June 2015: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have co-published a Q&A booklet, titled ‘Transforming Land Management Globally,’ which explains how to tap multiple funding opportunities for sustainable land management (SLM) projects under the 6th GEF Replenishment Phase (GEF-6). In their joint foreword, UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut, and GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii, note that the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) helps to respond to “the immediate challenge of how we sustainably intensify the production of food, fuel and fiber to meet future demand without the further degradation of our finite land resource base.”

The foreword further notes that addressing drivers of land degradation and delivering related action “could also enable the land-use sector to be a substantial element in the intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) under a new international climate change agreement.”

The Q&A booklet is intended as a “one-stop information source” for UNCCD National Focal Points and other stakeholders interested in submitting SLM projects. It notes that of the total indicative allocation of US$431 million for the Land Degradation Focal Area, around 80% (US$346 million) will be made available to 144 eligible countries, under the GEF System for a Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR), while a further US$85 million will be channeled through “regional and global set-asides, including UNCCD enabling activities.” The booklet explains various modalities for accessing GEF-6 resources at the country level, including a number of new features such as a higher ceiling for medium-sized projects of up to US$2 million and a faster approval process for umbrella projects consisting of “enabling activities.” These figures and facts are also detailed in the GEF publication, ‘Sustainable Land Management Financing in the GEF – A Primer for the 6th GEF Replenishment Phase.’

Finally, at the programmatic level, the booklet outlines five strategic priorities under GEF-6 that aim to support consolidation and streamlining of national investments, namely: agro-ecological intensification; SLM for climate-smart agriculture; land management and restoration; scaling-up SLM through landscape approaches; and mainstreaming SLM in development. [Publication: Transforming Land Management Globally – Q&A about Land in the 6th GEF Replenishment Phase] [Publication: Sustainable Land Management Financing in the GEF – A Primer for the 6th GEF Replenishment Phase] [UNCCD News]