Support to strengthening national-level institutional and professional capacities towards enhanced UNCCD monitoring and reporting in the Republic of Serbia

Summary of the project:

The UNCCD 2018–2030 Strategic Framework, adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP), outlines five strategic objectives aimed at combatting desertification, land degradation, and drought while promoting sustainable land management and improving the living conditions of affected populations. Reporting on the implementation framework, done through qualitative information provided voluntarily by country Parties, is crucial for informed decision-making by the COP. Since 2018, the UNCCD reporting process has also been instrumental in tracking progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly through the monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 15.3.1. The reporting process employs various indicators, both adopted by the COP and newly proposed, to gauge progress towards the strategic objectives and support affected populations and ecosystems.

Project goals

The overall objective of the SSFA is to provide technical assistance to enhanced national-level institutional and technical capacities for the 2021-2022 UNCCD reporting process in the context of the UNCCD Strategic Framework 2018-2030 and SDG15.3. This will be achieved by:

• engaging an expert team to:

a. build capacities of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (hosting UNCCD FP) and other key stakeholders,

b. contribute to the development of the Serbia National Report to UNCCD, and

c. contribute to raised awareness of stakeholders, including public institutions, private sector and CSOs, among other,

• provision of necessary technical equipment for facilitating reporting process and participation of Ministry staff at UNCCD-led and other related events.

Expected results and main activities:

• Expected Result/Output A: Trainings conducted at national level for domestication of standardize tools for data collection and for quality assurance guidelines for the 2021-2022 UNCCD reporting cycle (including support in Trends. Earth tool and PRAIS reporting platform, integration of gender disaggregated data, and CSO contribution to LDN implementation).

-A1 Acquisition of technical equipment

-A2 Development of a training package for using standardized tools for data collection and quality assurance guidelines and delivery of training programme

-A3 Organizing awareness raising workshop for wider stakeholder community

-A4 Preparing and dissemination of a report with lessons learned and recommendations for next reporting period

• Expected Result/Output B: 2021-2022 National Report to UNCCD compiled and validated with participation of key stakeholders and submitted within set deadlines.

- B1 Preparing gap analysis report