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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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
Small grants funds offer an effective, alternative way to channel big money from large donors and funds to local groups and organisations that are striving for a sustainable and just society everywhere around the world.
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We asked our colleagues Daan Robben and Fernando Hernandez why they are going to COP31, what messages they want to bring to negotiators, and what a positive outcome would look like.
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By Sarah Adongo, Lawyer, Witness Radio, Uganda
Sarah Adongo is one of the three winners of the 2026 Irene Dankelman Young Ecofeminist Award, presented on 21 October at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia. A lawyer working with Witness Radio Uganda, Sarah works with women affected by gender-based violence and communities affected by land dispossession and large-scale investments. In this piece, she shares what the award means to her and why gender and environmental justice must go hand in hand.
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Dossier /The JWH Initiative: supporting young environmental leaders
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Dossier /Dare to Trust: the power of unconditional funding
At Both ENDS we cherish our long-term relationships with partners in our global network. These relationships are based on equality and built on trust. The trust we have in each other has developed from years of strategic cooperation, including joint advocacy around common agendas, knowledge sharing, networking, and mobilising and sharing resources to advance environmental justice.
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Dossier /Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA)
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Letter / 14 July 2026
Statement on CAO Cambodia Microfinance Case
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Publication / 3 July 2026
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News / 2 July 2026Land restoration can help mitigate and resolve conflict - but only if everyone has a seat at the table
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Dossier /Finance for agroecology
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Publication / 18 June 2026
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Publication / 12 May 2026
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News / 9 April 2026Minister Sjoerdsma hosts roundtable conversations with civil society
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