1. Presented at UNCCD COP12, Ankara, Turkey by the Land Degradation Focal Area Team Global Environment Facility Land Degradation Focal Area & SDGs

2. GEF as a Financial Mechanism of the UNCCD  GEF provides financing to eligible affected country Parties for activities that support implementation of the Convention  GEF-6 Replenishment: $431 million for LDFA  144 eligible Countries included in the STAR ($346 million)  Set-aside funds Programs & Enabling Activities ($85 million)  GEF investment focuses on Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in production systems – agriculture, rangelands, and forest landscapes  Other SLM related funding windows such as the SFM program and three adaptation funds managed by the GEF (LDCF, SCCF, AF) available

3. Biodiversity Land Degradation Climate Change Chemicals International Waters Sustainable Forest Management Sustainable Cities Food Security Forests Focal / Multi-focal Area Strategy Delivery Selected SD Themes Integrated Approach Pilots  Commodities  Partnership for SS-Africa  Cities

4. Land Degradation Focal Area Mandate – Finance efforts to arrest and reverse land degradation (desertification and deforestation) Direct support to implementation of the UNCCD Focus – Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in production landscapes (120 million ha are targeted for SLM coverage globally) Impacts: Flow of ecosystem services increased or maintained Sustained crop, livestock, and forest production Sustainable livelihoods (development benefit)

5. Context for GEF-6 LD Strategy Emerging Global Priorities Food Security – improving and increasing food crop production in vulnerable regions Climate-Smart Agriculture – enhancing resilience and climate change mitigation in crop and livestock systems Forest Landscape Management and Restoration – increasing forest and tree cover

6. LDFA focus: Sustainable Land Management Living sand barrier Contour Terraces Forest Landscape Restoration Pastoral and Rangeland Management Agroforestry Grazing Management IEM approaches

7. Land Degradation Strategy: Objectives and Programs LD-1: Agriculture and Rangeland Systems Agro-ecological Intensification SLM for Climate-Smart Agriculture LD-2: Forest Landscapes Landscape Management and Restoration LD-3: Integrated Landscapes Scaling up SLM LD-4: Institutional and Policy Frameworks Mainstreaming SLM in Development

8. Cross-focal Area Linkages Deliver multiple environmental and social benefits, seeking synergy: SFM-Program: Multiple benefits from management of all types of forests BIODIVERSITY: Protected area management, sustainable use, and mainstreaming in production systems INTERNATIONAL WATERS: Integrated water resource management in transboundary landscapes CC MITIGATION: LULUCF component for reducing GHG emissions and protection of carbon stocks CC ADAPTATION (LDCF/SCCF): Resilience in production systems and practices; reduced vulnerability

9. Investments in SLM produce multiple benefits both in agricultural production and environmental quality SDG 2: Zero Hunger (e.g. Food Security IAP) SDG 15: Life on Land (e.g. LD partnership with China)

10. Conclusion: Land Degradation Focal Area in GEF-6 More focused to influence transformational change at scale Stronger link to SDGs and global development aspirations – agriculture and food security Effective cross-focal area linkages – Biodiversity, Climate Change, SFM, and International Waters More resources, more effectively targeted

11. Contact: Ulrich Apel Land Degradation Focal Area Coordinator, GEF Secretariat (uapel@thegef.org)