"For too long, we have treated gender equality as a 'soft' issue. This is a profound and dangerous miscalculation."

In this powerful video message for the 2025 High-Level Political Forum, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw issues a direct challenge to global leaders. He argues that the exclusion of women from land ownership is not a social footnote, but a systemic risk that acts as a handbrake on our global economy, food security, and ability to build a livable future.

Moving beyond a simple plea, the Executive Secretary frames secure land rights for women as the most effective, investable, and scalable solution to land degradation and despair. He calls on ministers, CEOs, and investors to audit their policies and budgets, asking a simple question: "Do they empower the woman tending her crops, or do they dispossess her?"

He points to one powerful solution in Kenya: TMG's Haki Ardi, land rights reporting tool. This tool fosters a bottom-up approach to reporting land rights violations, enabling communities and local organizations to advance justice by enhancing local legal redress mechanisms and strengthening government accountability.

This is a call to action to stop funding the symptoms of land degradation and start investing in the cure: secure, legally-defensible land rights for every woman.