Coping with Today's Global Challenges in the Context of the Strategy of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Bonn, Germany, 27 May 2008

“The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is the most powerful tool for addressing land degradation in our international arsenal. The UNCCD offers a platform for adaptation, mitigation and resilience”. ( United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon).

The UNCCD secretariat is pleased to announce its organization of the High-level Policy Dialogue on the theme, "Coping with Today's Global Challenges in the Context of the UNCCD Strategy." The Dialogue will be held in Bonn, Germany, on 27 May 2008, under the chairmanship of Her Excellency Mrs. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany.

I. BACKGROUND

Since the inception of the UNCCD in 1994 and its coming into force in 1996, the world has changed and not slightly. Building on the foundation laid by Parties during the first decade of the Convention, COP 8 in Madrid adopted a Ten-year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention (“The Strategy”). It recognizes that combating desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) is a global environmental challenge, which deserves a specific momentum and a strong international mobilization.

Under the present scenarios of climate change and the emerging conditions of scarcity of productive natural capital such as arable land and water, The Strategy aims at rallying a global coalition and expresses a call for delivering benefits for people and eco systems at all levels. In so doing, the Strategy can assist in bringing down to earth responses to some of the major international challenges of our time. The protection of land and soil is a necessary condition to adapt to climate change while reaching the Millennium Development Goals, stem factors of forced migrations, reduce the causes of conflicts and alleviate the impact of natural disasters.

As the international community is testing the limits of the era of easy globalization, the multilateral system can bring its contribution to sowing the seeds of a new paradigm that will have to pay more attention to environmental security and equity. The UNCCD, the only international treaty addressing land, is an existing instrument whose potential can now be activated to serve the necessity of collaborative innovation.

Pursuing the common purpose of the intergovernmental process that adopted The Strategy to maintain and enhance the commitment to and momentum of the Convention, the High level Policy Dialogue will review and advise as to how the mandate given to the Parties, the Secretariat and the Global Mechanism by the Convention has been enriched by the responsibilities to be discharged under the 10YSP. Guidance and views from country representatives, including on the necessary scientific assessment on land and soil matters shall also be conducive to an optimal preparation of the forthcoming seventh session of the Committee for the review of the implementation of the Convention (CRIC 7) and the ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9).

II. PURPOSE OF THE HIGH LEVEL POLICY DIALOGUE

The main purpose of the dialogue will be to launch an exchange among Parties on the following:

»  What are the conditions for successfully implementing The Strategy at all levels in the context of critical global issues?

»  What type of political changes would be needed for this to happen?

»  How to engage Parties to the UNCCD early on a range of critical issues related to the implementation of The Strategy and reforms necessitated by and flowing from it?

»  How the UNCCD bodies and institutions could help?

III. ORGANISATION OF WORK

An eminent personality shall preside/moderate the Policy Dialogue that shall take place in Bonn on 27th May 2008. Ministers and other high level participants are expected from a representative number of country Parties to the UNCCD.

This category of higher-level decision makers is expected to give an impetus on buy in for The Strategy and to firm up understanding in the context of the Convention’s strategic orientations. To keep a genuine interactive character to the exchange, the number of participants shall be limited to around 50 people.

Information on the venue, final agenda and documents for the meeting will be forwarded to the participants upon confirmation of their attendance on the basis of the invitation letter forwarding this Note.

A. CONTENT OF THE MEETING

To facilitate a targeted exchange from developed/affected/developing Parties on The Strategy and to foster awareness of and buy-in among relevant policy and decision makers prior to the formal consideration by Parties of new programming tools at CRIC 7, the Policy Dialogue will be divided in three segments:

i) Presentation of UNCCD related strategic themes in a context of climate change, related food and water scarcity and emerging geo-strategic issues;

ii) Presentation of UNCCD corporate orientations and reforms in the light of The Strategy;

iii) Indicative feedback on Parties’ perspectives on the implementation of The Strategy.

1. FIRST SEGMENT:

Purpose: to provide an update on the correlation between DLDD issues and present issues of major concerns to the international community. In the context of The Strategy the presentation shall highlight the need to promote the global importance of land and soil conservation in the context of adaptation/mitigation to climate change. Failing to take measures (including appropriate land tenure) to address DLDD threat to Sustainable Land Management will have a severe impact on food and water security, on the prevention of forced migrations and conflicts and the mitigation of natural disasters. Promoting investments in sustainable agriculture for development needs to be prioritized in this holistic context.

2. SECOND SEGMENT:

Purpose: to firm up understanding and collect feedback on corporate orientations, prior to the submission of programming documents to the CRIC 7 in October 2008.

A presentation by the Executive Secretary will introduce the forthcoming proposed vision, the new programming tools and the reshaping of the Secretariat. A joint presentation of orientations for the Joint Work Programme with the managing Director of the Global Mechanism will highlight the new collegial orientation between the two entities. To achieve the four strategic objectives of The Strategy, a draft multiyear work plan will be presented as a medium-term stepping stone to be operated according to biennial operational programmes. Driving a new performance framework shall demonstrate relevance and efficiency in providing effective services to the Parties in the light of The Strategy.

The following discussion on these two segments shall be moderated in the light of the relationship between the critical issue presented and the proposed UNCCD Strategy implementation.

3. THIRD SEGMENT:

Purpose: To elicit feedback from Parties on how the implementation of The Strategy can best meet priority challenges the international community is facing.

Keynote speeches / presentations could highlight some important issues, which include the following:

»  Land and food security (sustainable agriculture / environment, rural poverty, land in the cooperation agenda);

»  Land in the political agenda (land and adaptation/mitigation to climate change);

»  Expectations from The Strategy and required support to it. What the Strategy aims at, what it seeks to achieve;

»  UNCCD implementation in the state administration so far, and internal changes required for meeting the objectives of The Strategy;

Discussions would be oriented towards suggestions on concrete actions to bring the Strategy to serve Parties and actualize its potential for synergies thus meeting the identified challenges.

IV. INTENDED OUTCOME

Reaffirmation of the importance of the UNCCD in the ongoing climate change debate comprehending investment in DLDD as a cost-effective way for adaptation to climate change, mitigation of its effects, strengthening of ecosystem’s resilience and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

A preliminary assessment of action needed in creating an enabling environment at the level of Parties to implement The Strategy could become a trigger for internal discussions within and among Parties and interest groups on what they should do in this field, and also what kind of measures are needed to support the process.

Documentary output. The secretariat could produce a summary of the deliberations, as an information paper to be tabled at CRIC 7. A summary of the Chair would equally be provided. Moreover, the output of the High Level Policy Dialogue will also translate into adjusted/improved UNCCD emerging documents so as to fine-tune UNCCD corporate strategy and programme proposals for CRIC7 and COP 9.