Initiative 20x20 was launched in 2014 in Lima, Peru.  Initiative 20x20 is a country-led effort seeking to change the dynamics of land degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean by beginning to protect and restore 50 million hectares of forests, farms, pasture, and other landscapes by 2030. The initiative places itself as a platform where multiple partners can contribute to the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration that was born in the region under El Salvador’s leadership. 

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. It aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems and restore them to achieve global goals. Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop the collapse of biodiversity. The UN Decade runs from 2021 through 2030, which is also the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals and the timeline scientists have identified as the last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the UN Decade following a proposal for action by over 70 countries. Led by the United Nations Environment Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the UN Decade is building a strong, broad-based global movement to ramp up restoration and put the world on track for a sustainable future. That will include building political momentum for restoration as well as thousands of initiatives on the ground. Country leaders, private investors and technical partners from across Latin America and the Caribbean are convening in Puerto Varas, Chile, to connect among converging agendas and pursue the following objectives:

• Objective 1: Streamline intersectoral collaboration between environment and agriculture to scale the restoration of multifunctional landscapes and transform food systems
• Objective 2: Provide guidance to countries to meet UNCCD, CBD and UNFCCC target through landscape restoration as a nature-based solution.
• Objective 3: Accelerate implementation on the ground through collaboration to catalyze public and private funding into restoration