At the 14th Conference of the Parties, Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification adopted the landmark decision on land tenure. The decision links the principles on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land to national level activities to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). The recognition of legitimate land tenure rights is pivotal to achieve LDN, as secure land rights (i) provide incentives to invest in LDN and ecosystem restoration, (ii) are a safeguard to avoid rights violations in the context of LDN activities, and (iii) create a safe space for land users to innovate sustainable land management practices that build on local, traditional knowledge. Further, the recognition of legitimate land tenure rights is a key avenue to achieve gender equality, as women tend to have less secure rights to land and other natural resources than men. Securing women’s land rights creates incentives for LDN and ecosystem restoration and contributes to more gender equal societies.

At the side event, member States will report on the progress made in implementing decision 26/COP.14 at the national level. It will conclude by outlining key next steps for the further recognition of legitimate land tenure rights for LDN.

Emphasizing the pivotal role of LDN and sustainable land management and of legitimate land tenure rights to achieve LDN and sustainable land management for food security, gender equality, biodiversity protection, and land-based climate change mitigation and adaption, the session speaks to the integrated, indivisible, and interlinked nature of the Goals. Simultaneous interpretation Engligh/French and English/Spanish will be provided. Register here.

Habrá interpretación simultánea al inglés/francés y al inglés/español. Une interprétation simultanée anglais/français et anglais/espagnol sera assurée.