More than 100 leaders will commit to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 at Cop26
The pledge is backed by almost US$19.2bn in public and private funding. Brazil, Colombia, Canada, Russia, Indonesia, and The Democratic Republic of Congo will endorse the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forest and Land Use, together they contain 85% of the world’s forests with an area of more than 13 million square miles.
The commitment will be supported by a pledge to provide US$12bn of public finance from 12 countries from 2021-2025 to support activities in developing countries including restoring degraded land, tackling wildfires and supporting the rights of indigenous communities. This will be supplemented by at least US$7.2bn of private sector funding.
Tuntiak Katan, coordinator of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, representing communities from the rain forests of Africa, Latin America and Indonesia, said, “We welcome the announcement at COP of the Joint Statement on Advancing Support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities that has raised to an unprecedented level their visibility as a climate solution.
“At the same time, we will be looking for concrete evidence of a transformation in the way funds are invested. If 80% of what is proposed is directed to supporting land rights and the proposals of indigenous and local communities, we will see a dramatic reversal in the current trend that is destroying our natural resources.”
