General

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is a legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention aims to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought e specially in Africa. The Convention entered into force in 1996 and has currently 195 Parties. Finland ratifed the agreement in 1995.The Sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) are held on a biennial basis. The COP approves the budget of the Convent ion and the indicative scale of contributions to the core budget. The achievement of the UNCCD workplan objectives is dependent on voluntary support. The year 2014 is important for the UNCCD in preparing for the meetings for 2015 including the 3rd UNCCD sc ientific conference to be held in March 2015 and the COP 12 to be held in September 2015. The issues of combatting desertification and drought are also reflected in the global discussions on Post 2015 process as well as in the negotiations for a new global climate change agreement. The UNCCD Secretariat has made a proposal for the 2014 voluntary support by Finland. With the allocation of 400 000 euros Finland will support activies taken by the secretariat to enhance scientific knowledge on land-based adapta tion to organise the 3rd UNCCD scientific conference in Mexico in March 2015 to prepare a publication on drought to enhance rights-based approach to sustainable land management to prepare advocacy material on equitable access to land and to organise a Gend er Forum to be held at COP 12. In addition Finland will support developing country participation in the sessions of the COP and its subsidiary bodies. A significant part of Finland's previous support for the UNCCD has been targeted to regional coordination in developing countries and to support to developing country participation in the decision-making in the Convention processes. As a result the inclusion of the special needs of developing countries in the UNCCD negotiations has strengthened.

General

Stärkung des Rechts auf Nahrung und einer nachhaltigen Landverwaltung

Objectives

Das Projekt leistet einen unverzichtbaren Beitrag zur Ernährungssicherung im Bereich des Rechts auf Zugang zu Land. Von Landgrabbing betroffene Gemeinden in der Wahrnehmung ihrer Rechte zu stärken und gleichzeitig mit verschiedenen Entscheidungsebenen wie der Distriktverwaltung, aber auch Ministerien in Dialog zu treten, ist ein guter Ansatz, um der Landnahme durch mächtige Konzerne entgegenzuwirken. Somit kann der Eskalation von Landkonflikten vorgebeugt werden.

General

The overall aim is to improve the livelihoods of rural communities in Northern Tanzania, by promoting and facilitating community-based forest management (SO1) and sustainable and climate-smart land use practices (agro-forestry) (SO2). We focus on one region: Arusha. In both specific objectives the interventions focus on three aspects: (1) capacity building courses of community promotors and staff of farmers associations in community forestry and sustainable agriculture (including women and youth particularly) ; (2) field actions in terms of participatory forest management and agroforestry (with special attention for water and soil conservation); (3) promotion of good practices by authorities and institutions. After five years, the farmers associations with which we work will be able to gain a triple win out of their natural capital: socio-economic advantages, resilience towards climate change and a richer biodiversity. This way they can break the vicious circle of land degradation and poverty that threatens rural communities in Tanzania and reduce their vulnerability for climate change.