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The Global Mechanism (GM) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) jointly hosted an evening reception at UNCCD COP 14 in New Delhi, India. The reception provided a platform to bring together esteemed guests and key actors from across Africa to network, exchange ideas on new initiatives and opportunities and strengthen partnerships and cooperation for a more sustainable future. Bringing together knowledge, insights and technical capacities can generate strong synergies, for more robust, effective and cost-efficient solutions to the complex land and climate problems with which Africa is facing. The AfDB and the Global Mechanism have been working together to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of African stakeholders to implement the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, improve synergies and secure stronger international support and financing for their achievement. They also started to provide support to African countries in partnership with the Climate Commission for the Sahel Region (CCRS), CILSS and other regional partners in designing regional project in West Africa to reinforce resilience to climate change and achieve LDN. The two institutions have hosted joint workshops, trainings, joint meetings and missions to support portfolio development of transformative projects across Africa. The plan sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation and expand their current activities in Africa. Read more: UNCCD COP14 The Global Mechanism
An enchanting cultural programme organized by the government of India to welcome the participants of the high-level segment of UNCCD COP14 in New Delhi became one of the main conference highlights. The key performers included musicians Ricky Kej, Baaba Maal and Inna Modj, who will grant their talent and popularity to help promote the UNCCD mission as the new Land Ambassadors. You can read about their work and their commitment to the development issues here.
The UNCCD COP 14 Local and Regional Governments Day, co-organized by the UNCCD Secretariat, ICLEI South Asia and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Government of India, took place on 7 September 2019. The event focused on the theme “Land degradation and cities: The essential role of local and regional governments” and was attended by over 100 participants, from 13 counties including mayors, deputy mayors, representatives of UN organizations, governments and civil society. The all-day session explored the relationship between urbanization and land degradation and aimed at better understanding of linkages between urbanization and land degradation, along with the role of local governments in establishing good practices for sustainable land management. Mayors shared their experiences and confirmed that the adverse effects of climate change such as desertification, droughts and floods are putting additional pressures on limited resources and are impacting the provision of basic infrastructure services for the local population, such as water, food and secure shelter. The acute effects of desertification and drought on populations living in informal settlements are bringing climate action and adaptation to the forefront of cities' concerns. The multidimensional role of land was pointed out and the prioritization of land use, diversity of employment opportunities, particularly in peri-urban areas were emphasized. Capacity building and creating opportunities for rural livelihoods were recommended as measures against rural – urban migration. he Executive Secretary of UNCCD Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw pointed out that cites are not just part of the problem, but can become a part of the solution. He called for a new common development paradigm for urban and rural areas, using land as a foundation for positive change. The Local and Regional Government Day is followed by a High-Level Segment on ‘Rural and Urban Communities – Failing or Flourishing Together” scheduled for 9 September 2019. Photo (left to right): Eduardo Mansur, Durector, Land and Water Division, FAO; Morgane Chiocchia, Associate Programme Officer, UNCCD; Dr. Divya Datt, Programme Management officer, UN Environment India; Dr. Babu, Professor Emeritus, Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, University of Delhi; Ms. Mariam Traore Chazalnoel, Thematic Specialist on Migration, Environment and Climate Change, IOM.
At a High-Level Breakfast meeting held in New Delhi, India, partners of the African-led Great Green Wall Initiative agreed to develop a visionary roadmap, a decade after its launch, with bold targets to restore 100 million hectares of land and create 10 million green jobs by 2030 across the Sahel.
The day was marked by the launch of a new international coalition to strengthen coordinated action on SDS, which have damaging transboundary impacts on human health, the environment and key economic sectors. Highlighting the need to address SDS in both source and destination countries, Argentina proposed that the UNCCD direct its resources towards strengthening synergistic approaches to drought management, one of the main causes of SDS.
The Global Mechanism of the UNCCD has just released a report on the findings and recommendations from the technical data and policy analyses of its flagship Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Target Setting Programme. The report, “Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting: initial findings and lessons learned,” informs countries and their partners of the LDN Target Setting Programme’s key contributions towards the achievement of LDN and Sustainable Development Goal 15.