25 March 2015: Turkey and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have signed a Host Country Agreement for the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the UNCCD, which will take place in October 2015 in Ankara, Turkey. UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut and Lutfi Akca, Undersecretary of Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, Turkey, signed the agreement during the 13th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 13), which is meeting from 25-27 March 2015, in Bonn, Germany.

The outcomes of COP 12 are expected to contribute to sustainable development and to help advance progress on a new climate agreement by ensuring land use practices’ contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Akça also highlighted that Turkey will launch the Ankara Initiative during COP 12, and that the SLM Business Forum will convene during the COP. [UNCCD Press Release][IISD RS coverage of CRIC 13]