Workshop on Alignment & implementation of National Action programmes with the UNCCD 10-year Strategy in the Arab Region League of Arab States (18- 20 June 2014), Dubai - UAE UNCCD/Global Mechanism, Ms Ines Chaalala & Ms Wafa Essahli

1. Opportunities for the Arab Region
Workshop on Alignment and Implementation of National Action
Programmes within th context of the UNCCD 10-year Strategy
in the Arab Region
19 June 2014, Dubai, UAE
Ines Chaalala & Wafa Essahli
The Global Mechanism of the UNCCD

2. 1. To reach a common understanding on the Arab region priority areas of
intervention and activities related to SLM that can be taken up at the regional
level to support the national efforts
2. To identify opportunities for support to such a regional intiative: key
actors/institutions/countries, regional financing institutions, etc…
3. To come up with recommendations on the way forward, based on country input
and start discussions on the establishment of a partnership and resource
mobilisation platform
Objectives of this session

3.  Part I: Introductory presentation
 Financing SLM: a comprehensive approach to resource mobilisation
 The concept of partnership: definition and principles
 Selected Examples of partnership platforms
TerrAfrica (www.terrafrica.org)
The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative
Global Donor platform on Rural Development (www.gdprd.org)
Global Island Partnership (www. glispa.org)
 Part II: Brainstorming on the establishment of an Arab region partnership and
resource mobilisation platform
Outline

4. The Global Mechanism
 Financial mechanism of the UNCCD
 Tasked to mobilise resources for sustainable
land management (SLM)
 Promoting synergistic implementation of the
Rio Conventions
 Supports developing countries in designing
Integrated Financing Strategies (IFS) leading
to multi-year SLM investment frameworks

5.  Increasing recognition of the multiple
values and functions of land (e.g.
environmental, cultural, social, economical
services)
 But: many of these services are not traded
in markets or accounted for in national
budgets, and land owners and managers
do not receive any returns for them
This creates conditions for exploiting land
unsustainably
The challenge: financing SLM
Demonstrating the benefits of SLM

6. People’s livelihood is not only dependent on
land in isolation, but on the availability of
healthy soils, clean water, food production and
the safeguarding of biodiversity
Sustainable forestry, land, water
management, climate change and biodiversity
need to be addressed in an integrated manner.
The challenge: financing SLM
Adopting an integrated approach

7. Tools to increase resources for
SLM
Integrated approach such as the IFS, leads to an SLM integrated
investment framework (10-YS)
• Domestic, external and innovative sources of finance
• uncovers potential barriers to resource identification, allocation
and disbursement.
Mainstream SLM as a national priority
• Strengthen inter-sectoral coordination at all levels
• Strengthen institutional and legal frameworks
Regional cooperation
• Partnership

8. • Partnership: Is a “slippery concept” because there is no one agreed
definition. Terms such as collaboration, cooperation, coordination, coalition,
network, alliance and partnership are often used interchangeably
For our purpose:
• An arrangement where two or more entities/organisations/countries make
a commitment to work together on something that concerns both (or all);
to develop a shared sense of purpose and agenda, and to generate joint
action towards agreed targets
Simplified: An arrangement where two or more parties agree to advance
their mutual interest.
• Financing Partnership Platform can mean different things;
– A set of principles on which a group of “persons/entities” conduct their
affairs
– Space for public discussion (physical, virtual, etc..)
– … Or both
Concept of Partnership

9. Characteristics of partnerships
Successful partnership:
• Respect and trust between different
interests.
• Leadership of a respected individual or
individuals.
• Commitment of key interests
developed through a clear and open
process.
• The development of a shared vision of
what might be achieved.
• Time to build the partnership.
• Shared mandates or agendas.
• The development of compatible ways
of working, and flexibility.
• Good communication, perhaps aided
by a facilitator.
• Collaborative decision-making, with a
commitment to achieving consensus.
• Effective organisational management.
Failed partnership:
• Conflict among key interests.
• One partner manipulates or
dominates.
• Lack of clear purpose.
• Unrealistic goals.
• Differences of philosophy and ways of
working.
• Lack of communication.
• Unequal and unacceptable balance of
power and control.
• Key interests missing from the
partnership.
• Hidden agendas.
• Financial and time commitments
outweigh the potential benefits.

10. Principles of Partnership
• Equality: Requires equal respect between members
irrespective of size and power
• Transparency: Emphasis on early consultations and early
sharing of information
• Result-Oriented Approach: Reality-based and action- oriented
(effective capabilities and concrete operational capacities
• Responsibility: Ethical obligation to each other to accomplish
tasks responsibly (sense of ownership)
• Complementarity: Building on comparative advantage and
complement each others contribution.
• Subsidiarity: Action should be handled at the appropriate level

11. Selected Examples of Partnership Platforms

12. TerrAfrica (www.terrafrica.org)
• A regional Platform on SLM for SSA countries
• A partnership between: All governments of SSA
countries, AUC/NEPAD; and
– multilateral organizations (WB, AfDB, EC)
– bilateral partners (Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, France, etc.).
– CSOs,
– UNCCD bodies (GM and the Secretariat);
– UN agencies (FAO, UNDP, UNEP, IFAD, etc..), and
– the RECs (IGAD, SADC, ECOWAS, etc.)
– A budget of over 3 Billion USD

13. The Great Green Wall Initiative
 GGWSSI is a pan-African programme launched in 2007
by the African Union (AU).
 Over 20 countries of the Sahara and Sahel
 Goal: to address land degradation and desertification in
the Sahel and Sahara, boost food security, and
strengthen local resilience of communities to adapt to
climate change.
 More than planting trees, the initiative has evolved into a
regional sustainable landscape programme.
 Vision: a mosaic of sustainable land uses and
community-based land management practices.
 A budget of over 1 Billion USD

14. global donor platform on rural
development
• what: membership platform formed in 2003
• who: 37 member organisations (bilaterals, multilaterals,
international financing institutions, intergovernmental
organisations and development agencies
• doing: networking for partnership and knowledge with the aim
to enhance quality of development assistance in Agriculture
and Rural Development (ARD)

16. GLISPA
Mission The Global Island Partnership
promotes actions for island conservation
and sustainable livelihoods
Goals
•Support successful implementation of
partner commitments
•Catalyze new commitments to address
critical island issues
•Establish and maintain a flexible and
efficient Partnership responsive to its
partners’ needs and aspirations
Support
GLISPA supports
participating countries
and organizations that
share in its mission by:
•inspiring and
recognizing
commitments
•strengthening
implementation
•mobilizing resources
•promoting collaboration
•increasing visibility and
communications
•tracking progress

17. TERRAFRICA The Great Green
Wall for the Sahara
and the Sahel
Initiative
GDPRD, Global
Donor Platform on
Rural Development
GLISPA, Global
Island Partnership
Coalition
Building
Knowledge
Generation and
Management
In-country
Investments
Upscaling best
practices
Partner
coordination
Mainstreaming
Regional,
coordinated
approach
Resource use
optimization
Monitoring
Multi-country and
south - south
cooperation
Raising the
regional profile
Common vision
Knowledge
exchange
Common advocacy
on Agriculture and
Rural Development
Joint responses
Inspire leadership
Catalyzing
commitment to
address critical
island issues
Facilitate
collaboration
Track progress
Knowledge
generation and mgt

18. Lessons learned
 Ensuring sustainable and predictable financing flows
requires a holistic, comprehensive and integrated
approach approach
 Lack of financing not always the issue: enabling
environment key for resource mobilisation, including
diversification of partnerships
 Challenge to develop projects and programmes that cut
across sectors
 ‘First door’ of finance: domestic budgets and national
investments
 Regional approach is useful to support efforts to
promote the regional agenda, raise the regional
profile, and mobilise partners and resources.

19. Brainstorming
A. What could be the form and function that this Arab Partnership
Platform?
a. Define a common vision, identify the objectives and expected
results
b. Identify Priority areas of intervention/thematic areas
c. Identify members and their roles
d. Identify the target audiences
B. Mapping: Which key actors/institutions/countries, regional
financing institutions, foundations, mechanisms can support such a
regional initiative?
C. Road map for the establishment of an Arab platform : What
should be the priority activities to set up the regional platform?

20. Thank you