The 10th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s Conference of the Parties (UNCCD COP10) is currently taking place in Changwon, Republic of Korea. The 10th session of COP, which runs from 10-21 October, will work to develop building blocks to enhance the implementation of the UNCCD’s 10 year strategic plan and framework for the implementation of the Convention (2008-2019), known as The Strategy. These include further strengthening the Convention’s scientific base; major progress on delivering the 2nd phase of the Strategy and rapidly bringing National Action Programmes in line with The Strategy. In addition, the 10th session of Committee on Science and Technology will address several key questions including how to organize international, interdisciplinary scientific advice to the process, how to rapidly build a scientific knowledge brokering system, how to measure land degradation and desertification at the national level and how the economics of sustainable land management can be better understood.

Six members of the UNEP-WCMC’s Ecosystem Assessment Programme team have attended the UNCCD COP10 and have been active in:

• Gaining feedback on the WCMC-executed project supporting the UNCCD performance review and assessment of implementation of the strategy (PRAIS);
• Piloting the UNCCD impact indicators and delivering messages on their feasibility;
• Delivering the Environment Management Group (EMG) Global Drylands: A UN system wide response, for which UNEP-WCMC provided technical coordination;
• Supporting the Convention on Biological Diversity as they launch a new joint initiative on biodiversity mainstreaming.

From 21-24 October UNEP-WCMC’s Senior Programme Officer for Land and Livelihoods will act as UNEP’s Expert of the Day, responding to questions on the topic 'A positive approach to dryland ecosystems'.

For more information contact: Jessica.Smith@unep-wcmc.org