Land degradation neutrality (LDN) is included in Sustainable Development Goal 15.3 Life on Land. The Soil Leadership Academy (SLA) project, in synergy with other UNCCD initiatives, aims to be a front runner in providing support for achieving LDN. It will provide practical and pragmatic skills and knowledge, leverage on the experience of the SLA partners, to support decision makers, public or private in achieving LDN. As a platform for sharing knowledge and experience, SLA would like to establish partnerships with other initiatives and organizations that can bring a positive contribution to supporting the achievement of LDN.

The Nexus Conference brings together various organizations and government agencies, to build a collaborative nexus approach to the sustainable management of soil, water and waste. It integrates environmental management and governance across many sectors and scales. 

At the Nexus Conference, we raised awareness about the future opportunities of the SLA platform, and invited contributions on the curriculum from conference participants. Alexandru Marchis, SLA project manager, was a speaker at Session 11: Nexus Monitoring Strategies & Management of Environmental Resources. Discussions during the conference and contacts made with potential SLA partners have contributed to the project's further development.