UN Recognizes Three New World Restoration Flagships for Ecosystem Restoration

On August 26, 2026, at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), the United Nations named three new World Restoration Flagships. Spanning Brazil, the Sahel region, and Saudi Arabia, these initiatives are working to restore a combined 1.36 million hectares of degraded land. This recognition emphasizes how vital ecosystem restoration is for food security and economic stability in the face of drought and desertification. The need to repair these landscapes has become more urgent amid shifting climates and geopolitical tensions. As Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), noted, "investing in healthy land is critical for strengthening resilience against these threats." These three flagships contribute to a broader global ambition of restoring one billion hectares by 2030, a commitment made during the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030).

In Brazil, the Araticum Initiative is dedicated to the Cerrado, the most biodiverse savanna on the planet. The program draws together more than 180 organizations, including Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and government bodies, to manage restoration projects across nine states. By June 2026, the initiative had already restored more than 27,000 hectares, moving toward a target of 2 million hectares by 2030.

Saudi Arabia’s National Greening Program is working to transform 2.5 million hectares of arid land by planting 215 million trees by 2030. Progress is well underway; by June 2026, the program had restored 1 million hectares and planted 159 million trees. Beyond the environmental benefits, the project seeks to improve air quality in cities and stimulate the economy, with the potential to create up to 187,000 jobs by 2030.

The Sahel Integrated Resilience Initiative tackles the linked problems of land degradation and food insecurity across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. By June 2026, the initiative had successfully restored over 335,000 hectares, with a goal of reaching 470,000 hectares by 2030. By pairing land rehabilitation with direct support for local livelihoods, the program takes a broad approach to building resilience in vulnerable communities. The recognition of these three flagships underscores a global commitment to restoration and its essential role in meeting today's environmental challenges.