(4th Meeting) Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention - UNCCD COP17

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Distinguished delegates, please take your seat.
And the Group I'm sorry.
Just to interrupt you, we do not have a translation currently, so I will ask you to stop for a minute so we can solve the issue, and I will ask you to start again.
Very sorry.
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Apparently, the translation is back on.
I'm very sorry, Morocco, but can you please start your statement on behalf of the African group again.
Merci.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, it's an honor for me to speak on behalf of the African group and to express my thanks to the Secretariat of the Convention, as well as all technical and financial partners for the support of African countries in the fight against land degradation and drought.
The issue of financing remains a key issue for the effective implementation of the convention.
African countries on several occasions have underscored the need to significantly increase funding, both regionally as well as nationally.
This mobilization is key to realize transformative projects and to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030.
The African group of negotiators believes that current financing which has been mobilized remains insufficient given the extent of the issues.
According to an assessment recently carried out by the global mechanism, only about 25% of the funding necessary to achieve goals have been mobilized.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates.
The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties is being held at a key point in time.
The last reporting strategic framework highlights the fact that land degradation is progressing at a concerning rate with over 100 million hectas of healthy land, which is lost every year 2015-2019.
Achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030 requires the restoration of about 1.5 billion degraded land.
Drought is increasing in intensity and is more widespread with significant consequences in economic, social, and environmental terms.
This trend highlights the urgency of stepping up collective action.
Cop 17 must therefore be a true driver to reflect our commitments into specific actions, supported by necessary financial means.
Against that backdrop, the African group would like to raise a fundamental question, does our convention truly have a financial mechanism to live up to the challenges that we face? From our standpoint, the financial architecture at the present time remains insufficiently adapted to the extent of needs.
Firstly, the global mechanism is a mechanism to mobilize resources, mainly based on voluntary contributions, the amount of which and the timelines are often unpredictable, which makes it difficult for long term planning.
Secondly, the land degradation neutrality fund, which is aimed at the private sector primarily and focused on Loan mechanisms has in fact made headway, but its potential has not been able to meet the extent of needs.
Thirdly, The globalization of interventions for the mechanism has not enabled the land restoration program to benefit from funding in line with needs.
It is therefore necessary to further bolster taking into account land degradation in these financing mechanisms.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, faced with this finding, the EffN Group would like to stress the need to significantly strengthen the mobilization of financial resources for land restoration and the fight against drought.
In that respect, We would call to draft and implement a genuine strategy for the mobilization of resources, together with clear cut financial objectives with a precise timeline to set up mechanisms to combat drought so as to have a better adapted financial mechanism to the needs of states parties, strengthen cooperation with the global environmental fund so as to increase the funds earmarked to land restoration and ensure the formal involvement of focal points of the UNCCD in relevant governance processes, strengthen and formalize collaboration with the Green Fund for the climate so as to better mobilize climate resources in order to restore land and to fight against drought, bolster the involvement of the private sector and create the necessary conditions to promote investment on a large scale in land restoration, resilience, and the fight against desertification.
The African group remains convinced that the fight against land degradation, desertification, and drought is an investment for our collective future.
Therefore, we call upon for strengthened, predictable, lasting financing to meet the needs that we face.
CP 17 must make it possible to move on to the next stage and to translate political commitments into specific actions accompanied by the necessary financial resources.
The African group reaffirms its full willingness to constructively contribute to this process and together with all parties and partners work towards obtaining the goals of the convention.
I thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, distinguished Representative of Morocco and Sao again for the technical difficulties.
I will the floor to the representative of the European Union.
The European Union, you have the floor.
Chair, distinguished delegates and representatives, and speaking on behalf of the European Union and its member states.
The European Union and its member states thank the global mechanism for preparing the report on the progress made in the mobilization of resources for the implementation of the Convention and Sustainable Development Goal 15.3 months, as well as the facilitation of the involvement of the private sector.
We find this document very useful.
We welcome the efforts of the global mechanism to work on innovative approaches with various projects successfully delivering a proof of concept or approach while proving attractive to the private sector.
We encourage the global mechanism to continue such activities.
We also highlight and support the need to mobilize resources from all sources, including public and private flows.
In particular, for private finance, more needs to be done and enhance working with multilateral development banks and international financial institutions.
We underlined the need to mobilize financing from all sources, public and private, domestic and international, including through innovative financing tools in line with the UN CCD financial needs assessment.
To this end, we encourage a global mechanism to identify financing opportunities to support affected parties to develop robust, comprehensive resource mobilization strategies, including the repurposing of the environmentally harmful subsidies contributing to desertification, land degradation, and drought.
The integration of land degradation, neutrality, and drought resilience objectives, international and subnational fiscal frameworks and development plans.
The scaling of performance based instruments such as sustainability linked bonds and loans, the expansion of blended finance to de risk private investment, and the recognition of land and growth resilience as a strategic asset class by development finance institutions building on the multilateral development banks common nature financed economy.
Chair, distinguished delegates and representatives, thank you for your attention.
Thank you very much, Distinguished representative of the European Union.
I now give the floor to the representative of Argentina.
Argentina, you have the floor.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Good evening to everybody.
Good morning.
Republic of Argentina.
Is in favor of strengthening access to financing for middle income countries through streamlining prerequisites for access and strengthening capacities for preparation of projects.
Argentina therefore highlights the importance that the program approach preserves national ownership, the so called country ownership.
As providing effective leadership from the country in identifying priorities, decision making, and planning resources so that initiatives can respond to policies, needs, and national circumstances and be coordinated by national, the relevant national institutions.
Republic of Argentina would like to ask two questions.
First of all, we need more clarity with respect to With respect to resources and financing modalities provided to expand the program, in particular for countries whose star assistance for land degradation is limited.
In the case of Argentina, the assignation for the four years of the GEF is up to $1.05 million.
Therefore, we'd like clarity as to when it comes to support in reaching LDN targets and the integration within national planning, will it be financed through national star allocations, global resources, or regional resources or other resource outside the star? The second question is related to the fact that Argentina is one of the 18 members of the gnTSp dot or.
Beyond a program for establishing LDN targets.
Version 2.0 Argentina requests greater clarity with respect to resources and financing modalities provided to ensure continuity in implementation of processes initiated in the 18 participating countries.
I'd be very grateful if you can answer those questions and thank you and I thank you.
Thank you very much, Distinguished Representative of Argentina.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Syrian Arab Republic.
You have the floor.
Cedar.
Thank you, Mr.
Chair.
Madam Chair, we are among the vulnerable countries that were subject to wars that lasted for more than one decade which had an impact on the people's capacity to be resilient.
This has also reduced our national capacity to deal with the climate challenges.
Syria reiterates that the period of recovery and reconstruction we are going through nowadays requires an exceptional international commitment.
In this context, we reiterate the statement of the priorities of recovery launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March in cooperation with UN agencies This is a national reference to organize our partnership with the international community and to determine the sectors that are most in need of assistance.
After adopting our land degradation program and linking it to SDGs, we look forward to seeing Syria among the priority countries that benefit from support, from new NCCD, global mechanisms, GEF, and others, especially as we enter the second phase of LDN TSP two, and also at the level of national programs in line with support provided to other countries going through similar conditions of recovery and reconstruction.
Thank you, Mr.
Chair.
Thank you very much to the distinguished representative of the Syrian Arab Republic.
And I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Brazil.
Brazil, you have the floor.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Before my reflections on the resource mobilization and financing, I just want to indicate as a general matter that we would welcome more clarity on the format of the plenary sessions of Re Creek.
For instance, yesterday session on resource mobilization, there was a panel which we believe that would be much more suitable for discussion in a side event than a clique plenary.
I think we need further reflection on how we are dealing with those plenary since we anticipate very lengthy discussions and negotiations and we will need more time in the contact group.
So I think it deserves some merits to understand how we could move forward on that.
Now, going back to my statement, first, Libers would like to fully support the intervention made by the Din colleague of Morocco in the sense that we think there are many commonalities with our position endures.
Well, Brazil considers mobilization to be central to the effective implementation of the convention.
The scale of the challenge requires a level of ambition commensurate with the financial needs identified by the conventions on assessment.
The financial needs assessments estimate that approximately 355 billion per year will be required 2015-2030 while projected investments amount to only 77 billion annually, resulting in a financial gap of 278 billion per year.
Current investments would therefore need to increase by approximately 3.5 times to close this gap.
Against this backdrop, Brazil is deeply concerned by the scales of resources currently available through the global environmental facility, the financial mechanism of the convention.
The approximately 440 allocated to the land degradation for core area for the entire F nine cycle represent less than 0.2% of the financial gaps identified for a single year.
The stark contracts underscore the need for substantial increase in the public of international finance for the implementation of the convention.
Brazil therefore stresses the importance of recalling the commitments of developed country parties under Article 6 and 20 of the Convention to mobilize substantial, adequate, timely, and predictable financial resources, including grants and concessional financing.
We also emphasize that private and philanthropic finance should complement and not substitute for public international finance and commitments under the Convention.
Private finance cannot be expected to mobilize the necessary scale in the absence of adequate public finance.
Private investors are guided by risk return considerations and will generally be reluctant to invest where risks are high, returns and uncertainties or investments horizons are long.
These conditions are particularly common in actions to combat desertification and land degradation and to mitigate the fate of drought.
Public finance is therefore essential to reduce risks, establish enabling legal and regulatory frameworks, prepare viable projects, and create conditions for private capital to be mobilized at scale.
Public finance is therefore essential not only as a source of funding in its own right, but also to create the conditions that make private investment possible, including for guarantees, concessional finance, technical assistance, project preparation, risk sharing instruments, and the establishment of appropriate legal regulatory institutional frameworks.
In this regard, public finance should not be understood merely as one additional source of capital, but as a fundamental enabler and catalyst for private investment.
Without adequate public resources, many projects addressing desertification, land degradation, and route, we remain unable to reach financial financial closer and the private sector will neither sufficient risk mitigation or the necessary enable environment to invest at the required scale.
This is precisely why private and sorry.
This is precisely why private and philanthropic finance should complement and not substitute for the public international finance commitments established under the convention.
The convention itself requires developed country parties to mobilize substantial financial resources, including grants and concessional loans while accounting for mobilization of private sector resources as a complementary avenue.
Brazil further supports the strengthening of the global mechanism as an effective platform to facilitate access to finance, project preparation, and resource mobilization, particularly for developing countries.
Against this backdrop background, Brazil considers the current draft decision for the resource mobilization extremely insufficient and thus unacceptable.
Its basis is fundamentally insufficient to respond to scale of financing challenge identified by the convention itself.
The draft does not adequately reflect the magnitude of the financial gap, does not provide sufficient ambitious response in terms of public international finance and does not adequately recall the commitments of developing country parties under the convention.
It also risks placing undue emphasis on private and philanthropic finance without ensuring that such resources are additional do not substitute for public international finance.
In Brazil's view, a decision that fails to address these fundamental elements would not provide adequate basis for effective implementation of the convention, particularly in developing country parties.
Finally, Brazil calls for substantial, more ambitious approach to resource mobilization, grounded in the convention, its legal establishment commitments, the financial needs identified by its own assessments, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
The decision must provide a credible response to the scale of the challenge and ensure developing country parties have access to adequate additional predictable and sustainable means of implementation.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, distinguished delegates from Brazil.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of China.
China, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
With regard to the mobilization of resources and SDG 15.3, China would like to recommend that regional technical centers be given an active role to assist developing countries in identifying data gaps, conducting LDN assessments, and developing implementable land restoration projects.
Okay.
Also recommend incorporating cially explicit LDN targets, integrated land use planning, and dynamic decision support tools into the entire project preparation process.
Furthermore, we recommend that we should use high resolution remote sensing and long term time series data to enhance the reliability of project baselines, restoration potential, and outcome verification with the aim of improving the bankability of projects and the transparency of fund utilization.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, Distinguished representative of China.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Montenegro.
Montenegro, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, Montenegro would like to thank the global mechanism for the report and for its continued efforts to strengthen resource mobilization for the implementation of the convention.
We would like to highlight one practical aspect that, in our view, deserves further attention, the link between national priorities and available financing.
Countries may have clear priorities, strategies and in place, but this does not necessarily mean that they are able to access the financial resources needed for their implementation.
The process of identifying the right financing opportunity, approaching the relevant fund or implementing agency, and developing a project proposal that meets specific financing requirements can be challenging.
We therefore see value in strengthening the practical links between countries financing mechanisms and implementing agencies.
This could help help countries better match their priorities with available financing windows and importantly, move from initial project concept to a proposal that has a realistic chance of being financed.
We would also like to emphasize this point in relation to drought resilience.
Developing national drought plans is an important step, but the real challenge is ensuring the resources required for their implementation.
We encourage further efforts to mobilize additional resources, connect countries with relevant financing mechanisms and implementing partners so that drought plans can be translated into concrete investment projects, including in areas such as preparedness, early warning, resilience, and risk reduction.
In this context, Montenegro sees the continued development of country and multi country project pipelines as particularly important.
Stronger engagement between countries, the global mechanisms, financial institutions, and implementing agencies can help bridge the gap between national planning and actual investment on the ground.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Montenegro.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burundi.
Burundi, you have the floor.
Mercy.
Thank you.
Madam Chair.
Burundi supports the statement made by Morocco on behalf of the African Group for Burundi.
The main challenge is not just lack of available resources, but also the capacity to transform needs into bankable projects, mobilize more national resources, access international finance mechanisms, attract private investment, develop public private partnerships, coordinate financing with biodiversity and climate financing, ensure follow up of resources to be a and ensure proper spending.
The COP should therefore take substantive decisions to mobilize significant additional investment to achieve the LDN targets by 2030 for the developing countries and establish clear accessible financing mechanism.
That mobilization will depend access to international financing mechanisms with particular attention to blended financing for productive restoration of lands, restoration of forests, and river basins, as well as in water financing mechanisms.
The COP should also address on financial plant seeking and also focus on specific projects.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Distinguished representative of Burundi.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Yemen.
Yemen, you have the floor.
Good morning, everyone.
I would like to thank you, Madam Chair, and also to thank Mongolia, the government and its people for the warm hospitality and excellent organization.
This is an indication of the level of success that will be achieved following this conference.
Regarding Yemen, I conveyed to you the greetings of Yemen Yemeni people, Yemeni government.
I would like to give you an overview of the challenges we face, major challenges due to desertification, land degradation, climate change, and scarcity of water resources, and we are facing real challenges in terms of food security.
Yemen has been unable to face this challenge because of the conflict in Yemen and because also of the climate change challenges and the vulnerability of infrastructure, as well as the weak preventative mechanisms to face the challenges that are leading to the scarcity of water land degradation, as well as typhoons and storms that are hitting our coastal cities and having an impact on our fisheries.
We are receiving some funding through private sector or GEF, or the Saudi Program or the World Bank or the German government or the Dutch government.
We are working also with international organizations such as the FAO WFAP and others.
But we are facing a problem to receive funding from climate funds because of unaccessible funding channels.
Many projects in the field of combating desertification are through climate funds.
That's why we call upon you to support Yemen to face all these challenges pertaining to desertification, land degradation, and drought.
Thank you.
As well as depletion of water resources.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Equatorial Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea, you have the floor.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Ectorial Guinea, on behalf of the group to comb desertification and drought in Africa.
We support fully the statement made by Morocco on behalf of the African group.
Madam Chair.
Delegates.
A Sa region reaffirms its commitment to the CCD.
We have a sub regional program to fight desertification, drought, and land degradation in Central Africa.
That action program is aligned with the ten year strategies for countries in our sub region.
We have national programs, and also we have set our LDN targets.
We've made progress also when it comes to various themes.
In our development policies.
Therefore, mobilization of financial resources is crucial if we're to properly execute those activities on the ground.
Therefore, we urge the financial mechanisms such as the Green Fund for the climate, the Jeff, et cetera, to help countries in terms of access to information regarding the convening and the priorities that they have for effective access to financing as to reduce the complexity and bureaucracy that exists in various finance access mechanisms that we countries that have suffered land degradation and drought have to work with.
We also highlight the Business for Life Initiative, before L to expand its coverage in terms of its interventions around the world.
That initiative, for example, could be important at the Central Africa sub regional level in order to launch attainment of the LDN targets and also help to create green jobs for youth and for women.
We also urge the fund the Resilience Fund and other mechanisms to establish early warning systems at country level.
I thank you.
Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Equatorial Guinea.
I will now give the floor to UNDP, which will be speaking from the microphone 266.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
It's a pleasure for UNDP to take the floor to give an update on progress made in the mobilization of resources for the implementation of the convention and specifically an update on our ongoing collaboration with the UNCCD Global mechanism.
This collaboration, we have contributed to strengthening the integration of the NCCD priorities such as LDM, gender and inclusion, and innovative finance for land degradation neutrality in programming for ecosystem restoration and sustainable land management and range lands, small island developing states and conflict affected countries.
Through targeted studies and technical assessments, the collaboration is supporting country projects in Angola, Cambodia, Mali, Mongolia, Peru, Sierra Leone, Uzbekistan, among others.
And through regional programming on transboundary River Basin management in Southern Africa, as well as programs in small island developing states, including to support deployment of micro grants for civil society organizations to strengthen the integration of gender, innovative finance in the implementation of the UNCCD and other mass trans environmental agreements across diverse ecosystems and landscapes.
Part of our support to countries and communities to implement the convention, UNDP connects LDN targets to broader development work at the country level, including countries integrated national financing frameworks to strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through public budgets, and we continue to work with governments to strengthen the enabling environment for unlocking domestic private finance, including through de risking mechanisms and to transform finance to deliver on the goals of SDG 15.3.
Look forward to continuing our collaboration with the UNCCD global mechanism, the GF, as the financial mechanism for the convention and governments and communities and other partners across the world to address land degradation, desertification and drought.
Thank you.
Thank you very much to the representative of UNDP.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Haiti.
Haiti, you have the floor.
Madam President.
Madam Chair.
Thanks to technical support from the, we're able to contribute and implementing commitments under the CCD.
And an international assistance that's helped our efforts to combat desertification.
L and degradation hampers sustainable development and undermines food security, provision of services by agro systemystems and living conditions of populations.
It's a problem that's both local, regional and global that affects both arid areas as well as others, especially in Haiti.
That degradation reduces access to water Many of the population still don't have safe access to potable water, and many have no insufficient sanitation.
Vgital cover is low.
Now the lack of updated data means that we can't exactly estimate the exact figure.
In Haiti, Droughts have reached a historic level, affecting millions of people, 62% of the whole population.
According to the latest data from the food security classification data, more than half of Haitians face heightened food insecurity.
Among them, 1 million people are in situations of an urgent situation immediately prior to famine, this crisis has led to an explosion of malnutrition, particularly among women and children in Haiti.
The crisis of IDPs has reached a historic threshold due to the escalation of violence by armed gangs with the fighting over the state structures.
Thank you.
Thank you, Distinguished delegates of Haiti.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Shane Vincent and the Grenadines.
You have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The government of St.
Vincent and Gardens is grateful for the contributions made to the international funding mechanisms such as Jeff and the GCF, which enable productive and critical interventions in small island developed states such as ours.
St.
Vincent and the Grenadines is highly vulnerable to multiple hazards, including dry periods, hurricanes, and volcanic activity.
International funding therefore plays a critical role in strengthening our resilience and advancing sustainable development.
Such support not only enables the restoration of degraded lands and contributes to our efforts to achieve land degradation neutrality targets, but more importantly, it generates tangible socioeconomic benefits for our people.
These investments support sustainable livelihoods, strengthen rural communities, and enhance their capacity to withstand and recover from multiple impacts of climate related and other environmental hazards.
Support to regional mechanisms such as the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management is also critical.
These mechanisms strengthen the capacity of Caribbean small island developing states to meet their obligations under the UN CCD, while allowing us to address our shared environmental and developmental challenges collectively.
However, the reduction in available funding forces us to think harder, realign our priorities, and make difficult choices about what limited resources can have the greatest impact.
For countries such as St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, every dollar invested in sustainable land management is an investment not only in our environment, but also in our people, our food systems, our rural economies, and the resilience of future generations.
We therefore urge the international partners to recognize the unique vulnerabilities of small island developing states and to ensure that financing mechanisms remain accessible, predictable, and responsive to our particular circumstances.
We must ensure that the reduction in available resources do not translate into reductions in our ambition.
Rather, they must encourage us to strengthen partnerships, improve coordination, leverage every available resource to achieve sustainable land management and land degradation neutrality.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Distinguished representative of St.
Vincent and the Gradenines.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic, you have the floor.
Thank you, Chair.
The Dominican Republic would like to thank the global mechanism for the work and efforts undertaken during this Venum to strengthen resource mobilization and facilitate access to financial mechanism for the implementation of the convention.
As we have highlighted in the previous sessions, adequate and predictable means of implementations are essential to translating national commitments into concrete actions.
In this regard, we consider it important to continue promoting the mobilization of financial resources from diverse sources, including contributions from parties, voluntary contributions, bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as a greater engagement of the private sector and financial institutions.
We also recognize the value of the land degradation neutrality target setting program.
The Dominican Republic participated in the first phase of this process and remains strongly interested in updating its voluntarily national land degradation neutrality targets in accordance with our national priorities and circumstances.
We understand that we are currently on the waiting list to participate in the next phase of the program.
And on this regard, or we will appreciate any information or updates that the global mechanism may wish to share on the status of the process, as well as if possible, on the next steps or expected timelines for countries in the waiting list for inclusion.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste, you have the floor.
Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates.
The delegation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste aligns itself with the statements delivered on behalf of the least developed countries and the small island de loving states.
We express our profound appreciation to the government of Mongolia for hosting this call.
For fragile Montaneous island nations, traditional environmental financial modalities often lack the structural flexibility required to address cas carrying, eliminate climate vulnerabilities.
In our geography, a single Eno induced meteorological drought can severally reverse multi year land restoration gains within a matter of weeks.
The current reliance on fragmented short term project cycles creates personal discontinuities that compromised the long sustainability of our land degradation neutrality targets.
Timor-Leste urges to prioritize the operationalization of innovative risk mitigating financial instruments.
We advocate for the expansion of blended finance framework, such as the LDN fund and the development of parametric weather indexed insurance mechanism that facilitate productive anticipatory action prior to the onset of severe ecological shocks.
In this context, the government of Timor-Leste enthusiastically welcomes future bilateral multilateral partnership, technical exchange, and international access into the UNCCD Global Mechanism Fund and FS programs deployments aims at comprehensively addressing land degradation, drought, and desertification within Asia Pacific and Timor-Leste in particular.
We stand fully prepared to co design and scale target driven initiative that align global capital with local impact.
Furthermore, we call for the swift implementation of the EFS mandate during direct financial allocation to local communities.
Streamlining these resources by bypassing unnecessary administrative bottlenecks is essential to empower local governance structures.
In Timor-Leste, our environmental governance is anchored in Tabandu a highly effective, customary legal framework that ensures community enforced natural resource management by integrating global financial mechanism within indigenous local community institutional legitimacy and guaranteeing predictable, continuous capital pipelines, we can transform blend degradation neutrality from a policy aspiration into a resilient reality on the ground.
I thank you Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, Distinguished Representative of Timor-Leste.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
On behalf of the government of Zimbabwe, I wish to highlight that the convention remains relevant in addressing policy gaps, integrated land use planning, and project development around sound land, forestry and drought management.
Zimbwe have means that it is critically important to support parties in undertaking appropriate technology needs assessment for the implementation of the national drought plans, sustainable land management frameworks, and other UNCCD related strategies in order to strengthen the transfer and acquisition of technology for the implementation of the convention, particularly in developing countries.
Financial resources available for the implementation of the convention remain inadequate and increasingly misaligned with the core objective of reducing desertification, land degradation in challenges parties face.
It is my appeal for Cp 17 to consider decisions which promote increased technical and financial support for convention implementation so as to keep pace with the rapidly growing investment requirements resulting in a persistent and widening financing gap from the national and global support to land restoration.
Based on the seriousness of the challenges parties are experiencing, the government of Zimbabwe equally supports the establishment of a dedicated and predictable funding windows for land and drought mechanism to support integrated land restoration, drought resilience, sustainable land management, and climate resilient livelios with simplified access and predominantly gland based findings, I submit, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, distinguished delegates of Zimbabwe.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Dibouti.
Dibouti, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
First and foremost, we fully aligned with the statement made by the African group and would like to thank the global mechanism for its detailed and insightful report on the mobilization of resources.
Madam Chair, the report highlights a diagnosis that we share unreservedly the shortcoming in financing for LDN in the face of drought is not specific, it is structural.
The needs run into millions of dollars per year by 2030.
When genuine investment basically covers one fifth, the cost of inaction means that we are also facing a deficit of millions of dollars every year.
And damaged is caused by drought, but each dollar invested in restoration is important.
What we need is profitability of investment and ambition.
These are missing.
125 countries are invested in restoring millions of hectres and we need collective funding to do this.
This must retain the attention of this committee.
We have over 600,000 hectas which are in need of funding.
This, of course, entails the future of our populations.
On this basis, may I develop three priorities.
Firstly, the nature of financing.
My delegation supports the transformative approach set out in the recommendation to make the policy more favorable to land, to gradually reorient mechanisms, develop blended funding, and consider land degradation as a real category, which should be part of a strategic framework.
May I add My voice to dry land countries, such as is the case for many developing countries.
None of the innovation can produce the effects or the resources required because these are not accessible.
We call for consensus based financing and simplified procedures because we need to take into account the low weak ability of our countries.
Drought in the Horn of Africa is not an abstract threat.
It looms over the lives of our communities and year after year endangers their existence.
Dibbouti supports the initiatives to transform the initiatives into real investment plans.
We look forward to the effective implementation of the global partnership of RID for resilience in the face of drought as well as the investment mechanisms supporting it.
Lastly, we very much hope that these instruments will become operational and be truly open to dry vulnerable countries, arid countries.
We also call upon a number of initiatives to happen which can help our farmers to deal with climate change.
The drafting of projects at this International Year of pastoralists and rangelands, my delegation particularly welcomes new flagship programs on range lands.
These are not marginal lands.
Our pastoral communities depend on them.
Dibouti encourages the Great Green Wall and welcomes the quality of the report so that efforts are fully taken in terms of investment flows and we hope to be able to mobilize partnership to draw up projects so as to transform our national priorities in terms of restoration into solid projects which are ready to be funded by the Global Environment facility, the Green Climate Fund.
Madam Chair, the transformation of financing that this report sets out is necessary.
And has already begun.
It means that we need ongoing political will, attention from all bodies such as those in arid and least developed countries are exposed to.
On that basis, Dbbouti supports the recommendations put forward in this document.
I thank you.
Thank you, Distinguished representative of Dibbouti.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Iraq.
Iraq, you have the floor.
Such.
Thank you, Madam Chair, ladies and gentlemen.
The Republic of Iraq reaffirms its full commitment under the UN CCD, and we affirm that shifting from reactiveness to proactive and sustainable investment is the sole choice before us today.
And deterioration does not represent a transient phenomenon.
It is a threat to our sustainability and stability.
This is why we have to provide fair and equitable financing and transfer technology.
We call for the following.
First, facilitate the measures and bureaucratic aspects of access to financing.
Second, combat desertification with greater and more sustainable funding, and thirdly, to prioritize transboundary projects to combat sandstorms.
Fourthly, ensure concessional lending and funding and ensure that there are clear indicators in measuring the land restoration efforts.
And we wish for positive outcomes out of this COP in such a way as to serve all of our agenda items.
Thank you.
Thank you very much distinguished representative of Iraq.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Fiji.
Fiji, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Fiji stands on the front line of climate emergency.
For us, land degradation, coastal erosion, and soil water intrusions are not abstract metrics.
They create daily disruptions to our biodiversity, food security, and rural livelihoods.
Achieving land degradation neutrality under SDT 15.3 is central to our survival.
While we acknowledge the documented global progress in the source of mobilization, Fiji highlights with deep concern the persistent barriers that we encounter.
The compounding shocks of recent years have left vulnerable economies facing severe fiscal constraints and high debt burdens.
This drastically limits our capacity to finance sustainable land management out of national budget.
PG remains firmly committed to restoring our land, but we cannot walk this path alone.
We humbly request equitable, unhindered and rapid financial flows to turn our national LDN targets into realities on the ground.
I thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, Distinguished representative of Fiji.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Guatemala.
Guatemala, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Before beginning, Guatemala would like to extend its sincere thanks to the government and people of Mongolia for the warm hospitality and for the efforts made in organizing the conference of the parties.
Guatemala would like to stress the importance of acknowledging the specific feature and vulnerability of countries and regions which are highly exposed to climate change and recurring drought.
For Guatemala, this vulnerability is particularly obvious in the southern corridor in South America, where climate phenomenon such as El Nino can intensify prolonged periods of drought, irregular patterns of rainfall, and their impact on water resources and agricultural production as well as food security.
These recurring events show that drought cannot be addressed simply as an emergency once its impacts have materialized.
That is why we believe that strengthening a proactive approach based on risk management, including early warning systems, climate monitoring, and preparation, anticipation, and climate resilience to water resources are necessary.
Con Guatemala fosters the convention through various governance mechanisms and interinstitutional mechanisms and multi septoral initiatives, which make it possible to focus on scientific knowledge and local communities, risk management and land planning.
I would highlight the interinstitutional technical expert for the management of land and the National Board on restoration of forests, which coordinates actions and strengthens resilience to drought.
The same time, international efforts should recognize the various national circumstances and vulnerability levels and capacities of developing countries in particular, which are highly exposed to these phenomena and should go hand in hand with specific measures and predictable financing, strengthening technological capacity and access to climate information which is relevant.
Therefore, we support the strengthening of the implementation of the framework so as to bolster resilience to drought, ensuring at the same time that countries must adapt to their own realities and take measures.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Guatemala.
Now I will invite the distinguished representative of the Philippines to take the floor.
Philippines, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Philippines welcomes the report of the global mechanism and acknowledges its continuing efforts to support resource mobilization for the implementation of the convention and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal, target 15.3.
We recognize that countries face differing circumstances and capacities in translating national priorities into viable and investment ready programs and projects.
In this regard, we encourage the global mechanism within its mandate and in cooperation with relevant partners to continue providing country driven technical support for project development, resource mobilization, and access to appropriate financing mechanisms.
For the Philippines, support for science based sustainable land management, soil health, land restoration, proactive drought management, water resource management, and early warning systems remains important.
Financing arrangements should respond to national and local priorities and consider the needs of vulnerable and land dependent communities.
Particular attention should be given to ensuring that mobilize resources prioritize implementation on the ground so that interventions deliver tangible benefits directly to farmers and vulnerable communities.
The Philippines also recognizes the potential contribution of the private sector in complementing public and grant based resources.
Such participation should be responsible, transparent, and consistent with national policies, priorities, and applicable environmental and social safeguards.
Public and grant financing remains particularly important for interventions that deliver substantial environmental and social benefits, but may not provide immediate financial returns.
We encourage continued cooperation among the global mechanism, parties, financial institutions, development partners, and other relevant stakeholders to help translate financing opportunities into practical inclusive, transparent, and measurable actions toward land degradation, neutrality and drought resilience.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, distinguished representative of the Philippines.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Mozambique, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mozambique, first of all, would like to express its very profound gratitude to the government of Mongolia for its warm hospitality and the significant efforts undertaken to organize the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties.
Let's see.
That is to say, the United Nations Convention to combat desertification and also the global mechanism.
We would also like to sincerely thank the Secretariat of the convention for the tireless work done, its commitment and its efforts in preparing for this conference, and also its ongoing support to the parties in the implementation of the convention.
Mozambique fully supports the position put forward by the Kingdom of Morocco speaking on behalf of the African group.
And wishes to highlight the fact that for our country and for Southern Africa, the issue of financing is of paramount importance.
A high number of our population lives in rural areas and relies directly on land and farming, forests and grazland and other natural resources for its livelihoods.
Therefore, land degradation and drought are not only environmental challenges, but also pose a direct threat to the livelihoods and food security of the resilience of rural communities.
Mozambique supports the fact that financing must be appropriate, predictable, and accessible.
And above all, it must specifically go to the local communities and the land, in particular small scale farmers, women, young people as well.
Land cannot be restored without investing into the population who lives on the land and relies on it.
For Mozambique supporting rural communities means that we need to strengthen their capacities and sustainably manage land and grapple with drought as well as protect their livelihoods and build a future, which would be resilient.
Restoring land also means restoring livelihoods and assisting our communities on the African continent.
I thank you.
Thank you very much, distinguished delegate of Mob.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Chad.
Chad, you have the Madam President.
Madam Chair, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates.
On behalf of the Chadian delegation, first and foremost, I would like to express our sincerest thanks to the Mongolian government and people for their warm welcome in this beautiful city of Ulambata.
I'd also like to thank the UN CCD Secretariat.
I'd like to thank them for organizing this session.
Chad finds itself at the forefront of the devastating effects as a result of climate change and we reaffirm our full commitment to combating desertification, land degradation, and drought.
In Chad, land isn't simply an economic resource.
Our food security depends on it as well as survival of our communities and in face of the regression of Chad and the advance of the desert and the recurring nature of external droughts, our country is undertaking significant efforts to attain land degradation neutrality.
Against this backdrop, Chad is actively part of the targets and incorporates these into its national policies and local development programs.
Strengthening actions when it comes to the Great Wall Initiative for the Sahara and the Sahel undertaking major projects which focus on the integrated water resources, the restoral of ecosystems which have been degraded, and resilience in the face of drought.
However, the extent of the challenges faced exceed national capacities.
That is why Chad would like to launch an urgent appeal to the international community for simplified and increased access to climate and biodiversity financing.
These are vital to move from theoretical commitments to large scale actions on the ground, as well as the effective transfer of technology and strengthen capacities for survival.
In environmental terms, we need to have reliable data collection.
Strength and solidarity when it comes to risk management of drought and early warning is necessary.
Madam Chair, land degradation isn't a fatality in and of itself.
By restoring our land, we are restoring life, the hope, and the bat of our populations.
Chad is fully mobilized and stands together with the international community to ensure that the sustainable land management ensures peace and prosperity in the long term.
I thank you.
Thank you, distinguished delegates from Tad.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Algeia.
Algeria, you have the floor.
Can we give the floor? Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
We would like to extend our thanks to the global mechanism for this valuable report put forward before the CR.
Madam Chair, my delegation is concerned regarding the structural financial gap that was highlighted in the report.
That amounts to $278 billion annually.
It reminds that Africa is the continent that is in greatest need of financing.
Hence, we call upon the international community to meet its need to African countries to facilitate access to funding and to increase the blended financing and to work more closely with international financing institutions.
Hence, we call the global mechanisms to pursue efforts to mobilize financial and sustainable means in order to extend a hand of help to the countries in need for them to draft their own plans and policies, to enhance resilience and to face sandstorms in a manner that goes in line with their national priorities and their ability for resilience.
We stress the importance of improving institutional capacities and financial capacities of countries in order for them to expand on bankable projects, especially for the best interests of the most vulnerable.
We stress the importance of accelerating the implementation Of the global plan regarding the sandstorm as it leaves direct negative impacts on all aspects of life in our part of the world.
In conclusion, we reiterate our support to the global mechanism, and we hope that this session would lead to practical recommendations that bridge the financial gap and improve resilience by our countries to face land degradation, drought, and desertification.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Algeria.
I think we have exhausted the list of speakers under this item.
I see that the distinguished representative of Uganda would like to take the floor.
Uganda, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair and distinguished delegates.
Uganda aligns itself with a statement delivered by Morocco on behalf of the African group.
We organized that adequate, predictable and accessible finance is fundamental to translating our commitments under the conventions into action on the ground.
The persistent financing gap for combating desertification, land degradation and drought remains one of the principal constraint to achieving sustainable development goal 15, target 15.3 on land neutrality and strengthening resilience to drought.
We welcome the progress made by the global mechanism in strengthening resource mobilization, developing financing tools, supporting country led investment pipelines, and facilitating engagement with the private sector.
However, the financing gap remains a major constraint to implementation.
Uganda therefore calls for financial architecture that is adequate, predictable, accessible, additional and responsive to the circumstances of affected developing country parties with particular attention to African countries.
There is need to strengthen access to existing multilateral financing mechanisms, access requirements, co financing conditions, and project development procedures should be more accessible to countries with limited institutional and financial capacity.
We recognize the need to increase grant and concessional financing for restoration and drought resilience.
We encourage financial institutions and involvement partners to increase the availability of grants and concessional finance, guarantees, and other risk sharing instruments for sustainable land management in line with Article 21 of the convention, which calls for maximizing the availability of funding for affected developing country parties, particularly those in Africa and promote multi multiple source financing approaches.
We call for strengthening of country ownership and national financing mechanisms.
We support the continued strengthening of the global mechanisms, country led support so that parties can develop credible investment pipelines, identify appropriate financing instruments, and connect national priorities with potential public and private investors.
The achievement of SDG 15.3 cannot be treated as a standalone environmental objective.
It should be reflected in agriculture investments, infrastructure development, water management, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and road development financing.
We therefore encourage financing institutions to recognize sustainable land management and land degradation neutrality as a cross cutting investment that contributes simultaneously to multiple sustainable development goals.
There is need to scale up innovative financing while safeguarding equity and country ownership.
Uganda welcomes work on the innovative instruments, including resilience related finance, insurance, green bonds, blended finance, and private sector investment.
However, innovation should complement but not substitute public and international support for developing countries.
We encourage the development of financing instruments that mobilize private sector capital while reducing risk for smallholder farmers, pastoralists, local communities, and other vulnerable users.
The implementation of the convention repairs stronger bridge between commitments, national plans and actual financial flows.
We therefore support strengthening of the monitoring of financial flows for land degradation neutrality and SDG 15.3, including better information on availability, accessibility, and effectiveness of finance.
This therefore enables parties to identify remaining gaps and ensure that resources reach the countries and communities where they are needed most.
As we approach 2030, we must move decisively from ambition to implementation.
Healthy land is the foundation of food security, resilient livelihoods and sustainable development.
Financing land restoration is therefore financing development itself.
Uganda therefore calls on parties to strengthening enabling environment for developing countries to mobilize domestic and international resources, improve access to financial mechanisms, expand expsional and grant financing, and leverage private sector.
Investment.
Uganda stands ready to work constructively with parties at the global mechanism financing institution involvement partners towards a stronger, more accessible and more effective financing architecture for the implementation of SDG 5.3.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Uganda.
I think that now we have exhausted the list of speakers under this item.
So I will give the floor to the representative of the global mechanism to answer some of the comments and questions.
Thank you, Chair.
Distinguished delegates, we acknowledge all the issues and recommendations made by parties, many of which are consistent with the report.
I would like to first address the concern raised with regards to the panel discussions.
The purpose of the panels is to facilitate a focused exchange of views and perspectives and to inform the committee's consideration of the issues before it.
One final panel session is planned for this afternoon during the joint CRC CST plenary on the issue of national reporting.
At the same time, we fully recognize that given the amount of work before the committee and the need to make progress on the draft decisions, sufficient time for negotiations in the contact groups is particularly important.
We will therefore continue to monitor progress closely with a view to ensuring that the contact groups have the necessary time to advance and conclude their work.
Then in terms of the numerous recommendations that came, you will note that the report concludes that the financing gap for land restoration and drought resilience is structural and the investment place is clear.
However, a greater increase in investment cannot be achieved under a business as usual approach.
A paradigm shift in financing is necessary, possible, and we believe is already taking shape and does require considerable strengthening of our capacity to respond.
As noted, DLDD thematic area faces considerable underfunding, as has been highlighted, particularly with regards to the decreased allocations from the F, and we will continue to work with countries to support resource mobilization from different sources of funding.
In, in this context of the financing gap, we recognize the importance of continuing to work with all partners to close the gap and develop the required financing strategies.
And alongside developing financing vehicles such as the Drought Resilience Investment Facility and the READ Global Drought Resilience Partnership.
We're also developing tools that support countries in developing national strategies and investment plans for mobilizing resources such as the financing toolbox.
To bridge this gap further, we warmly welcome all suggestions and insights that are being provided by parties to complement the mechanisms we are already working on.
I think that summarizes most of the questions, but I'm going to hand over to my colleague Pedro to compliment.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chair.
Good morning, colleagues.
Yesterday, I want to address all the questions by distinguished delegates of Argentina and Dominican Republic regarding funds for the second phase of target setting program and also the way ahead.
As you may recall, the scope of the second phase of target setting program was shaped based on a mandate received by decision of the COP 15 inviting countries to review and update their targets.
This mandate was renewed or extended in the last cop.
Based on that mandate, as you know, the global mechanism works very hard in mobilizing voluntary contributions since this mandate doesn't come with a core funding associated to it.
And we will be able to mobilize resources thanks to Chugong Initiative for the Republic of Korea, also the government of Canada to support initially 15 countries in this endeavor.
And later, we were able to span this to 18 countries, thanks to additional resources mobilized by the GM in collaboration with the G 20 Global Line Initiative.
So as we stand today, these 18 countries have engaged in the second phase of the program and are moving forward with finalizing the process.
Most of them has finalized, as you can see in our reports and are now advancing into turning these new targets into implementation projects and shaping up different initiatives in this regard.
We have established an open ended waiting list for any country that is willing or interested in receiving support to review and update building targets, and the GM remains committed to continue working with partners and potential donors that are interested in supporting this line of work.
So as resources may become available, we will be able to respond to those requests for those countries in the waiting list.
I also want to highlight that countries also have opportunities to engage in this work right away, particularly under G nine.
Any country can use part of the star locations whenever they're proposing projects to the GF, and they can include these activities within any proposal that they want to make.
These are country parties have as a readily available opportunity.
Then also further reflection to the indications from the colleague from Argentina.
As countries move forward with these targets and towards implementation, of course, the Jeff, as the main financing mechanism that convention remains a key area for financing, but we continue working with multiple partners and different initiatives, proorial initiatives, actually, to open new doors and new mechanisms to access financing.
I think a good example is what our colleague Valentin from WMO presented yesterday.
And the partnership that we have established with them that is facilitating access to adaptation fund resources in many countries.
Also in the region, particularly in Gulc also to highlight, we have established new partnerships, for instance, with CAF, that also are allowing us to open new doors for countries to explore other additional financing windows.
Thank you.
And Distinguished delegates, I also want to clarify the issue of the regional centers, just to note that the regional centers are currently associated with the reporting and these are supported through the global support P four.
So in terms of the efforts of the global mechanism in project preparation and resource mobilization, we are working more with partners, particularly agencies that are accredited to the GCF, F implementing agencies.
Agencies accredited with the adaptation fund, as well as the MDBs and any other bilaterals, But the regional centers currently are not engaged in any sort of formal way on the resource mobilization efforts.
And this is also because there is a cost, they all operate on a cost recovery basis.
So even when we're engaging them on the reporting, there has to be finances available for their time to do that work.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, representatives of the double mechanism.
We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of sub item B of agenda item four.
Before adjourning this meeting, I wish to remind participants that a joint meeting of the committee for the review of the implementation of the convention and the committee on Science and Technology will be held this afternoon, Wednesday 19th of October at 3:00 P.M.
In this hall.
The meeting is now adjourned.