Other meetings & events

The role of SLM in contributing to achieve the SDGs The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) are jointly organizing the WOCAT Symposium and 18th WOCAT Network Meeting. The meetings bring together a wide range of WOCAT members and stakeholders such as Non-Governmental Organisations, Governments, International Organisations, the donor community and other institutions to share and discuss their experiences and findings on how SLM and in particular SLM tools and methods can be used to contribute to the achievement of SDGs at different levels. The meetings are taking place at the CIAT headquarters in Cali, Colombia. The symposium and meeting will be structured into three main parts: WOCAT Symposium (Tuesday, 13 June) Field day to showcase SLM implementation and the application of WOCAT tools and methods in the surroundings of Cali (Wednesday, 14 June) 18th WOCAT Network Meeting (Thursday 15 June - Friday 16 June) Read more: More info, call for abstracts and registration (deadline April 14) About WOCAT and the UNCCD    

Türkiye’s General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion invites participants from the eligible countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia to take part in the International Training Course on Combating Desertification, which will take place on 22-26 May 2017 in Konya-Mersin, Türkiye. The course is open to two representatives per country and is aimed at related decision makers, forest engineers and NGO’s involved in the management of environmental problems related to desertification, land degradation, afforestation, erosion control and forestry. As a predominantly arid and semi-arid country, Türkiye has become a leader in land management, especially in areas vulnerable to drought. The country has invested heavily in rehabilitating a wide variety of terrestrial ecosystems, with national activities often planned at the watershed scale. Success can be attributed to an integrated, participatory approach that strengthens the engagement and capacity of local people. Land governance has evolved to create the necessary conditions  and legal environment for the widespread implementation of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices. Türkiye has also established itself as a leader in capacity building by investing in the training and skills development of civil society and local authorities, particularly in Africa, Central Asia and the Eastern Europe.  The training course is conducted under the Ankara Initiative, which has been launched to strengthen the implementation of the UNCCD from 2016 to 2019. The Initiative supports the global sustainable development agenda and leverages the lessons learned from Türkiye’s past experience and approaches to land management. The application form, information note and the list of eligible countries can be found here. To send your application form or for any further inquiries, please contact Mr. Sebahattin AÇIKGÖZ at sacikgoz@ormansu.gov.tr or eakdemir@ormansu.gov.tr.

Catalysing SDG Implementation through a Soil and Land Review 22-24 May 2017 This year, the Global Soil Week 2017 will support the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by looking at the subset of SDGs that are under review by the High-level Political Forum 2017 (HLPF). The Week will also serve as a bridge to empower different actors to share their priorities for the SDG implementation. For more information, visit: https://globalsoilweek.org/ (external link) UNCCD is a co-host of the Global Soil Week. (Photo credit: IASS / Piero Chiusi)

Country experiences on setting LDN targets with climate benefits  Date/Time: 16 May 2017, 13:00-15:00  Place: Bonn Marriott World Conference Hotel Lounge (17th Floor), Germany Why land matters for climate? A “lunch and learn“ seminar, scheduled on 16 May 2017, will answer the question. The seminar will take place at Bonn Marriott World Conference Hotel Lounge in Germany, organized by the Government of the Republic of Korea and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).   Sustainable management and rehabilitation of land is not only critical to boost resilience to climate change but to reduce the emissions gap and staying within the 2°C limit. By rehabilitating and restoring 12 million hectares of degraded land annually until 2030, we can achieve land degradation neutrality and potentially close the remaining emissions gap by up to 25 percent. At the same time, improved land use and management, such as low-emissions agriculture, agroforestry and ecosystem conservation and restoration provide a real resilience booster.  Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) is a simple yet transformative new concept, and the corresponding SDG target 15.3 on achieving a land degradation-neutral world by 2030 constitutes a prime vehicle to galvanize action for a paradigm shift towards low-carbon and climate resilient development. LDN bridges the climate and development agendas. As of today, 105 parties to the UNCCD have committed to translating the SDG target 15.3 into country specific action by setting voluntary national LDN targets. The seminar will showcase the early results and share experiences of the LDN target setting process in champion countries. It will also explain how LDN is providing a transformative framework for a low carbon and climate resilient development. The Changwon Initiative launched at UNCCD COP 10 in Changwon, Republic of Korea in 2011 has played an essential role in defining and testing LDN. The Initiative aims to continue taking the lead in supporting and advocating LDN implementation. The event will share experiences and discuss on how best the Changwon Initiative can be applied for effective collaboration among partners, including governments, communities, donors, NGOs and practitioners in achieving national LDN targets with maximized benefits for climate action. See programme Registration Lunch will be served. Please register via email to koreabonn@mofa.go.kr by 11 May 2017. The number of seats is limited.   

Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 6.00 pm – approx. 8.00 pm Venue: Festsaal, Main Building of the University of Bonn A get-together reception follows. The lecture will be given by: Dr. Richard A. Byron-Cox, Ph.D. International Law UNCCD Action Program Alignment and Capacity Building Officer ____________________________________________________________ Opening remarks: Prof. Dr. Michael Hoch, Rector University of Bonn _________________________________________________________________________________ Historically, land was important to the state as it inter alia determined size of territory, geopolitical influence, and came with resources ranging from gold and silver to the free labor of inhabitants of conquered territory. Today, land maintains its importance to the state for some of the aforementioned reasons, but there are additional very important factors including its social, environmental and agricultural values. Put another way, land’s bio-productive value is also crucial to the state’s future well-being.  This recognition of land’s bio-productive value in the context of future development is highlighted among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in the autumn of 2015. No. 15 of these goals has among its targets to “… strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world.” With this target, land degradation neutrality (LDN) became “en vogue” language in the sustainable land management discourse. And quite a few in the scientific community and policy-making bodies of a government, concerned with the question of land in one way or the other, have now turned their attention to this issue. But what really is LDN? And even if we found a universally accepted definition, can LDN be achieved? If so, what must practically be done to achieve this? What is/are the approach(es) to be used? And how can one say that LDN is a path the world must follow? Dr. Byron-Cox will discuss those questions in his lecture. Dr. Byron-Cox is a lawyer specialized in international law, diplomat and writer who has been working directly on the issues of sustainable land management and the environment over the last two decades. He played a key role in designing and coordinating the implementation of the first project aimed at putting the LDN concept into practice. This project ran under the auspices of the UNCCD Secretariat, involved some 14 countries from around the world and was a tremendous success. Dr. Byron-Cox is also an experienced lecturer having been a special guest and/or distinguished lecturer at universities around the world: from Oxford and Yonsei Universities to the Universities of Cologne and Trinidad and Tobago. He has masterminded the UNCCD Capacity Building Marketplace (www.unccd.int/marketplace), and writes on subjects ranging from international law to global environmental governance. In his lectures, Dr. ByronCox aims at giving his audience serious “food for thought” on the questions he raises. Consequently, this lecture is an exercise that begins with his presentation but goes beyond it, inviting the thoughts and views of the attendees. Registration: Please register via email to s.gansen@uni-bonn.de or online form on http://www3.unibonn.de/forschung/euroconsult/veranstaltungskalender. The event is free of charge but the registration is binding. Please register by April 20, 2017. The number of seats are limited.