A. Update on the implementation of the voluntary land degradation neutrality targets and related implementation efforts
The Conference of the Parties,
Noting the cross-sectoral role of land and Sustainable Development Goal 15, Welcoming with appreciation the support provided by the secretariat, the Global Mechanism and relevant partners to effectively assist countries in their voluntary land degradation neutrality target-setting processes and related implementation efforts, as well as knowledge-sharing, including through the UNCCD Knowledge Hub and capacity-building efforts;
Acknowledging with appreciation the financial resources mobilized to date in order to support Parties’ work on voluntary land degradation neutrality target-setting and related implementation efforts, including numerous bilateral and multilateral initiatives and relevant financing windows, as well as the support provided by the secretariat, the Global Mechanism and technical partners to facilitate access to these financial resources,
Stressing the importance of voluntary land degradation neutrality targets and related implementation efforts as a key contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to achieving increased coherence and greater synergies with other relevant ongoing processes,
Highlighting the importance of mainstreaming large-scale land restoration and science-based monitoring as implementation efforts in terms of realizing voluntary land degradation neutrality targets as well as increasing capacity-building support at both national and regional level, particularly relating to the development of national land degradation neutrality monitoring and decision-support systems that use the best available data, including access to high-resolution data on land degradation neutrality indicators,
Noting the need to strengthen the capacity of the Global Mechanism and to increase the resources available in order to meet the steady demand for voluntary land degradation neutrality target-setting or refinement and support the development of a pipeline of transformative projects and programmes to help country Parties access relevant financing sources and provide related capacity-building and knowledge-sharing support,
1. Requests the Global Mechanism and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, within their respective mandates and subject to the availability of financial resources, and in collaboration with relevant financial and technical partners in a position to do so, to:
(a) Continue supporting voluntary land degradation neutrality target-setting processes and encourage country Parties to review and refine their voluntary land degradation neutrality targets and promote their adoption at a high political level;
(b) Further develop training and capacity-building support at both national and regional level, particularly related to (i) land degradation neutrality assessment, data collection, monitoring and national reporting; and (ii) the development of national land degradation neutrality monitoring and decision-support systems that use the best available data, building on relevant existing platforms and initiatives such as Trends.Earth, the performance review and assessment of implementation system and the Group on Earth Observations Land Degradation Neutrality Initiative;
(c) Assist country Parties in developing the necessary tools to translate the voluntary land degradation neutrality targets into concrete actions, increasing efficiency in the deployment of existing financial resources, building greater synergy with relevant processes, identifying innovative resources for implementation, and promoting the development of large-scale national, multi-country and subregional transformative projects and programmes thus ensuring a geographical balance;
(d) Provide further support to country Parties to improve and accelerate the preparation and development of gender-responsive, viable transformative projects and programmes that jointly address desertification/land degradation and drought and increase knowledge-sharing among countries and partners;
2. Invites developed country Parties, and all other Parties and partners in position to do so, to increase financial and technical resources specifically dedicated to the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in order to bridge the current financing gap and scale up Convention implementation activities related to desertification/land degradation and drought;
2. Gender
Noting that desertification/land degradation and drought has disproportionate impacts on women and that the COVID-19 pandemic is further exacerbating inequalities, especially among women and other vulnerable groups,
Recognizing the importance of gender equality in combatting desertification/land degradation and drought and emphasizing that women and girls need to be included and participate in the development and implementation of policies, projects and programmes to address desertification/land degradation and drought,
Acknowledging that awareness-raising and capacity-building on gender and the full integration of gender into the Convention is a cross-cutting issue that involves, inter alia, gender-responsive decision-making, the collection of sex- and age-disaggregated data, and the promotion of gender-responsive sustainable land management best practices,
Welcoming the efforts of the secretariat and the Global Mechanism to enhance the gender-responsiveness of the Convention and its implementation, including the first Gender Caucus at the fourteenth session of the Conference of the Parties and the success of the Gender Caucus in promoting gender issues in decisions as well as mainstreaming gender concerns into concept notes of land degradation neutrality transformative projects and programmes,
1. Requests the secretariat and the Global Mechanism to continue their efforts to:
(a) Effectively integrate gender equality into the structure and function of the Convention and its bodies;
(b) Assist Parties by providing guidance through virtual workshops and, subject to the availability of financial resources, in-person capacity-building on mainstreaming gender equality to address all aspects of desertification/land degradation and drought and enhance progress towards achieving voluntary national land degradation neutrality targets;
