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On Saturday, September 28, 2013, the countries attending the eleventh Conference of Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Land Degradation and Desertification have agreed on a final document that will move the implementation of the Convention forward. After two weeks of intense negotiations, accompanied by consultations with the CSO community, private sector representatives and international observer organizations, the COP has issued a number of concrete recommendations to address global land degradation and desertification challenges. The approved text highlights the GEF report on past activities in support of the UNCCD implementation, and provides technical and policy guidance for the coming years. In short, the guidance received contains the following key elements:
- Donors to the sixth replenishment of the GEF were invited to strive for a robust replenishment of resources, including for the Land Degradation Focal Area;
- GEF was invited to continue its efforts to inform and build the capacity of eligible country Parties through enabling activities for NAP alignment and reporting to the UNCCD;
- Capacity building was emphasized as an important area for GEF support, including in relation to monitoring land degradation at multiple scales, and the potential for utilizing resources from the GEF Capacity Development program; and
- Private sector opportunities to generate multiple global environmental benefits and improve livelihoods should be considered by eligible countries in projects and programmes.
The GEF delegation at this conference has been actively participating in official events of the CRIC, of the CST, and the COP plenary as well as contributed to numerous side events and regional working groups. (see list of side events)
At the high-level segment of the COP, the GEF CEO Naoko Ishii delivered an inspiring keynote address in which she urged delegates to break silos and to harness the synergies between the conventions in tackling the pressing global environmental problems. This message was included in a decision by the COP on the follow-up to the Rio+20 Conference.
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Dr. Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO & Chairperson (second right) is engaging in a Q&A session with Rio Pavilion Participants at UNCCD COP 11
Being a core partner of the Rio Conventions Pavilion since 2010, the GEF on September 23rd organized a full day of sessions on it’s sustainable land management portfolio, led by the GEF CEO Naoko Ishii and Mohamed Bakarr as the Land Degradation focal area coordinator. Nine more side events throughout the duration of the Rio Pavilion were held by the GEF in partnership with its agencies and attended by several hundred participants. (see Rio Pavilion events as reported by ENB)
The GEF delegates also met individually with donors and beneficiaries of the GEF trust fund and facilitated dialogues on flexibility, access and implementation of GEF funding. As the 6th replenishment negotiations continue in full throttle, partners used this opportunity to be briefed on GEF-6 strategies and to comment on the envisaged signature programs that are under consideration for addressing environmental problems with systemic solutions, in particular the one dedicated to enhancing food security in GEF eligible countries by ensuring the flow of vital ecosystem services and promoting sustainable land management. (Replenishment documents)
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Explaining the GEF partnership and improving understanding of its functioning are a key task for GEF delegates at COPs. Apart from exchanges with national delegations, the CSOs and scientific experts at the margins of the COP, the GEF launched new communications products to support the outreach efforts such as a publication on the 20 years experience in financing food security and ecosystem services, and a new analytical map of GEF investments in Africa.
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Presentation of the new synthesis map on GEF investments in Africa over the last 20 years, by Jean-Marc Sinnassamy and Mohamed Bakarr, at the UNCCD COP11
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GEF Booth at the UNCCD COP11 Exhibition
Last but not least, this COP marked the end of Luc Gnacadja’s second term at the realm of the UNCCD Secretariat. A newly appointed UNCCD Executive Secretary, the former GEF CEO Monique Barbut, will initiate her term on October 1st. The COP also welcomed Turkey as the host country for the UNCCD COP12 to be held in 2015.
See the final UNCCD press release here