To combat desertification, around $6.4 billion has beenspent by member countries of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s (UNCCD)between July 2017 and June 2019, according to a report by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on the financing of programmes and projects concerning desertification, land degradation and drought.

In the last two years, $0.86 billion was spent via GEF funds and $5.67 billion through co-financing, amounting to $6.4 billion, according to the report.

“These resources were utilised by countries through 20 stand-alone LDFA projects using $48.92 million and 55 multi-focal area (MFA) projects and programmes using $808.84 million of GEF resources,” said the GEF report.

“A total of 75 projects and programmes were approved with funding from the Land Degradation Focal Area (LDFA) and other related funding windows of the GEF trust fund during the reporting period (July 2017 to…