UN Convention to Combat Desertification – UNCCD
The 1994 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention addresses the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found. Parties work together to improve the living conditions for people in drylands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought.
The UNCCD is particularly committed to a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification and land degradation. The UNCCD is one of the three Rio Conventions—along with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)—and was called for in Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or Earth Summit).
Events
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16th Session of the Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD (COP 16)
Convening in Riyadh, delegates will undertake a midterm evaluation of the UNCCD 2018−2030 Strategic Framework, adopt the UNCCD’s biennial budget, and negotiate decisions around the sustainable use of land.
21st Session of the UNCCD Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC-21)
Parties reviewed the main findings of an independent midterm assessment of the Strategic Framework (2018-2030), and reiterated the interlinkages between land degradation, climate change, and biodiversity, and the need for increased synergies with the Rio Conventions. A high-level event affirmed the growing recognition of the importance of sand and dust storms.
15th Session of the Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD (COP 15)
Following two weeks of high-level discussions and negotiations, delegates adopted 38 decisions to improve drought resilience, reduce land degradation, invest in land restoration efforts, and improve synergies with the climate change and biodiversity conventions.
2nd Extraordinary Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD
Convening under a “silence procedure,” the parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification adopted its 2022 budget, ensuring the Convention and the Secretariat will continue to operate until the Conference of the Parties can convene in 2022.
19th Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 19) of the UNCCD
Attendees shared experiences on desertification issues to be addressed at the next Conference of the Parties, including Land Degradation Neutrality projects and policy frameworks on drought, gender, and land tenure.
14th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP 14)
The Conference of the Parties ended on a note of optimism that there is a growing alignment of the land, climate, and biodiversity agendas, and, with its sharpened focus on land restoration, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification can offer cost-effective and sustainable solutions to some of the most entrenched global challenges today.
17th Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 17) to the UNCCD
CRIC 17 represented the first opportunity to assess countries’ progress in implementing the UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework. This first set of progress reports, while still lacking in detail, provided countries with a useful moment of reflection on the effort needed to ensure robust monitoring of the Convention’s five Strategic Objectives and fully comply with their reporting obligations based on the new four-year review cycle.
13th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP 13)
Both the CST and the CRIC completed their work ahead of schedule, while several decisions at the heart of the negotiations, including adoption of the 2018-2030 Strategic Framework, alignment of the Convention with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and improved reporting and monitoring procedures, were not as contentious as some expected. The heavy lifting done by the Intergovernmental Working Group on the future strategic framework―and the special methodological session of the CRIC in October 2016―appeared to have paid dividends in Ordos.
15th Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 15) to the UNCCD
In many ways, the decision to convene CRIC 15 as a special intersessional meeting focusing on methodological issues was taken as a stop-gap measure—a compromise reached to buy more time because delegates at CRIC 14 were unable to reach agreement on the way forward in the transition from the current UNCCD implementation framework to a future strategy.
12th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP 12)
What some viewed as an intrepid direction for the UNCCD to pursue in years past turned into a potentially “game changing” accomplishment when COP 12 swiftly adopted a decision deciding that striving to achieve SDG target 15.3 is a “strong vehicle for driving implementation of the UNCCD,” and inviting countries to set voluntary targets to achieve land degradation neutrality.