We must leverage the synergies between the COPs!

Following the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) in Azerbaijan earlier this month, which attracted widespread attention and criticism in almost equal measure, and the UN Biodiversity COP in Colombia in October, the eyes of the world will now be turning to the last COP of the three Rio Conventions: the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).  

Unlike the Climate Conference, one advantage that the Biodiversity and the Desertification conferences both have is that they have not yet acquired the status of a mega-event. Nonetheless, this year’s UNCCD COP16 (its 16th session), in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia from 2nd to 13th December, is expected to be the biggest gathering of the 197 parties to the UNCCD (196 countries plus the European Union) to date. Though less well known, it is just as important as its sister conventions, because land degradation, which is the focus of discussions in Riyadh, is inextricably linked to the climate and biodiversity crises. 

Climate change poses a threat first and foremost to people on the ground – farmers, indigenous peoples, herders and local communities. More than 2.5 billion people in the Global South are reliant on communally used land to meet their basic needs. However, land is being severely impacted by land degradation and drought, both of which are the consequence of climate change. Furthermore, there are now calls for the land on which communities live and rely to be used in a climate-friendly manner with a view to achieving the goals laid down in the Rio Conventions. Land, it is argued, should be made available for (re-)forestation, nature protection and restoration, energy production and land-based projects to offset carbon emissions. The demand for land is huge, especially in the countries of the Global South. However, socially just and ecologically sustainable solutions can only be developed if everyone involved in the decision-making processes – representatives of signatory states, civil society, scientists, and others – are willing to look through the lens of the other Conventions and actively work to foster synergies. The rights and needs of local land users should guide decisions on land rights at the global level and their implementation within countries. A strong role for grassroots organizations in all processes is a prerequisite for achieving this.

Given the pressure on limited land resources, secure land rights for local and indigenous communities are the key to tackling the global environmental crises we face in a way that is fair. Basic human rights, such as the right to food, can only be upheld if land rights are guaranteed and access to fertile soil is available. It has also been proven that guaranteed collective land rights for indigenous peoples and local communities are vital for ensuring sustainable and just agriculture and land management. With their extensive knowledge, practical experience and responsibilities caring for families and communities, women in particular play an important role in sustainable land use.

Land rights should be enshrined in the goals of all three Rio Conventions. The reality, however, is that discussions on land rights hardly features at all in most negotiation texts of the UN Climate COP – including the Paris Agreement – despite their central importance in various climate actions, such as carbon markets and agroecology. This shortcoming is in stark contrast to the progress that has been made in other international frameworks such as the UNCBD, the UNCCD and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which acknowledge that guaranteed land and resource rights for local and indigenous communities are a vital element in achieving their goals. The goal of gender equality is another case in point. At the Climate COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, it became evident that countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and the Vatican, among others, were blocking gender-related negotiations, reflected in their resistance to gender-inclusive language in the negotiation texts.

UN Women, the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, noted in a Policy Brief a few days ago that the implementation of the Rio Conventions, including gender provisions and action plans, remains largely siloed. It therefore calls upon the Parties, as well as their secretariats and stakeholders at all levels, to urgently build gender-responsive and efficiency-boosting synergies across all processes – from meetings and negotiations to finance, capacity development, implementation of policy decisions and monitoring and reporting. UN Women describes the “Women’s Land Rights Initiative“ of TMG Research and the Robert Bosch Stiftung as one of the promising examples linking gender equality and the Rio Conventions.

Despite all the justified criticisms of the outcome of the Climate COP in Azerbaijan and the call for reforms, the processes around the Rio Conventions and their COPs are the central negotiation forums where the countries of the world, with the involvement of civil society, develop response strategies and are held to account for their decisions.

The UNCCD remains the only one of the three Rio Conventions to prioritize women’s rights to land and acknowledge that land rights are crucial to meeting national Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets. It has created space for civil society organizations and adopted a gender action plan that encompasses the land rights of women. Initiatives such as national multi-stakeholder consultations on land rights and the women’s land rights campaign #HerLand have raised awareness of the issue.