Open from 18 May to 15 August 2023, a call for requests to support national multi-stakeholder consultations on integrating tenure security into Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and land restoration initiatives elicited over 30 applications. Global, regional, and national staff from the UNCCD and FAO conducted an assessment and evaluation of all applications. Based on the established selection criteria and taking into consideration regional balance and current availability of funds, the following were selected as part of the first group of countries to receive support to undertake national consultations on land tenure: Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Senegal, and Sri Lanka.

The UNCCD, FAO, and partners in the joint initiative look forward to working closely with the five selected countries in 2024 and supporting their efforts to enhance tenure security as both a means and outcome of LDN activities and a broad range of regenerative land-based projects and programmes. UNCCD-FAO staff are developing a longer-term plan to support additional national consultations to countries that have applied as resources become available. In parallel, the UNCCD and FAO are engaging with partners and ongoing projects and programmes to identify opportunities for co-funding and leveraging synergies to support additional national consultations in 2024.

Discover more about the FAO-UNCCD Joint Initiative on Land Tenure >>>