhile, CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Ayada, said the Kingdom aims to rehabilitate more than 2.5 million hectares of land and plant 215 million trees by 2030, as part of its long-term goal to restore 40 million hectares and plant 10 billion trees.

Land restoration activities include reforestation, natural regeneration, managed grazing, and reintroducing native wildlife such as the Arabian oryx, gazelles, and ibex. Efforts also involve rainwater harvesting and using treated wastewater to support restoration in water-scarce areas.

UN recognition of Saudi efforts

The United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also honored, alongside Saudi Arabia’s National Afforestation Program, two other initiatives from Brazil and the Sahel region as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, in recognition of outstanding global achievements in this field.