The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decision 16/COP.14 and decision 26/COP.14,
Acknowledging that decision 26/COP.14 on land tenure is a landmark decision for the Convention,
Recognizing United Nations General Assembly resolution 76/206, which recalls the invitation to Parties to the Convention to legally recognize rights to equal use and ownership of land for women and the enhancement of women’s equal access to land and land tenure security, taking into account national context,
Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security,
Taking note of the technical guide on the integration of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security into the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and land degradation neutrality;
Acknowledging that further work needs to be carried out, whether within policy or programming efforts, to integrate land tenure into the implementation of the Convention, such as land degradation neutrality target-setting efforts and land degradation neutrality transformative projects and programmes,
Recalling that the Gender Action Plan outlines the strengthening of women’s land rights and access to resources as a priority for action,
Noting the work of the Science-Policy Interface on the interlinkages between land tenure, land degradation neutrality and integrated land-use planning, particularly its report titled “The Contribution of Integrated Land Use Planning and Integrated Landscape Management to Implementing Land Degradation Neutrality: Entry Points and Support Tools”,
Having considered document ICCD/COP(15)19 and the conclusions contained therein,
1. Encourages Parties to continue integrating land tenure, in line with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security principles and the recommendations outlined in decision 26/COP.14, in the implementation of activities to combat desertification/land degradation and drought and achieve land degradation neutrality;
2. Also encourages Parties to refer to the technical guide on the integration of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security into the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and land degradation neutrality and undertake appropriate measures outlined in the pathways therein to address legitimate land tenure rights in the context of national plans, legal frameworks, strategies and action programmes to enhance the implementation of the Convention;
3. Invites Parties to review their plans and activities to combat desertification/land degradation and drought and to proactively collect data on legitimate land tenure rights in priority areas of voluntary land degradation neutrality plans;
4. Encourages Parties to host inclusive and participatory national level dialogues on the implementation of decision 26/COP.14, building on all forms of available knowledge, including data generated by people in vulnerable and marginalized situations, including Indigenous peoples and local communities, those living in rural areas, women, youth, and persons with disabilities;
5. Also encourages Parties to partner with civil society organizations and all relevant actors to strengthen their engagement with vulnerable populations, including Indigenous peoples and local communities, those living in rural areas, women, youth, and persons with disabilities, to support the implementation of decision 26/COP.14;
6. Invites Parties, civil society organizations and other United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification stakeholders, where appropriate, to raise awareness on the importance of responsible land governance for combating desertification/land degradation and drought, building on the awareness-raising options paper titled “Land rights matter for people and the planet”;
7. Also invites developed country Parties, other Parties in a position to do so, relevant United Nations entities, international financial organizations, and private sector institutions to consider providing financial and technical support to design and implement land administration systems to improve the responsible governance of tenure in accordance with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security principles;
8. Further invites Parties to explore ways to integrate land tenure information into their capacity development efforts and data analytic tools for evidence-based decision-making to support land degradation neutrality implementation through integrated land-use planning, informed as appropriate by the Group on Earth Observations Land Degradation Neutrality Initiative, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Committee on World Food Security and other relevant stakeholders;
9. Invites the secretariat, within its scope and mandate and subject to financial resources, and financial partners to provide, upon request, support to Parties in order to implement a land tenure strategy and action plan;
10. Requests the secretariat and the Global Mechanism, subject to available resources, to continue their efforts to integrate land tenure into the implementation of the Convention and land degradation neutrality initiatives, and specifically to:
(a) Further develop specific guidance and exchange lessons learned, through national consultations in selected countries across regions, to assist Parties on the ways and means to integrate land tenure into land degradation neutrality, such as targets, plans, projects and programmes on desertification/land degradation and drought;
(b) Identify financing opportunities to strengthen land governance and build a business case for responsible and sustainable public and private investments in land tenure within the context of activities to combat desertification/land degradation and drought, in collaboration with relevant partners and financing institutions, in line with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security and social and environmental safeguards, and particularly taking into consideration the perspectives of Indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth, and communicate these financing opportunities to Parties;
(c) Implement awareness-raising actions on responsible land governance for combating desertification/land degradation and drought, and engage with Parties, civil society organizations, other United Nations organizations and other key partners, where appropriate, to have the widest reach among all stakeholders from global to local level, and particularly among people in vulnerable situations, including Indigenous peoples and local communities, those living in rural areas, women, youth, and persons with disabilities;
(d) Continue exploring existing global indicators and data sets relevant to land governance and, when appropriate, engage with relevant partners and institutions to pilot options to integrate potential indicators in future United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification reporting processes, with a view to avoiding duplication of reporting efforts and ensuring the widest reach among different national contexts;
11. Also requests the secretariat to:
(a) Present a report on the implementation efforts relevant to this decision at the 21st session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention;
(b) Present a report on policy issues relevant to this decision to the Conference of the Parties at its sixteenth session.
