FAO Workshop: Implementing the second phase of the LDN Target-Setting Programme under the UNCCD

In October 2015, during the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), SDG 15.3 was approved, which includes the concept of land degradation neutrality (LDN) as an effective tool for implementing the Convention. The UNCCD Secretariat and Global Mechanism launched the LDN Target-Setting Programme to support participating countries in using the best available data to assess baseline land degradation and set voluntary LDN targets and criteria. 

Currently the UNCCD Secretariat and Global Mechanism, along with partners, launched the second phase of the LDN Target-Setting Programme – LDN TSP 2.0, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and developed jointly with UNEP, to support the integration of land degradation neutrality into national land use planning frameworks to support the national implementation of the UNCCD.

Enhancing LDN targets and frameworks for integrated land use planning will be key to creating the favorable conditions that countries need to address gaps in LDN implementation, enabling consistent implementation of programs and projects aligned with land-related goals, and achieving a healthy productive land-use balance by 2030. 

The workshop in Bishkek will be attended by representatives of ministries and departments related to natural resource use (land, water, forest), UNCCD representatives, international organizations and projects, academia, and non-governmental organizations. The objectives of the event are to inform participants about the implementation of the UNCCD in Kyrgyzstan, to present the second phase of the LDN Target Setting Programme and to identify opportunities for synergies between the national LDN TSP 2.0 processes, the UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity.