The UNCCD Secretariat is organizing a series of regional online consultations with Local Communities to gather input on the Draft Terms of Reference (ToR) for the establishment of a Local Communities Caucus under the UNCCD, in accordance with Decision 5/COP.16.

-Local communities play a critical role in combating desertification, land degradation and drought, contributing valuable knowledge and practices that support sustainable land management and the achievement of Land Degradation Neutrality. Strengthening their meaningful and inclusive participation in UNCCD processes is essential to advancing the objectives of the Convention.

At COP16, Parties requested the UNCCD Secretariat to support the development of ToR for the creation of a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities, ensuring that these mechanisms reflect the representativeness, priorities and perspectives of these groups.

The consultations aim to strengthen the participation of local communities in the UNCCD and to ensure that the ToR reflect the perspectives and priorities of local communities and that representatives are identified through their own procedures and governance structures.

The consultations aim to:

• Discuss what meaningful engagement of Local Communities within the UNCCD should look like
• Gather feedback on key elements of the Draft Terms of Reference for the Local Communities Caucus

Consultation schedule

18 March 2026 | 10:00–11:30 CET
Interpretation: English/French/Arabic'Russian
Registration

18 March 2026 | 15:00–16:30 CET
Interpretation: English/Spanish/Portuguese
Registration

19 March 2026 | 08:00–09:30 CET
Interpretation: English/Russian/Arabic
Registration

Representatives of local communities and relevant stakeholders are invited to participate.

Please fill the following pre-consultation survey before the webinar to help us:

• Understand what meaningful local communities engagement looks like in the context of the UNCCD
• Collect input on what elements should be in the Local Communities Caucus Terms of Reference (ToR)
• Identify LC organizations to invite to the consultation

Access the survey in: English | French | Russian | Portuguese | Spanish