21 April 2013: The eleventh session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 11) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) developed a report that contains a synopsis of parties’ views and recommendations noted on the floor in plenary, and a background document summarizing deliberations and recommendations submitted to the CRIC for consideration at its next session.

CRIC 11 took place in Bonn, Germany, from 15-19 April 2013. The meeting was preceded by the third Special Session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST S-3) and the UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference, outcomes and recommendations of which were conveyed to CRIC 11.

In line with earlier decisions of the Conference of the Parties (COP), most of the plenary sessions at CRIC 11 were conducted in an interactive format to facilitate the sharing of country and regional experiences and lessons, with a half-day devoted to dialogue with civil society organizations (CSOs). The approximately 375 participants at CRIC 11 participated in interactive panel discussions that covered: communication strategies to mobilize action on desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD); crucial issues of alignment of national action programmes (NAPs); constraints and opportunities for the implementation of national monitoring systems on DLDD; input from the ad hoc Advisory Group of Technical Experts (AGTE) on “operationally delineating affected areas;” current UNCCD funding flows and future prospects, including the role of civil society organizations (CSOs); and data access tools and policy frameworks for enhancing accessibility to best practices. CRIC 11 also took note of the input from CST S-3 on how best to measure progress in the implementation of the Convention’s 10-Year Strategy for 2008-2018 in a session on scientific input to the CRIC.

The next session of the CRIC is scheduled to take place in September 2013, in parallel to COP 11. [IISD RS Coverage of CRIC 11] [IISD RS Summary of CRIC 11] [CRIC 11 Website][Report from CRIC 11][Report of preparatory meeting of Regional Implementation Annex V][Report of preparatory meeting of Regional Implementation Annex IV][News report about the Confederation of Central African NGOs (CONGAC) participation in CRIC 11]