The EMG Issue Management Group on Land was established by the 15th meeting of the EMG Senior Officials in 2009 to develop options for a more coherent UN system-wide response to land challenges, including support for implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 10-year strategic plan. Initially established for two years, the Group’s mandate was later extended to September 2012.
A key outcome of the process was the 2011 report Global Drylands: A UN system-wide response, prepared with contributions from 18 UN entities and inputs from Parties to the UNCCD. The report set out a common UN vision and agenda for action on drylands, highlighting their importance to climate change, food security, human settlements and sustainable development. It also emphasized the need to move beyond viewing drylands primarily as areas of vulnerability and instead promote sustainable investment, resilient livelihoods and the productive potential of dryland ecosystems.
The report identified three overarching areas for UN cooperation: enhancing the economic and social well-being of dryland communities; sustaining ecosystem services and global public goods; and strengthening resilience to environmental change, including climate change. It also called for stronger science-policy links, greater policy coherence, integration of drylands priorities into national development cooperation, and improved monitoring of results.
Through the process, EMG members also made a collective commitment to strengthen cooperation on the international drylands agenda and support a more coordinated, multi-sectoral UN contribution to sustainable land and drylands management.