The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) Secretariat, together with the UNCCD COP16 Presidency led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has recently announced the official launch of the Business 4 Land (B4L) Champions’ Council at a high-level event held during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.The B4L Champions’ Council brings together global chief executives and senior leaders from agriculture, consulting, environmental services, fashion, food, pulp and paper, renewable energy and technology sectors. The initiative aims to mobilise private sector leadership to restore 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030, aligning business strategies with global Sustainable Development Goals related to climate action, biodiversity protection and land degradation neutrality.Addressing the gathering, Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of Environment of Saudi Arabia and Adviser to the COP16 Presidency, underlined the economic and environmental urgency of land restoration. He noted that nearly half of global GDP depends on land-based systems such as agriculture, water, forests, cities and infrastructure, while nearly 100 million hectares of land are degraded annually under current practices. He emphasised that achieving land restoration at scale requires a fundamental shift in business models and investment priorities, driven by strong private sector participation.The Council will support Business 4 Land actions aligned with the Riyadh Action Agenda, which was launched at COP16 in Riyadh in December 2024. At the summit, more than Rs 1 trillion equivalent was pledged globally for land restoration and drought resilience, with commitments from institutions including the Arab Coordination Group, the Islamic Development Bank, the OPEC Fund and the Government of Saudi Arabia. The B4L Champions’ Council is expected to build on this momentum through coordinated and measurable corporate action.Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of UNCCD, highlighted the economic rationale for land-positive investments, stating that every dollar invested in land restoration can generate up to 30 dollars in returns. She described B4L as the first formal private-sector platform under the UN environmental conventions, positioning land action as an integral component of corporate social responsibility rather than a voluntary add-on.The Council’s priorities include mobilising private capital, scaling regenerative and land-positive business models, strengthening food security and drought resilience, enabling collaboration across global value chains, and supporting policy alignment through structured public-private dialogue. It will also contribute to implementing the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, aimed at addressing escalating drought risks through coordinated international action.During the Davos launch, founding corporate members stressed that land restoration is emerging as a strategic business imperative, linking environmental stewardship with long-term financial resilience and community well-being. The initiative marks a significant step in placing land restoration at the centre of global climate and development agendas, with the private sector positioned as a critical driver of impact.