Generation Restoration Dialogue sparks youth action on food systems and land restoration

Author: Sabrina Debrard, Intern, UNCCD G20 Global Land Initiative | May 28, 2026

A man smiling with a stack of bananas on his shoulder

Photo credit: UNCCD G20 GLI

On 19 May 2026, the UNCCD G20 Global Land Initiative (GLI) brought together young changemakers and global experts for its latest Generation Restoration Dialogue, focusing on the urgent link between food systems and land restoration. Hosted by Sabrina Debrard, a webinar coordinator and co-hosted by Nour Barakat, Social and Environmental Researcher, the session highlighted a growing global movement powered by youth ready to turn ideas into action.

The discussion opened with a clear message: today’s food systems are the leading driver of land degradation. “We all think about food every day,” said Debrard, “but we’re probably not considering its impact on land.” With demand for food expected to rise sharply, speakers stressed that sustainability in food production is no longer optional. As UNCCD advisor to the Deputy Executive Secretary, Gabriel Lambert put it, “This will not be possible if farming systems are not transforming.”

Soil health and the future of food

Speakers emphasized that soil lies at the heart of the crisis and so does the solution. Industrial farming practices were described as harmful to both ecosystems and human health.

“Industrial farming is farming against nature… it is depleting our Earth systems and undermining our health,” said Maarten Klop, a community organizer at CommonSource and founder of Grounded, working at the intersection of food, people and nature.

Lambert added that healthy soils connect food security, biodiversity and climate action: “Without a good level of biodiversity in your soil, you will not achieve anything.”

Regeneration and local solutions

The dialogue spotlighted regenerative approaches such as agroecology and agroforestry as practical pathways forward. Klop highlighted the power of working with nature: “Through supporting natural functions of soil biology, you create more and more abundance.”

Local food systems also emerged as a key solution. By connecting farmers directly to communities, these models improve resilience and reduce environmental impact. “The world can feed itself through localized production,” Klop noted.

Youth at the centre of change

A defining theme was the role of youth as active drivers of restoration. Engagement begins with experience—through food, farming and community action.

“It starts with something fun, delicious and that you want to be part of,” said Klop, emphasizing the importance of making sustainability accessible.

Lambert reinforced the need for early education, noting, “That’s where you plant the seeds at the very beginning.”

From dialogue to action: COP17

The session also built momentum toward UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia, where a dedicated Food Systems and Soil Health Day will bring policymakers, farmers and youth together.

“The challenge is huge,” Lambert said, “but we see positive elements.”

The 19 May dialogue made one thing clear: transforming food systems is one of the most powerful ways to restore land and young people are already leading the way.

Catch the replay of the webinar

Director's Message

The year 2024 was pivotal for the Global Land Initiative. Land degradation and restoration remained prominent on the global policy agenda throughout.

The UN Environmental Assembly, G7 Leaders’ Summit, G20 Environment and Climate Change Ministers’ meeting, and BRICS Leaders’ Summit addressed land degradation and committed to scaling up land restoration efforts.

The European Union passed a new Restoration Law mandating quantitative targets for land restoration. The UNFCCC, UNCBD and UNCCD Conferences of the Parties (COPs), held during the last quarter of the year, reinforced land restoration as a crucial solution to combat land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change.

Building on this favorable policy momentum, the Global Land Initiative continued to develop and deliver a robust program. In collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), we completed a database on Global Restoration Commitments by countries under the UNCCD, UNCBD, UNFCCC and the Bonn Challenge.

Representing a significant increase in global commitments since 2021, the total global commitment now stands at 1.2 billion hectares, with 30 countries, including 11 G20 members, pledging to restore over 10 million hectares each.

The UNCCD, with financial support from the Global Land Initiative, published the first global restoration economy international report, titled, Investing in Land’s Future: Financial needs assessment for UNCCD. The report defines the private sector’s growing role in land restoration and its potential for creating green jobs.

The study outlines key recommendations to support the growth of the restoration economy, which has an associated market survey valued at $37 billion globally, growing at 8.2% annually and is projected to reach $70 billion by 2031. Together, these studies stressed the need for focused policy action to encourage private sector investment and engagement in the restoration economy.

Working with the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Global Land Initiative launched the first cohort of the “Global Ecopreneurs Program,” training 100 young entrepreneurs from restoration startups. These entrepreneurs received training on improving business plans and pitching to investors. We plan to scale this program regionally to reach 10,000 ecopreneurs by 2029.

Training remained a cornerstone of the Global Land Initiative, with programs on the restoration of mining areas, of urban lands, of lowland-based systems, of drylands and with biosaline agriculture. These trainings consistently attracted more applications than available slots. To accommodate this high demand and broader participation, we also conducted online webinars on these topics, in English, Arabic and French.

The first University Curriculum Course on Sustainable Agriculture for Land Restoration was launched this year. It reached over 400 university teachers, with over 100 trained on implementing the curriculum. A university module on urban land restoration is in its final stages.

Representatives from 25 countries attended the second Global Changemaker Academy for Parliamentarians held in Bonn. With the European Union Restoration Law’s passage, global best practices can now be discussed and adapted to national contexts.

The Global Land Initiative’s visibility surged with participation in the G20 Environment and Climate Change Working Group meetings in Brazil, the COPs of the UNCBD and UNCCD and 7 other international exhibitions. In December, the Initiative, in partnership with Germany’s Federal Museum of Arts and Sciences, opened the Save Land: United for Land Museum Exhibition, the first museum exhibition on land restoration, which will run until June 2025.

Online engagement grew, reaching over 35,000 newsletter subscribers and over 14,000 followers across social media platforms, and a global reach of nearly 400,000. The Global Photography Festival, which attracted 17,000 entries from 154 countries, further boosted visibility.

The Global Restoration Information Hub was launched in July 2024. It is a compilation of globally available data on land restoration from credible sources. The site provides information on global best practices, restoration commitments, best practice legislations, documentaries, restoration actors and other databases.

The Initiative issued a global call for communities and NGOs to submit their restoration projects for small grant support, receiving over 600 submissions from 100 countries. Forty-one projects from XX countries were selected for funding.

[Statement on faith, if the faith report is finalized]

The G20 Global Land Initiative Steering Committee was kept informed of developments through regular communication. It met in July and continues to provide guidance on program implementation. It received the work plan for 2025-26; an exciting period of action is ahead.

Executive Director's Message

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