Entitled “From Désertif’actions 2026 to COP17: issues and priorities to strengthen territorial resilience to drought”, the webinar aimed to connect the lessons learned from the preparatory work and the international Désertif’actions Summit held in Djerba with the opportunities for mobilization and advocacy in the lead-up to COP17. 

Moderated by Jérôme Enjalbert (Program Officer at CARI), the webinar brought together several speakers representing different categories of stakeholders involved in the UNCCD process: 

• Philippine Dutailly – Editor for Desertification and Land Degradation at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, National Focal Point for the UNCCD, and Chair of the CRIC (Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention) 

• Adeline Derkimba – Program Director, CARI 

• Natasha Maru – Global Coordinator for Pastures and Pastoralists, International Land Coalition 

• Ellen Otaru-Okoedion – Africa Representative on the UNCCD Civil Society Organizations Panel  

• Nicolas Cimbaro – Head of International Relations, Aude Departmental Council 

The discussions provided an opportunity to review the main political and technical issues at stake for COP17, particularly around drought resilience, rangelands and pastoralists, land degradation neutrality, and the role of science in decision-making. They also highlighted the importance of dialogue spaces open to civil society organizations, local authorities and grassroots actors. 

Several strong messages emerged from the discussion. Droughts can no longer be considered as occasional crises: they are now a structural risk for territories, calling for anticipatory and coordinated responses rooted in local realities. Speakers also stressed that territories, local authorities, civil society organizations, pastoralists and local communities must be more fully recognized as central actors in building resilience. 

The webinar also helped identify several advocacy priorities ahead of COP17: better equipping territories, strengthening prevention, supporting pastoral systems, improving access to finance, ensuring the effective participation of civil society and local authorities, and turning the recommendations from Désertif’actions into concrete messages to be carried into negotiation spaces. 

The full webinar report is now available. It presents the main lessons from the speakers’ contributions, the key messages shared during the discussion, and the mobilization pathways identified to continue the momentum towards COP17. 

Read the full report here

 
Watch the webinar replay: REPLAY 

The article A Look Back at the Webinar “From Désertif’actions 2026 to COP17: issues and priorities to strengthen territorial resilience to drought”  appeared first on Desertif'actions.

Wednesday 17 June from 2pm to 4pm on Zoom; registration required; the webinar will be held in French and English.

What topics will be covered?

In the form of a multi-stakeholder roundtable discussion, the webinar will shed light on several key topics:

• the issues and priorities of the UNCCD COP17 negotiations;
• ongoing developments and discussions regarding drought resilience;
• rangeland and pastoralists, particularly in light of the International Year of rangeland and pastoralists;
• the role of civil society and local governments in UNCCD processes;
• opportunities for non-state actors to participate and influence decisions during the COP;
• key reports, initiatives, and outputs likely to inform discussions and advocacy;
• priority messages from Désertif’actions 2026 to be conveyed in the various dialogue forums at COP17.

A discussion among committed stakeholders

The chosen format will prioritize cross-sector dialogue among various groups of stakeholders involved in the UNCCD processes:

Panelists:

• Ms. Ellen Otaru-Okoedion (UNCCD Civil Society Organizations Panel)
• Ms. Philippine Dutailly (UNCCD Focal Point for France, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Ms. Natasha Maru (International Land Coalition)
• Mr. Nicolas Cimbaro (Department of Aude)
• Ms. Adeline Derkimba (CARI)

Moderator: Jérôme Enjalbert (CARI)

Why participate?

This webinar is intended for all stakeholders involved in combating desertification, building resilience to drought, sustainable land management, and regional development.

It will enable:

• to better understand the issues at stake at COP17 of the UNCCD;
• to discover how the results of Désertif’actions 2026 will be promoted in international forums;
• to identify key deadlines and advocacy opportunities leading up to the UNCCD COP17;
• to engage directly with stakeholders involved in the negotiations and mobilization efforts.

Practical Information

Date: June 17, 2026

Time: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (CET)

Format: Online webinar; registration required

This webinar is organized in partnership with the International Land Coalition

The article Webinar – From Désertif’actions 2026 to COP17: Challenges and Priorities for Strengthening TerritorialResilience to Droughts appeared first on Desertif'actions.

These discussions are part of the central theme of Désertif’actions 2026: how can we improve the resilience of territories — ecosystems and communities — in the face of drought? 

Through complementary approaches — regional management, pastoralism, agricultural systems and regional water management — these webinars provided an opportunity to compare analyses, promote existing solutions and identify concrete levers for action. 

The key role of local authorities in regional governance 

This webinar highlighted the central role of local authorities in anticipating and managing drought-related crises. As the authorities closest to the people and the realities on the ground, they have strong legitimacy, the capacity to act quickly and a lasting presence in the territories. 

Discussions focused on the resources mobilised by local authorities to tackle droughts, the solutions proposed by operators in the field to support them, and the levers for action and advocacy needed to strengthen their capacity to manage territories sustainably in the context of climate crises. 

For more information, click here to read the report (in French). 

To watch the webinar again, click here (in French and English)

Pastoralism: mobility at the heart of resilience 

Focusing on pastoral systems, this webinar highlighted that pastoral mobility is a key factor in resilience to drought. Resilience here is understood as the ability of pastoral communities, their animals and ecosystems to adapt, withstand and recover from climate shocks. 

The lessons learned from national workshops held in Guinea, France and Kenya reveal shared findings: land degradation, irregular rainfall and water scarcity are weakening pastoral systems. However, pastoralism also appears to be a major lever for adaptation, contributing to ecosystem regulation, soil preservation and food security. Common advocacy messages have emerged, particularly around the recognition of pastoralism as a pillar of adaptation strategies, inclusive governance of territories and securing pastoral mobility. 

For more information, click here to read the report (in French). 

To watch the webinar again, click here (in French and English)

Transforming agricultural systems to cope with droughts 

This webinar focused on sedentary agricultural and livestock farming systems, which are facing increasingly frequent and intense droughts. While certain practices based on agroecological principles have proven effective in strengthening the resilience of farms, their adoption remains hampered by numerous obstacles. 

The discussions provided an opportunity to analyse the impacts of droughts on agricultural systems, the potential of agroecology to improve their resilience, the solutions implemented by agricultural development actors, and the levers for action and advocacy that can be activated to support the transition and promote scaling up. 

For more information, click here to read the report (in French). 

To watch the webinar again, click here (in French and English)

Better water management at regional level 

This latest webinar focused on regional water resource management in the face of increasing shortages. The aim was to identify management methods that would enable crises to be anticipated, while reconciling the multiple uses of water. 

Discussions focused on the impact of droughts on water management, the benefits of a territorial approach to strengthening resilience, solutions proposed by development actors, and the levers for action and advocacy needed to support more sustainable water management practices that are adapted to climate challenges. 

For more information, click here to read the report (in French). 

To watch the webinar again, click here (in French and English)

The article Four webinars to strengthen the resilience of regions facing droughts  appeared first on Desertif'actions.

The Désertif’actions 2026 webinars are a major step forward in taking stock of scientific knowledge, the experiences of operators in the field gathered in preparatory workshops, and the challenges of the various themes in terms of advocacy. The four webinars will thus contribute to enriching discussions on the resilience of territories to drought and preparing for the Désertif’actions 2026 summit, which will be held from 25 to 28 March in Djerba (Tunisia).

Fourth and final webinar in the series on agricultural systems

The webinar “Facilitating the transformation of agricultural and livestock systems for greater drought resilience” will take place on Wednesday 17 December from 2pm to 4pm (GMT+1) on Zoom. Registration is required.

Registration required

Register

This webinar is a contribution to addressing the central question of Désertif’actions 2026, namely: how can we improve the resilience of territories (ecosystems and communities) in the face of drought?

Faced with the challenges posed by drought and climate change, certain strategies based on the principles of agroecology have proven effective in strengthening the resilience of farms. However, the transition to adopting these principles (technical, organisational, etc.) remains hampered by numerous structural and economic obstacles. Facilitating change is therefore essential to removing these barriers and promoting the transition of agricultural and livestock systems towards greater resilience.

The specific issue addressed by this webinar is: “How can we promote the transformation of sedentary agricultural and livestock systems to improve their resilience to drought?”

The sub-questions that the webinar will seek to answer:

• What are the impacts of droughts on agricultural systems?
• To what extent does agroecology help to ensure greater resilience for agricultural and livestock systems?
• What solutions are being implemented by agricultural development stakeholders to improve the resilience of farms in the face of drought?
• What levers for action and advocacy should be activated to help farms and sedentary livestock farming systems become more resilient to drought? How can we envisage scaling up this support?

Programme and speakers

The webinar will begin with two thematic presentations, followed by a multi-stakeholder round table discussion with 3 to 4 speakers.

Moderator : Eric SCOPEL – Researcher in Agroecology Cirad

Keynote speaker 1 : Pierre Ferrand – Agricultural Officer (Agroecology & Ecosystem Services)FAO / Impacts of droughts on agricultural and food systems and the relevance and limitations of agroecology in addressing these challenges 

Keynote speaker 2: Jérôme Enjalbert – Programme Officer CARI / Transformation of sedentary agricultural and livestock systems in D’A26 – feedback from the preparatory phase

Table ronde

• Mme Josephine Akia Luyimbazi – Country coordinator – PELUM Ouganda
• Dr Anneke Trux – Head of Program GIZ
• Dr Eduardo Martin – President FUNCEME

The article Webinar: Facilitating the transformation of agricultural and livestock systems for greater drought resilience appeared first on Desertif'actions.

The Désertif’actions 2026 webinars are a major step forward in taking stock of scientific knowledge, the experiences of operators in the field gathered in preparatory workshops, and the challenges of the various themes in terms of advocacy. The four webinars will thus contribute to enriching discussions on the resilience of territories to drought and preparing for the Désertif’actions 2026 summit, which will be held from 25 to 28 March in Djerba (Tunisia).

The third webinar on water

The webinar “Territorial governance: facilitating the role of local authorities in drought resilience in the territories” will take place on Tuesday 16 December from 2pm to 4pm (GMT+1) on Zoom, upon registration.

Registration required

Register

This webinar is co-organised by the CARI and Agrisud

This webinar is organised as part of the 6th edition of Désertif’actions (D’a), which aims to foster multi-stakeholder dialogue and develop advocacy tools on the following issue: how can we improve the resilience of territories (ecosystems and communities) in the face of drought?

In this third webinar, we will focus on the key role of local authorities in drought management and provide food for thought on how to facilitate the role of local authorities so that they can anticipate and manage their territory sustainably in anticipation of drought crises.

Sous questions :

• What measures are local authorities taking to manage drought crises? To anticipate and/or adapt to droughts?
• What solutions are being promoted by operators in the field to support local authorities in anticipating and managing drought-related crises?
• What are the levers for action and advocacy to facilitate the role of local authorities in anticipating drought-related crises?

Programme and speakers

The webinar programme will include a keynote presentation setting out the theme, followed by a presentation of the results of the preparatory phases on the theme of “territorial governance”, and finally a multi-stakeholder round table with three panellists. There will be opportunities for discussion with participants.

Facilitator : Alissa Jeridi – CARI et Adrien Lepage – Agrisud International

Presentation of the preparatory phase for Désertif’actions 2026 : Wafa ESSAHLI, Sustainable development consultant

• Speaker from Secours Islamique France (to be confirmed)
• Sylvain Davila – Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine
• Saleck Moulaye Ahmed Cherif – Région de Nouakchott (Mauritanie)

The article Webinar: Territorial governance: facilitating the role of local authorities in drought resilience in the territories appeared first on Desertif'actions.