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The Thematic Scientific Conference of the International Geographic Union (IGU) “Practical Geography and XXI Century Challenges” dedicated to the Centennial of the Institute of Geography of Russian Academy of Sciences will take place on 4-6 June 2018 in Moscow, Russian Federation. The conference will respond to the recommendations of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (decision 19/COP.12) which guides the provision of scientific advice to the decision-making process. Over the past few decades, the Institute of Geography has remainedone of the world-renowned scientific centres working on the problems of desertification, land degradation and drought. Following this tradition, this IGU Thematic Conference will pay special  attention to  land related issues, including the development of the modern concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and the implementation of the new UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework. It is expected that the conference will gather about 1000 scientists, experts, practitioners and the international organizations from around the world. The outcomes of the conference will contribute to the priority areas of the UNCCD Committee on Science and Technology as well as the Science-Policy Interface.  The occasion of the conference provides an opportunity to place sustainable land management (SLM), land tenure, LDN, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a regional and global context, providing the means to enhance or adapted underlying theoretical paradigms, encourage the radical renewal of research methods and the validity of environmental change predictions, as well as to strengthen the integration between social and environmental branches of geography. Topics to be addressed by the papers and sessions at the conference will cover a broad spectrum of research questions, but with a specific emphasis on land-based issues: Sustainable land management and the pursuit of land degradation neutrality: Loop of desertification, land degradation and drought Sustainable land management practices: experiences and evaluation Land use and land cover change: challenges of globalization Climate – vegetation interaction under present and future climate conditions Dangerous geomorphologic processes: regional and global trends, human impact, current methods of study assessment and forecast Monitoring atmospheric composition and environmental pollution Global environmental changes and people in changing environment Geopolitical dimension of population: the demographic revolution as challenge of XXI Century Geographical challenges in extreme environments of recent and past epochs Historical geography and climate change: new directions Local governance for local development in the XXI Century: opportunities and limitations Evolution of the world economy under globalization and regionalization processes Land-based solutions in regional context: Northern Eurasia in a telecoupled world: agricultural potential and ecosystem tradeoffs Migration, mobility and climate change: an overview with a specific focus on Russia and neighboring countries From water to dust: environmental problems in Central Asia China Belt and Road Initiative and Eurasia: risks and challenges Under the auspices of the UNCCD, the IGU Thematic Conference will serve as one of the important mechanisms for providing expert and scientific support for the implementation of the UNCCD strategic goals and related Sustainable Development Goals. The Conference will also provide an opportunity to strengthen the network of the UNCCD national scientific and technical correspondents for the dissemination of knowledge and national experience in combating desertification, land degradation and drought. The IGU Organizing Committee invites UNCCD to take an active part in the conference and present the UNCCD priorities regarding land degradation neutrality, sustainable land management and land-based climate change adaptation. Additional information about the event can be found at the IGU Thematic Conference website https://100igras.ru/en/index.php, available in Russian, English and French. The deadline for abstract submission and registration is 1 March, 2018! For any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact: Dr. German Kust, the UNCCD CST Vice-chair: e-mail kust@igras.ru, copy to gkust@yandex.com Mr. Alexander Sebentsov, PhD, Scientific Secretary of the IGU Conference: igras100@igras.ru

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Bangkok, Thailand – 14 - 15 December 2017 – The UNISDR Asia Partneship Forum (IAP), attended by participants from the Asia region, UN agencies, CSOs, international organizations, inter-regional institutions and private sectors, focused on sharing global and regional updates in disaster risk reduction. The IAP was initiated in 2004 as an informal multi-stakeholder forum to facilitate the implementation of disaster risk reduction, and the subsequent Hyogo Framework for Action in Asia. Since then, the Forum has evolved into the support mechanism for the biennial Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR).  The discussions included the assessment of progress made in the implementation of the Asia Regional Plan and stakeholders commitments, update on the plans and status of preparations for the AMCDRR in Mongolia in July 2018 and the ways to enhance the understanding of the Sendai Framework Monitor. The representative of the Government of India chaired the first session on the progress in the Implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Asia Regional Plan for Implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The representatives of UNISDR and UNESCAP briefly introduced the Regional Plan and Road Map for Disaster Risk Reduction in line with the SDGs.   The second session on Progress in Disaster Risk Reduction was moderated by the Mongolian representatives during which delegates from participating governments delivered their reports on the progress made at national level. At the third session, the representatives of intergovernmental and regional organizations, other stakeholders and UN agencies provided updates on the progress made in disaster risk reduction.  Mr. Yang Youlin, Coordinator of the UNCCD Asia Regional Coordination Unit in meeting with some delegates and representatives of UN agencies proposed that the forum should consider the dust/sand storms and drought issues for inclusion on the agenda of AMCDRR 2018 which will take place 16-19 July 2019, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  The Sendai Priorities discussed by the Forum working groups included: •    Understanding disaster risk •    Disaster risk governance •    Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience •    Preparedness and build-back-better •    Sendai Framework Monitoring •    Coherence of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development The session also reviewed brief reports on three main developments and key challenges in the implementation of the Asia Regional Plan. The Asia-Pacific region is among the most disaster-prone regions in the world. In the last ten years, the region faced over 2 600 disasters causing around 385 000 deaths and affecting over 1.7 billion people.  

Bangkok, Thailand – 13 -15 December 2017 – ministers and high-level officials from the departments of finance, the private sector and leaders from the Asia-Pacific countries participated in the First Climate Week, which identified ways to scale up climate action and find innovative financing solutions for the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies.   The First Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW 2017) culminated with the consideration of a Regional Climate Action Agenda which focuses on  strengthening regional cooperation among state and non-state stakeholders to promote greater achievement in key economic sectors by 2020.   The three-day event was co-organized by UNESCAP, UNFCCC, UNDP, UNEP-DTU, ADB, IETA, IGES, and TGO.  The UNCCD Secretariat Asia RCU staff participated in the Asia Pacific Carbon Forum, Plenary Sessions, workshop sessions, High Level Ministerial Segment and side events.    Addressing the ministerial segment on 15th December, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP emphasized that enabling vulnerable countries to gain access to international capital markets to finance the green transition can be one of the most effective ways to finance climate action, and every dollar invested will leverage many more.   In his remarks, Mr. Inia Seruiratu, High-level Champion for Global Climate Action and Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Risk Management and Meteorological Services of Fiji, stressed that meaningful discussions shared during this High-Level Segment will help move key stakeholders in the region toward a clear Regional Climate Action Agenda, which unifies the region’s climate ambitions with the need to ensure that financial flows are consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.   In his address Mr. Dirk Forrister, CEO and President of IETA stated that improving the quality of data and transparency are two key goals towards the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. Achieving these goals will help finance to flow and results to be verified, and would also clear the path to market-based solutions that can vastly scale up the reductions Paris calls for.   Mr. James Grabert, Director of the Sustainable Development Mechanisms Programme at UNFCCC underlined that success in achieving the Paris Agreement objectives will require an ‘all-hands- on-deck’ approach, bringing together the private sector, cities, civil society and other non-state actors.    For more information visit the event page.   

This year, UNCCD and its partners have a lot to celebrate: The thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP13) held in Ordos, China, from 6 to 16 September 2017adopted 36 decisions and one resolution, including the new UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework. The Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Fund was officially launched during COP13 with an initial target size of USD 100 million (first close). The LDN Fund is a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle leveraging public sector funds to raise private sector capital for sustainable land management and landscape restoration activities worldwide. 120 heads of state and government attended the presentation of the LDN Fund at One Planet Summit. The Fund became one of the initiatives supported by the Summit, with the protection of land and water resources from the effects of climate change being the second of the Summit’s twelve engagements. 114 countries committed to set the voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets. Among them, more than 50 countries already set these targets and are advancing towards the development of LDN transformative projects and programmes tapping innovative finance. 17 international partners are supporting countries in this journey.   UNCCD first-ever COP Youth Forum attracted more than 200 participants from 25 countries around the world. On 17 June, the World Day to Combat Desertification, three Presidents in West Africa – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – urged solidarity and responsibility of international community in land rehabilitation and sustainable land management, and endorsed a Call for Action on land-based jobs to tackle Africa’s challenges. The Science-Policy Interface (SPI) produced two technical reports and two science-policy briefs on the topics of LDN, Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change. This work led to the publication of a scientific journal article and to the endorsement by COP13 of the Scientific Conceptual Framework for LDN. UNCCD library has reached close to 15 000 knowledge product subscribers with 11 publications, 20 news alerts and ten press releases. Three winners of the Land for Life Award from India, Sudan and China were honored at a special ceremony in Ordos, China, attended by more than 300 people. The UNCCD Capacity Building Marketplace held two major exhibitions, offered four e-learning training courses for national focal points (NFPs) and other stakeholders, delivered 10 lectures, held a global video competition , conducted a panel discussion on LDN and SLM that brought together over 60 participants from 10 universities, established formal working partnerships with 15 civil society organizations (CSOs) and in the second half of the year registered a 400 per cent increase in CBM offers in Spanish and French. The number of UNCCD Facebook followers reached 20 079, Twitter followers: 14 858, YouTube followers: 433, instagram followers: 682, and 36 507 people follow UNCCD on Weibo. 874 people signed the #LoveLand4 Climate i-petition, a part of the campaign that used the momentum around the Climate Change Conference 2017 to showcase the importance of sustainable land management (SLM) for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The campaign social media outreach was 71 007, earning 375 288 impressions. The number of visitors to the UNCCD online platforms has increased 43 percent, while the number of pages accessed increased 33 percent – a reflection on the major overhaul of the UNCCD website and knowledge platforms the previous year. The UNCCD website offers a modern design and improved ease of use, while the Knowledge Hub combines multiple knowledge platforms in one place, offering new publications and information on a daily basis and in a dynamic presentation.    

Bonn, 14 December 2017 – French President Emmanuel Macron announced in his closing statement Tuesday that the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund is one of the 12 global initiatives that will be supported under the One Planet Summit, stating that protecting land and water resources from the effects of climate change would the second of the Summit’s 12 engagements. “Here, several concrete measures have been taken to mobilize the 300 million United States dollars needed to activate the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund, that is, the Fund to combat land degradation and desertification. France, Canada and other partners announced funds to realize actions aiming to reading land degradation neutrality by 2030, an attainable objective if in the next few weeks we can raise the USD300 million needed to realize the fund.” The LDN Fund was one of 10 Projects the One Planet Summit had identified as "Projects for our planet." Canada’s Fondaction, a retirement savings plan by workers in Quebec, followed swiftly with an announcement yesterday that it will contribute USD10 million to the Fund, making it the first private sector investor to join the Fund. “Fondaction is joining the European Investment Bank, French Agency for Development, the Government of Luxembourg, Global Environment Facility, WWF Global Fund and French Foundation which have so far contributed a total of USD100 million,” said Leopold Beaulieu, President and Director-General of Fondaction. “Combatting land degradation is one of the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Fondaction is a Fund for workers, whose since inception in 1996, is to encourage the creation and maintenance of jobs with a perspective of sustainable development. Today, all of our investments aim to encourage, promote and support sustainable development. The knowledge and expertise we have gained over more than 20 years explains why we are the first private investor to respond favorably to the LDN Fund initiative,” he added. President Macron also announced actions in agricultural and solar technologies that would enhance the UNCCD’s global efforts to ensure that by 2030 and going forward, the amount of degraded land is equivalent to or less that the land we had degraded by 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted. Macron's full closing statement and the announcement by Fondaction are accessible via the links below. Statement by President Macron Press Release by Fondaction For more information contact: squatrini@unccd.int