We are pleased to announce that The Lab has recently become a civil service organization (CSO) with official accreditation and “observer status” from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
From the UNCCD’s web post on civil society stakeholders:
“All through the United Nations system, an increasingly global civil society participates in proactive and engaged ways to the work of UN offices, programmes and agencies, making the UN both a counterpart and a witness to its contribution. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society organizations (CSOs) are more and more UN system partners and constitute a valuable link for the UN to civil society and ‘people out there.’
CSOs play a key role at major United Nations conferences, they are indispensable partners for UN efforts at the country level, and they are consulted on UN policy and program matters. UNCCD promotes the active involvement of CSOs in the implementation of the Convention at all levels, and representatives from CSOs that are accredited to the UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP) may directly participate in its sessions.
The UNCCD secretariat provides accredited CSOs with services aimed at enhancing their involvement in the intergovernmental process. Regular interaction with and feedback from the CSOs are essential to ensure that such services are effective and timely.“
Representatives from The Lab and its flagship project, Project Wadi Attir, recently attended the UNNCD COP12 Convention in Ankara, where they debuted the project’s Dryland Ecosystem Restoration Website, with the support of the conference.