Highlights and images for 6 September 2019

Summary

Highlights for Friday, 6 September 2019

Latin American delegates at the Committee of the Whole (COW)

On Friday morning, delegates began consideration of land tenure, one of the new and emerging themes on the Conference of the Parties (COP) agenda. Initial reactions from parties indicated that while there is broad recognition that land governance is critical in creating an enabling environment for sustainable land management and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many governments are concerned that recommendations on this issue might infringe on their sovereignty. On a more positive note, the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) contact group completed its work. In closing remarks, Barron Orr, UNCCD Lead Scientist, commented: “I want to take my Secretariat hat off, and speak to you as a scientist. Maybe you are not aware, but what you have accomplished here by creating a bridge between science and policy decisions is huge, and I thank you for that.”During other contact group sessions, delegates made progress on budget and financing texts and began consideration of the cluster of decisions relating to UNCCD policy advocacy frameworks on gender, drought, migration, and sand and dust storms. Work also continued on the New Delhi Declaration, to be adopted at the conclusion of the Conference.In the evening, the CST adopted six draft decisions, including:

items resulting from the work programme of the Science-Policy Interface (SPI) for the previous (2018-2019) and future biennium (2020-2021);

interfacing science and policy, and sharing knowledge; and

the programme of work for the 15th session of the CST.

After electing the officers other than the Chair for CST 15, Chair Fiati lauded the successful completion of CST’s work. He said the excellent quality of decisions demonstrated parties’ determination and cooperation, and adjourned the session at 8:10 pm.The day concluded with a brief plenary session of the COP, which adopted the report of the CST as well as a procedural decision on credentials of delegations.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage and daily reports from UNCCD COP 14. In addition, IISD Reporting Services will publish a summary and analyrs report from this session on Monday, 16 September 2019.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Ángeles Estrada

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Committee of the Whole

Marcos Montoiro, UNCCD Secretariat; Johns Muleso Kharika, UNCCD Secretariat; COW Chair Trevor Benn; Sharma Sangeeta, Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) Secretary; and Jeroen van Dalen, UNCCD Secretariat