Land restoration as a pathway to peace and security

This session will demonstrate how sustainable land management and drought resilience can serve as strategic levers to address the interconnections between land degradation, human insecurity, and conflict in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS). Land degradation is not only an environmental issue but also a driver of insecurity, displacement, and competition over scarce resources such as water, soil, and forests. Climate change further compounds these pressures by intensifying droughts, desertification, floods, and sand and dust storms, accelerating biodiversity loss and weakening ecosystem services. These dynamics erode community resilience and fuel cycles of fragility and instability.

Despite growing recognition of the climate–land–peace nexus, FCAS remain severely underfunded, receiving less than 10% of global climate and environmental finance; far below estimated needs. The panel will spotlight innovative approaches such as conflict-sensitive investment, blended finance, and risk-sharing mechanisms to close this gap and unlock the peacebuilding potential of land restoration.

The discussion will underscore the role of data and innovation in de-risking investments and fostering cooperation. Tools such as geospatial intelligence, satellite monitoring, risk mapping, and early warning systems not only strengthen decision-making but also act as instruments of science diplomacy, building transparency, trust, and pathways for cooperation and participatory governance.

Crucially, the session will address how evidence from communities and research can be effectively translated into policies and financing strategies. By linking finance, innovation, and science-to-policy pathways, the panel emphasizes land restoration as a foundation for Rio Convention synergies and a strategic platform for collective action towards peace, security, and sustainability.