Half of humanity lived in cities in 2020, but by 2050, about seven out of every 10 people in the world will be living in urban areas (1).

But increasingly, cities and urban areas face the growing threats of extreme weather, such as sea-level rise, flooding, wildfires, heatwaves. Moreover, green spaces in urban areas globally have decreased from 19.5 percent to 13.9 percent. Conserving existing green spaces and generating new ones in cities are critical responses to these threats, making urban and land-use planning and design are critical instruments for climate action (2).

These solutions have implications for landscape designers to be attentive to these challenges and offer immense opportunities for investment and job creation.

But what new ideas and innovations are landscapers developing to make our homes, business premises and cities both resilient and sustainable? What are their visions of future homesteads and how are they restoring degrading lands, in both rural and urban areas, in the process?

UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative will engage with landscapers at FutureScape Global taking place on April 28-29, 2025, at Arena Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Of particular interest are the solutions they offer for inhabitants in cities located in dryland areas.

To engage with the UNCCD-G20 GLI, register now at www.futurescapeglobal.com. Participation is free for registered participants.

The Initiative’s offers:

Exclusive Showcase and Presentation

• Visit our dedicated 24m pavilion showcasing the latest land restoration technologies and innovations in land restoration
• Join our special UNCCD presentation in Theatre One focusing on innovative approaches to combat desertification and build a restoration economy
• Experience first-hand demonstrations of scalable best practices in land conservation, including the private sector and market-driven approaches of the Initiative

Strategic Value

The ambition of the UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative is a 50% reduction in degraded land by 2040. Through the Global Restoration Information Hub, the Initiative will showcase:

• Cutting-edge technologies in sustainable land management and land restoration that the landscaping community can access
• Opportunities for the private sector partners to actively engage in land restoration projects
• Engagement with environmental and sustainability policymakers to understand the challenges landscapers face in scaling land resilience.

For more information contact:

Abd Salam El Vilaly, Avilaly@unccd.int

(1) 2022, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, World Cities Report 2022, p4

(2) 2024, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, World Cities Report 2024, Key Messages