UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw observed that the estimated economic cost of land degradation is nearly USD 20 trillion a year, and humanity must “repay our debt to nature and restore our land”. India, which will host the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD in New Delhi in September 2019, convened a national workshop on the LDN Target Setting Programme. The global observance also unveiled recipients of the biennial ‘Land for Life’ Award, which recognizes innovative and inspiring initiatives to recover and restore degraded landscapes.