(3rd Meeting) Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention - UNCCD COP17

Distinguished delegates, please take your seats. We will start shortly. Distinguished delegates, I call to order the third meeting of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention. I invite now the Committee to begin its consideration of agenda item four entitled Securing of additional investments and relations with financial mechanisms. The documents before the Committee are listed in today's journal and in the app. We will turn to sub-item A entitled report of the Global Environment Facility on the financing of programmes and projects concerning desertification, land degradation and drought. I will now give the floor to a representative of the Global Environment Facility to introduce the documents. Please you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I'm pleased to present the report of the global environment facility to the 17th session of the conference of the parties to the United Nations to combat desertification. The report covers the period of July 1st, 2024 to April 15, 2026. The reporting period coincides largely with the last two years of the eighth GEF replenishment phase, which ran from July 1st, 2022 to June 30th, 2026. The report confirms the substantial progress made in programming the available funds, as well as addressing decisions taken at UNCCD COP16 on the collaboration with the GEF. To this end, I would like to highlight programming trends and how the GEF has addressed COP decisions of relevance. Let me start with a summary of the achievements. During the reporting period, 68 projects were approved with funding from the Land Degradation Focal Area and other related funding windows of the GEF Trust Fund. These include six enabling activities, 15 land degradation focal area stand alone projects and 47 multi-focal area projects. The total amount of GEF resources invested in these projects amount to $452 million. The GEF investment leveraged $2.2 billion in co-financing with a ratio of one to five during the reporting period. The land degradation focal area portfolio covers all UNCCD annexes. $309 million of the total amount went directly to 55 national projects in 49 countries, with the highest share of 27% programmed in Africa, followed by Asia with 21%, and Latin America and the Caribbean with 15%. 143 million US dollars programmed through global and regional programs. The thematic priorities for investments in this period were sustainable land management and restoration to implement voluntary land degradation neutrality targets, drought mitigation and UNCCD enabling activities to support national reporting in preparation for the 2026 reporting cycle. 11 projects specifically address drought among other activities providing technical assistance and capacity building to help implement strategies and actions outlined in the national drought plans. 20 million US dollar was made available for the 2026 UNCCD reporting cycle through five umbrella projects, including 134 parties. These projects were approved between March and September 2025, responding to COP decisions that invited the GEF to make those resources available in a timely manner. As of April 16, 2026, FAO and UNEP entered into contractual agreements and disbursed funding to 99 of the 134 parties. The report also coincides Uh, the report also provides… provides an overview of the cumulative achievements during the GEF8 cycle in the past four years. Overall, 600 million US dollar of land degradation focal area resources were programmed in conjunction with a total amount of 1.4 billion US dollar from other funding windows across the GEF family of funds. In this way, a total amount of 2 billion US dollar was made available in GEF8 for 245 projects related to sustainable land management in support of implementing the UNCCD agenda. In turning to the expected results of the projects approved in this reporting period, we can report satisfactory progress towards the GEF8 targets. The expected results for the target for area of land restored is 10.1 million hectares, area of landscapes under sustainable land management in production system is expected to achieve 43.2 million hectare and the number of people benefiting from these investments in restoration and sustainable land management are 12.8 million of which 6.8 million are women These achievements in GEF eight adequately respond to the decision at COP 16 that invited the GEF to strengthen its support for countries in programming land degradation focal area resources to combat desertification, land degradation and drought and achieve their voluntary land degradation neutrality targets. It also confirms the GEF's efficiency in programming the available funds in the GEF eight cycle. with 97% of the available land degradation focal area resources programmed by the time of reporting. And I'm happy to report that by the end of the GEF8 cycle on June 30, 2026, the full amount of 100% was programmed. Let me now turn to responses to COP16 decisions that invited the GEF. under IX replenishment to prioritize the allocation of resources to proactive drought management to support parties in the implementation of their actions. In response, the GEF IX programming directions include a new GEF IX Drylands and Drought Management Integrated Program. The program has a tentative funding envelope of $140 million and will engage in close collaboration with other existing global platforms such as the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership and also enhance co-financing opportunities through other partnerships and new funds, for example, the Drought Resilience Investment Facility. Looking ahead, I would like to inform parties that at its 71st meeting in June 2026, the GEF Council endorsed the GEF9 replenishment packages, which establishes a programming level of 3.9 billion following initial pledges announced by donor countries to support investments in nature positive development, drought resilience, and sustainable land management. In closing, allow me to express our continued commitment to utilize the lessons from our projects and programs and outcomes of this COP in the ongoing GEF9 period. The GEF is looking forward to be a partner of choice for parties to implement the UNCCD agenda in the years ahead. We look forward to productive discussions on this agenda item. Thank you, Chair.

I think the representative of the global environment facility and I would now like to open the floor for representatives of parties and observers who wish to make a statement. Please press the microphone button if you wish to make a statement. I will give the floor to the representative of Tajikistan. Tajikistan, please, you have the floor.

Thank you. I'm sorry, no, we haven't.

Okay, so that was a mistake. Then I see the European Union. I give the floor to the representative of the European Union. Please, you have the floor.

Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I'm speaking on behalf of the European Union and its 27 member states. The EU and its member states are grateful to the GEF Secretariat for preparing its comprehensive and insightful report for the COP17. We welcome this report and appreciate the significant efforts of the GEF to take into account the guidance provided in the decision nine of COP16. We commend the initial pledges of 3.9 billion to the GEF9 replenishment. We note nevertheless that this replenishment level is 27% lower than the GEF8 replenishment. This demonstrates the need for more donors to contribute to the global financing efforts, including new and non-traditional donors. We also note the limited decrease of the financial allocation to land degradation focal area of the GEF9 compared to the GEF8, but we welcome the new measures included in the GEF9 to ensure more desertification co-benefits in its portfolio. Since all countries can now formally contribute throughout the GEF cycle. We encourage all countries in a position to do so to contribute to the ninth replenishment of the GEF, and we welcome Uzbekistan's leadership in becoming a new donor for this cycle. In parallel of the GEF Trust Fund replenishment, we also welcome the adoption of the new strategy on climate adaptation of the LDCF and the SCCF. which are part of the Jeff family of funds focusing among others on the improvement of integrated water management and the proactive management of drought in LDCs and SEEDS and we encourage the drought affected LDCs and SEEDS to submit projects proposals to these two funds in order to strengthen their drought resilience concerning the learning opportunities We invite the GEF to continue enhancing knowledge sharing, capacity building, and the dissemination of best practices in terms of sustainable land management, including through the enhanced cooperation with the UNCCD designated WOCAD database, the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies. Concerning the multifocal areas interventions financed by the GEF, While acknowledging the country driven nature of the GEF, we encourage the GEF to further support carbon sequestration strategies and community led approaches like afforestation, agroforestry, agroecology, regenerative farming, conservation agriculture tillage and cover cropping, such as positively noted in the findings of the eighth overall performance study. Concerning the use of the STAR allocations, we recall the full flexibility in the use of the national STAR envelopes since the beginning of the JEF8. We thus encourage the JEF and the Secretariat of UNCCD to further promote the full flexibility in the use of the national STAR allocations, for instance during the expanded constituency workshop, so that countries affected by DLDD can prioritize and better finance their LDN targets and national drought plans. As we alluded in our general opening statement, we need more resources, stronger commitments and bolder actions and an ambitious updated strategic framework. And finance is one part of this. And on this matter, we have strong evidence that redirecting the harmful finance matters as much as increasing finance. Therefore, we should both strengthen the future financing of the convention as well as progressively redirect environmentally harmful subsidies contributing to the LDD. In this sense, we encourage the GEF to collaborate with the global mechanism, the secretariat and relevant development actors with an expertise on this like UNDP to support the countries wishing to do so to identify and progressively repurpose their subsidies contributing to desertification, land degradation and drought. This will allow them to increase the funding of more sustainable land management practices while ensuring also a fair and just transition while leaving no one behind. Concerning the proactive management of drought, We commend the engagement of the GEF in the steering committee of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership. And we invite the GEF to ensure the complementarity and synergies with a new integrated program on drylands and drought management. Likewise, we welcome the inclusion of two new indicators related to drought in the GEF9 result management framework. Concerning the global environment benefits and the result management framework of the GEF 10, we invited GEF to fully align the core indicators related to the land degradation focal area on the new indicators of the future strategic framework of the UNCCD once it is approved. Finally, we take the opportunity of this statement to to congratulate Mr. Diego Puyo Mesa for his recent appointment as new CEO and Chairperson of the JEF and we wish him full success with his critical mission. Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you very much distinguished representative from the European Union. I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Brazil. Brazil, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Brazil attaches great importance to the Global Environmental Facility as the financial mechanism of the Convention. We acknowledge its contribution to addressing land degradation while expressing our deep concern regarding the level and direction of financial support. The overall GEF replenishment envelope has declined from 5.3 billion under GEF 8 to approximately 3.9 billion under GEF 9, a reduction of around 27%. Within this reduced envelope, the allocation to the land degradation focal area has declined from 618 million to approximately $440 million, a reduction of around 29%. Brazil would like to recall that these are not merely aspirational commitments. Article 6, paragraph C, calls on developed countries parties to promote the mobilization of new and additional funding. While article 20, paragraph 2, established their undertaking to mobilize substantial financial resources, including grants and concessional loans, and to promote adequate, timely, and predictable resources. including new and additional funding from the JEF. Article 20, paragraph seven, further makes clear that the full implementation of the convention by affected developing countries parties will be greatly assisted by the fulfillment of those obligations. This is particularly concerned in light of the financial needs assessments, which is identified an annual financial gap of approximately 278 billion for 2015. to 2030. Brazil therefore calls for substantial increases, adequate and predictable resources for land degradation in future replenishment cycles, as well as strong support for developing country parties, including on route, capacity building and access to finance. Brazil has also submitted comments to the JEF report presented in this session, which were not reflected in the report. Council members' views of the JEF should be duly considered in the reports submitted to the Convention governing bodies. Finally, Brazil would like to appreciate clarification from the Secretary as to whether a decision on collaboration with the Global Environmental Facility will be made available for consideration by this Committee. Given the importance of the JEF as the influential mechanism of the Convention and the concerns we have raised regarding the level of resources available, we consider it important that this matter be duly addressed through established intergovernmental process with sufficient time for parties to consider and negotiate any proposed draft decision. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Brazil. I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Syrian Arab Republic. You have the floor.

Thank you.

The Syrian Arab Republic joined the Convention in 1997 and ratified it. In fact, 1997 was the year when it ratified. We have provided full support to the Convention and benefited from the support of the GEF during the GEF 8 cycle. We are now at a stage where we are regaining our strength and preparing for the ninth session, the ninth JEF cycle. We hope for just one thing, which is that the sanctions against our country be lifted. That is our wish. Thank you.

Thank you very much, distinguished representative from the Syrian Arab Republic. I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Australia. Australia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Unlocking finance from all sources is important to support the effective implementation of the convention. This includes increased private sector investment in activities and projects that tackle desertification, land degradation and drought. Australia is a long-standing and committed partner of the Global Environment Facility, which serves as a key financial mechanism for the UNCCD. We welcome the increased focus on drought resilience under the GEFS ninth replenishment, including the elevation of drought within the land degradation focal area and the establishment of a new drylands and drought management integrated program. Australia welcomes the GEF's report to the UNCCD COP17, noting that drought resilience will have a greater focus of implementation under the GEF's ninth replenishment. Under GEF9, drought has been elevated within the land degradation focal area. strategy and a new drylands and drought management integrated program has been established. Australia also welcomes the finding in the report that recipient countries are increasingly using GEF resources for sustainable land management, landscape restoration and achieving voluntary land degradation neutrality targets. The report also usefully highlights that over 60% of land degradation focal area resources were programmed through multi-focal projects and that the GEF intends to continue leveraging Rio Convention synergies in GEF9. The GEF notes the strong role for co-financing and private sector mobilization to achieve land restoration and drought resilience. We welcome the increasing use of GEF resources for sustainable land management, landscape restoration, and voluntary land degradation neutrality targets. The delivery of more than 60% of land degradation focal area resources through multi-focal projects demonstrates the value of integrated approaches and synergies across the Rio Conventions. Australia supports GEF reforms to improve access and mobilize additional finance. This includes developing the GEF risk appetite statement and making better use of non-grant instruments to increase involvement of multilateral development banks and the private sector. Co-financing and private sector mobilisation will be important to delivering land restoration and drought resilience at scale. Australia looks forward to working with Parties and partners to mobilise finance from all sources in support of the Convention's effective implementation. Thank you.

Thank you very much, distinguished delegate from Australia. I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of South Africa. South Africa, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair, and good afternoon. South Africa would like to support the statement made by the distinguished delegate of Brazil, especially noting the growing funding gap that exists at both global level and also at national level to finance the various initiatives under the convention in terms of their level of importance, especially to developing countries and specifically for us as South Africa, because as the funding is shrinking even through the GEF9 allocation, we are left scrambling, especially at a national level, to also mobilize resources to actually implement the various initiatives across the board. And we are of the position that resource mobilization should not be looked in isolation to the various discussions that are taking place under this COP, because I think the ambition is increasing and it also must be matched with the resources order to meet the obligations that we are committing ourselves through this initiative under this convention in order to meet all the three underlying factors that we meet here to discuss which is land degradation desertification and drought thank you chair.

Thank you very much distinguished representative from South Africa I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. As this is Antigua and Barbuda's first intervention, we would like to express our gratitude to the government and people of Mongolia for their warm hospitality provided thus far. It is a pleasure to be here today to speak on an issue that is increasingly important to Antigua and Barbuda as a small island developing state. We face a number of environmental challenges and as our land area, our total land area is 171 square miles, we are vulnerable to drought, changing rainfall patterns and increasing pressure on our natural resources. Therefore, the need for robust sustainable management practice is particularly important. Antigua and Barbuda has benefited from the support of the donor agencies and programs including Jeff. These partnerships have provided valuable opportunities to strengthen our national capacity, improve our understanding of land degradation and develop practical approaches to sustainable land management. One important example is SoilCare project through which Antigua and Barbuda has benefited from support in strengthening and understanding the management of soil resources. The project has demonstrated the value of having reliable data, appropriate technologies, and strong institutional capacity to inform decisions related to land and soil management. The results of this project has supported us in our current reporting obligations. However, the work cannot stop there. What remains is to our continuous challenges affecting our land resources, soil degradation, water scarcity, and addressing these challenges requires continued investment in research, data collection, technology, capacity building and practical interventions on the ground. At the same time, these interventions must be practical and suited to the realities of SIDS. We need approaches that recognize our limited resources and land area while making effective use of technology, innovation, scientific information and local knowledge. Antigua and Barbuda through continued partnerships can build on the progress made through initiatives such as soil care and create new opportunities to strengthen our resilience to drought and other land related challenges. Lastly, our commitment is clear to better understand the condition of our land, address factors, contributions to degradation and ensure that our limited land resources are managed sustainably for present and future generations. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Antigua and Barbuda. I will now give the floor to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which will be speaking from the microphone 242. IUCN, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. IUCN welcomes the report of the Global Environment Facility and acknowledges the importance of the GEF as the financial mechanism of the UNCCD. Since becoming an accredited GEF implementing agency in 2014, IUCN's GEF portfolio at the end of GEF 8 cycle stands at 71 active projects valued at approximately 477 million US dollars. We want to highlight two GEF projects that IUCN is implementing as examples of our contribution to this convention. The GEF project on integrating land degradation neutrality into land use planning, which the global mechanism executes, supports the 18 countries that are part of the LDN target setting program 2.0. The sustainable investments for large scale rangeland restoration or the STELLAR project, which is executed by the International Livestock Research Institute, ILRI, works with the private sector in the development of investment cases derived from rangeland value chains such as cashmere and mohair, including in our host country Mongolia. The project is also supporting the development of a global rangeland standard in collaboration with the Rangeland Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Fiber Alliance. In conclusion, we express our gratitude to the GM, the GEF, the parties and partners for the continued trust in IUCN, and we look forward to our continued collaboration in the GEF9 cycle. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much, distinguished representative of the IUCN. I will now give the floor to UNEP, which will be speaking from microphone 267. UNEP, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates. United Nations Environment Programme welcomes the report by the JEF and commends the Secretariat for its strong focus on institutional strengthening and national coordination as foundations for effective implementation of the convention and its strategic framework. UNEP fully supports efforts to strengthen the role of national focal points and the science and technology correspondents, As critical bridges between policy, science, and implementation, they play an essential role in ensuring evidence-based decision-making and translating global commitments into action on the ground. As a JEP implementing agency, UNEP is supporting UNCCD country parties through JEP-funded enabling activities, including the 2026 UNCCD National Reporting Project, GEF Biodiversity and Land Degradation Focal Area, as well as in the multi-focal area funded projects. Through these initiatives, UNEP provides technical assistance, capacity building and digital solutions that strengthen national reporting systems, improve environmental data management and support countries in monitoring and advancing land degradation neutrality targets. UNEP warmly welcomes the strong emphasis under the GEF9 replenishment on the dedicated action to address drought alongside the recognition of the global scope of the desertification land degradation and drought these interconnected challenges trans national borders profoundly impacting ecosystems food security biodiversity climate resilience and human well-being worldwide. Effectively confronting them demands collective global action, sustained investment in national capacities and data architecture, and strengthen science policy cooperation across all levels. UNEP remains committed to working with the JEF, UNCCD Secretariat, the global mechanism, country parties and partners, including IPLCs, women and youth, to strengthen national implementation, supporting informed decision making and accelerating progress towards land degradation neutrality and objectives of the convention. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, UNEP. I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Turkey. Sorry, Turkey, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Turkey welcomes the support provided by the GEF, UNEP and FAO for the 2026 UNCCD national reporting process. We particularly appreciate the emphasis on national ownership, capacity building and the use of national data and expertise. In our view, enabling parties to integrate their own datasets and national expert knowledge is essential for improving the accuracy, relevance and credibility of the reporting. Turkey also welcomes the development of high-resolution tools for land cover and land productivity assessment. We believe that the transfer of these tools, methodologies and technical know-how to national institutions is particularly important for building sustainable national capacity beyond a single reporting cycle. In Turkey, GEF supported projects have made an important contribution to translating our LDN targets from an approach into the concrete field implementation. We have also implemented numerous GEF supported projects aimed at combating land degradation. In this regard, Turkey would like to express its appreciation to the GEF for its valuable contribution to our efforts to combat land degradation and advance the implementation of LDN. Thank you.

Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Turkey. I will now give the floor to the representative of Indonesia. Distinguished representative from Indonesia, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Indonesia welcome the report by the Global Environment Facility. Indonesia would like to appreciate for the support on project to address land degradation and other environmental issues. Allow me to highlight Indonesia's strong commitment in restoring coastal and land degradation. particularly on mangrove ecosystem. As a nation with the world's largest mangrove cover, representing 20% of world mangroves, Indonesia recognized that restoring mangrove is restoring our natural green belt, our carbon sink, our biodiversity sanctuary and our coastal communities livelihoods. As case of mangrove rehabilitation with at least targeted to offer 22,000 hectares and improve management of more than 400,000 hectares, the national effort needs reinforced by robust international collaboration, partnership and support. Therefore, Indonesia invites the Chief Secretariat to support global mangrove ecosystem management in World Mangrove International Platform as a new model global partnership based on set commitment, science and leadership for our cost and our people and our planet. Thank you.

Thank you very much, distinguished representative of Indonesia. I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. Russian Federation, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished colleagues. Since this is the first time we're taking the floor in this meeting, we wish to thank the government and people of Mongolia for their hospitality and for organizing our work here. Russia notes the JEF report and its contribution to measures to combat desertification and drought. We regard this as an important financial mechanism for the implementation of national priorities of the parties and projects under the convention. It is important to make it more accessible and provide financial support, including to restore degraded land, to provide sustainable land management, and to combat droughts in line with national priorities. In the further development of GEF's program, including the GEF 9, it would be wise to be attentive to new indicators and approaches to ensure that they are scientifically based, practically implementable, and in line with the strivings of the parties with a transparent access by parties to the available financial resources. I thank you.

Thank you very much, distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. I will now give the floor to the NGO Green and Better World, who will be speaking from the microphone 276. You have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I have the honour to read the SAO statement on CRIC item 4, securing additional investment and relations with financial mechanisms. On behalf of civil society and indigenous people, we welcome the efforts on the Global Environment Facility, the global mechanism, parties and partners in mobilizing resources and strengthening financial cooperation for the implementation of the UN SDGs. We recognize the important role of financial mechanisms in supporting land restoration through resilience, LDN targets and sustainable development. However, as civil society, we must highlight a critical reality. The gap between ambition and available finance remains one of the greatest barriers to achieving the objectives of conventions. Therefore, share the following key months. First, we call upon parties, financial institutions, development partners to increase dedicated and predictable financing for UNCCD implementation, particularly in developing countries with vulnerable regions. Second, ensure direct and integrated access to finance for indigenous peoples, local communities and grassroots organizations, which will face complex and fragmented funding system. We call for simplified access, dedicated funding windows, recognition of communities as implementation partners, and stronger coordination across climate, biodiversity, and land finance mechanisms. Third, shift from short-term projects to long-term, flexible investments in resilience. Financial mechanisms should prioritize multi-year community-led approaches to restoration, adaptation, sustainable agriculture, land and water main agreement and local innovation. Long-term and flexible financing build strong communities and more sustainable outcomes. Fourth, ensure that public and private finance supports people and the planet. Public finance must not support activities that cause land degradation, while private investments should be guided by strong safeguards, transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights. All finance should contribute to sustainable land management while protecting communities and ecosystems. Fifth, recognize youth, women, and indigenous peoples as investments investing in their innovation, knowledge and leadership, straight and sustainable land and water management. Financial mechanisms should ensure their meaningful participation in designing and implementing solutions. Excellencies, the question before us is not whether we know how to restore land, but whether we are willing to invest at the scale required and whether we are willing to place resources in the hands of those who are protecting the land every day. Let us ensure that every investment in land becomes an investment in people, peace, resilience and a sustainable future. Finally, civil society expresses deep concern over the exclusion of gender civil society participation and synergies from the COP agenda we urge parties to reinstate these items and ensure meaningful deliberations in line with previously adopted decisions recognizing that inclusive participation is essential for effective and transformative implementation of the Convention. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much to the representative of the non-governmental organization. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Philippines. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Philippines recognizes the important contribution of the Global Environment Facility in supporting the implementation of the Convention. From our experience, sustainable land management interventions have been supported as components of broader environmental projects, including those addressing biodiversity. Given the scale of land degradation challenges, the Philippines sees merit in further strengthening the allocation of resources for sustainable land management and land degradation neutrality, enabling parties to translate national priorities and LDN targets into concrete and sustained action on the ground. We also encourage greater support for mainstreaming and scaling up sustainable land management approaches within national and local programs and investments so that effective practices can be sustained beyond individual project sites and project periods and deliver measurable improvements in land and soil health. In this regard, the Philippines encourages adequate, predictable and accessible financing for addressing land degradation and strengthening drought resilience complemented by technical support and capacity building, including the documentation, knowledge sharing and scaling up of proven sustainable land management technologies and best practices to strengthen their practical application on the ground. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, distinguished representative of the Philippines. I think we have heard all the speakers for this segment. I will thus now give the floor to the representative of the Global Environment Facility to answer these questions.

Thank you, Chair. Let me first start by thanking the parties and the distinguished delegates for the acknowledgement of our support and also for very valuable and useful recommendations that we will take into account. And let me turn to some of the comments that were made on the level of the GEF9 replenishment by noting the 27.0% decrease by EU, Brazil, South Africa and others. Again, we can report that these are initial pledges of our donors and we still expect more pledges coming in because some of the donors were not ready to pledge and it is still possible in the GEF9 cycle on a rolling basis to increase the level of replenishment. However, it is clear that there is a reduction in the GEF9 replenishment and therefore it will be even more important to find ways that we can ensure that the level of support for the UNCCD can be maintained more or less at the same level in GEF8. And we are trying to find ways. I think also the recommendations that were made by EU are really recommendations that we should consider going forward in the GEF family of funds approach is a new approach in GEF 9 that can be used also to leverage resources for the UNCCD from our other trust funds like the least developed country fund, the special climate change fund, the global biodiversity framework fund. This is especially also valuable and important for least developed countries and sits that can access these funds and also other ways, innovative ways through a blended finance and through a family of fund approach that we make sure that we can still keep the level of resources support for the UNCCD going forward. Also, I wanted to answer the question from Brazil, the comment from Brazil on the comments of the Jeff report. I want to assure the distinguished delegate that we have addressed the comments of Brazil to the extent possible and I can show the distinguished delegate that the version that we have circulated to the JEF Council and the version that we have submitted to the UNCCD are different. They include the responses to the comments from Brazil. On the draft decision, the issues with the draft decision, we can only apologize. We have already discussed this with the secretariat and we will make sure that next time these issues will not happen again. I also wanted to come back to one point of the EU, again on the On the full flexibility, I wanted also to confirm, yes, even though the land degradation focal area allocation has decreased, it is true, we have full flexibility in GF8 so that countries can prioritize needs and use also this allocation for the other focal areas, biodiversity, climate change, and land degradation in a fully fungible way. On the comment of Syria, yes, I also wanted to confirm that we have supported Syria, that Syria is one of the countries that I reported of the 11 projects that are addressing drought. And let me look to my list. I think this is all that I have here on my list and I wanted to thank the delegates again for the useful comments and recommendations made on the GEF support and the GEF report and going forward for GEF 9. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much to the representative of the Global Environment Facility, but before you leave, I will give the floor to the representative of Armenia. Armenia, you have the floor. No. That was a mistake. All right. No problem. Thus, I will give the floor to the representative of the UNCD Secretariat.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I just would like to provide a very brief clarification on the draft decision on the collaboration with the GEF in response to the intervention from Brazil. And clarify that the draft decision is available on the UNCCD website. The link to the draft decision is provided in document ICCD CRIC24 slash INF1. Similar to the JEF report, the draft decision was prepared by the JEF and therefore was not included in document ICCD/CRC24/5, which contains the other draft decision for consideration by CRC24 and which was prepared by the Secretariat.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much to the representative of the UNCCD. We have heard the last speaker on this sub-item. We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of sub-item A of agenda item 4. Delegations are invited to remain seated while the podium is changed.

Valentin, you have the cosine now.

You have one.

Okay, perfect.

Alright, distinguished delegates, let's resume. We will now turn to sub-item B entitled report by the global mechanism on progress made in the mobilization of resources for the implementation of the convention, matters relating to sustainable development goal 15.3 and the facilitation of involvement of the private sector. I now invite the committee to vote. to view a pre-recorded video message by the managing director of the global mechanism please play the video.

Thank you chair distinguished delegates at its 16th session the conference of the parties to the United Nations convention to combat desertification requested the global mechanism to report to the 24th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention, CRIC 24, on the implementation of decisions 3/COP16, 6/COP16, 12/COP16 and 27/COP16. These decisions jointly refer to the progress in mobilising resources and financial flows for the Convention and for land degradation neutrality. measures to facilitate private sector participation, and the response to sand and dust storms. In this context, I am very pleased to introduce document ICCD/CRIK/24/2, which reports on the progress made to date on the above elements, the successes and the challenges of the biennium. The overall picture provided by this report is one of mounting ambition set against a clear financing gap. of a GM delivering at scale through flagships, innovation and partnership, but whose capacity is materially constrained by increasing demand outpacing actually available resources, and of a decisive sprint to 2030 in which the shift from planning to programmatic investment-ready action is indispensable. The report also presents conclusions with recommendations for the consideration of parties at the seventeenth session of the COP. In accordance with decision 32/COP14, the draft decision relevant to this agenda item is contained in pages three, four and five of document ICCD/CRC24/5.

Thank you. I thank the managing director of the Global Mechanism. We will now start a panel discussion guided by key questions. So please put the slides on the screen. So we'll have several questions. The first one being, how can innovative financing mechanisms help in mobilizing resources for the country for strengthening drought resilience and achieving land degradation neutrality? The second question will be, what are the most important barriers that limit the adoption of new financing mechanisms at the country level or formulating policies and tools for implementation? The third question will be, how can the global mechanism best support countries parties in making informed decisions about investments in land restoration? And the fourth question, will be what type of support would you like to see from the global mechanism to help your country mobilize financing. I now give the floor to his Excellency Osama Hebrim Fakia, Deputy Minister of Environment of Saudi Arabia. You have the floor. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I think I will talk about our attempt in Saudi Arabia to create an umbrella for collaboration to strengthen the multilateral work on on drought resilience which is Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership which was an initiative launched by Saudi Arabia in Cup sixteen in twenty twenty-four. And the whole idea was to shift from reactive response to drought after it hits to a proactive readiness to drought according to before it occurs. According to World Bank, every dollar that is invested in proactive readiness to drought save us several dollars, five or more dollars on the impact of drought. So this is what we have done. Of course, the whole mechanism depends on voluntary contributions. The mechanism depends on the partnership between those who provide the help and the support and the country that are recipient. Our focus in the global partnership on the 70 plus low income and lower middle income countries that are most vulnerable to droughts. The focus into including droughts into national drought resilience plans and development plans encourage the private sectors and financial institutions to on a voluntary basis to contribute. So far we have more than $2 billion of pledges from you know, global financial institutions that are pledged. Also leveraging innovation and capacity building. We have seen drought resilient crops, leveraging financial tools like drought insurance for small farmers. We have 600 million smallhold farmers that have less than two hectares of land. and they produce around 30% of the global agriculture needs. We don't have enough financial tools for them like drought insurance that will help them go through droughts. Also early warning that delivered to those farming communities and why the focus on farming communities because 80% of impacts are on farming communities. So I think we need to leverage the financial capabilities within the private sectors. We need to come with innovative solutions, financial tools like drought insurance for small farmers. We need to leverage innovation and most importantly the partnership between those who provide the aid and those who receive it between the international organization donors and the developing countries that are facing drought challenges.

I thank you very much for this intervention. I will now give the floor to Mr. Ki-Hyung Park, Research Scientist and Forestry Research Officer of Korea Forest Service.

Thank you, Chair. Since the launch, the China Initiative in 2011, the Republic of Korea has worked closely with the UNCCD and strengthen the scientific basis for land degradation neutrality and support national target setting and implementation. The Greening Dryland Partnership Program is an important program that brings it this corporation to the field. Pilot project has translated LDN into practical action and tested model for land restoration and sustainable land management in different regions. We also welcome the recent focus on Pacific Island countries and Eastern and Southern Africa together with stronger link to Southern Africa Great Green Wall Accelerator and What should develop finance? Looking ahead, Republic of Korea would like to see the GDP develop in three directions. First, the GDP should move beyond individual pilot project and become a pilot platform linking successful approaches with larger scale investment. Pilot project show what work under real conditions, but their result should not remain within the project site. Proper model should connect to national policies, public budget, international funds, and follow-up program of Multilateral Development Bank. The GDP could therefore strengthen project planning, feasible assessment investment planning and performance management so that successful project can develop into framework ready for follow on investment second the GDP should further strengthen country led and integrated approaches land degradation is linked with forest agriculture range band, water, biodiversity, food security and drought resilience. GDP project should therefore align with national LDN target, drought plans, integrated land use plans and broader development plans. Central and local governments communicate research institutions and private sector should be engaged from the beginning project should also build the institutional and technical capacity needed for partner countries to expand and manage the activities after the initial project ends third The GDP should strengthen confidence in investment through science-based verification. Restoration cannot be assessed only by vegetation cover or the number of tree planted. We also need to measure changes in soil health, water resources, biodiversity, local livelihoods, and drought resilience. This request clear baselines, measurable indicators, and monitoring that combine remote sensing with field survey. We should also share successes, limitations, and learnings from successful approaches. Such evidence can demonstrate the effectiveness of public finance and help attract international fund and responsible private investment. In conclusion, the Republic of Korea hope that the GDP will involve into an international cooperation platform connecting proven solution on the ground with national policies and larger scale investment. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much to the representative of the research forestry officer of the Korea Forest Service. I now give the floor to Ms. Oyun Sanjasuren, Director of External Affairs of the Green Climate Fund. You have the floor.

Thank you so much. So My title is Senior Advisor for the Green Climate Fund. It's been a recent change, but very happy to have you welcome you all here in Mongolia. I represent the Green Climate Fund, although I'm from Mongolia myself. So at the Green Climate Fund, we see climate action and land restoration as mutually reinforcing objectives. While GCF's mandate is climate finance, Many of our investments generate significant co-benefits for the goals of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, UNCCD. So by helping countries adapt to climate change, we are also restoring ecosystems, rehabilitating degraded lands, strengthening water security and supporting sustainable livelihoods. Just over the last 10 or so years since GCF became operational, our portfolio now includes 359 projects in over 130 countries across the world and that represents more than 20 billion US dollars in GCF financing but if the total co-investment values accounted then the portfolio is about 80 billion US dollars. Half of our resources are dedicated to adaptation with a strong focus on the most vulnerable countries, including LDCs, SIDS and African states. I'm also happy to report that at least one third of our funding goes to the private sector. And I think the question for this panel was also how do we incorporate, integrate and work together with the private sector as part of the innovative finance. Regarding the concrete question about the innovative finance, Of course, you know, the financing question is always the key question. And if you look at the financing needs and the estimates, the figures are always very sobering, especially to halt land degradation, restore ecosystems and build drought resilience. The needs are huge and it's very difficult actually to attract private sector into adaptation projects, let alone into land restoration, but I think there are some good examples. We think that the financing, although it's key, we would also argue that the given topic of innovative finance that you challenge is not only the financing gap. I think just increasing the volume of finance is not enough. There's also what we call investment gap. By that, we mean innovation is needed in technology, of course, but also innovation is needed in institutions, capacity building policies and financial innovation as well. By this, I mean new and innovative financing tools. Even when the capital is available, it does not automatically flow to land restoration, sustainable range land management or drought resilience projects in developing countries. Why? Because investors, especially from private sector, face a range of barriers. Some are market related, some are technical, some are regulatory, some are institutional. Complex approval procedures can increase transactional costs. Weak project pipelines limit investment opportunities. Climate risks are difficult to assess in price, and many restoration projects have long payback periods. And many of the benefits they generate in improved water security, healthier soils, ecosystems, services and greater resilience are not fully reflected in market prices. And also the cost of inaction is also not reflected necessarily in those investments. As a result, financing costs remain high and risk perceptions remain elevated, particularly in developing countries. That is where the public finance both domestic and international has a unique role to play. Domestic and international finance and concessional finance should create conditions that allow investment to flow and investing catalytic de-risking funding into developing countries. And that, of course, includes private sector as well. That's precisely why the GCF was established and I would like to just mention four complementary approaches at GCF that we are trying to, we've been trying to pursue as part of trying to achieve systemic change and impacts. First is to help create enabling environments for investment, of course together with the partner countries. Many climate and land restoration investments never reach investors because they lack supportive policies, institutional capacity, planning frameworks and investment pipelines. At the GCF, we have something called Readiness Window, which includes also project preparedness facility, putting bankable feasible project proposals. We also support adaptation planning and the same implementation support and in the last Over 10 years, more than 700 million US dollars thus far has been allocated for this readiness, readiness to access finance window. And almost 140 countries have used the GCF readiness and PPF support. Now, as countries move towards implementation of their next generation NDCs, we're increasingly supporting investment planning country platforms that combine climate ambition, with bankable opportunities, including nature-based solutions and landscape restoration. So I think countries more and more are looking into more integrated planning. There were some data research that's showing that if there is more integrated planning into investments, including into infrastructure and nature-based solutions, et cetera, one can even save up to 40% of that investment needs. Second, We support innovation and then by that we mean providing early stage support that allows countries and institutions to test and demonstrate new approaches, new pilot and projects that can be later scaled up. Third, with de-risk investment and perhaps where our financial instruments are most relevant to today's discussion. Of course, everybody knows about grants and concessional loans, but I think more and more GCF, but also other international finance institutions have been increasing the financing tools such as equity investments, especially what we call first loss equity, more patient capital, have enticing our partner countries and private sector to leapfrog to greener, cleaner investments and braving them through this first loss equity or the risking their investments. Guarantees are also increasing in our portfolio of financing tools. And of course, those blended finance structures is that will reduce risks that private investors are often unable and unwilling to take on their own. And fourth, we strengthen domestic financial institutions. We work a lot with the domestic development banks. domestic private sector, direct access entities, and we've been supporting green credit lines, capacity building, accessing to capital markets, guaranteeing some of those accesses and helping domestic institutions integrate climate and other risks into finance climate solutions at scale. I just want to use two examples in Mongolia. We've been supporting ADAPT program by UNDP and government of Mongolia investing approximately 79 million to strengthen climate resilience through sustainable range land management, climate information services, ecosystem based adaptation and climate resilient livestock systems. And this is also an integrated program where climate information, ecosystem restoration, policy reform, livelihood, for nomadic herders put into a single investment platform capable of attracting broader public and private engagement. Another example is from Botswana where almost nearly 98 million funding GCF is supporting restoration and improved management across approximately 4.6 million hectares of communal range land. The project promotes climate responsive grazing management, range land rehabilitation, stronger community institutions and more sustainable livestock value chain. Of course, we've been supporting Great Green Wall in Africa. I think the numbers are in hundreds of millions dollars, but the recent program called Suragva mobilizes approximately 200 and 22 million to support again landscape restoration, agroforestry, climate resilient value chain and community resilience across eight countries in Sahel. I'll stop here, but I think the main message I would like to convey is that we must focus on, of course, complementarity, coherence, focus on systemic transformation, not only international finance, domestic finance is very important. We need stronger policy environments. We need better pipelines of investment ready projects, stronger domestic financial institutions. We need greater private sector participation and the global mechanism plays a critical role in helping countries identify priorities, develop those investment pipelines and connect restoration ambition with other financing opportunities. Thank you.

I think the representative of the. Green Climate Fund. I now give the floor to Miss Victoria Crawford, Director of Agriculture and Food of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Please put her presentation on the screen and then I'll give you the floor.

Great, thank you for having me here. So my name is Victoria Crawford. I'm the agriculture and food director at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. For background context, we are a business membership organization. We are comprised of 250 of the world's leading companies, and we work with them on sustainability. And then in addition to our own membership, we also convene a network of what we call the global network partners who are country level business associations for sustainability as well. So we have a strong reach across the private sector globally. I am sitting here today because WBSD was invited by the Business for Land Initiative as part of the global mechanism to conduct a global consultation with the private sector around the topic of policies that could help businesses play their full role in supporting land degradation neutrality targets. And this this followed two decisions at COP 16. So decision six around the private sector and decision 19 around agricultural lands. and the way that we went about it was we've conducted an extensive consultation over the past year involving 58 different organizations representing food, agriculture, fiber, forestry, finance sector, farmer representatives, larger companies, smaller companies, and really asked them about their perceptions of the topic of land degradation and what would be needed for them to play a stronger role in scaling investment to support the avoidance reduction and reversal of land degradation. And what we have heard from them is that they really see land degradation as an important topic. For companies, it affects their supply chains. They are seeing increasing risks, increasing physical risks affecting their supply chains, affecting their sourcing, affecting the producers that they buy from or sell to. And for them, that's a real business concern. So for companies, they recognize the need to scale investment in addressing land degradation. And just a couple of stats on that, under the action agenda on regenerative landscapes, Companies have committed to investing $9 billion by 2030 in regenerative landscapes. So that is including regenerative agriculture as well as wider nature-based solutions in the landscapes they source from. And at the other end of the scale, smallholder producers are spending 20% to 40% of their annual income on average in building resilience and addressing nature. So it's a significant consideration for the private sector. The way we went about the consultation is, as I mentioned, we have consulted a wide group of companies. I've put on the slide here, but you can see the range of different companies involved. And this was through five workshops and three rounds of written feedback that allowed us to really understand what are the policies that would help them play their full role in supporting land degradation neutrality? And so what they said was there are three fundamental barriers that are preventing them from scaling investment. And this echoes closely what we've just heard from the Green Climate Fund as well. the first the first set of barriers is around in.

Supporting 27 countries and parties to the convention and Overall, we have ten projects as you can see with a with a funding request over 240 million and this is the adaptation fund alone only and here I want to strengthen again that There are, of course, we have here at the table the GCF, we have the CHEF, and the Adaptation Fund is also a financing mechanism mainly focusing on climate adaptation for the UNFCCC, for the Convention to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. But of course, we can see here that there is a very big overlap with the agenda of the UNCCD. And I think this needs to be strengthened as well, these three Rio Conventions and the collaboration between them and the financing between them. Um, um, who the, who wants to learn more about the, the projects or some of these, we have two side event sessions as well, one tomorrow being at 3:00 PM at mid, mid six on the monitoring and early warning aspect particularly. And then we have another one on Friday at 3:00 PM as well in mid six focusing on, uh, country examples and project examples with partners here where we are explaining how we are setting up this projects. And I also want to mention that we are currently exploring with the GM how we can scale that up and how we can scale that support to other projects up as well. And of course, we have heard that often today, this 240 million is a substantial financing, but it's of course not remotely sufficient to what is actually needed and how big the gap actually is. And ODA will never be sufficient, official development assistant will never be sufficient. to fill that investment gap. So we see these projects really as a trigger to raise additional public and private investment and to convince countries to establish also mechanisms that land degradation neutrality and drought resilience are funded through public and private investments. And yeah, our projects are always designed for scaling. The early warning system is of course, and the information that is provided through the early warning is a base for investment as well. We establish and demonstrate operational systems and we design it in a way that it can be easily replicated and scaled up. And of course, we are also interested in collaborating further on under Jeff nine on the REA Global Drought Resilience Partnership, the TRIF and other partners to scale that up. and perhaps just a few sentences about how this approach really works. The role of the global mechanism, I think, is very clear. You're supporting us with seed funding to accelerate the project preparation really. which helps us to accelerate the project preparation because we don't have to wait for the project formulation grant of the Adaptation Fund that helps us tremendously. But then perhaps even more important is the political and the technical support that you are providing the link to the UNCCD processes and to the UNCCD focal points. Very practical, for example, to really get the endorsement letters of the relevant country focal points, which are often not connected to this conventions and to the land agenda that we are working on. WMO, of course, the World Meteorological Organization, we have it in our name. Through us and through the national meteorological and hydrological services of the parties here, we provide the backbone on observations, the technical expertise, establishing early warning systems, all the climate, hydrological and water information behind it. We have GWPO and its network to really as boots on the ground to support the implementation, bring the policy players into ground civil society, which is very important and make sure that also the most vulnerable and and the most affected are included. And then of course, IDMP is our joint program that brings in the partners that we have in the program. Very central, and I'm coming to an end now, is that the countries are really in the driving seat in all these efforts. We engage, as you know, for drought, it's very, very important to not just focus on one entity. It's not just agriculture, it's water, it's ecosystems, it's transport, it's energy, it's economy, everything is important. And therefore, we really need a strong country engagement for implementing and preparing these projects. And I spoke a lot about drought, but I think all of us, we are aware that you cannot work on drought resilience separate from land and water management. So land degradation neutrality contributes, of course, directly to drought resilience. And everything that you are doing under land degradation neutrality helps to support drought resilience. And with this, I would like to close really saying that our doors from IDMP were open. We really turn country priorities into finance ready action. We are very willing to scale that further up. We have a working versatile delivery model and we're very grateful for this collaboration with the GM on these projects and willing to scale that up. And yeah, I would like to end by thanking the GM for this collaboration. Thank you.

I think the representative of the World Meteorological Organization. And I will now give the floor to the representative of the Global Mechanism for the technical wrap up of this session.

Thank you, Chair. First of all, I would like to thank our distinguished panelists for sharing the experiences working with us. We're really grateful. And I think to the parties, these partnerships speak for themselves. We did a similar session at the CRIC in Panama where you also heard the partners and the country speak about the support we're providing on the LDN target setting. So recognizing the urgent need to close the financing gap, for achieving land degradation neutrality and enhancing drought resilience, the global mechanism has maintained a strong focus on advancing new and innovative approaches to resource mobilization. We realize that we're a small lean team, but with partners, we're able to achieve a lot of the mandates that have been given to us. Strengthened engagement with the private sector, deeper synergies with multilateral development banks, and the development of de-risking strategies are becoming increasingly important within the context of the global mechanism. We're also advancing several emerging flagship initiatives designed to support integrated landscape approaches and mobilize resources in a holistic and scalable manner. Together, these efforts aim to accelerate investment flows, leverage blended finance, and enhance the capacity of parties to meet their LDN targets and drought-related commitments. We are doing this under our key initiatives, which are the partnership for project preparation, the Greening Drylands Partnership, the Business for Land Initiative, the Global Riyadh Drought Resilience Partnership, the Drought Resilience Investment Facility, the Peace Forest Initiative, and the LDN target setting, as well as the GEF enabling activities. Thank you, Chair.

I think the representative of the global mechanism. In view of the late hour and the quick contact group meeting at 6:00 p.m. this evening, participants will be invited to deliver statements during the plenary meeting tomorrow morning. We thus have concluded this stage of our consideration of sub-item B on agenda item four. Before adjourning the meeting, I wish to remind participants that the fourth meeting of the committee will take place on Wednesday, 19th of August, at 10 AM in this hall, so tomorrow. I also wish to remind participants that the CRIC contact group will meet tonight at 6 PM in conference room MET 12. The meeting is now adjourned.