Highlights and images for 18 May 2022

Starting the day with a tree-planting ceremony attended by the Patrick Achi, Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, and Alain-Richard Donwahi, Conference of the Parties (COP 15) President and former Ivorian Minister of Water and Forests, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) delegates worked in contact groups on drafting decisions for the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) and the Committee of the Whole (COW). During the day, three contact groups convened intermittently in closed sessions to negotiate draft text on, among other items, budget, drought, collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and report by the Global Mechanism (GM) on progress made in the mobilization of resources for the Convention’s implementation.

To dive deeper, read the daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin report.

Pour aller plus en profondeur, lisez le rapport quotidien du Bulletin des Négociations de la Terre.

In the evening, during the final CRIC plenary session, delegates approved eight draft decisions and adopted its report. Draft decisions approved included:

• integration of Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15) and related target 15.3 into the implementation of the Convention and land degradation neutrality (LDN);
• developing and promoting activities for targeted capacity building to further the implementation of the Convention;
• improving procedures for communication of information as well as the quality and formats of reports to be submitted to the COP;
• securing of additional investments and relations with financial mechanisms; and
• procedural matters, including the programme of work for the twenty-first session of the CRIC.

The CRIC concluded its work by adopting its report and electing four Vice-Chairs.

The Rio Conventions Pavilion showcased work done in the Great Green Wall project in the Sahel. Video and summary coverage of the event can be found here.