Attendance information

• Please note that venue capacity is limited, and an RSVP does not guarantee a seat. RSVPs will help us assess interest and plan accordingly.
• Blue Zone accreditation is required for physical attendance. Please note that registering for the Gala does not provide access to the COP venue.

Join us at The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for an inspiring evening celebrating three new UN World Restoration Flagships!

Taking place during Land and People Day, this Gala of Hope: Land Edition will bring together government leaders, United Nations representatives, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, youth, restoration practitioners and partners to recognize ambitious restoration efforts that are transforming drylands, rangelands and food systems.

The evening will feature the official award ceremony, exclusive premiere footage from the newly recognized Flagships, high-level speakers, an interactive Restoration Dialogue, and a networking cocktail reception.

The UN World Restoration Flagships are awarded under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, led by UNEP and FAO, to recognize the world's most ambitious, inspiring and impactful ecosystem restoration initiatives. The three Flagships being honoured at UNCCD COP17 were selected by an independent international expert jury for their outstanding achievements in restoring degraded dryland ecosystems and advancing land restoration, pastoralism and food security.

Speakers:

• H.E. João Paulo Capobianco, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil
• H.E. Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director, UNEP
• Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)  
• Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 
• Marcos Athias Neto, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support 
• Kinday Samba, UN World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for Western and Central Africa (WACARO) 
• Doreen Lynn Robinson,  Deputy Director for the Ecosystems Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 
• Lifeng LI, Director of the Land and Water Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 
• Francis Boafo Asamoah, Major Group for Children and Youth Representative to the UN Decade Youth Task Force 
• Claudia Hiepe, Senior Policy Officer at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ)
• Kuluipa Akmatova, Director of the Rural Development Fund, Kyrgyzstan

MC: Khalil Walji, Scientist, Landscape Alliance

Agenda

• 06:00 p.m. Opening and Welcome by Khalil Walji, Scientist, Landscape Alliance.
• 06:05 p.m. High-Level Opening Remarks by Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP, and Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, FAO.
• 06:10 p.m. Award Ceremony: Announcement of the new UN World Restoration Flagships by Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP; Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, FAO; and Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary, UNCCD.
• 06:30 p.m. Restoration Dialogues: How to restore land for resilience? The next five years of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Co-moderated by Doreen Lynn Robinson, Deputy Director, Ecosystems Division, UNEP, and Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO, and setting the stage by Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP. The dialogue will bring together diverse voices from UN Decade partners, governments, local communities and youth to explore how we can strengthen restoration action and resilience in the years ahead.
• 07:10 p.m. Cocktail Reception: The programme will continue with a cocktail reception and networking until the close of the event.

Register your attendance

• Register here. Please note that venue capacity is limited, and an RSVP does not guarantee a seat. RSVPs will help us keep you informed about the event. We recommend arriving early to secure your place.
• Important note: Blue Zone accreditation is required for physical attendance. Please note that registering for the Gala does not provide access to the COP venue.
• If you do not have Blue Zone access, you are still encouraged to register, and join the Gala online by watching the livestream here.