UNCCD Terminology

Sex

Glossary source

PRAIS

The physical and biological characteristics that distinguish males and females; sexdisaggregated data is data that is cross-classified by sex, presenting information separately for men and women, and boys and girls.

Social vulnerability factors

Glossary source

PRAIS

The observable/measured variables, available as global and/or country and sub-national datasets, which are being proposed in this GPG for use in the construction of the social component of the Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI). These factors have been used in scientific literature and recommended by experts to define social vulnerability to drought. See also ‘Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI)

Soil Organic Matter (SOM)

Glossary source

PRAIS

Organic carbon in mineral and organic soils (including peat) to a specified soil layer chosen by the country and applied consistently through the time series. Live fine roots (of less than 2 mm diameter) are included with soil organic matter where they cannot be distinguished from it empirically. Note: The definition here does not explicitly mention soil microfauna and microbes, however, these are also included where they cannot be distinguished from the SOM empirically.

Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)

Glossary source

PRAIS

A drought index widely used to monitor meteorological droughts. It was developed by McKee et al. (1993) and is based on long-term precipitation data which is fitted to a probability distribution function and then transformed to the normal distribution so that an SPI of zero describes the normal precipitation for the given location, month and accumulation period.

System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA)

Glossary source

PRAIS

The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) is a framework that integrates economic and environmental data to provide a more comprehensive and multipurpose view of the interrelationships between the economy and the environment and the stocks and changes in stocks of environmental assets, as they bring benefits to humanity. It contains the internationally agreed standard concepts, definitions, classifications, accounting rules and tables for producing internationally comparable statistics and accounts. The SEEA framework follows a similar accounting structure as the System of National Accounts (SNA).

Technical assistance (cooperation)

Glossary source

PRAIS

Technical cooperation (grants) include free-standing technical cooperation (grants), which are intended to finance the transfer of technical and managerial skills or of technology for the purpose of building up general national capacity without reference to any specific investment projects; and investment-related technical cooperation (grants), which are provided to strengthen the capacity to execute specific investment projects.

Technology transfer

Glossary source

PRAIS

Technology transfer refers to the transfer, acquisition, adaptation and development of environmentally sound, economically viable and socially acceptable technologies relevant to combating desertification and/or mitigating the effects of drought, with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in affected areas. The UNCCD recognizes the key role of appropriate technology, knowledge and know-how for the implementation of the commitments under the Convention. Thus, it recognizes the importance of facilitating through international cooperation the transfer of technology, knowledge and knowhow. It also recognizes the importance of technology transfer as well as scientific research and development, information collection and dissemination and financial resources, encouraging international cooperation among Parties.

Tier of Vulnerability Assessment (Tier of VA)

Glossary source

PRAIS

A representation of a level of methodological complexity in calculating the Drought Vulnerability Index. It is being used in a similar way as was defined in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC, 2006) and approved through Decision 20/CP.7.

Total carbon stock

Glossary source

PRAIS

The quantity of carbon in all of the components of ecosystem carbon pools

Total land area

Glossary source

PRAIS

The total surface area of a country excluding the area covered by inland waters such as major rivers and lakes

Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD)

Glossary source

PRAIS

Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) is a new international standard for measuring the full array of resources in support of the 2030 Agenda. It is designed to monitor all official resources flowing into developing countries for their sustainable development, but also private resources mobilised through official means.

Total renewable water resources per capita

Glossary source

PRAIS

One of the factors recommended to estimate the infrastructural component of the Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI). The total annual actual renewable water resources per inhabitant, including surface and groundwater sources for the whole country. This variable does not take into account whether the water is easily accessible, or safe, but is indicative of how much water each person in a country could have access to at any given time, which may indicate a higher adaptive capacity to drought. See also ‘Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI)’

Tree-covered areas

Glossary source

PRAIS

For the purpose of UNCCD reporting, this land cover class includes any geographic area where the vegetative cover is dominant (cover >15%) and consists of a main layer of natural trees with a cover between 15% -100%: i) Tree cover closed to open: >15%; ii) Trees cover open : 15-40%; and iii) Tree cover closed: 40-100%;. Other types of plants (shrubs and/or herbs) can be present, even with a density higher than trees: Mosaic trees and shrubs (>50%) / herbaceous cover (< 50%)

Type of flow

Glossary source

PRAIS

For the purpose of the SO5 indicators framework, the type of flows are categorized by the OECD DAC CRS as follows: ODA, OOF, Officially Supported Export Credits, Private Development Finance, Private Foreign Direct Investments, other private flows at market terms.

Type of support

Glossary source

PRAIS

For the purpose of the SO5 indicators framework, the type of support refers to the relevance or specificity of the resource allocated to the purpose of implementing the Convention. Each reported activity, project, programme, measure or investment can be either directly or indirectly related to DLDD. There isn’t any prescriptive definition of which activities can be considered as being DLDDrelevant. Similarly, there isn’t any fixed threshold for the categorization as directly or indirectly related to DLDD. The reporting Party should explain how is relevance is assessed, and which tracking methods and indicators are used. In the OECD DAC CRS, Rio Marker for Desertification is included in the data collection. In the default data provided, activities marked with Rio Marker for desertification 2 (“principal”) are indicated as “direct”, while activities marked with Rio Marker 1 (“significant”) are indicated as “indirect”.

UNCCD Conference of Parties (COP)

Glossary source

PRAIS

The COP was established by the Convention as the supreme decision-making body; it comprises ratifying governments and regional economic integration organizations, such as the European Union.

Ad hoc panel

Glossary source

UNCCD Terminology

The Conference of the Parties may appoint ad hoc panels on the recommendation of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST), whose function is to provide advice and information on specific issues, regarding scientific and technical matters. Its members are experts, whose names are taken from a roster of government-nominated experts, considering the need for a multidisciplinary approach and broad geographical representation.

Adaptation

Glossary source

PRAIS

The process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In some natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects.

Administrative unit

Glossary source

PRAIS

A geographic area that serves administrative and governmental functions. They are usually defined and established by legal action.

Advance market commitments

Glossary source

PRAIS

An Advance Market Commitment (AMC) is a promise or agreement to take some future action. For example, a promise by a buyer to purchase goods at a price set beforehand is an advance commitment. In financial markets, parties may make an advance commitment to sell an asset before they own it; the seller often buys a futures contract to offset the risk of a price increase at the time of purchase. In banking, a financial institution will make an advance commitment to a borrower to lend funds on a specified date on agreed-upon terms.

(Source: http://www.investopedia.com/)