18 September 2013: The Rio Conventions Pavilion convened for a day on the Target Setting Approach. The Rio Conventions Pavilion is meeting in conjunction with the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), taking place from 16-27 September 2013, in Windhoek, Namibia.

Target Setting Approach Day included sessions on: monitoring desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) from the bottom up – measuring what matters; a stronger UNCCD for a land-degradation-neutral world calls for a target-setting approach; practical tools for monitoring and assessment of DLDD; drylands biodiversity – bridging the gap with conventions and national legislation; and best practices for pursuing land degradation neutrality at the national and sub-national level – policy options and lessons learned from 75 years of US Experience.

During the session on a land-degradation-neutral world, panelists called for building on the momentum of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and ensuring DLDD is included in the post-2015 development agenda. UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja noted that COP 11 should build on progress made in defining and refining indicators by setting targets to address land-related challenges.

At the end of the session on practical tools for monitoring and assessment of DLDD, participants took part in a field demonstration of the stick method, a simple measurement methodology applied widely in many parts of the world for monitoring the condition of rangelands. [IISD RS Coverage] [Rio Conventions Pavilion Website]