6 August 2014: The Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has announced that, as of the 31 July 2014 deadline for submission, 187 reports from UNCCD Parties had been submitted for the 5th reporting and review process. Reports were submitted by 93% of affected country Parties and 67% of developed country Parties, which represents a 50% increase in reporting by affected countries and a 67% increase developed countries over the 4th reporting process.

Reporting for this round involved simplified reporting tools and new templates in the performance review and assessment of implementation system (PRAIS). The reports submitted to the on-line “PRAIS-2” will be made available through the platform, following a quality assurance review of the data.

The reporting exercise was facilitated by the UNCCD Secretariat and the Global Mechanism, in the framework of the ‘Global Support Programme,’ which was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The data from the reports will be compiled into documentation for the next meeting of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC).

The Secretariat has indicated that reports can still be submitted, by those States that missed the 31 July deadline. [UNCCD News on PRAIS Reporting for 5th Process][UNCCD 5th Reporting Cycle Webpage][Land Policy & Practice posts on PRAIS]