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Restoring land is no longer a question of knowing what to do. Countries across regions and income levels have identified interventions where land is degrading and how drought risks can be reduced. What now determines whether these plans deliver real impact is their financing. “We have reached a point where the challenge is not a lack of commitment or solutions,” said Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). “The challenge is whether our financial systems are able to support the scale of transformation that land restoration and drought resilience require.” Meeting global land restoration and drought resilience targets will require around USD 355 billion per year between 2025 and 2030 – far more than is currently being invested. As long as land is not considered a strategic asset, rather than treated as a secondary environmental concern, this gap will persist. Why existing financing approaches fall short Today’s financial systems are not designed for the scale, timeframes, or risk profiles that land restoration demands. Public budgets in many countries are under pressure, shaped by competing development priorities and raising sovereign debt levels that result in limited fiscal space. Responsibilities for land, water, agriculture and climate are often split across institutions, complicating coordinated investment. Private investment has so far played a limited role. While interest in sustainability is growing, land restoration often involves longer time horizons and higher perceived risks. Without mechanisms to share risk, capital continues to flow elsewhere – even as UNCCD works to mobilize companies and investors through its Business4Land (B4L) platform, including the launch of the B4L Champions’ Council in 2026. The result is a persistent mismatch: the economic costs of land degradation continue to accumulate across food systems, water security and national economies, while investment remains far below what is required. Closing this gap requires a shift in investment logic – recognizing land restoration as core economic activity, not a side project. “Investing in land is one of the smartest investments available today,” Fouad said. “It reduces risk, strengthens resilience and delivers returns that far exceed the cost.” For development banks and public financiers, this means positioning land restoration not as a niche environmental issue, but as a strategic asset class – one that underpins food security, climate resilience and long-term stability. Turning finance into delivery In many countries, fiscal policies continue to favour land-degrading activities, while restoration remains underfunded. Redirecting incentives – by reforming subsidies and aligning taxation and public spending with sustainable land management – can change the economics of land use, making restoration financially viable rather than marginal. Aligning agriculture, water, climate and economic strategies is critical to making financing more effective and durable. When policies pull in different directions, investment fails to deliver lasting results.  Mobilizing private investment at scale will also depend on reducing risk. Strategic use of public and concessional finance can absorb early risks, unlocking private capital at a scale that public budgets alone cannot reach. International cooperation remains essential, particularly for countries facing the largest restoration and drought resilience needs. When used strategically, public finance can mobilize additional resources while delivering benefits that extend beyond national borders. The cost of inaction The economic consequences of inaction are already visible. Land degradation, desertification and drought already cost the global economy close to USD 900 billion each year, through lost productivity, soil depletion, drought damage and carbon emissions. By contrast, scaling up investment in land restoration and drought resilience could generate USD 1.8 trillion in annual benefits- an estimated eight-to-one return on investment. These gains go beyond economics, strengthening food security, reducing vulnerability and supporting more resilient societies. Every year of delay increases the economic, social and environmental costs. From COP16 momentum to COP17 delivery Financing was central to discussions at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP16), which mobilized political attention, launched new partnerships and secured more than USD 12 billion in pledges for drought resilience. COP16 showed that political momentum exists. The challenge now is whether financing systems can convert that momentum into delivery. Attention is now shifting to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. With the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026 approaching, the focus will increasingly turn to implementation.  Rangelands alone cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support the livelihoods of over one billion people, yet remain among the most underfinanced ecosystems globally. For the UNCCD, the road to COP17 is about ensuring that financing frameworks are designed to deliver -capable of translating ambition into measurable impact on the ground. A defining moment The plans are in place. The solutions are known. The ambition is clear. What will define the coming decade is whether financial systems evolve to match that ambition – recognizing land as a strategic investment and financing it accordingly. “If we align finance with the value of land,” Fouad said, “we can restore ecosystems, strengthen resilience and secure a future that delivers for both people and planet.” 

Across one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, countries are confronting rising land degradation and accelerating efforts to build resilience.  In Panama, the relationship between land and water is visible in every direction. Forested hillsides feed rivers that sustain communities, ecosystems, and one of the world’s most strategic waterways. The country’s geography is a reminder of something Latin America and the Caribbean know well: when land thrives, resilience follows — and when land is under pressure, the effects ripple outward across economies, societies and borders. This truth is shared across the 33 countries that make up the region. Stretching from the drylands of northern Mexico to the rainforests of the Amazon and the island nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Caribbean hold extraordinary natural wealth — yet they are also experiencing some of the fastest environmental changes in the world. According to the latest assessments of the UNCCD, 394 million hectares — nearly one-fifth of the reported land area — are already degraded. In some subregions, scientific estimates rise as high as 40 per cent. In Panama alone, more than 32 per cent of land shows signs of degradation. These pressures take many forms. In the Dry Corridor, shifting rainfall patterns affect crops and even navigation routes. In the Amazon basin, record dry seasons have strained rivers essential for food, hydropower, and transport. In the La Plata basin, prolonged drought has influenced global commodity prices. Forest fires — once sporadic — now burn more frequently in several countries. For small islands with limited freshwater reserves, water scarcity is becoming increasingly acute. Yet the region is also defined by determination and creativity. Communities are restoring degraded hillsides, reviving agroforestry, protecting watersheds, and strengthening early-warning systems.Their work reflects what UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad described as the foundation of resilience: “Healthy land and soils are the foundation of food, water, stability and peace.” This commitment is visible in daily life — in how farmers adapt to shifting rainfall, in the stewardship of Indigenous guardians, in the recovery of forests and rangelands, and in local initiatives that protect water sources. Together, these efforts form a mosaic of resilience, from mountain landscapes to coastal plains.  Where regional realities meet global dialogue These shared realities — the challenges and the solutions — also informed recent exchanges in Panama City, held alongside the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC23). While not a negotiation forum, CRIC23 provided a moment for countries to reflect on common concerns and contribute to a broader conversation about land and resilience. The lived experience of the region mirrors its environmental pressures: farmers adapting to new seasonal patterns, Indigenous custodians restoring landscapes with ancestral knowledge, and governments developing strategies to manage droughts that reshape entire sectors. At the same time, new opportunities are emerging — from nature-based solutions to integrated fire management and long-term drought planning. Amid these exchanges, Brazil offered a clear call for coordinated regional and global action. Edel Moraes, National Secretary for Traditional Peoples, Local Communities and Sustainable Rural Development at the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil, stressed that: “Land degradation and rising drought risks demand urgent, coordinated action. Protecting soils, restoring ecosystems, and strengthening drought-resilient territories are essential for food security and rural prosperity. Brazil highlights the leadership of women, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, whose knowledge and stewardship are central to successful restoration and sustainable land management. We also call for stronger synergies among the Rio Conventions — UNCCD, UNFCCC and CBD — to reduce fragmentation, align support, and expand access to predictable finance for developing countries. Brazil remains committed to advancing integrated solutions that deliver real benefits on the ground and support a just, inclusive and sustainable transition.” Governments are already putting in place strong frameworks for land restoration and drought preparedness. The next step is mobilizing investment at the scale required. As in many regions, financial constraints limit the ability to direct sustained funding toward land and water systems. Expanding access to diverse financing — public, private, and community-based — will be essential to unlocking the region’s full potential. Panama’s leadership in land, water and climate action Panama illustrates how deeply land, water and economic stability are interconnected. Its forests and watersheds sustain biodiversity, local livelihoods, and a Canal that carries 6 per cent of global trade. Few countries show more clearly how environmental stewardship supports national and global economies. The country’s Nature Pledge brings together land, biodiversity, and climate action in a single strategic vision. It demonstrates how nature-based solutions can serve communities while advancing national development goals and the objectives of all three Rio Conventions. And since the relocation of the UNCCD regional office to Panama City in early 2024, cooperation among Latin American and Caribbean nations has deepened, strengthening the region’s ability to accelerate collective action. A region shaping the path to COP17 The perspectives surfaced in Panama will help inform the region’s contribution to the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UNCCD, taking place in Ulaanbaatar from 17 to 28 August 2026. Drought resilience, rangelands, Indigenous leadership and restoration finance will be central themes — and Latin America and the Caribbean, marked by both vulnerability and immense restoration potential, will play a decisive role. A shared message emerged strongly: land restoration begins with people. As the UNCCD Executive Secretary emphasized: “You cannot protect land without protecting the people who care for it — the women, youth, Indigenous custodians, farmers and herders. If we want healthier land, we must strengthen the rights, resources and opportunities of the communities who depend on it.” Her message resonated in Panama, reinforcing the region’s recognition that resilient landscapes are rooted in resilient communities. Looking forward A common direction is taking shape: restoring land, strengthening drought resilience and placing communities at the center of action. From the Amazon to the Andes, from the Dry Corridor to the Caribbean Sea, Latin America and the Caribbean are working toward a future where healthy land supports thriving communities — and where regional leadership helps guide global action toward COP17 and beyond.  

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is proud to celebrate a historic moment as its Executive Secretary, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Sustainability Medal by the Nobel Sustainability Trust, one of the world’s most distinguished recognitions for leadership in sustainability.This honor reflects more than two decades of Dr. Fouad’s contributions to environmental governance, climate resilience, and community-centered development across Africa, the Arab region, and the world. It also underscores the growing international appreciation for the work of the UNCCD, as land restoration, drought resilience, and sustainable livelihoods become increasingly central to global environmental and development agendas.From the beginning of her career, Dr. Fouad has been driven by a simple but powerful belief: sustainability must begin with people. Her journey has taken her from scientific research in Egypt’s most vulnerable communities, to leading global negotiations, to shaping national environmental policy as Egypt’s Minister of Environment. Throughout this path, she has consistently emphasized that land is not only an ecological asset, but the foundation of human dignity, stability, and opportunity.Her leadership has always been shaped by her human story as much as her professional achievements. She often recalls a moment at the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference when one of her sons walked into the negotiation hall, approached the podium, and placed his hands on the gavel as delegates applauded. It was, she says, a reminder that while leaders negotiate for agreements, children negotiate for their future. This intergenerational sense of responsibility continues to define her approach to sustainability and diplomacy.Today, the world faces unprecedented pressures on land and water. A quarter of the planet’s land is degraded, droughts are intensifying, and millions of people are losing the resources they depend on. Under Dr. Fouad’s leadership, UNCCD has strengthened its efforts to reverse these trends by elevating land restoration as a pathway to resilience, by advancing more inclusive approaches to drought preparedness, and by ensuring that the voices of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and rural communities shape global action.Her tenure has also ushered in renewed momentum toward key global milestones. The Tafa’ul Process, inspired by the spirit of constructive optimism, is guiding a fresh dialogue on drought resilience. The upcoming COP17 in Mongolia is expected to deepen commitments to land stewardship, particularly as the world observes the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026.As she accepted the award, Dr. Fouad dedicated it to the women who rebuild their communities in silence, to the young people who refuse to inherit despair, to the workers who transform scarcity into creativity, and to the families who choose hope every day. Her words capture the heart of the UNCCD’s mission: that sustainability is not purely technical work, but work grounded in humanity, in livelihoods, in cultural heritage, and in the right of every person to thrive on healthy, productive land.Her recognition arrives at a pivotal moment for global environmental action. As the world seeks solutions that are equitable, resilient, and just, Dr. Fouad’s leadership offers a model of diplomacy that is principled, compassionate, and grounded in real-world experience. Her story is a reminder that environmental stewardship is not solely about restoring ecosystems, but about restoring hope and opportunity for communities everywhere.UNCCD extends its warmest congratulations to Dr. Yasmine Fouad for this extraordinary achievement. The Convention looks forward to continuing its work under her guidance as it supports countries and communities in building a more resilient, humane, and sustainable future.

Jimmy Mariscal grew up in the hills of the Panama Canal Basin, where coffee bushes were simply part of daily life. His grandparents tended their caracolillo plants for home use, drying the cherries in the sun and brewing just enough for the family. Coffee was tradition, not livelihood ---a practice handed down quietly through generations.  Today, Jimmy is one of thousands of small producers who have benefited from a long-term partnership between Basin communities and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). Over two decades, this collaboration has helped farmers shift from traditional plots to climate-resilient agroforestry systems that protect biodiversity, stabilize soil, and conserve water resources.  The Basin today is the result of decades of community-led stewardship and ACP support --a more resilient and sustainably managed landscape. This long-term partnership led Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), to the Panama Canal’s Miraflores Visitors Center on 3 December, during a field visit organized by ACP and the Ministry of Environment of Panama. There, she met Jimmy and the members of Cuencafé, a collective of small producers who grow and process high-quality, climate-resilient coffee. The visit provided a close look at how community-led stewardship supports rural livelihoods while protecting the freshwater system that sustains the Canal. Producers described how the transformation began. ACP understood early on that protecting the Canal’s water depended on the health of the surrounding land —and on the people who care for it. Without authority to enforce conservation, the institution built a model centered on support and incentives. Drawing inspiration from Costa Rica’s experience in rewarding farmers who protect forests, ACP adapted the idea to the Basin, offering producers practical support — from seedlings and technical advice to land titles and community councils that shape decisions. This steady, trust-based partnership strengthened over time. As Raúl Martínez, ACP’s Manager for Socio-Environmental Sustainability, explained: “When restoration helps families improve their livelihoods, it becomes a responsibility everyone shares — and the land stays protected.” Thanks to this incentive-based model - and especially to the introduction of coffee as a viable, high-value crop - farmers gained a reason to keep trees standing and invest in agroforestry systems that conserve soil and water. These choices ultimately made the Panama Canal Basin one of the least-deforested landscapes in the country today. Jimmy’s farm reflects that shift. Supported by community development activities and technical assistance, he introduced improved coffee varieties, planted shade trees, cared for his soil and refined drying and processing techniques. What once served only family needs has become a climate-smart system that supports both income generation and ecosystem health. As more families joined the effort, they formed Cuencafé, whose coffee now reaches Panama City markets. Their agroforestry systems help regulate water and buffer the Basin against intensifying drought — a contribution that matters in a country where 32 per cent of the land — 2.37 million hectares — is already degraded. During the visit, the Executive Secretary listened as producers described how shifting rainfall and rising temperatures have altered their work. She asked in detail about the challenges they now face - how rain has moved, how water scarcity affects planting, and how soils are changing. Farmers explained that years of land restoration -expanding forest cover, diversifying crops and protecting soils - have allowed them to retain water and maintain production, even as drought becomes more common. “What I see here is restoration that works because it begins with people,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad. “When communities are trusted and supported as stewards of their land, they protect the soils that anchor the hillsides, the waters that feed the Canal, and the dignity of the families who rely on both.  The impact extends far beyond individual farms — it strengthens the entire Basin and the generations that will inherit it.” Today, that transformation is visible across the basin. A practice once kept alive for household consumption now helps conserve water, sustain rural economies, and protect one of the most strategic landscapes in the country. What began as small plots of shade-grown coffee has grown into a model of community-driven climate resilience. As Panama hosts UNCCD CRIC23 — the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention, a moment when countries come together to reflect on how they care for their land — the Basin shows how restoration grounded in a long-term partnership, trust,  and community leadership endures, restoring far more than land alone. 

Bonn/Panama City, 3 December 2025 — Women across the world are already adapting to a changing landscape. They reorganize planting cycles, walk farther for water, protect crops against drought, care for elders and children during climate shocks, and sustain food systems rooted in increasingly fragile soils. Their daily work reflects a global reality: 40 percent of the planet’s land is now degraded, and droughts are 30 percent more frequent than they were twenty years ago. These experiences shaped discussions at the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC), the annual meeting where countries assess progress under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).  Within this process, the Gender Caucus — created at the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Abidjan and included in the official agenda for the first time this year — has become one of the most influential spaces for shaping gender-responsive land policy. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT)At CRIC23 in Panama, the Caucus brought attention to two urgent issues: the leadership and worldviews of Indigenous women in sustainable land management, and the gendered impacts of sand and dust storms (SDS), an environmental hazard intensified by degraded soils, dried lakebeds and shifting climate patterns. Land, knowledge and continuity Speakers from Panama, the Arctic, Africa, Latin America and Mongolia highlighted how women’s connection to land extends beyond daily responsibilities. It shapes cultural continuity, food security, and community stability. Yet despite this, women’s knowledge rarely guides national strategies on soil conservation or drought resilience. Panama’s Wounaan National Chief Aulina Ismare Opua described the direct consequences of environmental change on community life.  “Women in our communities face the effects of changing soil, forest and water every day. We are managing the impacts, but we are not adequately included when policies are designed. That gap harms everyone,” she said. She also underscored that limited access to land, education and financing undermines Indigenous women’s ability to contribute fully to national strategies. “When women heal the land, the land heals the world,” she noted, calling for inclusion in national and international agendas. Aulina Ismare Opua, National Chief of the Wounaan Nation of PanamaHindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), emphasized that Indigenous women’s understanding of environmental change is rooted in generations of observation and practice. “Every map of our lands carries the memory of our mothers and grandmothers. Across Indigenous Peoples, women hold generations of ecological knowledge, yet too often that wisdom is treated as invisible. As climate change and land degradation accelerate, our knowledge is not a tradition of the past — it is a tool of resilience for the present and survival for the future, protecting both our communities and the Earth we all share,” she noted. Their interventions echo global evidence: Indigenous Peoples steward roughly one quarter of the world’s land, much of it highly biodiverse. Women play central roles in this stewardship, yet remain underrepresented in environmental ministries, land governance bodies and multilateral negotiations. Orkhon Battumur, Nomadic herder, Övörkhangai Province, Mongolia At the Gender Caucus, this expertise was brought directly into the policy conversation — from securing land rights under pressure to blending ancestral knowledge with scientific approaches and restoring landscapes degraded by erosion, drought or deforestation. Speakers from Mongolia underscored the realities faced by rural herder women, including the loss of livestock from extreme climate events and the absence of land tenure or access to credit, which restricts their economic independence. One herder’s message resonated strongly: “Soil is life, and our life is soil."  These contributions are expected to shape gender-responsive recommendations emerging from the meeting. A growing threat with gendered consequences As discussions shifted toward climate-related risks, another reality came sharply into focus: the uneven impact of sand and dust storms. Sand and dust storms (SDS) are intensifying across many regions, affecting communities from North Africa and the Middle East to Asia, Oceania and parts of Europe. These storms now lift close to two billion tons of dust into the atmosphere each year, and at least a quarter of these events are intensified by unsustainable land use. Yanel Venado Jiménez, Gender and Youth Coordinator at the National Coordination of Indigenous Peoples of PanamaTheir impacts cut across sectors — agriculture, water security, transport, health — but they do not fall evenly. In rural and low-income communities, women are often exposed for longer periods through farming work, water collection and market activities. Indoors, dust settles in cooking and living areas, increasing respiratory risks. And when storms close schools, markets or harvests, the resulting care burden and income loss fall first on women. Throughout the Gender Caucus, participants pointed to one persistent gap: the lack of sex-disaggregated data. Without it, early-warning systems and preparedness plans overlook women’s vulnerabilities and the strategies they already use. Strengthening these data systems is expected to feature in the recommendations emerging from CRIC23. A shift in representation This year also marked an important step forward for women’s participation in the Convention’s processes. Through the Women Delegates Fund (WDF) — supported by GIZ’s global programme Women’s Empowerment for Resilient Rural Areas (WE4R) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development — women from drought-affected and developing countries were able to participate fully in the CRIC23 sessions and receive targeted negotiation training in preparation for COP17. Aluki Kotierk, Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous IssuesUNCCD data shows how much progress is still needed: women represented only 27 percent of delegates at COP15 and 33 percent at the last CRIC session. The WDF cohort brought expertise ranging from hydrology, forestry and agronomy to environmental policy and community leadership, enriching both the Gender Caucus and the broader deliberations.  “Investing in women negotiators is investing in more inclusive, effective and durable land-use decisions. Their leadership strengthens not only the negotiation rooms, but the solutions implemented back home.” said GIZ's program lead Andreas Lange.  Toward COP17: grounding policy in lived experience As countries prepare for COP17 in Mongolia, discussions at CRIC23 point to a clear conclusion: land degradation and drought cannot be addressed effectively without the perspectives of the women who manage land every day. Women’s knowledge - scientific, traditional and experiential - is essential for restoring rangelands, improving soil health, preparing for SDS and sustaining cultural continuity under environmental stress. Speakers also called for greater support for Indigenous girls’ education, access to technology and credit, and recognition of women’s unpaid domestic, agricultural and craft work — all critical elements for sustaining land stewardship across generations. The Gender Caucus underscored a simple but decisive message: policies to protect land must reflect the experience of the people who depend on it most - otherwise they risk addressing the crisis in name, but not in practice. CRIC23 Gender Caucus panel group photo

As negotiators meet in Panama City for the 23rd session of the UNCCD Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23), they gather in a country that treats climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation as interlinked challenges. The new Panama’s Nature Pledge is set to bring the next-generation climate promise, updated biodiversity strategy and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) strategy into a single national framework, also covering oceans and plastics. It shows how one country can align all three Rio Conventions and unlock finance to accelerate action. That same logic has been at the heart of the LDN Target Setting Programme (LDN TSP) for almost a decade. Since 2016, the programme has helped 131 countries commit to voluntary LDN targets, with 124 reporting their baselines and targets through the UNCCD, and collectively aiming to restore close to 600 million hectares of degraded lands. Restoration work done in the field by a volunteer groupA global shift from pledges to plans LDN stems from a simple idea: the world’s productive land base should at least remain stable and grow where possible. In less than ten years, the LDN TSP has given governments a common language and toolkit to map where degradation is happening, agree on measurable, time bound targets and identify measures that fit national realities. LDN TSP 2.0: More ambitious, more bankable If the first eight years of LDN TSP were about enabling countries to set and validate LDN targets based on best- available data, the second phase of this programme (LDN TSP 2.0) is about making those targets sharper and more actionable. Eighteen countries from every region are refining their voluntary commitments to achieve land degradation neutrality so they are more specific, time-bound, quantitative, spatially explicit, gender responsive and tied to land-use planning following a COP15 mandate. These priorities were clearly reflected in a recent global knowledge exchange webinar on LDN TSP 2.0, where 100 representatives of countries and partner agencies reviewed progress to date ahead of CRIC23. Integrated land use planning inception workshop May 2025 South Africa Photo : © Dr. Ernest Daemane, South African National ParksIn Sri Lanka, for example, updated LDN work is being used to align land-use decisions with national climate and biodiversity strategies and to prioritize the most vulnerable landscapes for action. In Central Asia, countries are using LDN targets to connect land restoration with drought resilience and more sustainable management of rangelands and drylands. In Argentina, new LDN targets   seek to improve the sustainable management of their wetlands. This second phase also pushes governments to think like investors, by helping them identify priority landscapes, estimate costs and benefits and structure projects and programmes that can attract climate and development finance. Negotiations training for national focal points and a write-shop on development of large-scale investment programme for Pacific SIDS, Seoul, Korea 2023Why this matters for everyone, not just negotiators Up to 40 per cent of the planet’s land is already degraded, affecting billions of people.  When land is degraded, harvests decline, food becomes more expensive, rural livelihoods weaken and people are forced to move. LDN helps reverse this pattern by restoring land, strengthening ecosystems and generating economic benefits that far outweigh the initial investments. The Rio synergies dividend Panama’s reference to its Nature Pledge during CRIC23 reinforces a clear message: climate, biodiversity and land are not three separate problems. Land is the common thread that allows us to materialize synergies. Country stories on the new Rio Conventions platform show how land restoration is becoming a practical link between climate, biodiversity and land agendas. Examples range from national work in Sri Lanka to regional initiatives in Central Asia, where managing land degradation is central to climate resilience and food security. In Uzbekistan, hectares of sturdy saxaul shrubs are planted as the first line of defense against desertification and sand and dust storms originating from the dried-up Aral seabedNigeria is updating its land targets in parallel with its National Net Zero Nature Positive plan (NZNP) ensuring that both processes reinforce each other.  By aligning these efforts, countries can stretch limited public finance further and create stronger cases for private investment. From targets to transformative projects Ambitious targets need equally ambitious implementation plans. That is where Land Degradation Neutrality Transformative Projects and Programmes (LDN TPPs) come in. These are large-scale, country driven programmes that bundle individual projects into coherent packages aligned with national LDN priorities.  Under the second phase of the programme, participating countries are defining TPPs through the Global Mechanism’s Partnership for Project Preparation to turn revised targets into concrete funding proposals. In Benin and the Central African Republic, work supported by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory is helping to define priority landscapes, integrate gender analysis and structure programmes  for submission to climate and development funds. In Argentina, two strategic projects are being developed to strengthen integrated land-use planning and create synergies between the country’s updated land targets and its wetlands conservation goals under RAMSAR. At CRIC23 in Panama, the new phase of the LDN work is moving from technical workshops into the political spotlight. The Global Mechanism is presenting progress on revised targets, new tools and emerging project pipelines in plenary, while land degradation neutrality features throughout the week’s programme, from interactive discussions on resource mobilization to country-led side events. Landscape view of lush, green hills and farmland in Jimma, Ethiopia, highlighting the positive impact of sustainable agriculture and land restorationTracking progress – and the remaining gap Transparent data is essential to convince citizens, partners and investors that LDN commitments are a sound investment. Key UNCCD knowledge tools – notably the LDN targets tracking tool and the UNCCD Data Dashboard – allow users to see how much land is degrading or being restored and to follow progress towards voluntary LDN targets. New tools are also being developed to support the integration of LDN as a guiding principle for smarter and better-informed land use planning decisions that avoid future land degradation. “A decade of LDN target setting has proved that restoring land is not a luxury, it is basic infrastructure for our economies,” says Louise Baker, Managing Director of the UNCCD Global Mechanism. “If we invest now in LDN TSP 2.0, we are not just planting trees, we are stabilizing food systems, protecting biodiversity and creating new jobs where they are needed most.” In Panama this integrated vision becomes the highlight of the side event “Restoring Land, Building Sustainable Futures: Success Stories from the Changwon Initiative,” hosted by the Republic of Korea. It gives participants a front-row insight into how the Changwon Initiative has supported the development of the LDN Target Setting Programme and its second phase, strengthened science–policy linkages through the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface and invested in capacity building that helps countries move from pilot projects to nationwide implementation. Success stories – from local pilot sites to national-scale programmes – demonstrate how long-term, strategic donor engagement is enabling countries to translate land targets into concrete action on the ground. As Barron Orr, Chief Scientist of the UNCCD, put it: “Land Degradation Neutrality is about doing the right things in the right places at the right scale. The scientific guidance produced by the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface has helped countries pursue all of their economic, social and environmental objectives in an inclusive and integrated way — so that biodiversity is protected where it is highest, food is grown where soils are most productive and new development does not harm either. This approach places a strong foundation of healthy land underneath global efforts to achieve all the SDGs.” Amina, leader of a women’s collective in Jimma, Ethiopia, proudly standing in front of her community members engaged in agroforestry and land restoration activitiesWith the right support from development banks, climate and biodiversity funds, impact investors and philanthropy, LDN TSP 2.0 can enable countries to turn degraded hectares into thriving landscapes and resilient communities.  As countries gear up for next year’s UNCCD COP17 that will mark ten years of this global effort, the focus shifts from targets agreed to real results delivered on the ground.