UNCCD 2018–2030 Strategic Framework

At its thirteenth session in 2017, the Conference of the Parties (COP) adopted the UNCCD 2018−2030 Strategic Framework and encouraged Parties to apply it in their national policies, programmes, plans and processes relating to desertification/land degradation and drought. 

The Strategic Framework has three main components: a vision, strategic objectives and an implementation framework.

The vision is a broad statement of Parties’ commitment:  “A future that avoids, minimizes, and reverses desertification/land degradation and mitigates the effects of drought in affected areas at all levels and strive to achieve a land degradation neutral world consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, within the scope of the Convention”.

The Framework contains five strategic objectives that are meant to guide the actions of all UNCCD stakeholders and partners in the period 2018-2030:

1. To improve the condition of affected ecosystems, combat desertification/land degradation, promote sustainable land management and contribute to land degradation neutrality
2. To improve the living conditions of affected populations
3. To mitigate, adapt to, and manage the effects of drought in order to enhance resilience of vulnerable populations and ecosystems
4. To generate global environmental benefits through effective implementation of the UNCCD
5. To mobilize substantial and additional financial and nonfinancial resources to support the implementation of the Convention by building effective partnerships at global and national level

Meeting these long-term objectives will contribute to achieving the vision within the scope of the Convention. UNCCD uses national reporting as a tool to monitor progress toward the strategic objectives. The reporting is based on indicators that have been defined over several years through collaboration between the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) and the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC),  with strong support from the Science-Policy Interface (SPI). The national reports are submitted to the UNCCD roughly every four years. The data collected through the reports is synthesized, compiled and analyzed by the secretariat for a review at the CRIC, resulting eventually in a COP decision on the next steps to enhance implementation. 

The third main component of the strategic framework, the implementation framework defines the roles and responsibilities of Parties, UNCCD institutions, partners and stakeholders in meeting the abovementioned strategic objectives.