COP17 Progress Check: Keeping Ambition Focused on Implementation - Press Conference, UNCCD COP17

Good morning, colleagues.
I want to make an announcement on behalf of the EU and its member states as well as Montenegro.
Yesterday, on behalf of these parties, some of us are on the stage, some of whom are on the stage with me this morning.
I wrote to the Mongolian presidency and in the UN CCD Secretariat.
I attached a letter the following statement setting out the party's position on the state of play of the COP.
I want to read that statement to you now.
As negotiations at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to combat desertification move towards their decisive phase, the European Union and its member states present in Ulanda Oatar are determined to work constructively with parties and partners to secure practical, ambitious, and implementable outcomes.
Cop 17 is an important opportunity to translate commitments on land degradation, drought resilience, and sustainable land management into action.
The EU recognizes that negotiations are complex in the multilateral level.
The EU and its member states present in Batar support multilateralism as a key instrument to tackle global challenges that cannot be solved efficiently at the national level.
Desertification, land degradation, and drought are such problems where international solutions are required.
It is therefore concerning that some parties have so far adapted a less constructive approach and have prevented discussions on important matters from even commencing.
We encourage all delegations to adopt a constructive approach, enabling parties to engage in a comprehensive discussion on all listed items, thereby empowering Cop 17 to collaboratively find solutions.
Therefore approach the final phase of Cop 17 with a pragmatic objective to preserve the core priorities of the convention while ensuring that they are reflected across the outcomes, implementation mechanisms, and follow up processes of the convention.
We see strong value in closer cooperation across the Rio conventions and other relevant UN processes.
Land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change are interconnected challenges and should be addressed in a mutually reinforcing way.
Therefore welcome the opportunity at Cop 17 to advance practical cooperation among the Rio conventions and to build an existing political momentum for greater coherence in implementation.
A dedicated Cop 17 dialogue on delivering Rio convention synergies provides an important opportunity to move from political recognition towards concrete cooperation and action.
Our priorities also include strengthening the enabling environment for land restoration, drought resilience, food security, and sustainable development for the role of all women and girls and ensuring that gender equality remains an integral part.
The EU welcomes the continued work of the Gender Caucus and the attention being given at Cop 17 to women pastoralists and herders, recognizing their contribution to sustainable land management and resilient rural livelihoods.
Science is important as an objective basis for taking the right decisions by policymakers.
The science policy interface of the convention is a connector and a translator between science and policy.
It serves the global community well and since 2013 underpinning decisions of the UN CCD and its parties.
The EU wants this COP to enable continuation of its work into the next millennium.
The EU also attaches importance to meaningful participation of civil society, indigenous peoples, and local communities.
Their knowledge, experience, and stewardship are essential to successful land restoration and sustainable management of natural resources.
Effective avenues are essential to ensure their perspectives are reflected.
These include the indigenous people and local communities, caucuses, participation in relevant dialogues, involvement in meetings, implementation partnerships, as well as the work of the convention beyond the formal negotiating rooms.
Cop seventeen's program provides dedicated space to ensure the voices and perspective of both indigenous people and local communities are heard.
We thank the CSO panel for giving pastors and local communities a space and the opportunity to make their voice heard here during this Cop 17.
The EU appreciates the work carried out on the convention's future strategic framework.
Having a clear strategy for the period after 2030 will focus all parties' efforts on the most important areas of implementation.
The work of the strategy must continue with momentum and urgency.
Given the severe budgetary pressures facing the convention and whilst recognizing the fiscal constraints faced by parties, we consider that it is the duty of parties to fulfill their obligation to provide the Secretariat with a budget that allows it to carry out its tasks mandated by COP decisions in a professional and effective manner for the benefit of all parties.
Our approach is straightforward.
We should judge Cop 17 by whether it enables and encourages effective action.
A successful Cop 17 would leave us with stronger implementation, stronger cooperation, and stronger participation, and with no loss of ambition on the priorities that underpin the convention.
One of the speakers at the opening session of the high level segment on the 24th of August reminded the plenary that no one can stand alone and no one can be an exception.
We remain ready to work constructively with all partners to deliver that outcome and calls on other parties to approach this week in the same spirit.
We will therefore continue to work constructively with Cop 17, Mongolian presidency, the Secretariat, and all parties to identify solutions that are both ambitious and politically achievable.
Thank you very much.
Thank.
Okay.