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For centuries, people’s lives have been tied to the land and the water – herders depending on the rangelands, farmers relying on the flow of rivers to nourish their fields. These landscapes have shaped cultures, livelihoods and traditions across the world. But today, human-made pressures – climate change, land degradation and drought – are undoing in just a few years what communities built and protected for centuries. Globally, up to 40 per cent of land is degraded, putting nearly half of humanity at risk. Droughts alone already affect over 1.8 billion people worldwide, placing water systems under unprecedented strain. Together, these pressures threaten not only ecosystems and biodiversity, but also food security, water supplies and climate stability. At the World Food Forum 2025 (10–17 October) in Rome, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) joined the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in two dialogues with one message: healthy land and sustainable water management must go hand in hand. The joint session on Indigenous Peoples and rangelands stressed land rights and the cultural value of these ecosystems.  At the FAO-led Rome Water Dialogue 2025, communities shared how restoring soils and protecting water can secure harvests and help families face climate change. On the sidelines of the Forum, FAO and the UNCCD renewed the partnership to strengthen cooperation on sustainable land, soil and water management. The Memorandum of Understanding which was signed on 15 October by FAO Director-General Dr QU Dongyu and UNCCD Executive Secretary Dr Yasmine Fouad, establishes a joint framework to avoid, reduce and reverse land and soil degradation, enhance drought resilience and promote integrated solutions linking land restoration, agrifood systems transformation and climate action. The partnership will be implemented through a Joint FAO–UNCCD Action Plan, which mobilizes expertise across institutional networks and aligns with both FAO and UNCCD priorities. The Action Plan focuses on three key areas: supporting policy dialogue and capacity development to combat land degradation, building drought resilience and promoting data-driven approaches and knowledge sharing. Custodians of the world’s rangelands Rangelands cover more than half of Earth’s surface and are home to a third of global biodiversity hotspots. They provide livelihoods for half a billion people and store nearly one-third of terrestrial carbon, making them critical for both climate stability and cultural heritage. Yet unsustainable practices and climate change are driving many of these ecosystems toward dangerous thresholds. For the people who depend on them, this reality is lived every day. Herders travel longer distances in search of pasture. Ancestral knowledge, passed down for generations, is now under threat. Women are often the first to feel these impacts - walking further for water and fuel, stretching meagre harvests to feed their children.  Yet these same communities are also leading the way in solutions. Women are reviving soils and protecting seeds. Indigenous Peoples are safeguarding customary governance and ancestral knowledge. Local communities are striving hard to sustain their livelihood within their own families.  Youth are bringing innovation to bridge tradition and technology. Their stewardship shows that restoring rangelands is not only possible but provides vast opportunities of rewards for all.  “Protecting Indigenous lands is not optional – it is survival, dignity and justice,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad. “Indigenous Peoples and pastoralists are indispensable partners in our global efforts.” Building on momentum from the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP16) in Riyadh, where countries adopted the first global decision on rangelands and pastoralists and established an Indigenous Peoples Caucus, participants in Rome called for stronger land rights, recognition of customary governance and full participation of Indigenous communities in shaping policy. Restoring rangelands, they stressed, is not only about protecting livelihoods but also about absorbing carbon, buffering communities against climate shocks and safeguarding biodiversity. Water as culture, memory and survival The Rome Water Dialogue 2025, the FAO flagship forum on water and agriculture, echoed the urgency. Droughts are now one-third more frequent than in 2000 and already cost the global economy more than 300 billion US dollars each year across multiple sectors. Land degradation and drought together drain nearly 900 billion US dollars annually. If current trends continue, three in four people worldwide could face drought by 2050. But water is not only an economic asset. It is culture, memory and survival. When rivers dry or deltas turn saline, communities lose not just crops, but stories, songs and ways of life bound to them. Healthy land and water systems nourish families, regulate climate and safeguard biodiversity. Protecting them means defending both livelihoods and the planet’s capacity to sustain life. At the Dialogue, FAO, UNCCD and more than 80 partners showcased decades of solutions - from irrigation and disaster-risk reduction to regenerative farming, wetland restoration and sustainable grazing. Evidence shows that each dollar invested yields between USD 7 and USD 30 in returns across livelihoods, climate resilience, food- and ecosystems.  “Water is life. But water is also land, food and peace,” noted UNCCD’s Yasmine Fouad. “Food systems cannot be resilient without resilient water systems. And water systems cannot be resilient without healthy land.” Message from Rome By the close of the two dialogues, the threads of land and water had been woven together into one key message: the crises cannot be solved in isolation. Restoring rangelands and securing water systems are two sides of the same coin - essential for food, climate and peace. As summed up by the UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad, “Sustainable management of water and rangelands to ensure food security: one action with double result. The global community will deliver together at UNCCD COP 17.” The meetings also highlighted the importance of inclusion. Women, Indigenous Peoples and youth are not only among the most affected - they are also at the forefront of solutions. From pastoralists restoring grasslands in the Sahel, to young innovators designing climate-smart tools, to women safeguarding seeds and heritage, their leadership is already reshaping the future. With UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists approaching, the message from Rome is clear: the tools and knowledge exist. What is needed now is the political will to scale them up, protecting both the natural systems that sustain life and the cultures that give them meaning. 

The UNCCD is pleased to announce that the new version of the Performance Review and Assessment of Implementation System (PRAIS), launched in August 2025, is ready for the upcoming 2026 UNCCD national reporting process.    In summary, PRAIS has been streamlined and enhanced through key innovations such as a country overview dashboard, expanded user roles to support teamwork, peer-to-peer chat, improved validation tools, flexible data sourcing and clearer delineation of reporting obligations to enhance the user experience. These updates are in response to requests made by Parties.   Tentative reporting deadlines   Tentative deadlines for submission of national reports are set as follows: November 2026 for Strategic Objective (SO) 1 and February 2027 for the remaining SOs. The CRIC Bureau in consultation with the Executive Secretary will monitor progress and may adjust this timeline, if necessary.  Technical support for Parties   In line with decision 2/COP.16, partner regional institutions will provide technical support to Parties during the reporting process, including the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC), the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC), the Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) and the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS). Additional partnerships are being explored and consultants will fill any remaining support gaps.    A phased approach   Although the launch of PRAIS marks the beginning of the 2026 UNCCD reporting process, capacity-building and support services will be rolled out in phases, depending on the availability of funding. The phased approach is outlined below:  Phase 1 (ongoing): PRAIS launch with supporting documentation and online help desk (https://support.unccd.int); Phase 2 (December 2025): Training of Trainers in Panama for regional institutions and consultants; Phase 3 (January – April 2026): Regional in-person training for national focal points and reporting officers; Phase 4 (February - March 2026): Release of e-learning video tutorials; Phase 5 (January 2026 – February 2027): Ongoing technical backstopping and quality assurance of national reports before final submission. Following the conclusion of national reporting, the CRIC will review and analyze the submitted information at its twenty-fifth session.  In view of the phases mentioned above, Parties are encouraged to finalize arrangements and begin utilizing enabling environment funds made available by the Global Environment Facility at national level so that stakeholders can be notified and prompted to start collecting necessary data and information for integration into PRAIS.   Reporting team preparation  To begin preparations, Parties are encouraged to assemble their reporting teams under the leadership of the designated reporting officer. Each team member should have a separate PRAIS account, log into https://reporting.unccd.int and familiarize themselves with the system functions and reporting forms and review the supporting documentation.   Unless formally communicated otherwise, the UNCCD secretariat will consider that the national reporting officer from the 2022 reporting process remains in place for the 2026 reporting round. If a change is needed, the National Focal Point should submit either their own expression of interest or the contact details of the nominated individual to the secretariat via email at reporting@unccd.int.  Supporting documents to assist with reporting include:  Available now:  Addendum to the Good Practice Guidance on SDG Indicator 15.3.1 (advanced unedited version)  UNCCD Reporting Manual (updated for the 2026 reporting process and available in all UN languages)  Updated PRAIS 4 User Manual  Coming soon:  Updated e-learning video tutorials (in all UN languages)  Good Practice Guidance for National Reporting on Strategic Objective 5  For any questions regarding the reporting process or modalities, please contact the technical team via the help desk or write directly to reporting@unccd.int.  

In July 2025, Minagi Rupesinghe had the honor of representing Sri Lanka at the World Aquatics Swimming and Open Water Championships in Singapore — a lifelong dream come true.

Across Mexico’s rural and indigenous communities, land is more than a resource – it is central to daily life, food production and cultural identity. Yet for many – especially women and indigenous peoples – secure access to land remains out of reach.Over 70 per cent of Mexico’s land is at risk of degradation. At the same time, women – who produce more than half of the country’s food – own less than 30 per cent of farmland. This growing gap between those who care for the land and those who control it threatens sustainable land use. Without secure land rights, many are excluded from decisions that shape their environment and future.To tackle these challenges, Mexico launched a series of national consultations on land tenure and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). Designed to improve land governance systems, the consultations emphasized gender equality, indigenous rights and local perspectives as key pillars of the country’s LDN strategy.Held across several regions, they brought together 45 participants – 30 women and 15 men – including indigenous leaders from Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Sonora and other states. Almost all of these leaders were women, who shared their experiences managing community lands and protecting ecosystems.The Changwon Initiative: Making inclusion possibleThe consultations were made possible in part by support from the Changwon Initiative – a programme of the Korea Forest Service and UNCCD – with additional backing from international partners. Funding through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) helped cover key logistical costs, ensuring rural and indigenous voices could be heard.This support ensured that traditionally excluded groups – especially indigenous women from ejidos (communal lands) – were not only present, but central to the dialogue. Many shared firsthand stories about barriers to land inheritance, being sidelined in local decision-making and the urgent need to revive degraded soil and ecosystems.“Women living in the countryside are becoming the protagonists of social, political and economic change,” said Dr. Maribel Méndez de Lara, Magistrate of the Superior Agrarian Court. “Land ownership gives women legal protection, autonomy to make decisions and the ability to fully participate in their communities.”From dialogue to actionThe consultations generated concrete proposals, including a Strategic National Programme to regularize land rights for women and indigenous communities, legal guarantees of female representation in ejido decision-making bodies and greater integration of sustainable practices into collective land systems.Participants – particularly rural and indigenous women – gained skills through leadership training, project planning workshops and awareness campaigns that emphasized their right to land and participation in land governance. Government officials and policymakers also benefited, gaining a better understanding of how to design more inclusive land governance systems that truly reflect community needs.“There are 13.6 million women living in rural areas in Mexico,” said Dr. Beatriz Casas Arellanes, Director of Social and Political Participation for Equality of the National Women's Institute (INMUJERES),. “Many of them are already leading community life and preserving biodiversity. What they need is recognition and access to rights.”Innovative tools and approachesThe consultations were guided by a participatory approach developed under the UNCCD–FAO Joint Initiative and based on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT). Adapted to Mexico’s social and political context, this method ensured that rural leaders, women, government officials and international experts all had a voice.Gender-sensitive tools were used not just to include women, but to ensure their perspectives shaped the outcome.The Dialogue opened with a ceremonial offering called a Tlalmanalli, led by indigenous grandmothers. Made of flowers, seeds and traditional medicines, it served as a reminder that the Earth is alive – and its care, a shared responsibility.Participants also shared inspiring examples already underway, such as mobile legal clinics helping women resolve land disputes and forestry programmes advancing gender equality – small but meaningful signs of change.Lessons learned and the path forwardOne of the key lessons from the consultations is that long-term progress on land tenure requires consistent effort, strong coordination and engagement at all levels. Local and regional consultations – alongside national ones – proved essential for identifying the diverse challenges communities face across the country.Just as important was the finding that inclusive participation leads to better, more grounded solutions. When women, indigenous leaders and local actors are part of the process, outcomes are more relevant – and more likely to last.While the broader policy impact is still unfolding, the consultations helped establish a foundation for more inclusive land governance in Mexico. These conversations laid the groundwork for future strategies and reforms that reflect the realities of those who live and work on the land.Shaping the future of land rights and restorationThe Changwon Initiative played a pivotal role in making these consultations possible – not only by providing funding, but by championing inclusion as a core principle of land restoration. Its support helped ensure that rural and indigenous voices, especially those of women, were not just heard but helped shape the conversation.By backing this process, the Changwon Initiative demonstrated how targeted international cooperation can drive national progress – setting a global example for integrating land tenure security into LDN strategies.Thanks to this support, communities across Mexico now have stronger tools – and a stronger voice – to secure their land, protect their environment and build a more sustainable and inclusive future.

A ceremonial tree planting at the Monaghan Peace Campus today marked the official launch of The People’s Peace Forest (PPF)—Ireland’s contribution to the UNCCD Peace Forest Initiative – a global programme that links land restoration with peace-building.

How the Changwon Initiative helped build the UNCCD Drought ToolboxDrought is no longer a rare or distant event. It is becoming one of the most serious and far-reaching challenges of our time. Since 2000, droughts have become 29 percent more frequent and intense. By 2050, as much as three-quarters of the world’s population could be affected.For millions of people, this means more than just dry weather — it means failed harvests, shrinking water supplies, rising food prices and displacement from their homes and livelihoods.But drought, unlike sudden disasters, offers a unique opportunity: it gives us time. And when time is used wisely, it can turn risk into readiness.From crisis to preparedness: The birth of the Drought ToolboxFaced with the growing impact of drought, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) recognized the need for a shift — from reacting to crises after they hit, to preparing before they begin. This led to the creation of the Drought Toolbox: a science-based, globally accessible platform that helps countries and communities assess, monitor and reduce drought risk.Designed as a practical support tool, the Toolbox brings together resources for developing national drought plans, identifying vulnerable areas, setting up early warning systems and learning from real-world examples of drought resilience. Behind this comprehensive platform lies a key driver: the Changwon Initiative.The Changwon Initiative: Turning vision into actionLaunched by the Korea Forest Service in partnership with the UNCCD, the Changwon Initiative was instrumental in transforming the Drought Toolbox from concept to reality. Through targeted funding and technical support, the Initiative helped bring together global experts, institutions and local stakeholders to co-create the platform.Workshops convened with its support became spaces for cross-sector collaboration. Government agencies, scientists and land managers worked side by side to align methodologies, share regional knowledge and design an interface that could speak to both policymakers and practitioners. The result was not just a digital tool, but a living, evolving resource for drought resilience.When Tools Reach People: Global Examples of ImpactAcross the world, the Drought Toolbox is helping countries move from crisis response to long-term resilience — with real results on the ground. In Costa Rica, it became the foundation for a national workshop that brought together ministries, improved coordination and led to drought strategies based on shared data and clear priorities. In Andhra Pradesh, India, local leaders used the Toolbox to identify the most drought-prone areas, translating data into practical action — from installing rainwater harvesting systems to planting drought-resistant crops and training farmers to monitor conditions themselves.In South Africa, the Toolbox supported the integration of early warning systems into land-use and agricultural planning, enabling farmers to adopt more sustainable practices and authorities to act on forecasts before droughts took their toll. Meanwhile, in Central Asia, countries facing similar climate pressures used the platform to harmonize monitoring efforts and coordinate their responses — showing how regional cooperation can strengthen resilience across borders.Collaboration is keyOne of the most important lessons from the Toolbox’s creation is that preparedness is not just technical — it’s collaborative. The platform draws from the expertise of partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and grounds that knowledge in the real-life experiences of those facing drought on a daily basis.This spirit of collaboration also sparked the development of complementary tools like the Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) Toolbox, recognizing the interconnectedness of climate risks, land degradation and human health.A lasting legacyThe Changwon Initiative did more than fund a product. It helped shape a process that placed accessibility, usability and inclusivity at the heart of drought preparedness. Thanks to this investment, the Drought Toolbox has become a vital global asset — used by countries, institutions and communities to plan ahead and protect what matters most.As droughts grow more frequent and complex, the need for practical, integrated solutions becomes more urgent. The Drought Toolbox — born of international collaboration and local insight — shows us what’s possible when we choose to act before crisis hits.It is a reminder that while we cannot stop the rain from disappearing, we can prepare wisely for its absence — and that preparation begins not with fear, but with the right tools in the right hands.