BONN, Germany, June 16 (Xinhua) -- International cooperation is paramount to combating desertification and drought, which is important for post-pandemic economic recovery, an UN official has said.

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought will fall on Thursday with focus on "turning degraded land into healthy land."

"The theme is really about how land can contribute to economic recovery," Ibrahim Thiaw, undersecretary-general and executive-secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Thiaw noted that restoring degraded land brings economic resilience, creates jobs, raises incomes and increases food security.

In some countries, up to 80 percent of the economy is dependent on the primary sector -- agriculture, livestock, fisheries and so forth. To rebuild the economy, people have to think about herders, farmers, fisherman and women which form the communal economy, and land restoration means a lot for them, said Thiaw.

According to UNCCD's statistics, up to 3.2 billion people in the world are directly or indirectly affected by land degradation and around 40 percent of the landmass in the world is affected by land degradation.

Thiaw said there are close links between land degradation and forced migration as well as conflicts.

"People cannot produce anymore in their land, so they are forced to flee," Thiaw said. "When resources are being scarce and the demand is high, you see it in Africa, you see it in the Middle East. You have a number of conflicts that are linked to access to land and water."

Thiaw called for international cooperation to address the problem and urged countries to share resources, technologies and experience.

Thiaw said he is impressed by the efforts the Chinese government and local communities have made in land restoration and combat desertification by creating "value chains."

"It brings the real economy. It is not only good for nature, but it is also good for people. When people can benefit from their efforts, when they can see the results in terms of economic benefits, then they will care about nature. Then they will understand why it is important to restore ecosystems," Thiaw said.

Talking about his visits to China, including his visit to Taklamakan Desert, one of the most arid regions in China, Thiaw said he witnessed some other examples of how private investments in barren land have made production and tourism possible.

Thiaw said the examples in China can show to the world how local communities can benefit from land restoration. Enditem

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