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UNCCD COP 13 delegates worked in two contact groups of the Conference of the Whole (COW), on budget and on other matters, throughout the morning and lunchtime on Friday, 15 September, to complete their negotiations. The final meetings of the COW convened at 4:30 pm to review the draft decisions from these contact groups, with a view to recommending them for adoption during a COP plenary session. After adoption of the COW draft decisions, a COP plenary session followed, during which the COP adopted 15 COW decisions, and nine COP decisions. During the closing session, COP 13 President Zhang Jianlong encouraged the youth to take action to combat desertification in the future. UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut affirmed that COP 13 took bold steps for the Convention, which now had a clear, action-oriented path forward. She summarized the new initiatives established during COP 13, including on drought, migration, gender, and sand and dust storms, as well as the launching of the LDN Fund and Global Land Outlook. Zhang Jianlong gaveled COP 13 to a close at 6:45 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the UNCCD COP 13. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. COW contact group on programme and budget View of the COW contact group on programme and budget waiting for delegates to return from informal consultations L-R: Patrick Wegerdt, EU, Chair of the COW contact group on programme and budget, in conversation with Randolph Edmead, Saint Kitts and Nevis Committee of the Whole (COW) Interim Chair Skumsa Mancotywa, South Africa, standing in for COW Chair Nosipho Ngcaba, South Africa, resumed the COW proceedings Luís Constantino, Angola, Chair of the COW contact group on other matters Delegates on their way to the COW contact group on other matters Helge Elisabeth Zeitler, EU Christine Dawson, US Interim COW Chair Skumsa Mancotywa, gaveled the COW to a close at 5:31 pm Conference of the Parties (COP) L-R: Jia Xiaoxia, China, on behalf of the COP 13 President; Carmen Margina, UNCCD Secretariat; and Rajeb Boulharouf, Chef de Cabinet, UNCCD Secretariat UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut COP 13 President Zhang Jianlong Trevor Benn, Rapporteur COP 13 President Zhang Jianlong, gaveled the meeting to a close at 6:45 pm UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut, congratulating COP 13 President Zhang Jianlong COP 13 Snapshots UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut, and delegates from the EU Delegates from the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), with a delegate from Algeria Participants from civil society organizations, local staff and UNCCD secretariat L-R: Frederika Teixeira and Bukuru Melchiade, UNCCD Secretariat L-R: Gigi Baldovino Gosnell and Mukondi Masithi, South Africa Postcards of landmarks from Ordos L-R: ENB team at UNCCD COP 13, Ordos, China, with Guang Yang; Suzi Malan; Kelly Sharp; Jessica Wang; Franz Dejon; Wangu Mwangi; Dina Hestad and Laura Russo

On Wednesday, 13 September, UNCCD COP 13 delegates convened in a morning plenary meeting of the COW to consider: implementation of the comprehensive communication strategy and the UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification (2010-2020); promotion and strengthening of relationships with other relevant conventions and international organizations, institutions and agencies; participation and involvement of civil society organizations and the private sector in meetings and processes of the UNCCD; and the business engagement strategy. In the afternoon, the CRIC adopted six draft decisions on: development and implementation of strategies through national action programmes to achieve the objectives of the Convention in light of target 15.3 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; mobilization of resources for the implementation of the Convention; collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF); and two draft decisions on procedural matters. COW contact groups on the budget and on other matters met during the day and late into the evening. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the UNCCD COP 13. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Committee of the Whole (COW) COW Chair Nosipho Ngcaba Sophiko Akhobadze, Executive Director, Regional Environmental Center for the Caucasus, Georgia, making a statement on behalf of the CSO Panel Bariş Karapinar, Lead Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, making a statement on behalf of the CSO Panel Marcos Montoiro, UNCCD Secretariat Jones Muleso Kharika, UNCCD Secretariat Heruy Asghedom, Eritrea Helge Elisabeth Zeitler, EU Kulov Kubanychbek, Kyrgyzstan Britta Hackenberg, Namibia CSO participants at the COW session L-R: Alexandru Marchis, UNCCD Secretariat; and Simone Quatrini, Global Mechanism (GM) Marioldy Sánchez Santivañez, Asociación para la Investigación y Desarrollo Integral (AIDER), Peru Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) CRIC Chair Aliyu Bananda L-R: Sabine Sakr, UNCCD Secretariat; CRIC Chair Aliyu Bananda; and June Budhooram, Secretary Atelaite Matoto, Tonga Christina Blank, Switzerland L-R: Nelson Jossamo; Mario Custódio; and Armindo Cambule, Mozambique L-R: Melissa Cotterill, Australia, with Marcus Davies and Bob Turnock, Canada Photos from the Launch of the LDN Fund   Photos from the Kubuqi Desert field trip hosted by the Elion Resources Group and the Government of China COP 13 Snapshots Logos of local companies supporting COP 13 View of a side event on the Voluntary Guidelines on Sustainable Soil Management organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) View of the "Save the Earth," a Green Corps digital exhibition on land degradation L-R: Frederika Teixeira; Edison Espiritu; and Marie-Paule Lorka-Lavri, UNCCD Secretariat

On Tuesday, 12 September, COP 13 delegates participated in dialogues on gender and land rights, the role of local governments in addressing the challenges of land degradation, and the role of the private sector in helping achievement of land degradation neutrality. These dialogues were the final substantive sessions of the two-day High-Level Segment. In the morning, the inaugural edition of the UNCCD’s Global Land Outlook took place, while in the evening a ceremony to launch the LDN Fund occured, following the close of the High-Level Segment. COW contact groups also continued to convene, with informal discussions taking place throughout the day. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the UNCCD COP 13. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. High-Level Segment Interactive Dialogue 1:  Gender and land rights L-R: Marcos Montoiro, UNCCD Secretariat, with Moderator of the session, Barbara Thomson, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa Ana Di Pangracio, Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, M'Boro Indigenous Women and People Association, Chad Shah Abdus Salam, Development Wheel Ulrich Apel, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Stephanie Weiss, Bolivia María Victoria Chiriboga, Undersecretary of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Ecuador Mildred Oliphant, Minister of Labour, South Africa Zhang Kebin, China Jennifer MacIntyre, Ambassador for Climate Change, Canada Adrián León, Venezuela Ulambayar Tungalag, Mongolia Fatoumata Cherif, Women, Power and Development, Guinea Barbara Thomson, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa Interactive Dialogue 2: How can local governments help address the challenges of land degradation? Pawel Salek, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, Poland, Moderator of the session L-R: Ahmed Aziz Diallo, Mayor of Dori, Burkina Faso; Ashok Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn, Germany; and Shi Yanjie, Vice Mayor of Ordos, China Shi Yanjie, Vice Mayor of Ordos, China Ahmed Aziz Diallo, Mayor of Dori, Burkina Faso Ashok Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn, Germany Roland Ries, Mayor of Strasbourg, France Manuel António Lopes de Araújo, Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique Video message by Jan Szyszko, Minister of Environment, Poland Abdoulaye Couliboly, Mali Judith Marinissen, EU Meas Pyseth, Cambodia Boris Pasalic, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, Bosnia and Herzegovina Jeanne Josette Acacha Akoha, Benin Phu Hung Nguyen, Viet Nam L-R: Sam Contreras and Angel Enriquez, the Philippines L-R: Ulrich Apel; Asha Bobb-Semple; and Jean-Marc Sinnassamy, the GEF Interactive Dialogue 3: How can the private sector invest to help achieve land degradation neutrality? Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director-General of Environment, European Commission, Moderator of the session L-R: Simone Quatrini, Global Mechanism (GM); Philippe Zaouati, CEO, MIROVA; and Wang Wenbiao, Chairman, Elion Resources Group, China Matthew Reddy, Director, Forest Solutions Group and Climate Smart Agriculture, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBSCD) Gloverson Moro, Head of R&D Asia-Pacific, Syngenta Philippe Zaouati, CEO, MIROVA Wang Wenbiao, Chairman, Elion Resources Group, China Edward Chomba, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, Zambia Nathalie van Haren, Both ENDS, the Netherlands Pierre Hele, Minister of Environment Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development, Cameroon L-R: Erik Grigoryan and Ashot Vardevanyan, Armenia Closing Ceremony Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary COP 13 President Zhang Jianlong Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary, showing her appreciation to COP 13 President Zhang Jianlong

In the morning, UNCCD COP 13 participants reconvened in parallel sessions of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) and the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) to discuss agenda items, with the COW meeting in plenary in the afternoon. Negotiations in contact groups continued on draft decisions related to the COP, CRIC and CST agendas. A Youth Forum was held throughout the day. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the UNCCD COP 13. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. UNCCD COP 13 commemorative postal stamps and envelopes Committee on Science and Technology (CST) Hamid Čustović, Bosnia and Herzegovina, CST Chair, convenes the CST session Richard Thomas, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) Wafa Essahli, Environmental Information for Sustainable Development for Enhanced Management Mohammed Alzuhairi, Iraq Kulov Kubanychbek, Kyrgyzstan Nina Ingrid Vik, Norway Jorge Luis García, Mexico Hernando García Martínez, Colombia Nana Bolashvili, Georgia Klaus Kellner, South Africa Mariam Akhtar-Schuster, Science-Policy Interface (SPI) Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) Aliyu Bananda, Nigeria, CRIC Chair Chizuru Aoki, Global Environment Facility (GEF) Sven Walter, Global Mechanism (GM) Mohsen Abdolhoseini, Iran Marijana Kapović Solomun, Bosnia and Herzegovina Jason Williams, Antigua and Barbuda Mohammad Azizul Haque, Bangladesh Dominga Polanco, Dominican Republic Puta Tofinga, Kiribati Sam Contreras, the Philippines Ana María Rivero Santos, Colombia Richard Lungu Mfumu, Zambia L-R: David Oswald, DE Design + Environment, and Simone Quatrini, GM Committee of the Whole (COW) Nosipho Ngcaba, COW Chair, convenes the afternoon session of the COW Nosipho Ngcaba, COW Chair L-R: Abdourahamane Mariama, Noura Fatchima, Boubacar Zalia Yacouba, Niger Marcus Davies, Canada Anna Ballance, EU Shonisani Munzhedzi, South Africa Youth Forum L-R: Zhang Hongwen, China; Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary; and Zhang Yongli, Vice Administrator, State Forestry Administration, China Participants at the Youth Forum L-R: Liu Fangfei, Anchor, China Central Television; and Marcos Montoiro, UNCCD Secretariat COP 13 Snapshots Delegates from Togo with their UNCCD conference bags Wagaki Wischnewski, UNCCD Secretariat (center) posing with UN Security Participants register for a field trip organized by the Government of China