FAO at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Conference (UNCCD COP15)

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 9-20 May 2022

The fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) which will take place from 9 to 20 May 2022 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, will focus on “Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity”. It is a call to action to ensure land, the lifeline on this planet, continues to benefit present and future generations.

The aim of this year’s global conference is to review the progress made since UNCCD COP14, to control and reverse further loss of productive land from desertification, land degradation and drought, which are growing threats to peace and security due to their impact on food security, livelihoods and ecosystems.

FAO’s mission and UNCCD's work closely align, particularly for ensuring food security and sustainable livelihoods, by promoting sustainable land management and restoration of degraded lands and impoverished soils, especially in drylands, and by supporting a proactive action for drought preparedness.

FAO will organize, co-lead high-level events and side events, and will participate in a series of sessions and roundtables, as listed below.

Join us at the UNCCD COP15 and contribute to strengthening our joint efforts to highlight the urgency of addressing the loss of productive land and its centrality to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals!

Monday 9 May 2022

High Level opening ceremony -  Heads of States and Government Summit

More information on the High Level opening ceremony is available here

Location: Plenary

Tuesday 10 May 2022

10:00 - 13:00 (GMT)

High Level opening ceremony -  Interactive dialogue 2: Future-proofing land use: Shifting patterns in production and consumption

More information on the Interactive dialogue 2 is available here

Location: Plenary

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15:00 - 18:00 (GMT)

High Level opening ceremony - Round Table 1: Rights, rewards and responsibilities: the future of land stewardship

More information on Round Table 1 is available here

Location: Plenary

Wednesday 11 May 2022

09:30 - 17:15 (GMT)

Drought Day

More information on the Drought Day is available here

Launch of the FAO publications "A rapid review of drought risk mitigation measures - Integrated drought management" and "A rapid review of effective financing for policy, implementation and partnerships addressing drought risks"

Location: Rio Pavilion
Partners: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/Global Warming Potential (GWP)

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10:00 - 13:00 (GMT)

Opening Session COP15

Location: Plenary

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13:00 - 15:00 (GMT)

High Level Launch of the Technical Guide on the Integration of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) into the Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)

The detailed agenda is available HERE. This event will be held in English and French, and will be hybrid, with the opportunity to attend onsite in Abidjan or virtually HERE.

Room Number: MET-19
Partners: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 

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18:00 - 20:00 (GMT)

High Level Launch of “The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW21)” Main Report

The detailed agenda is available HERE. This event will be held in English and French, and will be hybrid, with the opportunity to attend onsite in Abidjan or virtually (find the info to connect virtually HERE).

Room Number: MET-12
Partners: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Thursday 12 May 2022

09:00-17:30 (GMT)

Food Day

More information on the Food Day is available here

The Drylands Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP) will be featured in the side event "My Land My Rights: - Legitimate Tenure Rights for Food Security, Climate Resilience and Ecosystem Restoration" from 10:00 to 11:00 GMT.

Location: Rio Pavilion
Partners: World Wildlife Fund (WWF)/the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Agroforestry-Center for International Forestry Research (ICRAF-CIFOR)/Töpfer Müller Gaßner (TMG)/United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)/United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

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13:00 - 14:30 (GMT)

High Level Side Event “From ecosystems to economies: the environmental, economic and social benefits of ecosystem restoration”

More information on this side event is available here

This event will be hybrid with the opportunity to attend onsite in Abidjan or virtually by registering HERE.

Room Number: MET-14
Partners: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) /United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/ United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)/Global Environment Facility  (GEF)

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18:00 - 20:00 (GMT)

Side Event “Scaling out Turkey's lessons learnt on combating land degradation: an overview of land degradation neutrality (LDN) in Europe and Central Asia (ECA)”

Room Number: MET-12
Partners: Turkey/Europe and Central Asia (ECA)/Science for Resilient Livelihoods in Dry Areas (ICARDA)/World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies(WOCAT)/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO)/United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD) 

Friday 13 May 2022

08:00 - 10:00 (GMT)

Side Event “Multi-stakeholder action for scaling soil health globally through evidence-based public and private investment”

Room Number: MET-12
Partners: World Agroforestry (ICRAF) /Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

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13:00 - 15:00 (GMT)

Side Event “Against all odds. The winding path from multidimensional fragility to drought resilience in drylands”

Launch of the FAO publication "Presumed Dryland Assessment - Valuing, Restoring and Managing Presumed Drylands”

Room Number: MET-11
Partners: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/German Development Institute (DIE)

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13:00 - 15:00 (GMT)

Side Event “Evidence-based decision making for Life on Land - Scenarios for Integrated Land Use Planning”

Room Number: MET-13
Partners: German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)/World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT)/United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)/ Genetic Mechanisms (GM)/The Group on Earth Observations-Land Degradation Neutrality (GEO-LDN)/ The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD)/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/the Science-Policy Interface (SPI) /World Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

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13:15-20:30 (GMT)

GEF Half-day

More information on the GEF Half-day is available here

Location: Rio Pavilion
Partners: Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL IP)/NFO/WeCaN/MEVCAM 

Saturday 14 May 2022

09:00-20:00 (GMT)

Science Day

More information on the Science Day is available here

Location: Rio Pavilion

Monday 16 May 2022

08:00-18:00 (GMT)

Sand and Dust Storms Day (SDS Day)

More information on the SDS Day is available here

Watch the video "Sand and dust storms: a transboundary issue of growing concern" here

Location: Rio Pavilion

Partners: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)/Global Environment Facility (GEF)

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13:00 - 15:00 (GMT)

Side Event “Securing Land Tenure Rights to Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality, Land-based Adaptation, and Responses to Drought”

Room Number: MET-12
Partners: Töpfer Müller Gaßner (TMG)/ Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)/ German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)/ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/Different Ministries

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08:00 - 09:30 (GMT)

Open discussion on Gender in COP15 Decisions "Knowledge sharing, promising practices and local solutions”

Location: MET 12

 

Tuesday 17 May 2022

17:45 - 19:15 (GMT)

Side Event “Tools supporting LDN reporting, target setting and monitoring. Experiences from Ecuador, Turkey, Nicaragua and Kazakhstan in co-developing and applying FAO-WOCAT tools at national level for LDN”

Launch of the Drylands Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP) Community of Practice on “Land Degradation Monitoring and informed decision making”.

Location: Rio Pavilion
Partners: Ecuador/Turkey/World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT)/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Wednesday 18 May 2022

 09:00-19:15 (GMT)

Great Green Wall Day

More information on the Great Green Wall Day is available here

Location: Rio Pavilion
Partners: Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program(DSL IP)/ Women for Forestry (WeCaN)/ Making Every Voice Count for Adaptive Management (MEVCAM)