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The LDN Fund is an impact investment fund blending resources from the public, private and philanthropic sectors to support achieving LDN through sustainable land management and land restoration projects implemented by the private sector. GM spearheaded the establishment of the LDN Fund and undertook its initial design with support from the Governments of France, Luxembourg, Norway, and the Rockefeller Foundation and involvement of an advisory group that brought together representatives from public financial institutions, international NGOs and academia. A private sector investment management firm Mirova, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers dedicated to responsible investing, was selected competitively to manage the LDN Fund. Officially launched at UNCCD COP 13 in Ordos, China, the LDN Fund is the first-of-its-kind investment vehicle leveraging public money to raise private capital for sustainable land projects.  Anchor investors – the European Investment Bank and the French Development Agency – are joined by institutional investors including the first north-American private investor Fondaction, the Fondation de France foundation and insurance companies BNP Paribas Cardif and Garance. The initiative is also backed by de-risking partners that include the Government of Luxembourg, IDB Invest and the Global Environment Facility. In total, investors have announced commitments of over USD 100 million out of a target of USD 300 million.

After a year of hard work, the UNCCD Performance Review and Implementation System (PRAIS) has undergone a major upgrade –from the 3rd (PRAIS 3) to 4th edition (PRAIS 4).

Two new guidance documents have been released today: a revised and upgraded version of Good Practice Guidance for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 15.3.1 and new Good Practice Guidance for national reporting on UNCCD strategic objective 3.

Statement by the UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw: Land sustains life on the planet.   Land provides us with food, clean water, and energy.  Healthy land is the basis for our own health. Yet, one in five hectares of land is no longer usable.  Land degradation is affecting 40% of the world’s population and costing more than 10% of the annual global GDP. As I speak, at least one million people are facing starvation because of drought.  At least 24 countries are hit by drought in 2021 only.  From 1998 to 2017, droughts have affected at least 1.5 billion people, and led to economic losses of USD 124 billion across the globe.  Land-based solutions provide us with an opportunity to recover better.  Build a more inclusive and sustainable world.  Using the Sustainable Development Agenda  and the Paris Agreement as our blueprint.  Land restoration has co-benefits with all Sustainable Development Goals and must be at the centre of our efforts, providing cost-effective solutions for green recovery at scale.   Today’s Dialogue has been a pivotal moment.  Our next steps should take us to the right direction. From what we heard today from Member States, from the UN leadership and various other stakeholders, we are in a position to capture key points expressed and make the following call:   First, building ambition on land stewardship among different stakeholders as we move into the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration.  I believe the general thread from this UNGA Dialogue supports multiple regional large-scale restoration programmes.  The Dialogue underscores the need to adapt our production and consumption patterns if we are to insulate our economies and our societies from further catastrophic degradation of our natural capital.  The Dialogue comforts the G20 Global Initiative to reduce degraded land by 50 percent by 2040. And points to the direction of the recent G7 Summit.  Second,  investing in land-based solutions to sustain COVID-19 recovery efforts, especially in rural economies, as they are win-wins for stimulus investment.  Land restoration is low tech, democratic, accessible to all.  Land restoration is one of the cheapest solutions to the climate crisis and is a foundation for a steady post-COVID economic recovery.  Third, helping us get the financing right to scale up land restoration and translate those commitments into concrete, immediate action.  Investing in land restoration secures food production; combats poverty; reduces risks of unwanted migration and insecurity.  Investing in ecosystem restoration is securing sustainable economic recovery, as at least 40% of the global GDP depends on nature. Land restoration is not divisive. It can unite us. Rich and poor. North and South. Governments and Civil Society. Public and Private Sector.  Our youth and women are at the front lines of action. We ought to work together: reconnecting people and nature through a high-level ambition on land stewardship.  For the sake of the planet. For our own sake.    We have a window of opportunity to champion a new restoration narrative and bring back nature into balance for all.  Both now and for the generations to come.  That’s Making Peace with Nature.  Thank you.

The UNCCD participated the Structured Expert Dialogue of the UNFCCC second Periodic Review to help identify gaps and opportunities in the efforts to keep global warming in check below 1.5 degrees. Together with representatives of CBD and WHO they outlined the linkages between the work of their agencies and climate change, illustrating the major challenges and potential solutions, while a representative of the GEF described their approach to supporting countries in addressing many of these challenges. The UNCCD described the potential for Land Degradation Neutrality to deliver multiple benefits while ensuring no further land degradation in net terms. The secretariat experts also outlined pathways to boost nature-positive production systems and catalyze global efforts to turn restoration commitments in to action on the ground. The UNCCD team introduced the ongoing work of PBL in developing a restoration scenario which will be published as part of the 2nd Edition of the Global Land Outlook. Watch the full recording here...

The country Parties to UNCCD are required to submit national reports on the status of land degradation and desertification every four years. The UNCCD Secretariat and Global Mechanism provide technical advice and capacity building support in this process through a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded and UNEP (UN Environment) implemented Global Support Programme (GSP). GEF has recently approved two million USD funding to help the countries complete the next reporting cycle in 2021-2022. A new reporting platform planned for the project would ensure that a higher level of accurate assessment and analysis of land degradation trends at national and regional levels is achieved and that policy makers can make informed land management decisions.