Online Reporter
John Mazani
THE opening week of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) exposed deep diplomatic and political divisions, highlighting the challenges confronting global efforts to combat land degradation.
Triggered by geopolitical disagreements, Russia blocked discussions on the Post-2030 Strategic Framework over the exclusion of its experts, while the United States objected to gender-responsive policies, cross-convention synergies and proposals for expanded civil society participation.
In a bid to maintain momentum, COP President Batmunkh Battsetseg adopted uncontested agenda items while referring disputed core issues to private consultations, a move that sparked a strong backlash from non-governmental organisations, indigenous representatives and women’s groups.
Beyond the procedural wrangling, the summit’s policy debates centred on the ways nations manage land, science and climate finance. Developed parties argued that aligning the UNCCD with the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) would streamline satellite monitoring systems and improve access to global funding.
Conversely, developing parties warned against “mandate creep” and the risk of imposing excessive administrative burdens. Proposed texts called for reforms to property laws to give women direct land tenure rights, but opposing governments argued that such measures could interfere with national legal frameworks and cultural traditions.
Meanwhile, community advocates pushed for a formal role in shaping ground-level policies, while host governments favoured stricter oversight of public participation.
Despite the political deadlocks, scientific bodies recorded significant progress. The Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 24) standardised soil health reporting for the UN’s PRAIS 4 database using Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) metrics.
Financing emerged as another major fault line, with developing nations demanding direct public grants while developed countries promoted “blended finance” models designed to attract private-sector investment.
At the same time, the Committee on Science and Technology (CST17) finalised advanced satellite-tracking systems, hydrological mapping tools and AI-driven soil carbon verification technologies.
Within the Committee of the Whole (COW), fiscally conservative donor nations advocated a zero nominal growth budget, while dryland countries called for a 30 percent increase to strengthen technical mandates.
On global drought governance, the African Group pushed for a legally binding protocol that would guarantee financial support, while major developed nations insisted on a voluntary, non-binding framework. Despite these disagreements, draft texts progressed on protecting customary land rights, integrating soil restoration into national security strategies and removing legal barriers to women’s land ownership.
These international outcomes carry immediate and practical implications for Zimbabwe as it implements Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2: 2026-2030). Land degradation is estimated to cost Zimbabwe US$382 million annually, equivalent to 6,3 percent of gross domestic product, with 60 percent of those losses linked to the decline of provisioning ecosystem services.
Importantly, every dollar invested in addressing land degradation yields an estimated return of US$3. In 2010, approximately 142 000 rural residents lived on degrading agricultural land.
Confronting these challenges requires a careful assessment of the broad implications of the COP17 negotiations across all interconnected domestic sectors.
Sectoral implications for Zimbabwe
Macroeconomics, finance and resource mobilisation
Firstly, the push by developed nations for “blended finance” models presents a structural challenge for Zimbabwe’s NDS2 framework. Private investors often avoid high-risk ecological projects in dryland areas, making public financing mechanisms essential. With the cost of inaction projected at US$18,5 billion over 30 years, compared to a US$5,8 billion cost of intervention, Zimbabwe must intensify domestic resource mobilisation efforts.
This includes increased fiscal allocations, mining levies, environmental pollution penalties and the establishment of a dedicated land rehabilitation fund supported by revenues from the mining sector. At the same time, Zimbabwe should align itself with the African Group in advocating for direct, grant-based public financing through the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
According to Zimbabwe’s overview of its targets and assessments, achieving the voluntary national LDN target of securing a net gain across 10 percent of the country’s total land area, equivalent to 3 905 700 hectares by 2030, will require leveraging carbon markets and attracting foreign direct investment.
Agriculture, food security and rural livelihoods
Secondly, because the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector accounts for 76,1 percent of Zimbabwe’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the country’s submission to the UNCCD, sustainable land management remains central to both climate mitigation and food security.
The reluctance of developed nations to support a legally binding drought protocol means Zimbabwe cannot depend on international emergency financing during severe climate shocks. Instead, national policy must emphasise self-reliance by expanding conservation agriculture programmes such as Pfumvudza/Intwasa, promoting agroforestry and restoring local catchments.
National targets include restoring productivity on 361 250 hectares of stressed cropland, reclaiming 5 580 hectares of arable land affected by gully erosion and implementing conservation measures on more than 1,08 million hectares of degraded farmland.
The expansion of irrigation initiatives, including the Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Programme and the Mtshabezi Irrigation Scheme, will be critical in protecting the livelihoods of the 67 percent of Zimbabwe’s workforce employed in agriculture from recurrent droughts.
Land tenure, governance and social inclusion
Thirdly, COP17’s draft provisions on customary land rights and the removal of barriers to women’s land ownership align closely with Vision 2030’s commitment to inclusive development. Formalising land tenure systems and enabling direct ownership by female smallholder farmers would create stronger incentives for long-term land stewardship.
A significant policy gap remains the absence of dedicated land degradation legislation and a comprehensive national land-use plan covering Zimbabwe’s diverse agroecological regions.
Reviewing the land tenure framework to improve security of title, while empowering traditional leaders and rural district councils, would help curb unsustainable land-use practices and reduce climate-induced migration, as highlighted in the Country Report of the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme.
Forestry, energy and mining
Fourthly, deforestation and land-use conversion remain major drivers of environmental degradation in Zimbabwe, where forest cover declined by 4 521 473 hectares between 1992 and 2008. Meeting COP17 objectives will require the implementation of Zimbabwe’s restoration targets, including reforesting 6 455 250 hectares of forest converted to shrubland and 215 050 hectares converted to cropland.
Given that 96 percent of rural households rely on wood fuel, contributing to an annual forest depletion rate of 1,8 percent, the energy sector must accelerate rural electrification, expand renewable energy alternatives and scale up the Energy for Tobacco Curing Initiative. These measures are essential to safeguarding the 297 000 hectares of forest land identified in the Country
Report of the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme.
Within the mining sector, where illegal activities affect 9 496 hectares of land, stronger enforcement of the Mines and Minerals Act, the establishment of legal mining syndicates and targeted rehabilitation programmes in hotspots such as Mazowe, Shamva and Zvishavane are required to curb environmental destruction.
Environmental governance, water and technology
Finally, the adoption of standardised metrics by CRIC24 and CST17 provides the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) with an opportunity to deploy satellite tracking, hydrological mapping and AI-driven soil organic carbon verification systems.
Integrating these tools into the national PRAIS4 reporting framework will enable EMA to verify land restoration efforts, strengthen Zimbabwe’s position in global carbon markets and improve monitoring of key indicators such as soil erosion, veld fires and invasive alien species. Furthermore, the Country Report of the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme notes that Target 12 requires the protection and restoration of 270 080 hectares of severely degraded wetlands.
Combining wetland conservation with the construction of multipurpose water storage infrastructure across major river catchments, including the Runde, Mazowe, Umzingwane, Ngezi and Mwenezi rivers, would enhance water security, improve soil organic carbon levels and strengthen multi-sector climate resilience.
Bridging diplomatic fault lines for actionable climate resilience
As COP17 moves from preliminary technical negotiations into its high-level segment, world leaders and government ministers enter discussions against a backdrop of significant division. The challenge facing political decision-makers is whether to bridge these differences or allow bureaucratic gridlock to derail global land restoration efforts.
For Zimbabwe and other dryland nations across the Global South, the stakes could hardly be higher. With land degradation costing the country an estimated US$382 million annually, representing more than six percent of GDP, Zimbabwe cannot afford an international framework built solely on voluntary commitments or inaccessible private-finance mechanisms.
As ministers take to the floor, Zimbabwe’s priorities are clear: secure direct public grant financing through the GEF, champion gender-inclusive land ownership frameworks and advocate for stronger global support mechanisms for drought resilience.
Ultimately, the high-level segment must convert contested draft texts into tangible commitments. Whether through carbon-market integration, stricter mining rehabilitation measures or community-led conservation initiatives, the decisions reached in the final negotiations will directly influence Zimbabwe’s ability to finance its NDS2 objectives, protect rural livelihoods and achieve its Vision 2030 aspirations. The international community must move beyond procedural deadlock and ensure that land degradation neutrality becomes not merely a diplomatic ambition, but a funded and measurable reality on the ground.
l John Mazani is the Principal Committee Clerk of the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife at the Parliament of Zimbabwe. He writes here in his personal capacity as an environmentalist.
