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                              href="https://mailchi.mp/586525dc50fe/healthy-land-the-size-of-central-asia-lost-since-2015?e=2649914cd5" 
                              target=_blank>View this email in your 
                              browser</A></SPAN></SPAN></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
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                              <DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SPAN 
                              style="FONT-SIZE: 16px"><SPAN 
                              style="COLOR: #006400"><STRONG>Media 
                              Advisory</STRONG></SPAN></SPAN><BR> </DIV>
                              <DIV><A 
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                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=c952d6e984&e=2649914cd5">Spanish</A> 
                               <A 
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                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=e0c5b4c129&e=2649914cd5">French</A> 
                               <A 
                              style="COLOR: #2baadf; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=438fc3f155&e=2649914cd5">Russian</A> 
                               <A 
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                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=79b2956fa6&e=2649914cd5">Arabic</A>  
                              <A 
                              style="COLOR: #2baadf; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=b4c749046c&e=2649914cd5">Chinese</A> 
                               <BR><BR><STRONG>Healthy land the size of 
                              Central Asia lost since 2015</STRONG><BR><EM>UN 
                              conference to tackle rapid land degradation and 
                              worsening droughts to take place in Samarkand, 
                              Uzbekistan, from 13-17 November 
                              2023</EM><BR><BR><STRONG>Bonn/Samarkand, 13 
                              September 2023</STRONG> – For the first time since 
                              its inception, the UN Convention to Combat 
                              Desertification (UNCCD) will convene one of its 
                              official meetings in Central Asia. The 
                              twenty-first session of the Committee for the 
                              Review of the Implementation of the Convention 
                              (CRIC 21) will reveal the latest global trends in 
                              land degradation and drought, and review how 
                              countries are progressing with land 
                              restoration.<BR><BR>It comes at a vital moment, 
                              when the world is witnessing an uptick in extreme 
                              weather events, with historic heatwaves and 
                              wildfires across Europe and North America, several 
                              failed rainy seasons in the Horn of Africa, and 
                              devastating floods, monsoons and cyclones in Asia. 
                              Land degradation contributes to these climatic 
                              changes and events and is simultaneously made 
                              worse by them.<BR><BR>Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD 
                              Executive Secretary, said: “We are at a crucial 
                              juncture in our efforts to sustain life on land. 
                              Droughts, wildfires and heatwaves we have 
                              witnessed around the world are the symptoms of the 
                              deepening and interlinked climate and nature 
                              crises, with land at the heart of both. Since 
                              2015, some 4 million square kilometres of healthy 
                              and productive lands have been lost—an area 
                              roughly the size of Central Asia. We must urgently 
                              stop further land degradation and restore at least 
                              1 billion hectares to meet global land targets by 
                              2030.”<BR><BR>The meeting will be held at the Silk 
                              Road Samarkand Congress Centre in Samarkand, 
                              Uzbekistan, from 13 to 17 November 2023. On 15 
                              November, there will be a high-level event on sand 
                              and dust storms, many of which have occurred in 
                              Uzbekistan and surrounding countries and regions 
                              with increasing frequency and severity in recent 
                              years. In addition, the UNCCD Gender Caucus on 14 
                              November will convene international experts to 
                              discuss women’s land rights as a prerequisite to 
                              the success of global land restoration and drought 
                              resilience efforts.<BR><BR>According to the <A 
                              style="COLOR: #2baadf; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=25932d90b7&e=2649914cd5">latest 
                              UN data</A>, between 2015 and 2019, at least 100 
                              million hectares of healthy and productive land 
                              were degraded every year, affecting food and water 
                              security globally and directly impacting the lives 
                              of 1.3 billion people.<BR><BR>This adds up to 420 
                              million hectares, or 4.2 million square 
                              kilometres, slightly over the combined area of 
                              five Central Asian nations: Kazakhstan, 
                              Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and 
                              Uzbekistan. If current trends continue, restoring 
                              1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030 will be 
                              necessary to achieve a land-degradation-neutral 
                              world. Alternatively, halting any new land 
                              degradation and accelerating existing commitments 
                              to restore 1 billion hectares can surpass the 
                              neutrality target.<BR><BR>CRIC21 will review 
                              progress in implementing the Convention’s 
                              strategic objectives on promoting sustainable land 
                              management, building drought resilience, 
                              supporting women's leadership in sustainable 
                              agriculture, and addressing forced migration due 
                              to land degradation and climate change. It will 
                              bring together representatives from 196 countries 
                              and the European Union which are signatories to 
                              the UNCCD, as well as civil society, academia and 
                              international organizations. 
                              <DIV 
                              style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">ENDS</DIV><BR><STRONG>Notes 
                              to Editors</STRONG> <BR>Accredited media 
                              representatives are invited to attend and report 
                              on CRIC21 and associated events. Field visits 
                              where journalists can see land restoration and 
                              drought resilience projects will take place 
                              immediately prior to CRIC21.<BR><BR>Online 
                              registration for media representatives is 
                              available at the following link: <A 
                              style="COLOR: #2baadf; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=4abc5239d3&e=2649914cd5">www.unccd.int/cric-21-online-registration</A>.<BR><BR>To 
                              register, please provide the following documents: 
                              <UL>
                                <LI 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%">One 
                                recent passport-sized photograph; 
                                <LI 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%">A 
                                valid press card; 
                                <LI 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%">A 
                                copy (picture and signature pages) of your 
                                passport (for foreign journalists) or national 
                                identity card (for local applicants);  
                                <LI 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%">A 
                                letter of introduction from the bureau chief or 
                                company sponsoring your travel to the session. 
                                For freelance journalists, a letter is required 
                                from the media organization assigning you to 
                                cover the conference; 
                                <LI 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%">A 
                                duly completed accreditation form.  
                              </LI></UL>Journalists who register online will be 
                              able to collect their accreditation at the Silk 
                              Road Samarkand Congress Center on presentation of 
                              a valid press card and an identity 
                              document.<BR><BR>For more information on the 
                              regulations governing visa applications and the 
                              introduction of reporting material into 
                              Uzbekistan, please consult the following link: <A 
                              style="COLOR: #2baadf; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=6b28a55637&e=2649914cd5">https://e-visa.gov.uz/main_</A><BR><BR>For 
                              inquiries about media accreditation or coverage of 
                              the event, please contact: <A 
                              style="COLOR: #2baadf; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              href="mailto:press@unccd.int/">press@unccd.int</A><BR>A 
                              dedicated press and media working space will be 
                              available at the conference 
                              venue. <BR><BR>Additional information and 
                              media updates on the Convention and CRIC 21 will 
                              be available on the host country CRIC 21 website 
                              and the UNCCD 
                          website.<BR> </DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
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                                <![endif]-->
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                        style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                        class=mcnBoxedTextContentContainer border=0 
                        cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left>
                          <TBODY>
                          <TR>
                            <TD 
                            style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 18px; PADDING-RIGHT: 18px; PADDING-TOP: 9px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%">
                              <TABLE 
                              style="MIN-WIDTH: 100% !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #3f9fcc; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              class=mcnTextContentContainer border=0 
                              cellSpacing=0 width="100%">
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-BOTTOM: 18px; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; PADDING-LEFT: 18px; PADDING-RIGHT: 18px; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: #f2f2f2; FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; PADDING-TOP: 18px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnTextContent vAlign=top>
                                <DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN 
                                style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><SPAN 
                                style="FONT-FAMILY: roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><STRONG>About 
                                the UNCCD<BR><BR>The United Nations Convention 
                                to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global 
                                vision and voice for land. We unite governments, 
                                scientists, policymakers, private sector and 
                                communities around a shared vision and global 
                                action to restore and manage the world’s land 
                                for the sustainability of humanity and the 
                                planet. Much more than an international treaty 
                                signed by 197 parties, UNCCD is a multilateral 
                                commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land 
                                degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land 
                                stewardship in order to provide food, water, 
                                shelter and economic opportunity to all people 
                                in an equitable and inclusive 
                                manner.</STRONG></SPAN></SPAN><BR> </DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if gte mso 9]>
                                </td>
                                <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
                </tr>
                </table>
                                <![endif]--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
                  <TABLE 
                  style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                  class=mcnFollowBlock border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 
                  width="100%">
                    <TBODY class=mcnFollowBlockOuter>
                    <TR>
                      <TD 
                      style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 9px; PADDING-TOP: 9px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                      class=mcnFollowBlockInner vAlign=top align=middle>
                        <TABLE 
                        style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                        class=mcnFollowContentContainer border=0 cellSpacing=0 
                        cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                          <TBODY>
                          <TR>
                            <TD 
                            style="PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 9px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                            align=middle>
                              <TABLE 
                              style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              class=mcnFollowContent border=0 cellSpacing=0 
                              cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 9px; PADDING-TOP: 9px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                vAlign=top align=middle>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 
                                align=center>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                vAlign=top align=middle><!--[if mso]>
                                    <table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
                                    <tr>
                                    <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                        <td align="center" valign="top">
                                        <![endif]-->
                                <TABLE 
                                style="DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItemContainer vAlign=top>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItem border=0 
                                cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                vAlign=center align=left>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowIconContent vAlign=center 
                                width=24 align=middle><A 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=c50d2cad99&e=2649914cd5" 
                                target=_blank><IMG 
                                style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; DISPLAY: block; -MS-INTERPOLATION-MODE: bicubic; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: auto; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" 
                                alt=Twitter 
                                src="https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-twitter-48.png" 
                                width=24 height=24></A> 
                                </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
                                        </td>
                                        <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                        <td align="center" valign="top">
                                        <![endif]-->
                                <TABLE 
                                style="DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItemContainer vAlign=top>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItem border=0 
                                cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                vAlign=center align=left>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowIconContent vAlign=center 
                                width=24 align=middle><A 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=5f137dd86a&e=2649914cd5" 
                                target=_blank><IMG 
                                style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; DISPLAY: block; -MS-INTERPOLATION-MODE: bicubic; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: auto; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" 
                                alt=Facebook 
                                src="https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-facebook-48.png" 
                                width=24 height=24></A> 
                                </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
                                        </td>
                                        <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                        <td align="center" valign="top">
                                        <![endif]-->
                                <TABLE 
                                style="DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItemContainer vAlign=top>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItem border=0 
                                cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                vAlign=center align=left>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowIconContent vAlign=center 
                                width=24 align=middle><A 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=194062c8d6&e=2649914cd5" 
                                target=_blank><IMG 
                                style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; DISPLAY: block; -MS-INTERPOLATION-MODE: bicubic; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: auto; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" 
                                alt=https://www.unccd.int/ 
                                src="https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-link-48.png" 
                                width=24 height=24></A> 
                                </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
                                        </td>
                                        <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                        <td align="center" valign="top">
                                        <![endif]-->
                                <TABLE 
                                style="DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItemContainer vAlign=top>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItem border=0 
                                cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                vAlign=center align=left>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowIconContent vAlign=center 
                                width=24 align=middle><A 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=59ba0b0655&e=2649914cd5" 
                                target=_blank><IMG 
                                style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; DISPLAY: block; -MS-INTERPOLATION-MODE: bicubic; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: auto; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" 
                                alt=Instagram 
                                src="https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-instagram-48.png" 
                                width=24 height=24></A> 
                                </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
                                        </td>
                                        <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                        <td align="center" valign="top">
                                        <![endif]-->
                                <TABLE 
                                style="DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItemContainer vAlign=top>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowContentItem border=0 
                                cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 9px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                vAlign=center align=left>
                                <TABLE 
                                style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left>
                                <TBODY>
                                <TR>
                                <TD 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                class=mcnFollowIconContent vAlign=center 
                                width=24 align=middle><A 
                                style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                                href="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=02ce743bb4&e=2649914cd5" 
                                target=_blank><IMG 
                                style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; DISPLAY: block; -MS-INTERPOLATION-MODE: bicubic; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: auto; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" 
                                alt=YouTube 
                                src="https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-youtube-48.png" 
                                width=24 height=24></A> 
                                </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
                                        </td>
                                        <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                    </tr>
                                    </table>
                                    <![endif]--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
                  <TABLE 
                  style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; TABLE-LAYOUT: fixed !important; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                  class=mcnDividerBlock border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 
                  width="100%">
                    <TBODY class=mcnDividerBlockOuter>
                    <TR>
                      <TD 
                      style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 25px; PADDING-LEFT: 18px; PADDING-RIGHT: 18px; PADDING-TOP: 10px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                      class=mcnDividerBlockInner>
                        <TABLE 
                        style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; BORDER-TOP: #eeeeee 2px solid; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                        class=mcnDividerContent border=0 cellSpacing=0 
                        cellPadding=0 width="100%">
                          <TBODY>
                          <TR>
                            <TD 
                            style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%"><SPAN></SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--
                <td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="padding: 18px;">
                <hr class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-bottom-color:none; border-left-color:none; border-right-color:none; border-bottom-width:0; border-left-width:0; border-right-width:0; margin-top:0; margin-right:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:0;" />
--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
                  <TABLE 
                  style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                  class=mcnTextBlock border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 
                  width="100%">
                    <TBODY class=mcnTextBlockOuter>
                    <TR>
                      <TD 
                      style="PADDING-TOP: 9px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                      class=mcnTextBlockInner vAlign=top><!--[if mso]>
                                <table align="left" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" style="width:100%;">
                                <tr>
                                <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                <td valign="top" width="600" style="width:600px;">
                                <![endif]-->
                        <TABLE 
                        style="MIN-WIDTH: 100%; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                        class=mcnTextContentContainer border=0 cellSpacing=0 
                        cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left>
                          <TBODY>
                          <TR>
                            <TD 
                            style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; PADDING-LEFT: 18px; PADDING-RIGHT: 18px; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: #656565; FONT-SIZE: 12px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                            class=mcnTextContent vAlign=top><SPAN 
                              style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><EM>Copyright © 2017* 
                              United Nations Convention to Combat 
                              Desertification*, All rights 
                              reserved.</EM><BR><BR><SPAN 
                              style="FONT-FAMILY: roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><STRONG>For 
                              preview interviews and media related inquires 
                              </STRONG>please contact:<BR>UNCCD Press Office: <A 
                              style="COLOR: #656565; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%" 
                              href="mailto:press@unccd.int">press@unccd.int</A> </SPAN><BR><BR></SPAN>
                              <DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
                              <DIV 
                              style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black" 
                              align=left><B>From:</B> <A title=press@unccd.int 
                              href="mailto:press@unccd.int">UNCCD 
                              Secretariat</A> </DIV>
                              <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial" 
                              align=left><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, September 13, 
                              2023 7:07 PM</DIV>
                              <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial" 
                              align=left><B>Subject:</B> Healthy land the size 
                              of Central Asia lost since 2015</DIV>
                              <DIV><BR></DIV>  </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if mso]>
                                </td>
                                <![endif]--><!--[if mso]>
                                </tr>
                                </table>
                                <![endif]--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--[if (gte mso 9)|(IE)]></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><![endif]--><!-- // END TEMPLATE --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER><IMG 
alt="" 
src="https://unccd.us6.list-manage.com/track/open.php?u=d257fa3ad4084c603979d0e42&id=f166b72bf0&e=2649914cd5" 
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