United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) A/RES/73/284 Stressing the need for cooperation, coordination and synergies in the work related to ecosystem restoration among relevant United Nations entities, according to their mandate, Recalling decision XII/19 on ecosystem conservation and restoration, adopted at the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, 9 in which it was noted with concern that, according to the fourth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, not enough progress had been made towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Targets 14 and 15, 10 decision XIII/5 of the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, 11 by which the parties adopted a short-term ecosystem restoration plan, decision 14/5 on biodiversity and climate change, adopted at the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and decision 14/30 on cooperation with other conventions, international organizations and initiatives, adopted at the same meeting, in which the parties welcomed the initiative of the Government of Egypt to promote a coherent approach for addressing biodiversity loss, climate change and land and ecosystem degradation, as well as the Cancun Declaration on Mainstreaming the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity for Well-being, adopted at the high-level segment of the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, 12 Recognizing the importance of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in China in 2020, in formulating a post-2020 global biodiversity framework that will contribute to the conservation of biodiversity on the planet and thus facilitate and reduce the need for ecosystem restoration, Recalling that, in the preamble to the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 13 the parties recognized the importance of the conservation and enhancement, as appropriate, of sinks and reservoirs of the greenhouse gases referred to in the Convention, Recalling also that sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases include forests, oceans, wetlands and soil, and recalling further their essential role in the adaptation to and mitigation of climate change and in enhancing the resilience of ecosystems and societies to its impacts, Acknowledging the additional contribution and importance of carbon sequestration resulting from the restoration of ecosystems to the achievement of the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, Acknowledging also that the achievement of the objective of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 14 and of a land degradationneutral world will contribute to and be facilitated by the restoration of ecosystems and that those efforts are connected to the climate change, sustainable economic development and poverty eradication agendas, Welcoming the efforts under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, to support the development of viable _______________ 9 See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/12/29. See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/10/27, annex, decision X/2. 11 See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/13/25. 12 United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/13/24. 13 See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21, annex. 14 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1954, No. 33480. 10 19-03519 3/6