Ulanbaatar, Aug. 24 -- At the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, India made a strong pitch for diversified, adequate, and predictable international finance for land restoration and drought resilience, even as global stakeholders announced a USD 1.3 billion financial package centred on restoring the world's critical rangelands.

Addressing the Ministerial Dialogue on 'Innovative Financial Mechanisms for Healthy Land and Drought Resilience,' the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav urged the international community to treat land restoration as a high-value investment rather than an expenditure.

"Land restoration is not a ...