These webinars aim to raise awareness on the value of tenure security and its contribution to biodiversity conservation, sustainable land management, ecosystem restoration, and climate change mitigation and adaptation while improving food security and local livelihoods. The recent decisions taken by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) encourage country Parties to integrate the principles and practices contained in the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT) into the design and implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and other land restoration initiatives. By recognizing and enforcing legitimate tenure rights, land restoration policies, projects, and programmes can be more efficient and effective in responding to interconnected land, biodiversity, and climate emergencies.

The purpose of these regional webinars is to:

• provide updated information on the joint UNCCD-FAO land tenure work to all interested stakeholders, including a more concise understanding of the Technical Guide on the integration of VGGT and LDN and the pathways and good practices that it presents.
• increase awareness on the challenges and opportunities for integrating the principles and practices of the VGGT into a wide range of LDN and land restoration.
• exchange on specific regional challenges and national experiences, specifically addressing the need for genuine commitments to human rights, fit-for-purpose or improved administrative and institutional capacities, and dedicated financial support to sustain efforts to achieve greater tenure security.
• describe the upcoming request for proposals, criteria, and selection process to support national consultations, in selected countries across regions, to further develop specific guidance, exchange lessons learned, and inform land tenure strategies and action plans. 

In all three webinars, Laura Meggiolaro, Managing Director of  the Land Portal Foundation, willpresent the role of data and information in supporting the global Land Degradation Neutrality. Fragmented and incomplete land information systems, closed or unavailable data and knowledge, and poorly managed local data impede effective land governance. By identifying and addressing data and information gaps, governments, civil society organizations, Indigenous groups, and citizens can actively contribute to achieving LDN. Laura Meggiolaro will present the Land Portal Foundation's methodology for analyzing the State of Land Information and developing Open Up Guides, which can improve data quality, availability, accessibility, and use for better citizen engagement, decision-making, accountability and innovation in land governance.