Asia & Pacific Programme
The Asia and Pacific region is home to two-thirds of the world’s population that live below the poverty line. The vast majority are highly dependent on the use of land resources for their livelihoods. Sustainable land management (SLM) is therefore critical for the region’s economic and social development.
The Asia and Pacific Programme targets areas where the link between desertification and poverty is acute, through the development of partnerships between governments, civil society and development agencies for establishing long-term Integrated Financing Strategies to address priority land degradation issues.
All the Programme’s initiatives are oriented towards generating financing for UNCCD implementation by:
- engendering a common understanding of the root causes of desertification;
- broadening stakeholder participation in promoting SLM and forging partnerships between national and external actors;
- enhancing enabling policy, legislative, institutional and incentive frameworks for improved land management and poverty alleviation; and
- securing dedicated conventional and innovative financing for UNCCD implementation in the long term.
Sub-regional level initiatives
In Central Asia, the GM spearheaded the establishment of the Strategic Partnership for UNCCD Implementation in Central Asian Countries (SPA) in 2001. The SPA is a multi-donor consortium consisting of many key bilateral and multilateral institutions. The major outcome of the SPA has been the Central Asian Countries Initiative for Land Management (CACILM) - a Global Environment Facility (GEF) ten year, multi-country, multi-donor programme promoting sustainable land management. It is estimated that over a ten-year period USD1.4 billion will be invested in SLM-related activities.
The GM contributed to this process financially and technically and was instrumental in negotiating the financing package of USD155 million for the launching phase. CACILM seeks to improve the enabling, policy, legislative, institutional and incentive frameworks, to ensure sustainability of actions on the ground and to mainstream SLM into planning and budgetary processes at country level.
In the Middle East, the GM is developing the Sustainable Arid Land Management Programme (SALAM) - a five-year, multi-country programme that brings the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries together with the neighbouring Arab States in a partnership promoting SLM practices to facilitate improved livelihoods and ecological services.
In South East Asia, the GM is establishing a platform for synergistic implementation of the Agenda 21 Conventions through conducting expert thematic consultations and training on emerging donor financing tools and modalities. The programme for South East Asia will enhance the capacities of key national stakeholders to develop Integrated Financing Strategies for advancing synergistic implementation of the Agenda 21 Conventions.
In West Asia, the GM is implementing a training programme entitled Designing Integrated Financing Strategies (DIFS). This programme builds on the GM’s mainstreaming experiences in North Africa, and seeks to increase the capacity of relevant national stakeholders to develop long-term integrated financing strategies for implementation of the UNCCD.
National level initiatives
In Jordan and Lebanon, the GM is spearheading the development of Integrated Financing Strategies for NAP implementation in collaboration with national and international stakeholders. This process involves enhancing knowledge on:
- current financing situation and financial flows for SLM;
- public financial management and budget processes;
- how to improve trade and market access for wine, olive oil and other viable products, as a vehicle for increasing investment in drylands;
- donor policies and the modalities for accessing bilateral and multilateral funds; and
- innovative financing sources.
After five years’ of intense activity at sub-regional level in Central Asia, the GM is now increasing its country level engagement in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In addition to identifying entry points for mainstreaming SLM into national planning and budgetary allocation processes, the GM is also seeking to mobilize innovative financing through climate change financing mechanisms, compensation for environmental services and trade in partnership with the private sector.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Roshan Cooke, Programme Coordinator, Asia and Pacific
Tel. +39 06 5459 2156
ro.cooke(at) ifad.org
Related Links
Read more about CACILM