Stories

Representatives of 15 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and 5 international partner agencies met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 20-21 July to discuss and jointly launch the land degradation neutrality (LDN) target setting process in LAC. Facilitated by the Global Mechanism and the Secretariat of the UNCCD, co-hosted by the governments of Argentina and of Trinidad and Tobago, and supported by a significant number of bilateral and multilateral partners, the workshop enabled Latin American and Caribbean countries to discuss a practical methodology for defining national voluntary LDN targets and the elements needed to implement this methodology at national level, as part of the process to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the SDG goal 15. In their opening remarks, both Mr. Moreno,  Secretary of Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development of Argentina, and Mr. Repnik, Managing Director of the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD, agreed that “As a new vehicle for UNCCD implementation, the LDN vision provides countries an innovative approach to  address multiple Sustainable Development Goals in an effective manner, bringing together different national development agendas – from agricultural policy to climate action – and offering countries the possibility of tapping into unprecedented climate finance opportunities”. Through engagement in the articulation of LDN targets and associated land restoration measures, and the promotion of operational synergies with the national UNFCCC and CBD processes, as well as with relevant land restoration efforts such as Initiative 20x20, “the LAC region is in a particularly advantageous position to implement bold LDN actions against climate change, considering that the land sector alone is responsible for approximately 58% of the GHGs emissions of the entire LAC region”, Mr. Vergara, Coordinator of the World Research Institute’s Initiative 20x20, declared. Highlighting three key elements on which a successful LDN target setting process should be based , Ms. Polanco, National Focal Point of Dominican Republic, referred to: “(i) a political decision making process that is based on a solid LDN baseline elaborated upon the best available data and a sound methodology;  (ii) a collaborative effort that meaningfully involves a broad range of stakeholder that participate in the stewardship and use of land resources; and (iii) a strong political commitment with clear country leadership in order to effectively streamline the LDN vision into the national SDG agendas.” This regional workshop was followed by the first LDN national stakeholder consultation meeting for Argentina, on 22 July. At the opening, Mr. Ravine Bergman Argentina’s newly appointed Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, highlighted  the importance of the LDN vision, recalling “the ethical obligation that we all have, both individually and as a society, to ensure that our land-based natural capital is well managed for future generations”, and arguing that “nothing is profitable if it is not sustainable”. He also tweeted  his commitment to achieving LDN in Argentina. This is the fourth in a series of regional inception workshops, following those in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia, under a global initiative led by the Global Mechanism and the Secretariat of the UNCCD to support countries in achieving the LDN vision – as of today 95 countries have committed to this challenge. The next workshop on LDN target setting will take place from 14 to 15 October 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya, for new countries expressing their interest in joining this global effort to achieve  a Land Degradation Neutral word by 2030.   Related links: Download the Workshop Report (1.2 MB

The NAP Expo for 2016, organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC), served as a fruitful scenario to leverage the implementation of LDN - Land Degradation Neutrality - (Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3) through its integration into the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).  As one of the invited speakers, Mr. Markus Repnik, Managing Director of the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD, highlighted the immense opportunities that can be tapped through LDN in order to address climate change adaptation. By acting as an SDG accelerator, LDN provides multiple benefits such as food security, poverty reduction and green jobs, therefore reducing vulnerability to climate change. “LDN can act as a lens to create coherence amongst most relevant sustainable development policies such as climate change […]”, Repnik added.  Mr. Repnik encouraged participant countries’ officers to look at LDN as a strategic entry point for NAP implementation by highlighting the strong nexus between land degradation and vulnerability to climate change in developing countries.  As of today, 94 countries have committed to translate the global SDG target into country-specific targets and actions and most of these countries are also working on their NAPs. It provides crucial momentum and an enormous opportunity for integration.  “It is time to move from pilots to large-scale, transformative multi-partner projects and programmes. Innovative and blended finance and private sector involvement will enable this transition and LDN provides the platform to put all those pieces together", Repnik concluded.

The Asia and Pacific Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) target setting inception workshop - the third in a series of four workshops (Konya, Batumi, Bangkok and Buenos Aires) - was successfully held in Bangkok. These workshops have been organized in the framework of a global initiative of the UNCCD Secretariat and the Global Mechanism to support a growing number of countries that have committed to set national LDN targets – as of today, 95 countries. The LDN Target Setting Programme (TSP) supports countries to define LDN baselines, targets and associated measures to achieve LDN by 2030 as called upon by the Sustainable Development Goals. It furthermore helps countries to create leverage at country level by making the country specific LDN business case, implanting LDN in selected high profile national policies and commitments, ensuring stakeholder engagement at the highest possible level as well as identifying opportunities for the development of transformative LDN projects and programmes. The workshop was attended by representatives of sixteen countries in Asia and the Pacific. Country representatives, representatives of ADB, GEF, IUCN, and UNDP and the LDN TSP project team discussed the approach and steps towards setting voluntary targets aiming at achieving LDN by 2030. It was facilitated by the Global Mechanism and the Secretariat of the UNCCD, co-hosted by the Land Development Department of the Government of Thailand, and supported by a multitude of bilateral and multilateral partners. This event enabled participants to understand the key building blocks to defining national voluntary LDN targets and identifying transformative LDN projects and programmes. Participants acknowledged that the LDN-TSP provides a versatile platform for raising national capacity and increasing investments in order to avoid, minimize and revert all forms of land degradation. The LDN approach is recognized to offer participating countries opportunities to mainstream sustainable land management issues on a new and higher political level, both nationally and globally. “For implementation of the LDN , we need two ingredients: finance & technical capacity. But more than that we need leadership! We need individual leadership at country level - from the national focal points up to the most senior levels of government. And we need collective action at all levels - country, regional, and global”, declared Dr. Pitayakon Limtong, Advisor to Land Development Department, the National Focal Point Agency of the Royal Thailand Government to UNCCD. Participants recommended that LDN should be addressed not only at the highest in-country government levels but also at the regional policy-making level. Moreover, they alluded to the critical need to create synergies between UNCCD’s LDN approach and the other two Rio Conventions (CBD and UNFCCC) and explore options for co-operation and financing.   Related links: Workshop Report (701.36 KB)

Rural communities in West Africa have historically used migration as a seasonal coping mechanism in times of poor harvests or extreme drought. Yet, in recent decades, seasonal migrations have been replaced by more permanent relocations, as devastating droughts, changes in the seasons, reduced rainfall and flashfloods have all taken a toll on local community livelihoods. No longer able to live off what the land produces due to the increased unpredictability of the weather, local communities in rural areas – particularly young men – are left with little other choice than to search for work in urban centres to support their families. The Global Mechanism is working with the International Organization for Migration, to explore in more depth the complex linkages between land degradation and migration through the Italian-funded project, ‘West Africa: Promoting Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in migration prone areas through innovative financing mechanisms”.  The objective is to provide policy recommendations to upscale best practices and boost long-term investments into land restoration as part of the solution to stemming migration from rural areas. On 18-19 May in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the Global Mechanism organized a regional workshop together with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to advance the dialogue on this topic in 3 main areas: How to use migration as a resilience strategy to tackle the intertwined challenges of desertification, land degradation, drought, climate change and migration Promoting investments in sustainable land management and adaptation to climate change to build resilience in migration-prone areas in West Africa, including through the direct investments of migrants through remittances Reducing vulnerability and insecurity caused by land degradation, in particular the negative effects of land degradation on population growth, migration and poverty and the increased risks of radicalization of young vulnerable people that might become a target for extremists groups The event, which took place under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Government of Burkina Faso, was attended by more than 60 government officials from Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal, as well as high-level representatives of ECOWAS and international experts specialized on environment, migration and security. Experts at the event agreed that land-based green jobs are a crucial part of the solution to stemming the migration exodus of rural communities in West Africa. The Global Mechanism looks forward to publishing the results of its on-going project in the near future, paving the way for further action in this area.

On 17 June, the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund Project was presented in Beijing on the occasion of the official celebration of the World Day to Combat Desertification. The event was organized by the government of the People’s Republic of China, hosted by the State Forestry Administration (SFA). Mr. Wang Yang, Vice Premier of China chaired the opening of the ceremony at the People’s Congress Hall. Ms. Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) emphasized the importance of China in spearheading work to achieve land degradation neutrality and ensuring that it becomes humanity’s defining achievement of the 21st Century. The keynote addresses and dialogue sessions were held by high-level speakers and attended by nine Ministers and Vice Ministers from seven countries, along with 400 participants. The event also included an afternoon session which addressed thematic dialogues such as the launch of the Joint Action Initiative, the report titled “Unlocking the Sustainable Potential of Land Resources: Evaluation Systems, Strategies and Tools”, which was produced by the International Resource Panel of UNEP, and an award ceremony. This year’s event theme emphasized the importance of coordination and cooperation to restore and rehabilitate land, while significantly contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Land Degradation Neutrality became a global headline in 2015. The same year, the achievement of LDN by year 2030 was officially set under target 15.3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The LDN Fund project was presented by Mr. Simone Quatrini, Coordinator and Team Leader of the UNCCD Global Mechanism, as an introduction to Thematic Dialogue 2, entitled “Role of Innovative Investment for Technical Cooperation”. The session was moderated by Mr. Wu Zhimin, Director General of International Forestry Cooperation Center, State Forestry Administration (SFA). The session panelists included Mr. Byong Hyon Kwon, UNCCD Drylands Ambassador and Founder of Korea Future Forest, Mr.Chen Peng, Deputy Director General, China Green Foundation (CGF), Mr. Frank Radstake, Principle Environment Specialist, Asian Development Bank, Mr. Xi Shusen, Director, Inner Mongolia Society of Ecology and Entrepreneurs, Mr. Romano De Vivo, Head Environmental Policy Representative, Syngenta, and Mr. Zhao Yong, Executive Secretary of Kubuqi Desert Forum, Elion Group. Mr. Quatrini presented the emerging features of the LDN Fund, including the investment strategy and investment opportunities identified to date. This stimulated a rich debate on the potential of blended finance to scale up successful business cases in land restoration and sustainable land management in China and the whole Asian region. A number of promising initiatives that contribute to LDN and could potentially attract foreign investments were showcased in the ensuing session, entitled “Unlocking the Sustainable Potential of Land Resources: Evaluation Systems, Strategies and Tools”.   For more information:  Nevena Bakalar Rakocija The Global Mechanism Tel. +49 228 815 2841 nrakocija (at) unccd.int

The Global Mechanism is seeking ways to identify, explore and promote sources of funding that are most relevant and innovative for the rehabilitation of land through the Great Green Wall, and contribute significantly to the restoration of 12 million hectares of land globally that are degraded each year. The opening of ‘BASE’ the Support Office for Senegalese citizens Abroad, in Milan, Italy, on 30 May  2016, is a potential contribution towards investments in sustainable land management. The establishment of the office is an important step for the Senegalese government in supporting its citizens living in Italy. It is also a good example of  international cooperation between Italy and Senegal, involving all the following stakeholders: the diaspora associations, international organizations, local authorities, civil society and the private sector. The objectives of 'BASE' are: Inform Senegalese citizens in Italy on the investment opportunities in their countries of origin, with a particular focus on sustainable agriculture and land rehabilitation; Assess the economic integration problems of the Diaspora and point them to the relevant structures to facilitate the administrative procedures for the creation of enterprises in Senegal The opening of ‘BASE’ is supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), through the Italian Cooperation project: "Promoting sustainable land management in areas prone to migration through innovative financing mechanisms ", as well by the municipal council of Milan and the Government of Senegal. On 29 May, the day before the inauguration of 'BASE', the Diaspora met all government structures that support initiatives for Senegalese citizens abroad to discuss current opportunities. This platform has provided important information to Senegalese citizens abroad, indicating the most productive investments and presenting the services available to them (financial or otherwise) to implement their investment projects. It is estimated that there are  between two and three million Senegalese citizens living abroad worldwide, nearly a quarter of the population of Senegal. Because of their number and involvement in the development of the country, they have an important economic and social role to play in the stability of Senegal. The diaspora is particularly important in Italy, where 26.2% of the Senegalese diaspora lives, according to a survey "Migration and Remittances to Senegal by the World Bank" conducted by the Consortium for the Economic and Social Research of Senegal in 2009. According to the same source, Senegalese households received nearly 588.4 billion FCFA in 2011, making remittances one of the most promising innovative sources of finance, with a potentially crucial role in promoting sustainable land management and land rehabilitation.   Read more about the Great Green Wall