Naming the Gap, Missing the Mandate:
A joint IUCN–TMG reading of the Governance and Financing Dialogue on Land Restoration during UNCCD COP17, and of the UNCCD land tenure decision that followed it
COP17 was billed as the implementation COP, the moment decisions turn into action. That translation rests largely on National Focal Points (NFPs), who sit at the frontline of national delivery, and converting decisions into action means strengthening the environment they operate in, not just understanding it. This session examined that environment across three dimensions. Institutionally: does the NFP have real authority to convene across ministries, or are they managing this alongside a full agenda with no dedicated backing? Are civil society and community actors brought in at the beginning, or only consulted after decisions are effectively made? On policy: is land tenure reflected in national restoration and climate strategies, or does it sit in a separate silo? And financially: do resources reach the work itself, and the coordination behind it, the convening, trust building, follow-up between meetings, not only the visible projects built on top?