Enhancing the role of civil society in the UNCCD to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
Effective local action by land-using communities is at the heart of achieving LDN globally. However, their contributions are often not well recognized or adequately supported by governments and other agencies. Within the UNCCD framework, civil society organisations play a key role in engaging with policymakers in the context of recognizing and supporting these contributions by local communities. The side event will engage participants in a GEF-supported joint Drynet/ IUCN initiative to enhance the capacities of civil society to engage effectively in the achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) within the UNCCD framework.
The side-event will focus on how civil society can engage on Land Degradation Neutrality, building on the objectives of the Drynet/ IUCN GEF MSP “Strengthening Civil Society Role in Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality”. Speakers will provide participants with insight into the opportunities that the project offers to enhance the participation of civil society in the UNCCD and specifically in the context of achieving LDN. The side event will enable participants to contribute their perspectives and to explore how the achievements, realities and needs of land-using communities in advancing sustainable land management in the LDN context can be supported at the level of policy and better reflected in the decision making of the UNCCD through the effective engagement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
Provisional list of speakers:
- Jean-Marc Sinnassamy, GEF
- Bora Masumbuko, IUCN
- Charles Oyeoussi Balogoun, UNCCD CSO Panel
- Marioldy Sanchez Santivanez, AIDER/ Drynet
- Marcos Montoiro, UNCCD Secretariat
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Dossier /Communities Regreen the Sahel
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Environmentally Just Practice /Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
In various countries in the Sahel, vast tracts of degraded land have been restored by the local population by nurturing what spontaneously springs from the soil. They do this using a method called 'Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR)'.
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Dossier /Small Grants Big Impacts
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Dossier /Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA)
GAGGA rallies the collective power of the women's rights and environmental justice movements to realize a world where women can and do access their rights to water, food security, and a clean, healthy and safe environment.
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News / 5 November 2025Interview: Both ENDS at COP30 for Climate Justice and Systemic Change
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Learn more about the Both ENDS team at COP30 below, and find all the activities and side-events in which Both ENDS will participate.
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News / 5 November 2025Overview of Both ENDS events at COP30 in Belem, Brazil
Both ENDS is present at COP30 to advocate for genuine access to climate finance for locally led, gender-just climate solutions, and for the mechanisms that make these possible, including those supporting farmer-led restoration. The organisation also engages to highlight the crucial connection between climate negotiations and the trade and investment frameworks that shape them.
Below is an overview of the Both ENDS team at COP30 and a detailed look at the activities and side-events in which Both ENDS will participate.
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Publication / 9 October 2025
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Dossier /International trade and investment with respect for people and planet
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Publication / 2 October 2025
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News / 10 July 2025Both ENDS and Global Witness condemn harassment of anti-reclamation activists in Manila Bay
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Dossier /Fair Green and Global Alliance (FGG)
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Blog / 2 July 2025Women at the frontlines of climate action: local power for global change
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