9 September 2015: African Focal Points to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have formulated regional positions for the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the UNCCD. Noting that some items on the COP 12 agenda fall outside “the normal trend of the African agenda and … will determine the future of this Convention,” the meeting paid particular attention to proposed strategies for integrating targets for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within UNCCD implementation.

The meeting, which took place from 1-4 September 2015, in Pretoria, South Africa, highlighted the need for COP 12 to consider the implications of the Post-2015 Development Framework and the SDGs for the delivery of the UNCCD’s science and policy efforts, noting the important role played by the UNCCD Committee on Science and Technology (CST) in developing technical strategies and methodologies to address desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD).

The African Focal Points further observed that potential discussions on these issues “may call for the formulation, revision and implementation of action programmes differently from the current arrangement following the Post-2015 Development Framework,” which may require a review or recreation of the UNCCD Ten-Year Strategic Plan and Framework. They called for a strong African position “to properly guide Africa’s negotiators on this crucial subject.”

Among other critical issues for Africa, the meeting called for COP 12 to review the UNCCD Secretariat’s proposal “for additional procedures or institutional mechanisms to assist the COP in regularly reviewing the implementation of the Convention,” noting this issue was not discussed during the 13th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 13).

The meeting developed a division of tasks among African Focal Points who will lead and provide support to the African Group at COP 12, which takes place in Ankara, Turkey, from 12-23 October 2015. [UNCCD News Release] [Department of Environmental Affairs Report of the UNCCD Africa Preparatory Meeting for COP 12]