UNU-LRT presented at UNCCD COP12 in Ankara

From 12 – 23 October, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) hosted its Twelfth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) in Ankara, Turkey. At COP12, delegates focused on solutions to issues related to desertification, land degradation and drought, including how to pursue the target to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN) and how to align the recently adopted Global Goals for Sustainable Development with the goals and action programmes of UNCCD. It was emphasised that by restoring degraded land and promoting sustainable land management, many of the Global Goals will be more attainable, including increased food and water security, less hunger and poverty and reversed negative climate change impacts. 

UNU-LRT organized a side event at COP 12, which presented the annual six-month training programme as a model for providing the capacity building necessary to support land degradation neutrality initiatives. At the event, Dr Hafdis Hanna Aegisdottir (UNU-LRT Director) presented the activities of the six-month programme and Mr Azamat Isakov, Director of CAMP Alatoo in Kyrgyzstan and former UNU-LRT fellow, shared how the UNU-LRT training has contributed to capacity building of his organization. Dr Jeff Herrick, Soil Scientist at USDA Agricultural Research Service reviewed the key lessons learned on how to design a capacity building programme to achieve LDN.

UNU-LRT also participated in another side event at COP12 on the Global Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) which allows the potential of land to be defined by using mobile apps. The LandPKS is designed to integrate local knowledge and global databases to support land management decisions. The UNU-LRT fellows 2015 received lectures and hands-on training in using the apps and at the event a video with their feedback was released.

Photo: The UNU-LRT Director with the event's moderator Dr Richard Thomas, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Drylands System.