UNCCD Terminology

Gender equality (Equality between women and men)

Glossary source

PRAIS

Gender equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. For the purpose of SO5 reporting, the “gender equality” parameter aims at collecting information on both the relevance of gender equality and mainstreaming in the reported activity, and the gender-related outcomes of the activity. The Gender policy marker included in the OECD DAC CRS allows for the identification of activities targeted to the policy objective. For further information on the scoring system, see https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/STAT(2020)44/ADD2/FINAL/en/pdf, pg.48.

Government effectiveness

Glossary source

PRAIS

One of the factors recommended to estimate the social component of the Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI). It captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the quality of the civil service and the degree of its independence from political pressures, the quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government’s commitment to such policies. As such, it is one of the proxies to assess a country’s ability to cope with drought events. See also ‘Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI)’

Government expenditure

Glossary source

PRAIS

Government expenditures refers to the resources used by governments for implementing the broad array of government objectives and delegated mandates, from the uniquely publiclyprovided services, such as justice or voting logistics, to paying for wages of civil servants and transportation infrastructure, among many other government activities. General government expenditures provide an indication for the government size as they finance, for example, the costs of policing, occupational licensing, business registration, the provision of public transportation, health care, pensions, unemployment benefits, environmental protection, etc.

Government Finance Statistics (GFS) database

Glossary source

PRAIS

The Government Finance Statistics (GFS) database from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) contains fiscal data for all reporting countries. It includes detailed data on revenues, expenditures, transactions in financial assets and liabilities, and balance sheet data and includes data for the general government sector and its subsectors (e.g., central government, local government, state government and social security funds). This site also includes preset presentations of GFS data by country and by indicators, as well as provides the option to download data with customized queries. GFS data are compiled by country authorities and reported to the IMF Statistics Department annually. In addition, sub annual (monthly or quarterly) fiscal data can be found in the International Finance Statistics datasets.

Government revenue

Glossary source

PRAIS

Revenue is an increase in net worth resulting from a transaction. For general government units, there are four main sources of revenue: taxes and other compulsory transfers imposed by government units, property income derived from the ownership of assets, sales of goods and services, and voluntary transfers received from other units. Tax revenue, which forms the dominant share of revenue for many government units, is composed of compulsory transfers to the general government sector.

Growing season metrics

Glossary source

PRAIS

Phenological variables that can be extracted from a temporal curve, produced from the application of a vegetation index to image data. These metrics are the basis for diverse research and monitoring applications, including climate change studies.

Hazard

Glossary source

PRAIS

A possible, future occurrence of natural or human-induced physical event that may have adverse effects on vulnerable and exposed elements.

Infrastructural vulnerability factors

Glossary source

PRAIS

The observable/measured variables available at global and/or country- and sub-national level datasets, which are being recommended for use in constructing the infrastructural component of the Drought Vulnerability Index. These factors have been used in scientific literature and recommended by experts to define infrastructural vulnerability to drought.

Land Cover Meta Language

Glossary source

PRAIS

Logical general model used to describe land cover features (see feature) from which more specific rules can be described to create a particular classification system (see classification system).

Land cover transition

Glossary source

PRAIS

Change in the type of land cover, described by a change in the classification of land cover elements. A transition that reduces the biological or economic productivity and complexity of the land is considered degradation.

Land Cover/Ecosystem Functional Unit (LCEU)

Glossary source

PRAIS

An area with relatively homogenous environmental characteristics that control plant productivity potential such as land cover, soil type, climate conditions, elevation etc. This definition is consistent with the LCEU described in the UN Statistical Commission’s System of Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA) Ecosystem accounting units, but here explicitly includes land cover and climate conditions as potential inclusions.

Land tenure

Glossary source

PRAIS

Land tenure is the relationship, whether legally or customarily defined, among people, as individuals or groups, with respect to land and associated natural resources (water, trees, minerals, wildlife, etc.). Land tenure is an institution, i.e., rules invented by societies to regulate behavior. Rules of tenure define how property rights to land are to be allocated within societies. They define how access is granted to rights to use, control, and transfer land, as well as associated responsibilities and restraints. In simple terms, land tenure systems determine who can use what resources for how long, and under what conditions.

Legend

Glossary source

PRAIS

Application of a classification in a specific area using a defined mapping scale and specific data set. See also ‘Classification’

Leveraging

Glossary source

PRAIS

In the context of the SO5 indicators framework, leveraging is intended as the mechanism of mobilization of resources through a range of financial instruments from the private sector, usually in blended finance schemes.

Life expectancy at birth

Glossary source

PRAIS

One of the factors recommended to estimate the social component of the Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI). Life expectancy at birth refers to the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. This is an indication of the health status of a country, where a healthier population would be inherently more resilient to drought impacts. See also ‘Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI)’

Literacy rate (per cent of people aged 15 years and above)

Glossary source

PRAIS

One of the factors recommended to estimate the economic component of the Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI). The percentage of people aged 15 years and above that can both read and write, with understanding, a short simple statement about their everyday life. The literacy rate is described as an outcome indicator to evaluate educational attainment, although does not necessarily measure the quality of education. It can predict the quality of the labour force and can be used as a proxy instrument to measure the effectiveness of education systems. The accumulated achievement of education is fundamental for further intellectual growth and social and economic development. A high rate of female literacy implies that women can seek and use information for the betterment of the health, nutrition and education of their household members and are empowered to play a meaningful role.11 A populace with a high literacy rate would be better equipped to both cope with drought and implement drought mitigation and adaptation strategies. See also ‘Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI)’

Loan

Glossary source

PRAIS

Transfers for which repayment is required. For further information on the grant element of loans, see “Concessionality”

Regional coordination mechanism (RCM)

Glossary source

PRAIS

Mechanism that facilitates cooperation among affected country Parties within the regions and enhance synergies among the relevant institutions, programmes and mechanisms of the United Nations System, multilateral development banks, bilateral donors and other regional and subregional actors and mechanisms in order to facilitate regional and subregional action programmes and, where appropriate, provide technical assistance to the national action programmes. The RCM could include, inter alia, regional committees, TPNs and regional coordination units (RCUs).

Regional groups

In the UNCCD context, five regional groups meet privately to discuss issues and nominate Bureau members and other officials. They are Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), and the Western Europe and Other Group (WEOG).

Regional implementation annexes (RIAs)

Glossary source

PRAIS

The implementation of the UNCCD is geared around five regional implementation annexes: Annex 1 for Africa, Annex 2 for Asia, Annex 3 for Latin America and the Caribbean, Annex 4 for Northern Mediterranean and Annex 5 for Central and Eastern Europe. These annexes are meant to set out the focus and content of action programmes for particular subregions and regions. They also provide a framework for regional coordination and collaboration.