UNCCD COP 2017 - CHINA
From 6-16 september, the 13th Conference of Parties' of the UNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification) took place, this time in Ordos, China. The UNCCD is the global convention of the United Nations on combating desertification and drought. Every country in the world has signed this convention. Canada withdrew in 2012, but in 2016 - under the Trudeau administration - started a process to re-enter the convention. Both ENDS is a member of Drynet, a network of local organisations and communities in dry regions searching for ways to use land in a sustainable manner.
Nathalie van Haren en Karin van Boxtel from Both ENDS have attended the conference in Ordos, primarily to put several themes on the agenda of the delegates of the UNCCD. One of these themes is that while combating land degradation, the focus should always be on local people. If a government is planning to stimulate sustainable land use, local people must be involved in the discussion and decision making. They can indicate best what is necessary and what is not to make things work.
Together with Drynet partners, Both ENDS organised three 'side events' during the UNCCD COP 13:
Just, accountable and responsible land governance
Good land governance which respects the different land use and tenure rights of local communities enables local land users with formal or non-formal (including customary) use rights to be active agents in sustainable land management and land restoration and contribute to the UNCCD goals and SDG 15.3 on Land Degradation Neutrality. With the new UNCCD strategic framework for 2018 - 2030, the challenge is to put the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Forests and Fisheries (VGGT) adopted by the UN Committee on World Food Security at the heart of the UNCCD. The CSO panel's policy paper on land governance highlights actions to be taken in this area.
These developments raise several questions:
• What elements of good land governance practices push sustainable land management and restoration?
• In what way does the implementation of the VGGT contribute to the UNCCD objectives and SDG 15.3?
• What can we learn from local initiatives and policy-making experiences which recognize formal and non-formal land use rights?
In this side event we aim to show inspiring practices of just, accountable and responsible land governance and translate them into policy messages to be integrated in the UNCCD strategic framework.
Small is beautiful
Interactive dialogue on linking local initiatives on sustainable land management and restoration to the SDG 15.3 implementation.
Community-led initiatives are numerous, often small-scale, very local and not seen by government agencies. How do these local initiatives fit in national LDN programmes? What is needed for them to be recognized by government agencies, monitors and statistical bureaus? What can government agencies do to have a good overview of sustainable land management and restoration activities which will support implementation of the target 15.3?
Do numbers tell the tale?
Financing land restoration has been increasingly emphasized as a focus area to meet SDG 15.3 on Land Degradation Neutrality. Most financial mechanisms for community-led land restoration originate from governments through grants, programme funding or climate funds, or involve private philanthropic means. Nevertheless, more and more private commercial funds are mobilized for land restoration projects. The Land Degradation Neutrality Fund illustrates this development, aiming to offer long-term financial mechanisms for land restoration.
This workshop will focus on the question how different public and private financing mechanisms can engage in initiatives of local land users and communities - whose land user rights are often informal and customary - to restore land and to use the land sustainably?
The question will be addressed by looking at good practices from Niger, where CRESA has successfully re-greened large areas of the Sahel. Hereafter, an overview of financing land restoration possibilities will be presented by WRI. A representative of Mirova will thereafter zoom in on the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund and its role in engaging with local land users and communities.
More information about what Both ENDS works on with partners in dry areas.
Briefing paper September 2017 'Grounding Sustainability: land, soils and the SDG's'
Summary 'Grounding Sustainability: land, soils and the SDG's'
2-pager 'Regreening the Sahel'
2-pager 'Innovative Seed Management in Iran'
For more information
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News / 30 August 2019
Dealing with drought: the UNCCD COP in India
Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people live in areas where the soil is depleted; often they are forced to, or the region they have been living in for generations has become increasingly arid over time. The desert is advancing and this is a global problem. Opinions about the causes of land degradation and desertification, but especially about the solutions, are very divided. To discuss this, the biennial global conference on desertification will take place from 2 to 14 September. This is where policymakers, scientists, NGOs, female and male farmers and pastoralist, herders and companies from all over…
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News / 28 September 2017
Both ENDS at UNCCD COP13: don’t forget about the people
This September, Both ENDS participated at the 13th Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD in Ordos, Inner Mongolia in China. We were part of the…
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News / 29 October 2019
What have we learned from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification?
The second United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held from 2 to 14 September in New Delhi, India. Our colleague Nathalie has been working together with many civil society organisations for several years to show the UNCCD that large numbers of local communities around…
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Publication / 1 September 2017
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Blog / 25 September 2017
Bringing good practice to the UNCCD conference
Access to, ownership and control over land is inherently part of a successful implementation of land degradation neutrality (LDN) and sustainable land management. Sustainability often means investing for the long term, and insecurity withholds land users to do so. In particular women's land use…
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Publication / 1 September 2017
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External link / 2 January 2015
iSQAPER website
The website about the project iSQAPER: Interactive soil quality assessment in Europe
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Transformative Practice /
Inclusive Land Governance
Both ENDS works with partners around the world to ensure that land is governed fairly and inclusively and managed sustainably with priority for the…
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Event / 11 September 2019, 08:00 - 10:00
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Event / 3 September 2019, 13:00 - 15:00
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News / 17 June 2021
Celebrating community led initiatives on World Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Day
Today is World Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Day. Such a day is more than needed to get attention for desertification, land degradation and drought that are threatening and hitting hundreds of millions of people in many regions throughout the world. While the causes - such as large-scale agriculture, use of pesticides, water extraction and climate change - are clear and need to be stopped, it is just as important to focus on solutions like restoration and sustainable land use.– in line with World Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Day's theme for this year: 'Restoration. Land…
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News / 2 December 2024
Advocating for Local Solutions: Both ENDS at UNCCD COP16 to Champion Sustainable Land Management and Gender Equality
As the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) celebrates its 30th anniversary, the global community faces an urgent need to address the escalating challenges of land degradation, desertification and drought. At the forefront of these efforts, Both ENDS has long advocated for inclusive, locally-led solutions to these critical issues. In this interview, Nathalie van Haren and Yordanos Mulder, who will represent Both ENDS at the upcoming UNCCD COP16, share insights into the significance of the conference, the key issues on the agenda, and the crucial role of local communities in shaping effective land governance. They discuss Both ENDS' ongoing work to amplify the voices of marginalised groups and emphasise the…
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News / 20 June 2021
Organic wild rooibos in South Africa’s dryland
South Africa is the home of rooibos, an ancient, health giving herbal infusion, discovered thousands of years ago by the KhoiSan, indigenous peoples of the Southern part of Africa. During the last century, rooibos has been increasingly commercialised, mainly by white South African farmers who produce it on a very large scale, causing environmental damage, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Fortunately, small-scale, environmentally sound and community-led rooibos cultivation initiatives also exist. Our long-standing South African partner Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG) has, for more than two decades, been involved in this type of rooibos cultivation with the communities in the Suid Bokkeveld, in the western part of South Africa…
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Event / 5 September 2019, 13:00 - 15:00
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Event / 4 December 2024, 18:00 - 19:30
Enhancing the role of civil society in the UNCCD to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
Effective local action by land-using communities is at the heart of achieving LDN globally. However, their contributions are often not well recognized or adequately supported by governments and other agencies. Within the UNCCD framework, civil society organisations play a key role in engaging with policymakers in the context of recognizing and supporting these contributions by local communities. The side event will engage participants in a GEF-supported joint Drynet/ IUCN initiative to enhance the capacities of civil society to engage effectively in the achieving Land Degradation Neutrality…
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Publication / 11 July 2019
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News / 2 December 2024
Ten recommendations for the UNCCD COP16 to strengthen its efforts in combating desertification, land degradation, and drought
For decades, our local partner organisations have been developing and promoting effective ways to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought. This includes regions like the drylands, as well as forests, and wetlands. Supporting these locally-led actions is essential to reversing negative trends. For COP16, Drynet has developed 10 recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the UNCCD. Success at COP16 would mean turning these recommendations into action, fostering inclusive land governance and sustainable land management practices globally. By enabling locally-led…
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News / 2 December 2024
Both ENDS at UNCCD COP16
Since 1994, Both ENDS has been advocating for inclusive governance in addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought, ensuring local communities have a strong voice in global discussions. As a member of Drynet, a network of over 20 civil society organisations, we champion the inclusion of women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples in land governance and highlight the importance of locally-led initiatives. Our work promotes gender equality, agroecology, and sustainable land management. This landing page serves as a comprehensive hub for all information and updates related to the UNCCD COP16 and Both ENDS' efforts to drive positive change. Here, you’ll find key resources, initiatives, and insights into how locally-led solutions…
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Publication / 14 January 2019
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Publication / 14 January 2019