Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 26 August 2026 – The UN today recognized Saudi Arabia's National Greening Program as a World Restoration Flagship. The initiative has already led to planting of more than 159 million trees, restoring nearly a million hectares of degraded lands, and the reintroduction of species like the gazelle, ibex, and Arabian oryx. It also led to the establishment of a comprehensive governance framework to tackle drought, desertification, and climate change.
Announced during a high-level event at the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), the Saudi program was recognized alongside two other restoration flagships in Brazil and the Sahel. Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the awards recognize outstanding and highly impactful global ecosystem restoration efforts.
“The impacts of climate change, drought and desertification, as well as ongoing geopolitical tensions, are hitting global food systems hard,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Investing in healthy land is one of our strongest defenses against these threats. The three initiatives recognized today show that restoring ecosystems brings significant benefits for all – from food security, new jobs, and greater resilience for millions of people.”
Saudi Arabia’s National Greening Program, led by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, aims to transform degraded landscapes. This includes rangelands, forests, deserts, urban areas and coastal ecosystems, including mangroves.
By June 2026 the programme had brought 1 million hectares of degraded land under restoration and planted 159 million trees. Restoration activities include reforestation, natural regeneration, controlled grazing, reintroduction of native wildlife species including Arabian oryx, gazelles and ibex, rainwater harvesting, and the use of treated wastewater to support restoration in waterscarce landscapes.
By 2030, the initiative aims to restore 2.5 million hectares of land and plant 215 million trees, contributing to Saudi Arabia’s longer-term goal of restoring 40 million hectares and planting 10 billion trees.
“Ecosystem restoration is not only a response to environmental challenges; it is an investment in the future of both people and nature,” said Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley. “Through the Saudi Greening Initiative, Saudi Arabia is rehabilitating degraded lands, enhancing biodiversity, and building ecosystems that are more resilient and sustainable. The restoration of more than one million hectares reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to turning environmental ambition into tangible results, in partnership with local and international stakeholders, and to creating a lasting natural legacy for future generations.”
The National Greening Program is one of 30 restoration initiatives recognized by the UN since 2022, with a combined area of nearly 20 million hectares already under restoration and of an area of almost 75 million hectares committed to restore by 2030, while creating over 800,000 jobs and improving overall species population.
About the UN World Restoration Flagships
Countries have already promised to restore 1 billion hectares – an area larger than China – as part of their commitments to the Paris climate agreement, the Aichi targets for biodiversity, the Land Degradation Neutrality targets and the Bonn Challenge. However, little is known about the progress or quality of this restoration. With the World Restoration Flagships, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is honouring the best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration in any country or region, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade. Progress of all World Restoration Flagships will be transparently monitored through the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring, the UN Decade’s platform for keeping track of global restoration efforts.
About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
About the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. It aims to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active healthy lives. With over 193 Members, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
For more information, please contact:
- News and Media Unit, UN Environment Programme
- Newsroom, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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