Restoring Land, Restoring Hope: Both ENDS at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia

For Both ENDS, this was an opportunity to bring the experiences and voices of various networks, organisations and communities into global conversations. Both ENDS colleagues Tamara Mohr and Annabelle Willeme participated in the conference as active members of two networks:

• Drynet, a global network of 25+ civil society organisations works alongside dryland communities, to amongst other things, influence international policies for a more sustainable future

as well as the

• Communities Regreen the Sahel (CRS) consortium which has nearly a decade of experience supporting with Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in the Sahel.

What Tamara and Annabelle experienced during heir time at the conference, alongside partners and fellow civil society organisations, was a stark reminder of why strong and diverse civil society voices are essential - and how much pressure they are currently under.

A rocky start for civil society and gender

COP17 opened with a setback. The United States immediately argued against negotiations on issues concerning gender, civil society engagement and cooperation between the Rio Conventions, calling for these items to be removed from the agenda. The EU, Brazil and others pushed back, and civil society, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, women and youth in Mongolia called for meaningful participation – but the damage was done, and many of the negotiations subsequently stalled or ground to a halt.

For Both ENDS' Tamara Mohr, who was present at COP17, this was not an isolated incident: “This is part of a broader pattern of shrinking civic space and a growing attack on human rights. It is exactly the reason why global civil society present in Mongolia, including Drynet and Both ENDS, pushed back.” 

For Annabelle Willeme, also at COP17 for Both ENDS, keeping gender on the agenda is inseparable from effective land restoration: “Women on the frontline are most impacted by land degradation and are core participants in restoration.”

What communities in the Sahel can teach us

In the first week of COP17, Both ENDS and the Communities Regreen the Sahel consortium brought another perspective to the discussion: what can we learn from communities that have been restoring degraded land for years, especially when it comes to social cohesion in areas suffering from high rates of conflicts?

During a side event, partners from Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso shared more than eight years of experience with Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). This locally led approach to restoring trees and vegetation on farmland is relatively simple and low-cost, but its benefits go beyond the land itself. By putting farmers in the lead, it also strengthens cooperation, livelihoods and social cohesion in a region under growing pressure from climate change.

Investing in the next generation of civil society voices
COP17 was also an opportunity to support a new generation of voices in global land policy.

Through CS4LDN, led by Both ENDS, Drynet and IUCN, 16 young advocates from around the world attended their first COP. Each had been paired with an experienced Drynet mentor in the months leading up to the conference. Together, they went through a process of learning how these conventions work, how to participate and how to engage most effectively - knowledge and experience that can take years to build for those new to international policy spaces. 

‘As a mentee from the CS4LDN from Niger, this programme has given me the opportunity to be here in Mongolia at the UNCCD. It helped me understand all about the process of this convention. I also learnt how to develop my leadership skills, for example public speaking. I will take this knowledge back with me and apply it in my work with communities. Participating in the UNCCD convention is important for our work on the resilience of communities in Niger.' Dr. Fanna Abdou Gado - JVE Niger

Putting Land, Peace & Security on the agenda

Both ENDS endorsed the CSO-Led Declaration on Land, Peace & Security, alongside civil society organisations, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists and community groups from around the world.

The declaration calls for land restoration to be recognised as part of peacebuilding, with four priorities: governance, finance, partnerships and implementation. It also calls for restoration finance to reach frontline communities directly and for conflict-sensitive, community-led approaches to guide policies on land, drought and security.

Closing the gap between global commitments and local action
COP17's delivered US$1.3 billion in new and confirmed commitments for land restoration and drought resilience - a start, but a fraction of the US$278 billion needed every year to close the global restoration finance gap. Much of what was pledged is still flowing through large infrastructure and government channels, instead of going to locally led organisations and communities leading the change on the ground, the same pattern Both ENDS has flagged before.

For Both ENDS and our partners, the answer is clear: more resources need to reach the communities and organisations already restoring their land. Farmer-led approaches such as FMNR need to be supported at scale, women and civil society need a meaningful place in decision-making, and local knowledge needs to be recognised as an essential part of the solution.