(2nd Meeting) Committee of the Whole - UNCCD COP17

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I call to order the second meeting of the Committee of the Whole of the NCCD at its seventieth session. Before proceeding further, I would like to remind delegations to submit their credentials as soon as possible since the Conference of Parties will consider agenda item 1d entitled Credentials of Delegation at its meeting on Friday 21 August. Further information is available in the journal of the Conference. Before proceeding to the first agenda item in our agenda, I invite the committee to turn to the contact groups. Delegation might recall that the committee could only appoint one facilitator, is the facilitator for the contact group on other matters and its first meeting last Monday. I'm pleased to announce that Mr. Poojanraj Horun from Mauritius has now been proposed as facilitator for contact group one on programme and budgets. May I take it that the committee wish to appoint Mr. Poojanraj Horun of Mauritius as facilitator of contact group one? I hear no objection, it's so decided. I now invite the committee to hear an update of the progress made in the contact groups. I first give the floor to Madam Marine Collignon of France, facilitator of contact group two on other matters. You have the floor, Madam. Please, technicians, we need help. The microphone of Madam Marine is not working. Could help us?

Ah, yes, sorry.

Thank you very much, Chair. It's a pleasure to have this opportunity to share with you the work of the Contact Group at this juncture.

Three sessions now, two sessions, thank you. We've had two sessions for now of the Contact Group and we have focused our discussion on drought. we had a long discussion on the process and what would be the way our basis for discussion. But I'm happy to indicate that we've been able to have very substantive and constructive discussion based on and working building on the annex to the decision adopted at COP16. and it has allowed us to have quite constructive discussion also on what would be the expected outcome, how do we want to work forward with a number of proposals that were made, including on the actions to be taken, what we want, but also what type of instrument or way we could achieve this. with very still quite a wide range of views on how we can achieve this. In terms of next steps, the committee, the contact group has trusted me working with the secretariat to build on the outcome, the annex document from COP16 and laying out all the different options that have emerged. And we will continue our work, including tonight. The document has now been shared by e-mail with all those who had indicated and who has participated in the contact group. And if you have not received it, do not hesitate to reach out to the secretariat or myself so that you can have the document. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Chair.

I thank Madam Marine Collignon of France. On contact group one on program and budgets, I will myself give you an update as I have served as solution interim and I have shared the first meeting. The contact group has started its work and has already made great progress. The draft decision on the financial rules has just a few paragraphs open and delegates have decided to continue discussion them informally in the coming days with the aim to come to do an agreed text. The group will have an update on this topic on Friday. Consideration of the budget has also started. The group is meeting today until around 6pm and start again tomorrow afternoon at 3pm. We are working in a good spirit of collaboration. I invite the Committee now to consider the agenda item five entitled Policy Frameworks and Thematic Issues and to turn its attention to the issue of migration. Under this issue, the Committee has before it documents ICCD/COP17/8 and ICCD/COP17/12. I first give the floor to Mr. Sasha Alexander from UNCCD Secretariat to introduce the documents ICCD COP17/8. You have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, document ICCD COP17/8 provides a summary of the actions taken by the Secretariat as requested in decision 23/COP16, on the positive role that sustainable land management can play to address desertification, land degradation, and drought as one of the drivers that causes migration. Here, I would like to highlight some of these activities. After the publication of the primer on urban rural linkages and land at COP16, the Secretariat continues to collaborate with UN-Habitat and other partners to demonstrate practical applications of governance frameworks for the more effective management of urban-rural linkages, including policy responses to reduce their negative impacts on land and livelihoods, with the aim of increasing stability and security for rural communities. During Land and People Day on the 26th of August, we will introduce the Flows to Action framework, which can be used to complement and strengthen existing territorial governance approaches by making the two-way flows of people, goods, and services more visible and actionable. The framework integrates an evidence-based governance logic into existing policy, planning, and decision-making processes. This can assist parties in more effectively designing and managing these flows and their functional interdependencies. This includes a focus on the indirect and distant drivers of land degradation, forced migration, and rural decline. In addition, the Secretariat produced related knowledge products in collaboration with partners. With the Convention on Migratory Species and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, the Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Ecological Connectivity and Land Restoration was launched in October 2025 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. With the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the United Nations University, we produced a publication on the nexus of sustainable land management and renewable energy, demonstrating the potential to securitize and empower rural communities through dual land use systems. Draft elements for a decision on migration are contained in document ICCD COP17/12 for the consideration of the parties. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the UNCCD Secretariat. I now open the floor in connection with the report that was just introduced. And delegation wishing to take the floor are invited to press the button, the microphone button. I kindly request speakers to keep their statements brief in order to hear from as many speakers as possible. To help speakers with the time management in view of short timer available, a timer is shown on the screen. It's set to three minutes. The floor is open. I give now the floor to Tunisia.

Thank you, Mr. President. I congratulate your nomination to the the cow and uh I apologize uh your perseverance to conduct uh this group uh Mr. President's Excellency distinguished delegate and National focal point of the party I have the honor to take the floor on behalf of the African group to address a matter of a paramount importance for our continent, the positive role of sustainable land management measure and combating desertification, land degradation and the drought and their vital contribution to mitigation, the environmental driver of migration. Behind the technical concept of desertification, land degradation and the drought lies a human reality that actually impact numerous African community on a daily basis. This involves lands progressively losing their productivity, livelihoods becoming increasingly precarious, communities facing heightened pressure on water, on natural resource, and population complied to seek viable living condition and economic opportunity elsewhere. Land degradation and current Drought exacerbate the driver of human mobility, particular when their effects interest with food insecurity, poverty, conflict, and a lack of economy alternative. While such mobility is often internal, seasonal, or temporary, it can become permanent when the condition of safe return and resettlement are no longer viable. This reality is particularly acute in the arid and semi-arid region of Africa, where livelihoods remain heavily dependent on natural resources and water availability. Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, data compiled by the International Organization for Migration concretely illustrate this nexus between drought and human mobility. In the Horn of Africa, prolonged drought episode have triggered population displacement on a massive scale. According to the EOM data cities in regional drought assessment, nearly 3 million individuals were displaced due to the drought between January and June 2023, while 6.6 million internally displaced persons reside in drought affected area. Furthermore, nearly 238,000 migrants were recorded moving between drought-affected zones. This alarming figure reminds us that drought is not merely an environmental challenge. It is inherently linked to food security, livelihood, mobility, broader development, and community resilience. They further demonstrate the imperative of not viewing migration slowly throughout the lens of its consequence. We must proactively address the environmental and social economic drivers that contribute to compelled mobility while acknowledging that migration can also serve as an adaptation strategy of certain community. Excellency, lady and gentlemen. in this within this perspective that the African group wishes to emphasize a pivotal message land restoration and the sustainable management of natural resource must be recognized as strategic investment in population resolution and in the prevent of focus displacement to translate this convention into correct and concrete uh measurable action the African group called open cop 17 to accord priority attention for four keys first mobilizing mobilizing Financial resource demonstrated with this challenge we call open the global mechanism the the Jeff the cgf and the international partner to and send the mobil mobilizing of predictable accessible and financial resource aligned with the needs of African nation for land restoration, sustainable water management and community resilience building. Secondly, investing in territory and fostering green opportunity for youth. Land restoration effects must be strictly linked to the creation of sustainable livelihood and green employment, particularly within sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, water management, ecosystem restoration, renewable energy and rural value chain. And we, in this regard, the African group particularly emphasized the importance of creating of green and decent job. So that the promotion of biodiversity contribute not only to conservation but also to sustainable improvement of the people living condition. Providing youth, especially in rural areas, with robust economic and social prospects within their territories represents an effective resilience strategy aimed at mitigating and preventing forced mobility. Third, promoting anticipatory action over crisis response. The African Group urges a move towards comprehensive integration of human mobility dynamics and drought risk management into national policy and the program to combat desertification. The overarching objective must be to translate progressively for a proactive poster to one anticipated herbarium strengthening preparedness, adaptation and risk reduction measure before environmental stacks degenerate into human and social economic crisis. Hence, African is calling for a drought protocol, which will be a proactive enabling mechanism to address drought and its effects such as migration. Lastly, the fourth, how to strengthening the rural urban nexus and population movement driven by the environmental pressure, invariably increase the burden on urban center. infrastructure and essential public service. It is therefore necessary to enhance complementarity between rural and urban area. The Forum Flow to Action framework constitute in this regard a valuable operational methodology to better comprehend the mobility dynamic and transform population movement into opportunity for sustainable development and resilience. excellency, ladies and gentlemen, the African group remain firmly convicted that the response to mobility induced by environmental pressure is inaccessibility linked to our collective response to land degradation and the drought. Restoration land is synonymous with restoring livelihoods. Restoring livelihoods is synonymous with building resilience. And building resilience is what? ultimately empower population with genuine choice regarding their future. Throughout this conference of the party, we must strictly reinforce synergy between the fight against desertification, climate change, adaptation, sustainable water management, food security, job creation, and human mobility management. The African group reaffirm its full readiness to engage constructive constructively with all partners and all parties to establish land restoration and community resilience building as a major instrument for sustainable development, stability, and prosperity across Africa. We excuse for the delay. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Tunisia. I know that you are announcing the statement on behalf of the region. That's why I gave you much more time. Now I give the floor to the representative of the European Union.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The EU and its 27 member states recognize that desertification, land degradation, and droughts are an important driver of migration and displacement and other forms of human mobility and immobility. It is important to take urban-rural linkages fully into account in the implementation of the Convention. We thank the secretariat, the Global Mechanism, relevant international organizations and multilateral environmental agreements, and the Parties for their work on this matter, including the operationalization of the 3S Initiative on sustainability, stability and security. We underline the importance of synergies and cooperation. As regards the draft decision, we support the wide approach that addresses migration, displacement and other forms of human mobility as well as immobility. We have several proposals for shortening decision, keeping it more focused. We support a paragraph that refers to the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, adopted on 10th of December in 2018, but we propose to update it with more recent implementation. The paragraph addressed to parties should also address the stakeholders. We would not use the term right to remain in the places where people choose to do so. We would note that sovereign states have the right to control their borders. We prefer addressing the links to pastoralism in the decision on rangelands. And as regards, and we propose to add paragraphs on the following four issues. First, to recognize the importance of remittances from diaspora communities for rural development. Such remittances represent a vital source of income for local populations. Second, to stress the positive side, human mobility when voluntary and safe, including pastoral mobility, can contribute to resilience, sustainable responses and effective responses to desertification, land degradation and drought. Third, to encourage parties and stakeholders to strengthen the collection, analysis and responsible use of disaggregated data and evidence. And fourth, to request the secretariat to compile and disseminate practical guidance, methodologies and country examples. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the representative of the European Union and I give now the floor to Morocco.

Chair, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished delegates, it's my honor to take the floor on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco. Chair, the Kingdom of Morocco associates itself with the statement made by Tunisia on behalf of the African group and we share the conclusions in it. We also take note with interest of the document eight, which highlights the close links between desertification, land degradation, drought and migration. In this context, it is our belief that land restoration, the sustainable management of natural resources and the development of rural areas are vital to counter the root causes of forced migration. Chair, Morocco has an integrated approach on land management to restore ecosystems and to bolster the resilience of rural communities. The kingdom has adopted a national strategy on migration and has in Rabat the African Union Observatory for Migration to implement the Global Compact on Safe, Coordinated Migration, which was adopted in Marrakesh in 2008, safe orderly migration. Chair, we support the call of the African Group to strengthen the land restoration programs, to promote youth employment, to integrate human mobility in policies to manage drought, and to strengthen links between urban and rural areas. We also support strengthening cooperation between UNCCD and the IOM and other partners. involved in these matters so that we can have a better response to the nexus which is drought, land degradation and migration. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished delegates, Morocco remains firmly convinced that investment in land restoration and in the resilience of rural communities is investment in stability, in prosperity for our populations. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Morocco and now I give the floor to China. China, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

We agree that desertification can be a major driver for displacement. This has produced immigration problem which calls for common concern and common efforts.

Therefore, we have the following suggestions.

First is to tackle the problem at the very root and enhance

resilience. We can do this by greater ecological restoration, encouraging climate smart industry and greater investment in drought

mitigation while ensuring the rights of women

and indigenous people to land and to a decent living

so as to reduce the forces forcing people to flee because of environment.

Thirdly, we should enhance

greater coordination among various parties, especially by enhancing the coordination among the Rio Conventions and those responsible for

immigration, humanitarian affairs, and development under common monitoring and risk assessment mechanism. and encouraging climate insurance and new tools of financing.

Thirdly, we should encourage appropriate water saving

plantation and the processing of sand products and services which use recycled water and develop clean

sources of energy so as to provide employment to local people and provide and encourage transition of industry while protecting

the rights of women and children and therefore reducing the pressures

induced by immigration. Thank you.

I thank the representative of China and now I give the floor to Guatemala. Guatemala, you have the floor. I think we have a technical issue. Guatemala. So we will be back to you and I give the floor now to Brazil. Brazil, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Brazil recognized the important relationship between land degradation, vulnerability and migration and acknowledges the positive role that measures under the Convention can play in addressing desertification, land degradation and drought as factors that may contribute to migration. Brazil supports the promotion of social and environmentally sustainable practices, including sustainable land management and resilient livelihoods as means of reducing vulnerabilities and supporting communities affected by these challenges. At the same time, Brazil stresses that migration is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon in which political, social, economic, and environmental factors interact and reinforce one another. For this reason, we consider important to avoid establishing unidirectional causal links between environmental degradation, migration, instability, and conflict. In many contexts, political instability and conflict may themselves exacerbate environmental degradation, including by weakening institutions, disrupting livelihoods, and undermining the sustainable management of land and natural resources. Reducing these complex interactions to a linear causal relationship would not only be in most cases simplistic, but could also obscure the multiple and mutually reinforcing factors at play and ultimately hinder the development of effective and context sensitive policy responses. Brazil also considers it essential to preserve the specific mandate and development oriented character of the UNCCD. while recognizing that land degradation, desertification and drought may interact with broader social, economic and political dynamics. Given the complexity of the issues at stake, both the environmental dimensions addressed by the Convention and the multiple context-specific factors underlying conflict, peace and security, Brazil considers it important that decisions taken under this convention remain firmly within this specific mandate of the convention. Environmental challenges therefore should not be framed primarily through a peace and security lens or reduced to security concerns that fall beyond the scope of this convention. In some Brazil recognized that actions taken under the UNCCD in line with its mandate can make an important contribution in addressing land degradation, desertification and draw. At the same time, we consider it important to preserve the mandate specific of the convention and it's development oriented character. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Brazil. Now I give the floor to Iraq.

May God's peace and blessings be upon you all. Based on Iraq's experience, we consider that the relationship between land deterioration and migration should not be limited to population movement, but also to what's happening to the areas they leave and to the areas that host them. When the productivity of the land decreases and the water scarcity increases, livelihoods are impacted and we have additional impact on the cities and the services and resources in the city. That's why it is important to focus on promoting the capacities of the impacted areas to preserve their population by restoring land productivity, improving water management, supporting local livelihoods, and taking into account the national circumstances of every country. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Representative of Iraq. Now I give the floor to Madagascar.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, allow me first to express our sincere gratitude to the government and people of Mongolia for the warm welcome and the remarkable hospitality that they have shown to us here at COP17 in Ulaanbaatar. As GAZAK is one of the island states which is most exposed to the extreme effects of drought, desertification and land degradation, we align ourselves fully with the statement delivered on behalf of the African group. We would like to add the perspective of island where migration is mostly internal displacement. It concerns more than five million persons, that is 20.5% of the population. In the south, drought has affected some 1.8 million persons and there are more than 90,000 displaced persons in 20 communes between 2019 and 2022. To give an idea of the figures, these mobility flows to the northwest regions where we see land degradation in host areas have led to deforestation and the conversion of land and social economic tension linked to this and the management of local resources. Given this reality, Madagascar would plead in favor of a paradigm shift to move from a an approach based on the reaction to climate migration to an approach which anticipates and plans the reaction. This change would mean that we need to focus on anticipation of vulnerable territories, the preparation of human mobility, organisation of host communities for migrants through creating sustainable territories with infrastructure and economic opportunities, planning agricultural needs and integration of human mobility into documents for land management and to promote migration of choice, which will lead to further development. Thank you.

I give the floor to Guinea.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chair. First and foremost, allow me to address my sincere and warmest congratulations to you on your appointment to preside over this committee on behalf of the Republic of Guinea. Here at COP17 of the UNCCD, I wish to express our profound gratitude to the government and people of Mongolia for their warm hospitality, and also to the Secretary to the Convention for the excellent organization of this important conference. Guinea welcomes the adoption of chapter seven on migration and integration of the global principles on climate mobility. This is an important multinational framework to promote ways in which we can adapt in a dignified and resilient manner for the benefit of persons and communities affected by desertification, land degradation and drought. We underscore on this matter the importance of promoting, whenever possible, adaptation in place and where mobility is necessary to make sure that the displacement takes place in dignity and in respect of the rights and needs of the populations affected. But also insist upon the need to really value the data provided by the knowledge and skills of the local community and to promote solutions which are based on nature and which are brought forward by the communities themselves. Thank you.

Thank you, Guinea. Now I give the floor to Chad. Chad, you have the floor. So if there is an issue, we will come back. Now I give the floor to Mongolia.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates. Mongolia recognizes the important work undertaken under the Convention to better understand the linkages between desertification, land degradation and drought and human mobility. At the same time, Mongolia wishes to highlight that human mobility may take different forms and should be considered in the context of national and local circumstances. In countries with long-standing pastoral traditions such as Mongolia, seasonal mobility has historically been an integral part of pastoral livelihoods, enabling communities to adapt to climatic and ecological variability and to make sustainable use of rangeland and water resources. In this context, Mongolia considers it important that discussions under the Convention appropriately consider the distinction between traditional and voluntary forms of mobility and displacement arising from increasing environmental and socioeconomic pressures. Mongolia therefore supports approaches that strengthen the resilience of communities affected by desertification, land degradation and drought, while considering traditional practices, national circumstances, and the important role that mobility itself can play as an adaptation strategy. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Mongolia, and now I give the floor to Botswana.

Thank you, Chair. In Botswana, 70% of the land is held continually, and that is exactly where degradation is concentrated. The government of Botswana working with Jeff is achieving tangible results in applying sustainable models of production where PM farmer learning, crop diversification and business plan development bridge the gap between production and sustainability. Yet when rangelands degrade, rural households lose their livelihoods, triggering migration to urban centers or across borders in search of opportunities. This dynamic underscores the land restoration is not only an environmental priority, that is a social and economic imperative. Mozambique therefore supports the African group's call for COP17 to elevate land restoration as a migration sensitive strategy, mobilizing resources, strengthening community resilience, and ensuring that degraded lands do not become drivers of displacement, but engines of sustainable stability and prosperity. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the representative of Botswana, and now I give the floor to South Africa.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. South Africa aligns itself with and fully support the statement delivered by Tunisia on behalf of the Africa group regarding migration associated with land degradation, desertification, and drought. The evidence increasingly demonstrate that these interconnected environmental challenges undermine livelihoods, exacerbate vulnerability, and can contribute to migration and displacement instabilities, particularly in communities that are highly dependent on natural resources for their well-being and economic security. The magnitude of this challenge is particularly evident across the African continent, as highlighted in the FAO study on the review of forest landscape and restoration for Africa. The findings from this study call for the urgent need to strengthen sustainable land management, land restoration and resilience building efforts as part of an integrated approach to addressing the underlying drivers of environmentally induced migration and displacement. This is an alarming finding which compels us as this collective to proactively address DLDD and accelerate efforts to restore and reclaim the affected land to safeguard the livelihoods of the vulnerable and affected population now and into the future. In Africa alone, it is estimated that 400 million people are affected by DLDD and tens of millions of people are expected to be displaced. Like many other countries, South Africa faces increasing threats of food production due to impacts of climate change linked to meteorological hazards such as floods and droughts and loss of productive land due to land degradation processes such as soil erosion, desertification, and drought. In this regard, these pressures may continue to, may contribute to internal and external migration as individuals and communities relocate in search of sustainable economic opportunities. In 2022, South Africa conducted an assessment to fully understand these linkages between migration and land degradation. And the report attests to the fact that there is internal and external migration in the country due to DLDD, climate change, and other environmental factors. The assessment also evaluated the social, economic and environmental risks and opportunities to evidently inform decision making and efforts to assist vulnerable and affected communities at a national level. Various initiatives in partnership with other government departments, private sector, NGOs and CSOs and international organizations have been initiated, such as the provision of boreholes in drought-stricken areas, supporting household food security and community restoration programs respectively. A coordinated and collaborated financial and resource mobilization mechanism with all spheres of government and other partners is ongoing to enable implementation and sustainability of identified interventions. that contribute to drought resilience and livelihoods. In conclusion, land remains the foundation of livelihoods for humanity, particularly for those whose well-being depends directly on natural resources for food security and economic well-being. It is therefore our view that this COP should appreciate the close linkages between the objectives of this convention all thematic areas and means of implementation and adopt decisions as a package and not in isolation. I thank you.

I thank the representative of South Africa and I kindly request speakers to make their statement brief in order to fit with the three minutes. Now I give the floor to Switzerland.

Thank you, Chair. And congratulations on your appointment and election to chair the CAU. Switzerland recognises the strong interaction between environmental challenges and migration and appreciates the developments which have been led by the Convention. I'd like to underscore five points which are key to us. Firstly, to integrate human mobility into policies to combat desertification, land management and drought. Human mobility can be included in the adaptation programs which allow us to anticipate the displacements. Secondly, to recognize mobility as an adaptation strategy, in particular pastoral mobility. Thirdly, to strengthen data to anticipate migration risks and displacement risks and to work in advance. We are doing this in the Sahel region in particular to bring together data and to inform the populations as to the risks related to climate change. Fourthly, to guarantee inclusive solutions involving migrants and displaced persons, paying particular attention to women and young people to ensure their participation in decision making to make sure that they are resilience and innovation actors. And fifthly and finally, to have financing for integrated solutions, bringing together migration, land restoration, adaptation and peace consolidation. For us, the most important thing is that land restoration must be able to make a contribution to the population staying or be displaced, displace themselves and to come back by choice, not through need. Thank you.

Of Switzerland. And now I give the floor to Lebanon.

Shukran, said the rice. Said the rice. Said that was sada. Alfaker was the Sahur to Aman. Well, ****** you add the illegal hijra. looking for livelihood. That's why it is very important to develop

these areas in order to reduce migration. This is what has happened in Lebanon, in degraded or desertified areas that are the poorest and they are also attacking national resources such as trees, forests for the sake of providing wood for heating, especially when the oil prices increase globally. in addition towards that Lebanon has witnessed towards the wars that led to further desertification because of pesticides and other factors that led to more migration. That's why it is very important to focus on such areas, improve livelihoods so that we can achieve an inverse migration.

And now I give the floor to Uganda.

Thank you. Drought, desertification, land degradation have increasingly caused issues with livelihoods, worsening food and water insecurity, and driving displacements and migration. We need to address land degradation as the root cause by restoring degraded land, protecting ecosystems, and promoting sustainable and water land management, are critical to reduce climate-induced displacements. Strengthen early action.

We call

for stronger early warning and special action and coordinated preparedness to protect communities before drought and land degradation force communities to move. We need to build resilient livelihoods, invest in climate resilient agriculture, water security, land restoration, social protection will enable vulnerable communities to remain productive and resilient on their land. Uganda's request is that we call upon increased predictable and accessible financing Technology transfer and technical support address drought, desertification and land degradation, restore livelihoods and provide durable solutions for climate-induced displacements. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Uganda and now I give the floor to specialized agency FAO.

Thank you, Chair, for giving the floor to FAO. Distinguished delegates, Globally, 1.66 billion hectares of land are degraded due to human activities with over 60% affecting agricultural land, including cropland and pastureland, thereby strongly affecting the rural population. This is a particular challenge in developing countries, especially in the Arab region, where more than 46 million hectares of agricultural land is affected by human induced degradation. Land degradation combined with desertification, drought, water scarcity, climate extreme events and conflict threaten food production, food security and availability of employment for a growing population, driving migration, forced displacement and other forms of human mobility. According to the 2026 Global Report on Food Crisis, the majority of forcibly displaced people are in food crisis contexts, In 2025, the number of forcibly displaced people in countries with food crises reached 85.1 million, of which 73.5% of whom were internally displaced. It is critical to highlight the positive role that agri-food systems can play in minimizing the risk of migration and displacement. Investments in sustainable land and water management, land restoration, strengthened livelihoods, governance systems, food security, and rural employment enable communities to remain on their land and lead to resilience, social stability, equality, and peace. Examples of FAO's work aimed to tackle desertification, land degradation, and drought include ecosystem-based solutions and sustainable management approaches that focus on enhancing land and soil health, land restoration for sustainable production systems and landscape management, and integrated land use planning among others. Moreover, FAO strongly prioritizes durable solutions for displacement contexts, often entailing the strengthening of early warning systems, anticipatory actions, diversified and resilient value chains, social protection and insurance schemes. FAO and its partners will continue to support member states to address the complex and interconnected challenges of desertification, land degradation, and drought, and implementing agri-food system solutions to achieve a more resilient, sustainable, and peaceful future for all. Thank you for your kind attention.

I thank the representative of FAO and now I give the floor to the second specialized agency, which is the International Organization of Migration. You have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Desertification, land degradation and drought have important implications for human mobility and for the resilience and stability of communities. As environmental pressures intensify, they can contribute to livelihood disruption, increase pressures on community resilience, and contribute to displacement. IOM would like to highlight three areas where strengthened cooperation could support practical action. First, investing in solutions that build resilience and reduce displacement risks. Sustainable land management, ecosystem restoration, drought resilience and diversified livelihoods can help communities remain where they choose to do so, while reducing pressures on scarce resources and contributing to social cohesion and stability. Second, translating these priorities into concrete integrated investment plans. Connecting land restoration, water management, livelihoods, human mobility, and peace building can help mobilize finance for practical solutions, particularly in areas where environmental pressures, mobility, and fragility intersect. Third, strengthening data analysis and early action. Better integration of environmental and human mobility data can help identify emerging risks and hotspots, anticipate displacement, and support informed planning and preventive action. Stronger data and evidence can also help guide investment towards areas and communities. that are most at risk. Across these areas, a balanced approach to human mobility is important. Human mobility, including migration and displacement, should not be treated as a security risk in itself. Responses should instead focus on addressing underlying vulnerabilities, strengthening resilience, and ensuring that people can stay in their place of origin, move, or return safely by choice wherever possible. When undertaken in a safe, orderly and dignified manner, mobility may also serve as an adaptation and resilience strategy. To conclude, IOM stands ready to support Parties and the UNCCD Secretariat and the Global Mechanism in strengthening the evidence base, integrating human mobility into relevant planning and investments, and supporting mobilization of finance towards solutions that address land degradation, drought and human mobility. Thank you very much.

I thank the representative of IOM and now I give the floor to a representative from civil society.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, on behalf of civil society and indigenous peoples, we affirm that land is not just where we live.

It is who we are.

Migration is part of humanity. Since the creation of Mother Earth, people have always moved to greener pastures for survival. As environmental pressures increases, policies must protect the rights, dignity, and choices of people affected by land degradation and drought. Desertification, land degradation and drought are not the sole causes of migration, but undermining livelihoods, food and water security and increasing vulnerabilities that fall hardest on those who did the least to cause them, continue to force people to move. People should not be forced to leave their lands because of degradation, drought, and lack of opportunities. Sustainable land management must enable local communities to remain where they choose to be while ensuring that migration, when it occurs, is safe and voluntary. Parties should invest in resilient livelihoods and sustainable land and water management so that people are not forced to move because of land degradation and drought. For pastoralist communities, mobility is an essential livelihood and adaptation strategy. Moving livestock between grazing areas and water resources enables pastoralists to respond to variability and drought and to use range lands sustainably. Pastoral mobility should not be treated as a problem, but recognized and protected as an important livelihood and adaptation strategy. Civil society therefore calls on parties to strengthen recognition of pastoralism and mobility as an adaptation strategy and to secure the rights of pastoralist communities. Parties must clearly establish, distinguish pastoralist mobility from forced migration and displacement and design policies that protect rather than restrict legitimate pastoral mobility. Restoring land is also about restoring choices, enabling people to remain on their lands with dignity when they choose to remain, and protecting pastoralist mobility as a legitimate adaptation strategy. We therefore call on parties to reaffirm their commitment to inclusive human rights based approach that honor the interdependency of people and nature by ensuring that those who live and work on the land and the ecosystem that sustain them remain at the center of UNCCD decision making and implementation. Finally, we would like to express our concern by the unprecedented removal of agenda items driven by individual countries. without sufficient negotiation, which undermines the consensus driven process historically practiced at the UNCCD. We call on the Presidency to establish with Parties whether this departure had the necessary support, given the precedent it sets for decision-making in this important Convention. The land remembers who cared for it. Let this COP17 be remembered the same way. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the representative of civil society. I see no further requests for the floor. Okay, sorry, we have the last speaker. It's UN woman.

Thank you, Chair.

UN Women,

the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, welcomes this note and its contribution to understanding the links between desertification, land degradation, drought, and human mobility. It rightly highlights the implications of land degradation for livelihoods, food security, resilience, and migration dynamics. However, these impacts are not distributed evenly nor felt equally. Women and girls are often disproportionately affected by land degradation and drought due to persistent inequalities in access to land, natural resources, finance, technology, and decision-making. When land becomes less productive and water becomes scarcer, women frequently bear additional responsibilities for securing food, water, and household well-being while facing reduced economic opportunities and increased vulnerabilities. These realities can shape both the drivers and the consequences of human mobility. At the same time, migration itself can have important gender dimensions. Environmental stress can contribute to the migration of some household members, while others.

Remain behind to manage farms, natural resources, and households.

And in many contexts, this can significantly increase women's unpaid care work, often without a corresponding increase in access to resources, services, or decision-making power.

Women are leaders.

At the same time, women are leaders in sustainable land management, restoration, food production, and community resilience. Their knowledge, skills, and leadership contribute directly to addressing the root causes of environmental degradation and strengthening adaptive capacity in affected communities. Investments in land restoration, drought resilience, and sustainable livelihoods are therefore most effective when they also advance gender equality and women's empowerment. Integrating gender equality into efforts to address desertification, land degradation, drought, and human mobility is therefore not only a matter of inclusion, it is fundamental to achieving more effective, equitable, and sustainable outcomes for people and ecosystems alike. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the representative of UN Women. I see Algeria is requesting for the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to thank the Secretariat for the cooperation of the, uh, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, document eight and the efforts aimed to put an end to desertification, land degradation and drought because these are the main causes of migration and we commend the affirmation of the document that the relationship between this phenomenon is an integral part of a complex phenomenon of political, social, and economic factors. Hence, we have to address the root causes in an inclusive manner based on the solidarity and shedding adequate light on the reclamation of land, combating drought and providing the means to secure the stability of the communities affected. There is an urgent need to include all aspects on an equal footing in the policies that aim to combat desertification, land degradation and fighting drought in order to combat poverty, reduce vulnerability and achieve sustainable development so no one is left behind in order to always remember our theme restoring land restoring hope we call upon adopting an integrated approach and increasing ODA especially towards the affected communities and to have ambitious plans to help build the capacities of the countries affected to put an end to land degradation and to enhance adaptation. In conclusion, we stress that the approaches adopted in this respect have to bear in mind the national specificities and priorities of each country concerned, as this is one of the main causes that put an end to migration. Thank you.

Algeria. I give the floor now to Aksad.

In the.

Name of God Almighty, Aksad is concerned with land degradation, desertification and drought in the Arab region by monitoring these phenomena and identify the hotspots concerned and rehabilitate the deteriorated areas in the Arab world. We also give due attention to empowering and enabling the local communities so that they stay in their villages and towns, and we provide them with all the necessary means, training and rehabilitation to improve their standards of living within the means available, especially in Syria, where we have tried to keep the local communities affected in their places of residence without migration.

Now I give the floor to the last speaker for this session. I give the floor to the representative of Rwanda.

Thank you, Chair. First of all, Rwanda would like to express its sincere appreciation to the government and the people of Mongolia for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to us here at COP17.

Rwanda supports the proposed reference to the global principles for.

Addressing climate mobility, recognizing the important links between desertification, land degradation, drought, resilience, and human mobility.

We support an approach that promotes local data adaptation and resilience while enabling self and dignified mobility where necessary.

Rwanda would however suggest a slight adjustment to the proposed language by using the adoption of the global principles for climate mobility rather than welcoming the global principles for climate mobility. We believe this formulation more clearly recognizes the adoption of the principles and supports our collective.

Efforts to address climate mobility in the context of the land degradation and drought.

Thank you, Chair. I thank the representative of Rwanda. I see no more requests for the floor. And now I give the floor to the representative of UNCCD Secretariat to react to the discussion we've just had.

Thank you, Chair. So we've taken note of all the comments and recommendations made and look forward to answering any questions in the contact group. Thank you.

Thank you, Sasha. So distinguished delegates, I propose that further discussion on this agenda item will be totally be taken up in the cow contacts group number two. I hear no objection. It's so decided. Distinguished delegates, I now invite the committee to turn its attention to the issue of land tenure. For this issue, the committee has before it the documents ICCD/COP17/COP9 and ICCD/COP17/COP12. I now give the floor to Mr. Sasha Alexander from the ICCD Secretariat to introduce the document ICCD COP17/9. The floor is yours.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, document ICCD COP17/9 provides a summary of the activities taken by the Secretariat as requested in decision 28, COP16 on land tenure. Here, I would like to highlight some of these activities. Under a recently signed memorandum of understanding, the UNCCD and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations continue to explore opportunities to finance, organize, and deliver national land tenure consultations. For example, the Secretariat is on the steering committee for a GEF8 project entitled Addressing Tenure Governance and Gender Equality in Land Rights to strengthen LDN initiatives, which supports four countries to improve land tenure in the context of combating desertification, land degradation, and drought. Within the framework of the Women's Land Rights Initiative, led by the Robert Bosch Foundation and TMG Research, the Secretariat is involved in co-organizing annual strategy workshops on women's land rights and the Rio Conventions. Each workshop brought together diverse stakeholders from more than 30 countries, including UNCCD national focal points, Rio Convention secretariats, other UN entities, and civil society organizations. The Land Tenure Toolbox launched yesterday is composed of six modules, principles and guidelines, knowledge and awareness, women's land rights, grievance mechanisms, financing monitoring, and partner resources. Each module contains background and context for UNCCD stakeholders with the relevant documentation produced by the Secretariat, the Global Mechanism, and other partners to assist parties in their efforts to improve tenure security for their citizens. I would like to draw your attention to the module on accountability and grievance mechanisms. This was structured to raise awareness on how they function, particularly within the 18 GEF implementing agencies. It also contains a number of case studies that illustrate the operation of these mechanisms and other mechanisms in diverse tenure-related contexts. A UNCCD FAO side event was organized at CRIC 23 to exchange knowledge and experiences on these mechanisms and to inform stakeholders on the development of the land tenure toolbox and related awareness raising activities. These included three regional land tenure webinars hosted by UNCCD and FAO, which promoted the sharing of experiences as well as updates on the availability of tenure related data sets and indicators and recent advances in women's land rights. Draft elements for a decision on land tenure are contained in document ICCD COP17/12 for the consideration of the parties. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the ICCD secretariat. I now open the floor in connection with the reports that was just introduced. Delegation wishing to take the floor are invited to press the microphone button. I kindly request speakers to keep their statement brief in order to hear from as many as possible speakers. A gentle reminder to support speakers with the time. Management, in view of the short time available, a timer is shown on the screen. It's set to three minutes for national statements and five minutes for statements on behalf of parties, of group of parties. So the floor is open. I give the floor now to Kenya.

Thank you, Chair. Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the African group recognizes the main role of land tenure rights in advancing the implementation of the UNCCD with a view of promoting sustainable land management and combating drought and land degradation. However, land tenure management remains to be fully integrated into the convention's implementation programs, which poses the risk of slowing down implementation efforts and achieving impact. We therefore strongly encourage the Convention to place land tenure at the center of developing its post-2030 strategic framework. Chair, Securing land tenure will contribute significantly to sustainable land management, proactive environmental and ecosystem conservation, and increased investment in agricultural productivity. We therefore call upon parties in a position to do so to continue strengthening integration of land tenure into their policies and strategic measures for sustainable land management. Africa believes that Given the central role of land tenure in implementing the convention, decisions being negotiated at COP17 should consider incorporating land tenure where appropriate. Furthermore, and in recognition of the critical role that women and girls play As custodians of natural environment, particularly those from indigenous peoples and local communities, the African group emphasizes the need to promote land tenure rights for this group of the global community. We also encourage continued cooperation among the parties to share experiences regarding the integration of land tenure and land tenure security into sustainable land management. Chair, the African Group once again commends the efforts made by the Secretariat to develop the Land Tenure Toolbox. This toolbox will enable stakeholders to easily access the full range of official documents, practical tools, technical guides, strategic guidelines and financing approaches that can assist parties in recognizing, documenting and upholding legitimate land rights, particularly within the context of sustainable land management and land restoration activities. Finally, the Africa Group also encourages collaboration with technical and financial partners willing to adopt innovative approaches to land governance by facilitating equitable land access to land, strengthening tenure security, and supporting community-led approaches in order to accelerate the achievement of land degradation neutrality goals. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Kenya. Now I give the floor to the European Union.

Thank you, Chair. The European Union and its Member States would like to reaffirm the central role of land tenure for combating desertification, land degradation and drought. Responsible and inclusive land governance and secure tenure rights are key enabling factors for the effective implementation of the Convention, for achieving land degradation neutrality and for supporting sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. We welcome the continued attention to land tenure under the Convention and thank the Secretariat, the Global Mechanism and their partners for advancing this important agenda, including through the launch of the Land Tenure Toolbox and continued efforts to support Parties in integrating land tenure considerations into UNCCD implementation. The European Union and its Member States encourage Parties to continue integrating land tenure considerations into relevant national plans and activities to combat desertification, land degradation and drought, in line with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure. This includes recognizing and safeguarding legitimate land tenure rights, including rights to associated natural resources, such as trees, water, grazing resources and fisheries where relevant. Such efforts can contribute to long-term investments in sustainable land management and restoration, while strengthening the resilience of land users and rural communities. We also welcome the recognition that land governance must be inclusive and participatory. In this regard, we underline the importance of ensuring equal tenure rights for women and girls, and of addressing the specific challenges faced by indigenous peoples, local communities, pastoralists and other groups in vulnerable or marginalized situations. Secure and equitable tenure rights are essential not only for protecting rights and livelihoods, but also for delivering effective and lasting land restoration. We therefore encourage activities, projects and programmes under the Convention to be designed and implemented in ways that promote equal opportunities, meaningful participation and equitable access to the benefits of sustainable land management and restoration. As work advances on the post-2030 future strategic framework, it will be important to ensure that land tenure is fully reflected as a central pillar, a safeguard, and an enabling factor for effective action against the LDD. In this context, we encourage the forthcoming comprehensive capacity development strategy to include dedicated support on land governance and tenure for relevant actors, both for implementation and reporting, while taking into account parties' different national capacities. Such efforts should build on the UNCCD-FAO technical guide and further strengthen the role of land tenure focal points established under decision 28 COP16. Finally, the European Union and its member states encourage the integration of the available options for land governance and tenure security indicators, including sex-disaggregated indicators where appropriate, into future UNCCD reporting processes and the future strategic framework, taking into account parties' different national capacities and existing reporting processes. Strengthening the evidence base in this way will support better policymaking, more effective implementation and greater accountability. Chair, the European Union and its member states remain committed to working constructively with all parties to ensure that secure and equitable land tenure continues to underpin the implementation and future strategic direction of the Convention. Thank you.

Thank you, European Union. Now I give the floor to Morocco.

Chair, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished delegates, it is my honour to take the floor on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco. A properly functioning land tenure system is an essential leverage for ensuring the implementation of the convention. Ensuring that land rights are properly secured promotes the sustainable land management, restoration of ecosystems, food security, and the bolstering of community resilience to withstand land degradation and climate change. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished delegates, Morocco aligns itself with the statement delivered by Kenya speaking on behalf of the African group and we reiterate our full support to all the positions that were contained in said statement. Morocco supports the effective integration of the land tenure system in the implementation of the Convention, particularly in the drafting of the future strategic framework or FSF post 2013. We call for a better factoring in of land issues in national sustainable land management policies. We also attach particular importance to securing the land tenure rights of women and of local communities. given their critical role in the preservation and sustainable management of natural resources. We encourage continued experience sharing between parties. And we hail the efforts of the Secretariat in further developing and expanding the land tenure toolbox, which is a very useful tool in terms of facilitating access to official document, to practical tools and to technical guidance in the field of land tenure and sustainable land management and land restoration. Finally, we support bolstering further cooperation with technical and financial partners. as a vehicle for promoting innovative approaches to land governance, as well as a vehicle for facilitating equitable access to land, particularly at the community level, all of which will contribute to achieving the goal of land degradation neutrality or LDN. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished delegates, In Morocco, we've undertaken meaningful and sweeping reforms to strengthen land governance and tenure, allowing us to ensure the security and tenure of more than 12 million hectares of privately held land in the state. Reform efforts have also targeted collective land covering more than 15.6 million hectares, which have served to strengthen women's lands rights, the land rights. We've also taken steps to ensure land tenure security in forestry lands, all of which has contributed to preventing encroachment and land-based conflicts. Chair, Morocco remains committed to supporting efforts under the convention in terms of inclusive land tenure as well as equitable and secure land tenure, as well as supporting efforts in LDN and in community resilience. Thank you very much indeed, Chair.

Thank the representative of Morocco. And now I give the floor to Brazil.

Thank you, Chair. Well, Brazil stresses the importance of land tenure security as a crucial condition to strengthen sustainable land use practices and for the resilience of communities affected by desertification, land degradation, and drought. Brazil also understands that tenure security should not be understood through a single model of land tenure, but should recognize the diversity of legitimate tenure systems and arrangements existing in different contexts. This includes collective and customary forms of tenure, such as indigenous lands and collective territories of people of African descent recognized under Brazilian law, as well as other kinds of common lands held, managed or used in common by traditional communities. The recognition and protection of such collective tenure arrangements are particularly important in contexts where historical processes of racism and discrimination have contributed to tenure insecurity and unequal access to land and natural resources. The recognition under Brazilian law of indigenous lands and the territories traditionally occupied by quilombola communities is also rooted in the recognition of the structural racism and historical processes of racial discrimination that have systematically excluded indigenous peoples and Afro-descendant communities, including communities descended from enslaved people. from equitable access to ownership and secure tenure of land and natural resources. In this regard, Brazil would also like to highlight the importance of the Belen Declaration on addressing environmental racism adopted at COP13 in Belen that recognized the historical and structural dimensions of environmental racism and the disproportionate impacts experimented by racialized communities. This recognition reinforces the importance of taking these dimensions, racial and ethnic dimensions, into account when addressing tenure insecurity. We welcome the efforts done by the Secretariat to support parties in establishing land governance frameworks, and we stress that adequate, predictable and accessible financial resources are essential to translate principles of responsible land tenure into effective action on the ground. The persistent financing gap remains a significant constraint on the capacity to support the developing countries in strengthening their tenure systems, institutions and policies, particularly in contexts affected by desertification, land degradation and draw. Brazil therefore underscores the importance of strengthening the provision and mobilization of financial resources including through the fulfillment of the commitments undertaken by developed countries under the Convention to ensure effective advancements on responsible land tenure governance as a key element for the implementation of the Convention. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Brazil and now give the floor to Australia.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the Mongolian government for hosting COP17 in the beautiful and vibrant Ulaanbaatar. Australia welcomes the UNCCD's continued focus on land tenure. Secure and equitable land tenure is important for sustainable land management, land restoration and drought resilience. It is also central to advancing gender equality for women and girls. Women and girls are key stewards of the land and they hold deep knowledge and expertise in protecting and restoring it. Yet they often lack decision-making power over the land they work on and cultivate. Ensuring women and girls access and rights to land can support livelihoods, food security, education, health and safety. Australia recognises the value of continued knowledge exchange on responsible land governance, including the sharing of best practices and practical guidance to support parties' voluntary and country-led efforts. We also see value in practical cooperation across the Rio Conventions where this supports women's land rights. This can achieve land restoration, biodiversity and climate outcomes while respecting each convention's mandate. Australia also recognises the importance of Indigenous peoples' connection to land and waters and the importance of that connection to their economic, social, cultural and spiritual wellbeing. For Australia, secure tenure and respect for Indigenous peoples' connection to country essential to effective land restoration, biodiversity protection and sustainable land management.

Land security is economic security.

It helps Indigenous Traditional Owner groups protect and manage their rights and interests, now and into the future. It also supports economic and social opportunity and helps Traditional Owners make informed decisions about their land. Australia continues to invest in programs that support land restoration and protection in line with traditional owner aspirations. The Indigenous Protected Areas and Indigenous Rangers programs protect, conserve and manage environmental and cultural values. They bring together cultural knowledge and Western science to manage ecosystems, including through practices such as traditional fire management, freshwater and waterhole management and land rehabilitation. Australia encourages continued practical, inclusive and country-led efforts to strengthen and secure equitable land tenure for women, girls and indigenous peoples around the world. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Australia and now I give the floor to Chile.

Thank you, Chair.

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the government of Chile.

In our case, we have a land tenure structure based mainly on state-owned land, individual property, indigenous property, and leases or concessions, together with specific legislation governing rural property and the protection of indigenous lands. Therefore, land tenure governance is supported by a set of laws. regulations and standards aimed at safeguarding the rights and interests of women, indigenous peoples and vulnerable groups, as well as environmental considerations. Based on our experience, Chile proposes avoiding compartmentalized mechanisms whose strategic costs may outweigh their benefits. We also support the continued development of tools and indicators that facilitate the incorporation of participatory policies and mechanisms centred on the interests of local and agricultural communities, indigenous peoples, women and other vulnerable groups in the future strategic framework of the Convention. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the representative of Chile. Now I give the floor to Madagascar.

Thank you, Chair.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, Madagascar fully aligns itself with the statement made by Kenya on behalf of the African Group, and we wish to restate our commitment to support the African Union's position on the issue of the Sahel. sustainable land tenure, we believe that this needs to be formally included in our national action plans as we combat desertification. In Madagascar, security of land tenure is not only a fundamental right, it is absolutely vital precondition for local communities to be able to be sustainably invested in land restoration and to adapt to climate change. Given this, Madagascar has already initiated specific activities through an intersectoral task force specifically dedicated to integrating land issues into our national action plans. We are finalising a national road map, and this has highlighted the vital need to break down silos between different sectors to strengthen cooperation between the different ministerial departments and different state actors. Chair, Madagascar wishes to mention a few additional priorities. Firstly, we will stress the fact that accountability is vital and needs to be based on transparent data. We've noted that it's vital to explicitly include land tenure indicators for sustainable development, in particular indicators 142 and others within the official reporting mechanism. This requires additional action to make sure they are actively integrated. Including these indicators will allow us to improve our management strategies and allow us to ensure that land governance is a key part of combating desertification. Secondly, we must use the land tenure toolbox developed by the Secretariat. I would like to welcome the fact that this toolbox has been developed and we would encourage its deployment at national level. Thank you.

Thank you, the representative of Madagascar. And now I give the floor to Guyana.

Thank you, Chair. the secretariat and the global mechanism for the document ICCD COP 17/9. We believe that secure and legitimate land tenure is the foundation on which sustainable land management is built. In support of this, Guyana has addressed the issue of security of tenure through public policies, consultations, and budgetary allocation. Guyana views security of tenure for women and indigenous people as important components of its land tenure activities. Guyana became an independent nation in 1966 and has since passed and revised legislations that speaks directly to land titling for its indigenous peoples through the surveying and issuance of communal titles for indigenous village lands. Guyana is well advanced in this regard. Our national experience therefore confirms what this convention has long recognized, that communities that hold secure rights to their land will invest in it, restore it, and defend it, thereby contributing to the LDN objective. Guyana has had entire villages committing their lands as protected areas. The government has also taken the initiative to provide individual land titles to its citizens who have been in occupation of land through generations by making budgetary allocation to support this. In addition, under Guyana's low carbon development strategy and in recognition of indigenous led land stewardship, all titled Amerindian villages are receiving a percentage of national carbon credit revenues to finance their village sustainability plans, thereby linking land tenure to a defined share of our land-based climate finance. Guyana has made strides through the mainstreaming sustainable land development and management project financed through the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund to strengthen national administration and governance of tenure through investments in spatial data infrastructure, modernized surveying and mapping, and institutional capacity development. Guyana is also actively pursuing the implementation of a digital cadastral system to support land tenure security. With these thoughts in mind, Ghana welcomes the launch of the toolbox as a practical resource for parties to strengthen tenure security and feels that it has the potential to contribute significantly to the achievements of LDN targets. At the same time, GAIAHNA recalls that the guidelines on responsible governance of tenure is voluntary. As such, we believe that decisions on land tenure must recognize the full diversity of legitimate tenure systems. Additionally, land administration systems must be fit for purpose, affordable, and participatory. appropriate to the scale, legal traditions and institutional capacities of small states and supported by accessible technical assistance. Further, Guyana supports action directed towards land tenure security for women and has adopted deliberate policies that gives women priority in its current housing drive to the extent that more than 50% of new government allocation to land owners are women. And I look forward to tenure indicators in the post 2030 strategic framework that reflect these realities. I thank you.

Thank you so much, Brianna. Now I give the floor to Thailand.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. land tenure security interconnects with sustainable land management and restoration as well as the livelihood of the people and their communities recognizing the importance of secure land tenure Thailand has therefore designated Thailand's focal point for land tenure within the UN CCD framework moreover Thailand has continue to integrate tenure considerations, including fair land distribution, into our national long-term strategy, our government policy, as well as our national land and soil resources management plan. In alignment with our legal and policy framework, Thailand has not only worked to address equitable and secure tenure rights, but also adopted a holistic and integrated approach to land governance. and environmental conservation. Moreover, Thailand has developed social and economic empowerment programs for land user, especially smallholder, allocated tenure rights on state lands to equip them with the capacity and knowledge needed to adopt sustainable agricultural practices suitable to land capability. At the core of these efforts, Thailand remains committed to achieving land degradation neutrality. Thailand acknowledge the importance of monitoring on land tenure for evidence-based decision making at the national level as well as within the convention context, we welcome the pilot initiative integrating land tenure indicators into UNCCD monitoring and reporting to strengthen data connectivity and collaboration in this area. Advancing land tenure security is an ongoing process which requires continued partnerships and collaboration at domestic and international level. Thailand therefore calls for financial and technical support to strengthen land administration system, upgrade land related data collection and integration, enhance integrated land use establish national dialogues, implement awareness raising activity and expand capacity building for stakeholders involved. Thailand believes that strong collaboration and partnerships across all relevant sectors will allow tenure security to serve as driving force for strengthened land governance, climate resilience and the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Thank you.

Thank you, Thailand. I now give the floor to the United Kingdom.

Thank you, Chair.

On behalf of the UK, I thank the Secretariat, FAO and other partners for advancing this important agenda. UK is committed to supporting secure and equitable land tenure as part of our efforts to deliver land, climate and nature objectives across the Rio Conventions. Advancing responsible and inclusive land governance and strengthening tenure security is fundamental to achieving the objectives of the UNCCD. Secure land rights enable people to invest in sustainable land and water management, restore degraded land, build resilience to drought and strengthen livelihoods. This is particularly important for smallholder farmers, pastoralists, indigenous peoples and local communities whose meaningful participation and knowledge are essential to effective and durable land tenure solutions. We also welcome progress made by the UNCCD on strengthening women's land rights.

Women's tenure security.

It's critical for sustainable land management, food security, resilience, and as recognized under SDG5, women's empowerment. We should now move beyond recognizing the importance of land tenure and focus on its integration into efforts to address desertification, land degradation, and drought. We welcome the work of the Technical Reference Group on the Status of Land Governance Report and support further work on monitoring land tenure and governance within the convention. Land restoration efforts are more likely to succeed where people have secure rights, a voice in decision making and confidence that the benefits of restoration will reach local communities. We look forward to working with all parties to advance this agenda.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, United Kingdom. Now I give the floor to South Africa.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chen. South Africa aligns the statement delivered by Kenya on behalf of the Africa group. Mr. Chair, South Africa is of the view that national circumstances, legal frameworks, and land governance systems should be taken into account when addressing land tenure. Secure, equitable, and inclusive tenure can encourage communities, farmers, and other land users to invest in sustainable land management. In our context, land tenure is closely linked to land reform objectives. recognition of customary land rights, equitable access to land and the meaningful participation of women, youth and vulnerable groups and redress. Given the important role of women in rural production and livelihoods, strengthening women's secure and equitable access of land and tenure rights is essential for inclusive economic development, sustainable land management and realization of human rights. We therefore support inclusive tenure frameworks that strengthen the ability of women, youth and other land users to invest in sustainable land management, restoration and agricultural production in line with national priorities. On land governance indicators, South Africa supports voluntary reporting taking into account national circumstances and the diversity of land tenure system, particularly in the African context. Since women constitute the majority of economically active producers in rural areas, measures to strengthen women's access to land are crucial for economic development. We therefore remain committed to gender equality and empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities. And this commitment is reflected in our policy strategies and institutional frameworks, including the establishment of a dedicated Ministry of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. South Africa continues to implement measures to promote affirmative action and women's participation in decision-making and leadership, including through the Gender Strategic Framework within the public service. These efforts demonstrate South Africa's commitment to building a more inclusive and transformed society where women, youth and vulnerable groups can participate meaningfully in economic, social and environmental decision making. In conclusion, South Africa remains committed to secure and equitable land tenure, sustainable land management, gender equality and inclusive land governance while respecting national circumstances and priorities. Thank you.

Thank you so much, South Africa.

Now I give the floor to Tunisia.

Thank you, Chair. Tunisia supports the statement made by the African Group delivered by Kenya. And we support the fact that land tenure is vital but should be ensured on the basis of equity as we seek to combat land degradation and desertification. For us, it is important to pay particular importance to three main points. Firstly, on global land management. Priority must be given to access of farmers to the land. In particular, young people and women must have the opportunity to stay in their rural areas of origin, which will help us to ensure food security. Secondly, land degradation neutrality must be ensured. So it's make sure that we stop degradation through ensuring that sustainable development is linked to secure land tenure so that investment is long term. Without this, smallholders, farmers cannot have access to assistance and they cannot meet their own needs. Thirdly, climate flexibility. All states must bolster adaptation mechanisms at a local level so that they can face up to times of drought, in particular in different regions of Africa. Thank you very much.

Tunisia. Now I give the floor to Iraq.

Peace be upon you all. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The delegation of Iraq stresses the importance of land tenure being one of the main elements to achieve the sustainable land management combating desertification and land degradation. And we welcome the efforts exerted to prepare a land tenure toolbox that aims to help parties to acknowledge the legitimate rights and land tenure documentation and implementation, especially in the context of sustainable management and restoration of lands. We also stress the importance of benefiting from national and regional experiences and enhance the accountability and grievance mechanisms, and providing indicators and data related to land tenure that support decision-making. And Iraq views that the building of national capacities and exchange of experiences, as well as financial and technical support, would contribute in integrating land tenure issues in relevant plans and initiatives. Thank you.

Thank you, Chair. And let me also congratulate you for the position of sharing this because I never had that chance. Distinguished delegates, Botswana supports the Africa Group position that secure and gender sensitive land tenure and is fundamental to achieving land degradation neutrality and drought resilience. In Botswana, criminal range lands under customary tenure sustain rural livelihoods but face growing pressures from overgrazing, bush encroachment, and recurrent droughts. Tenure insecurity discourages investment in soil and water conservation, while women and youth remain disadvantaged in accessing land. Strengthening tenure governance and mainstreaming women's rights are therefore central to our national drought plan and restoration strategies. We welcome the convergence of positions across the other groups and the emphasis on indigenous and customary rights, as highlighted with other countries, on tenure security for smallholders and pastoralists. And the developed countries partners call for stronger governance frameworks and measurable indicators. It is worth noting the further enforcement on the need for country driven reforms. Botswana joins the Africa group and the rest of the communities in support of this, in supporting adoption of the land tenure toolbox. And we reiterate that without secure tenure, our collective commitments under the convention cannot be realized. I thank you, Chair and distinguished delegates.

Thank you so much, Botswana. Now I give the floor to Switzerland.

Thank you, Chair. Switzerland is of the view that responsible land tenure governance and safe, secure and equitable land tenure rights are a sine qua non for sustainable land management and for the achievement of land degradation neutrality. Land tenure security encourages long-term investment, thus contributing directly to food security, to livelihoods, and to community resilience. Secondly, we already have happily robust international frameworks. I am thinking in particular of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure, the VGGTs. Against that backdrop, our priorities should be to strengthen the effective implementation of such tools and ensure their integration in land restoration and land degradation neutrality policies and programmes. Switzerland welcomes under this heading the development of the land tenure toolbox of the UNCCD, which is a major step forward. in terms of a vehicle for translating principles into practical, pragmatic, accessible tools. We encourage the widespread dissemination of the toolbox amongst all countries and partners, and in particular, we encourage the use thereof. As our third point, land tenure governance needs to be inclusive and human-centered. Swiss cooperation and aid efforts support responsible land tenure governance and security of land tenure rights with a particular attention paid to women and to smallholders, to indigenous communities and to local communities. We have, for example, supported the development of the voluntary guidelines on the responsible governance of tenure, the VGGT guidelines, and their implementation in LDN. My apologies for the acronym soup. These experiences show us that land tenure governance needs to be approached not just through the policy and legal framework level, but also through ensuring the effective participation of rights holders. Finally, Switzerland encourages the UNCCD to continue efforts to integrate responsible land tenure governance in all of its work as a cross-cutting issue, particularly its work on land degradation neutrality, sustainable land management and drought resilience. Such an approach would also contribute to strengthening synergies between the three Rio Conventions. Land tenure security would support sustainable land management and restoration of the UNCCD, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity under the CBD, as well as adaptation and climate change, land-based climate change action on the UNFCCC. Restoring land is thus investing in people and ensuring that they can have sustainable futures. Sustainable restoration needs to ensure that they have their rights and their voices are heard and thus incentives to ensure that they can take long-term care of land. Thank you very much. Thanks, Mr. Chair,

and I give the floor to the FAO specialized agency.

FAO would like to commend the continuous efforts of the Secretariat to support the integration of the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure on Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, in short, VGGT, into the implementation of the Convention as decided by the Parties at COP14. FAO also would like to reiterate its willingness to continue its support to this goal through the UNCCD-FAO initiative on land tenure. Since 2022, this flexible mechanism has delivered raising awareness events for UNCCD parties gathering over 1,500 participants, has supported six national consultations and contributed to the production of the land tenure toolbox and the compendium on grievance and redress mechanism. Thanks to the GEF eight funding, further support will be provided to four countries through the project addressing tenure governance and gender equality in land rights, to strengthen LDN initiatives. Building up on its longstanding work with countries and partners to address tenure insecurity, which is today felt by 23% of the world population, FAO stands ready to support parties to integrate tenure consideration into the implementation of the convention, support the improvement of parties land administration systems towards higher efficiency and inclusivity and further in the exploration of possible tenure data to be meaningfully integrated in the monitoring of the convention in the post 2030 framework. FAO will continue its efforts to mobilize resources by engaging partners, donors and parties to promote direct national implementation, lessons learned and peer-to-peer exchanges and piloting the integration of land tenure indicators into land degradation monitoring and reporting to inform how tenure data can be better integrated into national UNCCD reporting and the Convention's post-2030 monitoring framework. We would like to invite Parties interested to further work on the integration of tenure into the implementation of the Convention through country-driven national consultations, projects or piloting indicators to come to meet with us. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you so much, Ifeolu. Now I give the floor to a representative from civil society.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates. On behalf of civil society and indigenous people, we welcome the renewed commitment to land tenure. Secure and equitable land territorial and coastal rights are fundamental to achieving LDN and straightening climate resilience as they enable responsible land and territorial governance, long-term investment in sustainable land use, effective conservation, avoidance and reversal of land degradation. Particular attention must be given to women, youth, indigenous peoples, local communities, pastoralists and smallholder farmers whose stewardship of land is essential to combat land degradation. We welcome the progress on the land tenure toolbox and the consideration of land tenure in several decisions. We also welcome the recommendation from the IWG on the future strategic framework to access to land of global tenure indicators and datasets. However, COP17 should be further be emphasizing implementation. past decision established a strong mandate on land tenure. The priority now is to be great enabling conditions for delivery and stronger donor alignment to translate commitment into action. We therefore recommended that parties raise the political commitment to securing tenure rights, recognizing that tenure is not only a human rights issue, but also is critical enable of LDN. Implement FPIC and meaningful participation of indigenous peoples, local communities, pastoralists, and smallholder farmers, women, and youth in decision makings and implementation and reporting on land tenure decisions. Use existing SDG and other Rio Convention indicators to straighten land tenure monitoring for reporting. Add tenure indicators for pastoralists and mobile peoples reflecting collective seasonal and transboundary territorial use. Integrate community generated and non-governmental validated data into national reporting system and enhance national coordination for straightening tenure rights including appointment of land tenure focal point. Excellencies, to close, we are concerned by the unprecedented removal of agenda items driven by individual countries without sufficient negotiation, which undermines the consensus-driven process historically practiced at the UNCCD. We call on the presidency to establish with parties whether this departure had the necessary support given the precedent it sets for decision making in this important convention. Thank you.

I thank the representative from civil society. I see no more requests for the floor and I give now, yes, okay, the last one. I'm sorry. There is a new request for the floor from UN entity.

Thank you, Chair. UN Women stresses that women's land rights and tenure security are fundamental to addressing land degradation, desertification, and drought and achieving the objectives of the convention. UN Women welcomes the Land Tenure Toolbox and thanks the UNCCD Secretariat, TMG Research and the Robert Bosch Foundation for the workshops undertaken in the context of the Women Land Rights Initiative, which underscored women's land rights and tenure security as a critical throughline for advancing gender-responsive synergies across the Rio Conventions. Chair, 2026 is a critical year as it marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. The convergence of these milestones is an important opportunity to recognize both women's land rights and their contributions as farmers, pastoralists, sustainable land managers, and custodians of ancestral knowledge. Women in all their diversity carry out these roles while also undertaking a disproportionate share of unpaid care work and while structural and institutional barriers continue to limit their access to land, finance, resources, and decision making. At the same time, women's land rights and tenure security can improve sustainable land management, facilitate women's access to finance and productive resources, support long-term investments in restoration and enhance resilience to environmental and climate-related shocks. Evidence consistently shows that when women have secure rights to land and natural resources, households and communities are better positioned to achieve improved foods and water security, sustainable livelihoods, and more resilient development outcomes. However, land degradation and drought can exacerbate existing gender inequalities. Where women lack secure tenure rights, they may face greater challenges in adapting to environmental pressures, recovering from shocks, and participating fully in decisions related to land governance and restoration efforts. At this pivotal moment for the UNCCD as the future strategic framework is under development, we call for strong integration of gender equality and women's land, rights and tenure security for it to be truly sustainable, effective, and in the spirit of the founding principles of the convention. UN Women stands ready to provide support to parties to continue to make women's land rights and tenure security a reality at global, regional, as well as national levels. Thank you.

Thank you so much, UN Women. This was the last speaker on the list, so now I give the floor to Mr. Sasha from UCC Secretariat to react to the discussion we had.

Thank you, Chair. I'd like to thank all the parties and observers for their comments and recommendations. Should there be any remaining questions, we'd be happy to answer those in the contact group. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Sasha. I propose that further discussion on this item in their totality be taken up in cow contact group two I hear no objection it's so decided Now I invite the Committee to begin its consideration of agenda item 8b entitled Participation and involvement of the private sector in meetings and processes of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Business Engagement Strategy, for which the Committee has before it documents ICCD/COP17/4 and ICCD/COP17/12. We'll first hear a pre-recorded video message of Madam Louise Baker, managing director of the UNCCD Global Mechanism to introduce the document ICCD/COP17/4.

Thank you, Chair.

Distinguished delegates, at its 16th session, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification requested the Secretariat and the GM to collaborate with parties, the private sector and partners on the development and improvement of best practices and guidelines that are relevant to addressing DLDD.

By its decision 6 COP16, the Conference of the Parties also requested the Secretariat and the Global Mechanism to continue

engaging with the private sector and to work with it in promoting the implementation of the Convention. These decisions jointly refer to the progress in further developing the private sector engagement strategy for protecting, restoring and sustainably managing land and for building resilience to DLDD, to encourage private sector support, finance flows and technology transfer. In this context, I am very pleased to introduce document ICCD/COP17/4, which reports on the progress made to date

on the above elements, the successes and the challenges of the biennium.

This report provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the Secretariat

and the GM and presents conclusions and recommendations of the consideration of parties at the seventeenth session of the COP. The report is complemented by document ICCD/CRCP/24/2 on resource mobilization, financial flows and sustainable development goal target 15.3. That report also presents conclusions with recommendation for the consideration of parties at the seventeenth session of the COP. In accordance with decision VI COP 16, the draft decision relevant to this agenda item is contained in pages 7, 8 and 9 of document ICCD/COP17/12.

Thank you.

I thank the Managing Director of UNCCD Global Mechanism. Now I open the floor in connection with the report that was just introduced. Delegates which wish to take the floor, they are invited to press the microphone button. Please ask you kindly once again to be brief and accurate in your intervention. We have less than one hour and we have to finish this item today. So the floor is open. Shelly, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Private sector participation in environmental actions form part of Chile's tradition of public-private cooperation, reflected in various forums bringing together public services, businesses, and professional associations, universities, scientific societies, social organizations, and environmental entities. We highlight the links between the forestry sector and certified management of ecosystem services, private protected areas, biodiversity and spiritual and cultural values, as well as carbon sequestration and storage. In this context, we propose continuing to foster collaboration among governments, businesses and financial institutions to mobilize resources, develop innovative solutions and scale up land restoration and sustainable land use actions. We also propose deepening public private cooperation and the participation of diverse stakeholders through national and regional platforms in member countries with a view to expanding, sharing and disseminating efforts for the design and implementation of actions to combat desertification and drought. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the representative of Chile. Now I give the floor to European Union.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. The EU and its 27 Member States thank the Global Mechanism for the report on participation and involvement of the private sector in meetings and processes of the UNCCD. We appreciate the activities undertaken by the Secretariat and the Global Mechanism in this regard. We agree that the private sector is an important stakeholder for the Global Mechanism and the G20 Global Initiative. The engagement of all partners is key. The recommendations provided in the note by the Secretariat are very useful. Within the context of the host country Mongolia and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, we welcome the organization of a Rangeland Investment Forum. We also appreciate the key role of the Business for Land Initiative in engaging the private sector in the implementation of the Convention. Furthermore, we also agree that the emergence of innovative financing approaches, including blended schemes, represents great potential for scaling private sector investment in sustainable land management, land restoration and drought resilience. We agree that the recommendations for action by the Global Mechanism Secretariat and the G20 Global Land Initiative within their respective mandates and subject to the availability of resources outlined in the present draft decision to further develop engagement with the private sector are important. I thank you for your attention.

I thank the representative of European Union. Now I give the floor to Cote d'Ivoire.

Chair, distinguished delegates, Cote d'Ivoire is delivering the following statement on behalf of the African group. The African group thanks the Secretariat for the preparation of this draft decision. on the participation and involvement of the private sector in processes under the UNCCD convention. On this point, we recognize the important role played by the private sector. Now, we would like to underscore that the mobilization of the private sector cannot be approached simply through the lens of mobilized investment. We also have to appreciate the quality of environmental support and sustainability. The use of local knowledge in methodology and the nature of investments as far as the African agreement is concerned, land issues are vital because land, land ownership and land tenure is often an obstacle to long term investment programs, particularly in resilient earth, resilient soils and land restoration projects. We believe, therefore, that private investment in SLM or sustainable land management needs to go hand in hand with strengthening land tenure rights, particularly for women and young people. All of this needs to be pursued with respect for national legislations and national context and local and community practices and traditions. Chair, distinguished delegates, greater engagement of the private sector in convention processes could open the door for further underscoring the need for reform to land tenure strategies and policies around the world and drought resilience. And it is also to say how they will continue to make progress on drought resilience, including with the support of the private sector where available. We would welcome a sustainable financial mechanism that may involve the private sector focused on drought resilience, one which is capable of triggering mixed financing. and ensuring that countries are in a position to meet their obligations vis-a-vis drought resilience. This is one particular priority for local communities, women, and the most vulnerable communities. Finally, we have the view that the Business for Land Initiative could play an important role in this transformative approach, as long as we can further anchor its national and regional ownership as a project and ensure that any projects under the Business for Land Initiative aligned with national priorities in terms of land degradation, neutrality, restoration of land, land tenure security and drought resilience. Africa will continue to work in a constructive manner with all partners to ensure that we can adopt a consensus based decision on this issue. Thank you very much, Chair.

Of Cote d'Ivoire. Now I give the floor to China.

Thank you, President.

China recognizes the important role of the private sector in advancing the implementation of the objectives the convention calls on the secretariat and all parties to further mobilize broader private sector participation in the implementation process. China recommends firstly expand cooperation and innovation models. The private sector may through partnerships with governments and international organizations jointly invest in and operate environmental projects, sharing risks, increasing efficiency, and diversifying financing. Secondly, increase investment, greater participation by private sector contributes not only to ecological restoration but also to economic value. Thirdly, develop relevant international standards and norms to support the integration of sustainable land use into private investment decisions.

Thank you.

I thank the representative of China. Now I give the floor to Brazil.

Thank you, Chair. Brazil recognizes that the private sector can play a crucial role in promoting the sustainable use of land and its resources. It is in this spirit that we would like to highlight the potential of bioeconomy to contribute to building a sustainable future and fostering economic growth for all. We believe that a meaningful contribution for the private sector to the implementation of the Convention could represent an important step towards advancing the transition to sustainable development and building a more sustainable land management agenda. For this, Brazil considers it essential not only to create enabling conditions for private sector investments, but also to establish clear frameworks to ensure that these investments fully respect the objectives and principles of the Convention, including its commitment to improving living conditions at the community level. Therefore, appropriate mechanisms for transparency, accountability and social environmental safeguards are important tools to guarantee a constructive engagement of the private sector with the Convention and prevent risks associated with insufficient monitoring and potential impacts on the rights and livelihoods of communities affected by private sector investments. It's also important that the participation of the private sector in the Convention should not undermine the leadership of states and should respect national laws, including on land governance, environmental protection, and the rights of affected communities. With regard to the mobilization of private finance, Brazil would like to emphasize that such resources should be considered complementary and not a substitute for the commitments undertaken under articles 20 and 21 of the convention. This includes commitments concerning the provision of substantial financial resources, including grants and concessional financing, as well as support for technology transfer to affected developing countries. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Brazil. Now I give the floor to South Africa.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, South Africa Chair. the same sentiment expressed by Cote d'Ivoire regarding the importance of private sector participation and engagement in both meetings and the process of the convention. Recognizing increasingly important role of the private sector in supporting sustainable land management effort, South Africa commends the global mechanism and the UNCCD Secretariat for the progress made in the implementation of the Business for Land Initiative and its strategy in line with the decision taken at COP16 on private sector participation. Mr. Chair, South Africa welcome the ongoing process on the development and establishment of Business for Land Initiative hubs. We believe these hubs will provide valuable opportunity for national and regional cooperation by fostering stronger linkages among private sector, government, civil society, local community, and other key role players. Such collaboration is essential to advancing our collective effort to address land degradation, desertification, and drought, while accelerating the progress towards achieving land degradation neutral world. Mr. Chair, land degradation and desertification continue to worsen at an alarming rate, while the frequency severity of drought are intensifying with the global average temperature projected to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. The associated impacts are expected to place increasing pressure on food and water security, agricultural production, economic growth and the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. This challenge pose a significant threat to food production, consumption and value chain, while constraining water availability and undermining the livelihoods of affected population. Mr. Chair, there's an urgent need to harness the expertise, innovation, technology and financial resources of the private sector if we are to accelerate the implementation of the convention and achieving the land degradation neutral world. South Africa welcome the private sector as a critical partner in advancing landscape restoration, sustainable land management and drought resilience through investment, technology, innovation and sustainable value chain. In this context, the Business for Land Forum should be viewed not merely as a platform for dialogue, but as a strategic mechanism for mobilizing resources, private sector engagement in support of national defined priorities and science-based outcome. The private sector has an important role in strengthening enabling policy environment, scaling innovation solution, building capacity, and fostering public-private partnership. However, the objective is not simply to increase private sector participation, or make restoration investable rather, it is to ensure investment demonstrate to deliver restoration resilience, improve livelihoods and broader public goods. outcome. The value of such partnership is already evident at a national level where South Africa is promoting the private sector engagement through the review of the land degradation neutrality targets, the agroecology and conservation framework development, as well as the review and update of the strategy and action plan on biodiversity. Through this regular dialogue, the regional business biodiversity and agricultural forum, South Africa have engaged sector in that regard. Therefore, South Africa look forward to further strengthening collaboration, partnership and synergy to mobilize investment needed to advance the implementation of the convention and achieving a sustainable development goal 15.3. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the representative of South Africa. You exceed the time, but I saw that you made a great effort to speak quickly. I give now the floor to Japan.

Thank you, Chair. Japan firmly believes that the active participation and meaningful improvement of the private sector are indispensable for the effective implementation of the UNCCD's mandates and for our collective efforts to combat desertification, land degradation and drought while advancing sustainable land management. While technological innovation is an important contribution of the private sector, it alone is not sufficient to achieve sustainable land management. What we truly need is a whole society approach. It requires collaboration among governments, the private sector, and local communities. In this spirit, Japan has launched an initiative called Midori Infinity, which aims to facilitate the international development of the innovative technologies developed in Japan. To support this effort, Japan has also established a consortium that promotes collaboration among companies and other stakeholders. Japan is also committed to advancing regenerative agriculture and soil conservation. Our private sector companies and research institutions are developing advanced technologies and solutions that can contribute to addressing soil degradation and climate change. To learn more about these efforts, please join our side event on this Friday, the 21st, starting at 1 p.m. The title of this event is Regenerative Agriculture and Sustainable Land Management. Japan's innovative technologies and approaches. Particularly, we invited two Japanese companies, namely Saguri, which is focusing on the technologies that leverage AI to monitor soil carbon and support water management, and EF Polymer, which develops nature-based polymers that help farmers cut irrigation needs and build drought resilience. We are honored that this is the first time that Japanese companies are joining the UNCCD COP side event, and we wish that many will follow suit. We sincerely look forward to your participation. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the representative of Japan. Now I give the floor to Mongolia.

Thank you, Chair. At the outset, Mongolia wishes to express its full support for successful outcome of this session under your able leadership. Chair, Mongolia attaches importance to addressing to discussion on private sector engagement in constructive, inclusive and balanced manner fully consistent with the objectives and principles of the Convention. We recognize that responsible private sector engagement can make an important contribution to the implementation of Convention, including through investment, innovation, technology cooperation, sustainable value chains and partnership supporting sustainable land management, land restoration and drought resilience. In this regards, Mongolia considers it's important that private investment complements rather than substitutes for public and international finance, particularly for development country parties. We further believe that private sector engagement should remain country driven and responsible to national circumstances and priorities. consistent with national legislation and supported by transparency, accountability, and appreciate environmental and social safeguards. Such engagement should also translate into tangible and measurable benefits on the ground, including for land restoration through religions, sustainable range land management, pastoral communities, and local enterprise and rural economies. As the country of COP17, Mongolia is committed to working constructively with all parties towards a practical and forward-looking outcome that can facilitate responsible private sector participation while safeguarding national ownership and the objective of the Convention. I thank you, Chair.

I thank the representative of Mongolia. Now I give the floor to Botswana.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, the role of the private sector in addressing desertification, land degradation and drought is now undeniable and Botswana supports the submission by the global mechanism. When Botswana hosted the Global Private Sector Forum on Sustainable Rangelands in Gaborone this June 2026, with over 120 participants from 11 countries, the message was clear. The challenge is no longer proving what works, it's financing restoration at scale. In this International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, we must ensure that dryland forests and trees with rangelands and agro-pastoral systems are recognized alongside grasses and soil. Restoration finance must reach the whole landscape, not just part of it. This is especially critical for women farmers who rely on integrated landscape for fodder, fuelwood, food security, and whose leadership strengthens resilience and equality. We commend the Haboroni recommendations and the emerging range initiative with IUCN, which provide pathways for scaling investment ready models. This should be advanced to this COP and aligned with Presidency's step action agenda. The European Union as key partner has vital role in supporting these efforts through climate finance, policy coherence and partnership that connects Africa, Central Asia and Europe. We also wish to express strong support for Code of Voice submission, which rightly emphasises that Africa cannot achieve the agency of mobilising resources. Governments, private sector actors and development partners must now translate commitments into financing mechanisms that deliver at scale. The call for private sector engagement cannot be less emphasized, and this can ensure that restoration finance empowers reaches the landscape most in need. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Botswana. This was the last speaker from Member States. Now I give the floor to World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Thank you for inviting me to make this statement on behalf of the private sector. I represent the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a global network of 250 plus leading companies advancing sustainability as a key driver of competitiveness. We have been delighted to work closely with the Business for Land team within UNCCD to mobilize business in support of UNCCD's goals of preventing, reducing and reversing land degradation. Specifically, following decision six on the private sector and decision 19 on agricultural lands at COP16, the UNCCD Secretariat mandated WBSSD to conduct global consultations with the private sector to identify what businesses see as the key policy opportunities that could better enable them to play their full role in contributing to land degradation neutrality targets and scaling investment in sustainable land management. For businesses, addressing land degradation is a critical way to manage the physical risks from soil degradation to water stress that are affecting their supply chains. As such, companies are already making significant investments in sustainable land management, including supporting farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture approaches and investing in nature-based solutions that build the resilience of the landscapes and ecosystems that support value chains. For example, participants in the COP Action Agenda on regenerative landscapes have committed to investments over $9 billion by 2030, covering 210 million hectares of land and reaching 12 million farmers. However, fragmented and misaligned policy and regulatory frameworks continue to limit investments at the speed and scale required. Throughout this year, WBSSD consulted over 50 organisations, including businesses across agriculture, forestry, finance, food and manufacturing, as well as producer representatives and ecosystem partners, to understand what businesses see as the key policy unlocks that could enable them to scale investment in sustainable land management. The result is a business-backed policy agenda, including three globally applicable policy areas. One, create a coherent and stable policy environment. Two, build a long-term vision on financing the transition and create conditions to de-risk investment and share costs and benefits fairly. And three, strengthen trusted frameworks for accountability, target setting and impact measurement. Each of those policy areas contains a number of more specific recommendations, which can be used as a checklist of policy considerations for national strategies, as well as a menu to identify the one or two recommendations that align most closely with national priorities and where to work together to drive progress. Underlying this business-backed policy agenda is a call to action from the business community to work with them to develop and deliver solutions to our shared goals of addressing land degradation. The business-backed policy agenda will be launched officially next Monday at the Business for Land Forum, championed by the governments of Germany and Cote d'Ivoire. The business community stands ready to share knowledge and technical insights, co-create solutions and build political support for high ambition policy leadership.

I thank the representative of World Business Council for Sustainable Development. I see no more requests for the floor. Another request just now. From civil society, yes.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates. On behalf of civil society and indigenous peoples, we welcome the draft decisions recognition of the private sector important role in advancing sustainable land and water management, land restoration and drought resilience. We particularly welcome the emphasis on the restoration economy, responsible investment, corporate land target setting and disclosure. innovative financial instruments and the recognition of land and drought resilience as a strategic investment priority. However, we emphasize that effective private sector engagement must be inclusive and multi-stakeholder. While the draft decision calls for private sector perspectives to be integrated into land-related targets, monitoring frameworks, public-private dialogue and the drought resilience initiatives, comparable recognition of civil society participation in processes should also be strengthened. Civil society and community organizations bring local knowledge, trusted relationships, and implementation capacity to understand local realities, implementation barriers, and what works in practice. Partnerships with CSOs and communities can help business in the transition toward land use practices that maintain and restore land health, build trust, reduce implementation and reputational risk, improve ESG credibility and sustain outcomes beyond individual projects. We therefore call on parties to ensure meaningful participation of civil society in national public private dialogue platforms and business for land hubs, including the co-design and implementation of land and drought resilient solutions. Invite civil society to relevant expert groups and processes on corporate land targets, disclosure, monitoring methodologies, and sustainability standards. Dedicate direct, accessible, and sustained financial support to locally land restoration, including community-led agroecology, agroforestry, and ecosystem-based approaches, particularly those led by local communities, women, youth, and indigenous peoples, including in conflict-affected regions. Establish a strong environmental and social safeguards and minimum ecological and social criteria for private investments in land-based sectors and draft resilience including full respect for land and tenure rights, free prior and informed consent and equitable benefit sharing. We also encourage party and private sector partners to recognize CSOs and indigenous peoples and local communities as implementation and knowledge partners, not only stakeholders to be consulted. Finally, we call on business for land champions and other private sector actors to support the meaningful and sustained participation of civil society and indigenous peoples in UNCCD meetings and processes, including through sponsorships mechanisms, support from representatives for underrepresented regions and joint dialogues between business and civil society. Thank you.

I thank the representative of civil society. I see no more request for the floor. So now I invite the secretariat, Madam Sara Tomei from secretariat, from the global mechanism to respond to questions posed and comments made. You have the floor, Sara.

Thank you, Chair. Dear representatives, thank you very much for your comments and questions. So we will have the contact groups and during the contact groups, we will be happy to reply to all the questions. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, Madam Sarah. So dear colleagues, I propose that further discussion on this item in their totality will be taken up in the CAU contact group number two. I see no objection. It's so decided. Distinguished delegates, I would like to remind that the committee, as per usual practice, any further written comments, amendments proposed by parties to a specific draft decision should be considered by the respective CAU contact group. I would invite, therefore, parties to convey the proposed amendments to the CoE Contact Group 2.1 and 2. The next meeting of the Committee of the Whole is scheduled for Thursday 20 August at 3pm in the Plenary Hall. The Contact Group on other matters is scheduled to reconvene 15 minutes after adjournment of this meeting in Room ME-11. For further information, please consult the Daily Journal at UNCCD websites and UNCCD application for mobile phone. So the meeting is adjourned.