Global Mechanism shares lessons learned, launches LDN project development guide

7 September 2019
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New Delhi, India – The Global Mechanism (GM) 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.

The report highlights the extensive support provided by the programme to more than 120 countries to set voluntary LDN targets, define baselines to monitor progress and identify financing opportunities. The programme’s achievements were recently acknowledged by the 2018 Global Impact Award of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, praising the innovative, science-based and participatory approach to supporting countries to halt land degradation by 2030.

According to the report’s recommendations, important next steps to transition from LDN target setting to concrete actions to achieve these targets include developing transformative projects and programmes for LDN. To support this process, the Global Mechanism has also just released the “Land Degradation Neutrality Transformative Projects and Programmes: Operational guidance for country support,” a new guide to assist countries and their partners to develop innovative project or programme ideas targeting a range of funding sources, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund.

The operational guide builds upon other key reference documents developed in recent years by the GM and the secretariat of the UNCCD to assist countries in achieving their LDN vision, including the Technical guide on LDN target setting and the Checklist for LDN Transformative Projects and Programmes, which ensures that the fundamental features of LDN are given full consideration in any project or programme that is being designed.

Both publications are now available for download on the UNCCD website, and were officially launched at the GM’s side event on 4 September at the UNCCD COP14 in India. The side event showcased how the GM supports countries in achieving LDN, from setting LDN targets to developing transformative projects and programmes for LDN implementation. Representatives from the GM’s technical and financial partners, including the GEF, IUCN, the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Türkiye, also shared their experience supporting countries to achieve LDN.

For more information about the publications, please contact ytelwala [at] unccd.int (Yasmeen Telwala) or hkhiari [at] unccd.int (Habiba Khiari).