‘We help people to find understanding, when they want to find understanding but don’t succeed.’ With this simple explanation, co-facilitator Angela Starovoitova captures the core objective of Non-Violent Communication (NVC) as a dialogue approach, at the opening of a four-day training track during Addressing Europe’s Unfinished Business. She immediately manages expectations: ‘Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.’ Co-facilitator Olena Kashkarova adds: ‘It is about hearing the real message behind words.’

During the track, participants from Georgia, Crimea, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belarus and Russia mastered the basics of the NVC model. The track focused on experiential learning, combining individual exercises and group practice. The track was one of the nine training tracks offered during the conference, through which participants could deepen their knowledge of different practical tools for social change and cohesion.

‘The exercises are practical tools for me that I can use directly in my work as a dialogue facilitator,´ says Misha Aslikian from Georgia after the four days with Angela Starovoitova and Olena Kashkarova. ´In post-Soviet countries the gap between the government and citizens is big. This method of Non-Violent Communication gives me a structure to facilitate conversation.’

One of the key elements of NVC is the concept of needs. We all have needs we wish to see fulfilled, say the need for appreciation or intimacy. To fulfil the need, we use a certain strategy. In the case of intimacy, the strategy might be to look for a partner. In the case of appreciation, the strategy might be the work we do. The danger is that we mistake the strategy for the need. So, in the examples above, finding a partner, or doing a certain job, becomes the primary objective.
‘If the need and the strategy melt together, the potential for conflict is very big,’ says Olena Kashkarova. On the other hand, if we learn to distinguish between them, and learn to discover the needs that underlie certain feelings and conflicts, it opens up a whole world of options. ‘If you know your need, there might be a hundred ways to fulfil this need. So you can fulfil it even if this one strategy fails. It is about exploring freedom and creativity.’

Participant Yana Sieraia from Ukraine experienced how this understanding can help resolve conflicts. ‘With this method I learned to understand my feelings and needs, before I say something to the other person. I have already applied it in a family situation. My son and mother had a fight. I spoke with both of them on the phone and rephrased their words in terms of feelings and needs. Later they phoned me that there was no problem any more. It is a small situation, but I want to apply it first in my family life. If you understand yourself better, it is also easier to communicate with others.’

Day 1: 23 July 2018

In these times of great uncertainty and growing distrust between and within countries, there is no place for fatalism. We all have a role to play in steering Europe in a more inclusive and sustainable direction. This was the common message at today’s opening of the conference on Addressing Europe’s Unfinished Business (AEUB). Over 180 participants from 32 countries have gathered in the Caux Palace in Switzerland to seek dialogue, exchange best practices for trustbuilding and find inspiration. ´We have no alternative but to engage in a constructive dialogue,´ said Tatiana Peric, adviser on Combating Racism and Xenophobia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We are entering a period of powershifts, stressed British diplomat and politician Lord Ashdown. ‘The work for a better world is part of the equation for our survival. Don’t leave it to somebody else.’ An inspiring and motivating start to the AEUB!

Day 2: 24 July 2018

Courageous individuals can and do make a difference, as personal stories from Ukraine, Sweden and Turkey showed on day two of the AEUB conference. Journalist Oleksiy Matsuka from Ukraine had been forced to move outside the separatist region, because of threats related to his work on corruption. ‘There is not a journalist in Donbass whose life didn’t change in 2014,’ he said. Through the Donetsk Institute for Information, he provides independent coverage of the war in East Ukraine. ‘We as journalists must not only present facts, but also ask the uncomfortable questions. The most important way to find answers is doubt.’

Former neo-nazi Peter Sundin from Sweden stressed the importance of distinguishing between people and their opinions. Growing up in a nazi environment, he automatically adopted a nazi worldview. ‘At school I was reduced to my opinion,’ he said. ‘I was always nazi-Peter. Never just Peter.’ After a long exit-process he now works to help prevent youngsters committing the same mistakes as he did.

Professor Emel Topcu from Turkey presented heart-warming examples of how civil society is working to help the over 3.5 million Syrian refugees now in Turkey. Her hometown Gaziantep flooded with refugees, who now make up a quarter of the population. Although their arrival led to controversies, there has not been an actual clash, thanks to the work of many citizens and NGOs. ‘What is the meaning of life, if we don’t share?’ she asked.

Day 3: 25 July 2018

Looking ahead to the challenges Europe faces, it is good to realize that there are already so many initiatives taking place to build social cohesion. What can we learn from them? On the third day of AEUB the great hall of the Caux Palace was transformed into a marketplace of 18 initiatives, varying from faith communities working together for sustainability to using theatre to stimulate empathy and change. A Ukranian human rights worker sat at the table of a Dutch Turk who brings the Turkish, Armenian and Kurdish diaspora together, curious about how he facilitates dialogue between them. Other participants asked a Romanian women living in Germany about the impact of the simulation game she uses to address immigration policy. A vibrant exchange of tools, knowledge and experiences forms the core of this conference, and continues through the daily training tracks, during lunchtime and on walks up the mountain.

Day 4: 26 July 2018

Change often starts with the decisions of individuals: the decision to question their beliefs and the worldview with which they grew up; the decision not to feed their hatred, but to find a way to keep their humanity;  and sometimes the decision to accept that one stands empty-handed and cannot control everything. On the morning of the fourth day of AEUB, different people told how such  decisions can change the course of one’s life and influence the social cohesion of the community.

Diana Damsa, a Romanian who grew up feeling superior to her Roma countrymen, was confronted with her prejudices whilst in India. She felt angry that she had been manipulated to despise Roma for no reason. She made sure that in her future work, teaming up with Roma became a normality. Simona Torotcoi, a Roma from Romania, had always felt ashamed of being a Roma. In her early  twenties she  started a personal process of fully accepting her identity. She now works for the emancipation of Roma in society and the educational system.

Two days after her father had been killed by an IRA bomb, Jo Berry from the United Kingdom decided she didn’t want to have an enemy. ‘I wanted to understand what happened and what are the roots of violence,’ she said. ‘If I blame someone and make him less human, then I lose my own humanity.’ She and the man responsible for the attack now work together, building bridges for peace.

Day 5 : 27 July 2018

Even more then safe spaces, we need courageous spaces, key-listener Mike Brown from Australia says at the closing plenary of the AEUB conference. As participants describe their experiences, it becomes clear that Caux has been a space of courage this week. A Russian educational worker describes a meeting with people from Ukraine and Belarus. ‘It was not a bubble of coherence,’ he says. ‘I encountered the tremendous amount of pain here.’ Another participant tells how she has written a letter of apology to her father for closing her heart. A Dutch Turk brings good news about the week’s dialogue between Kurds, Turks and Armenians: ‘We have decided to organize ourselves and want to develop a programme.’ All these steps, from the personal to the political, are needed if we want to strengthen social cohesion in Europe. Or as one participant read from her notebook: ‘If you heal yourself, you can heal the world with small babysteps.’

Young Muslims and non-Muslims from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK took part in the Learning to be a Peacemaker course at the Caux Palace in July.

London-based Imam Ajmal Masroor had been invited to deliver the course. At the beginning of the course, he asked the participants three questions: ‘Do you accept that Europe is your home? Do you accept European people as your people? Are you prepared to do everything for the wellbeing of Europe and its people?’

He went on: ‘If your answer is not an emphatic “yes” for all three questions, then there is a problem. If you have any doubts about where you belong, there is a problem. If you are unsure of your roles and responsibilities towards your fellow citizens and neighbours, there is a problem. Muslims are part of Europe, and Europe’s destiny is directly intertwined with European Muslims. There is no conflict in being European and Muslim, and Muslims who live in Europe have a duty to contribute to its wellbeing. The focus of the course is to help young Muslims embrace this reality and make this paradigm shift.’

Many second-generation Muslims in Europe live with two tensions. One is between the culture they have been brought up in and the expectations of their parents who grew up in other cultures. The other is the sense that their religion is not fully accepted – and therefore that they are not fully accepted – by the culture in which they feel at home.

Masroor’s reponse is to help them become fully confident in both their European and Muslim identities, through embracing the concept that to be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker – someone who actively contributes to the community and brings people together.

The five-day course focused on the Islamic principles of peacemaking, and on examining Islamic texts and their application. The main themes explored were the Prophet Mohammed’s approach to peacemaking, Islamic Law and its objectives, the ethics of disagreement, the characteristics of a peacemaker, war and peace, violence and extremism, and inner peace.

Additional evening sessions, open to everyone in the Caux Palace, covered managing relationships, developing emotional intelligence and learning to manage anger.

One participant said of the course, ‘It taught me how to reconcile my religion and my identity without having to make a choice.’ Another wrote: ‘It was incredibly enriching to learn about the peaceful and loving core of my religion, and to understand what an inclusive teaching it actually is, contrary to everything I've grown up hearing about it.’ And another: ‘Helping to serve at dinner was a great idea, as it is important for young Muslims to interact with, and be acknowledged by, the respectful and open-minded persons in Caux.’ And most challengingly, one concluded: ‘If you aren’t at peace with yourself, you can’t be a peacemaker’!

After the course, the whole group took part in the ‘Addressing Europe’s Unfinished Business’ conference. Find out more about AEUB 2018 and its highlights. 

Imam Masroor has been invited to deliver Learning to be a Peacemaker again next summer, in association with the ‘Tools for Changemakers’ conference. It is part of a longterm programme to train a large cohort of young Muslim peacemakers by training trainers to deliver the course in different European countries.

For further information please contact Peter Riddell at peter.riddell@iofc.org – also see the July 2018 Call for Applications.

• Find out more about Addressing Europe's Unfinished Business 2018
• Discover the reports and highlights 2018

By Peter Riddell

What is the role of a journalist in a country at war? With many of his compatriots thinking that journalists should be information warriors, finding the answer to this question is an everyday struggle for Ukrainian journalist Oleksiy Matsuka. ‘Some of our readers expect us to defend our country. But we want to protect our independence as journalists. How can we make sure we don’t fall prey to propaganda as journalists in the middle of a war? How do we keep presenting information without bias?’

This summer Oleksiy Matsuka was one of a group of journalists from Ukraine who met in Caux during the conference Addressing Europe’s Unfinished Business to discuss these questions. Matsuka is the founder of the Donetsk Institute of Information, an NGO whose mission is to disseminate independent news about the Donbass region through different media channels and analyse other news from the region. They also organize the yearly Donbas Media Forum, which brings together hundreds of Ukrainian media professionals to discuss the challenges of covering the ongoing conflict in the region. Both the Institute and Matsuka now operate from Slovyansk, a city just outside the occupied territory.

This was Matsuka’s third visit to Caux having first participated in 2016. He recounts how his time in Caux has helped him in the process of reflecting on his contribution to peace in his country. ‘The first step to solving a problem is to start with yourself,’ he says. For him, this meant acknowledging the trauma the war had left him with when he had to flee his home and move to the controlled area. ‘After my initial patriotic reaction to the war, I learned to recognize this trauma. However, I had to keep it separate from my work as a journalist in order to maintain my professional standards.’

Matsuka is convinced that professional journalism can contribute to the process of peace. ‘We don’t go to the front line to fight but we can disseminate unbiased information and ask the questions that need to be asked.’ Matsuka explains how he changed his tone as a journalist from the affirmative to the interrogative, and how this was met with resistance. ‘People here expect journalists to state facts, not to ask questions but asking questions is of the utmost importance especially when working in a conflict.’

Through their reporting Matsuka and his colleagues try to reduce the polarized news landscape. ‘Our actions should, at the very least, avoid making the situation worse than it is now.’ The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe adopted rules for media in conflict and the reporters of the Donetsk Institute of Information work according to this conflict sensitive reporting. For example, when speaking about the uncontrolled area, they never use the word terrorist. ‘Terrorist is a toxic word. There are 2 million people living in the uncontrolled territory and they are not terrorists.’ Instead they might say ‘pro-Russian groups’, ‘self proclaimed Republic’ or ‘military with support from Russia.’

This conflict sensitive reporting is not only important when directly covering the war, explains Matsuka. ‘We don’t just cover matters of war and peace. The war has an influence on all areas of life. Ukraine has banned Russian books, films and TV channels. When a sportsman after a match reacted in Russian, this was interpreted as anti-patriotic with officials claiming that Russian was the language of the occupiers. But for many Ukrainians Russian is their first language. We try to reduce this kind of propaganda by showing that this is just one political view, but that our society is much bigger.’ 

Matsuka has also fallen prey to this propaganda as all reporting criticising the Ukrainian side is labelled as anti-patriotic. When the Institute investigated corruption in the Ukrainian military, a senior official began judicial proceedings against them, saying they were spies. ‘But this is my job as a journalist.’ Before the war even broke out, Matsuka had his apartment set on fire after an investigation into the embezzlement of public funds.  

The amount of online hate speech and threats he receives has only grown since then. He produces a recent post from an anonymous blogger who has written pages and pages of text leading people to believe he is pro-Russian. ‘We don´t know where it comes from, but it could very well come from the Russian side,’ says Matsuka. In that way they can undermine his authority among Ukrainians. He gives a sad smile. ‘It is complicated.’

His work takes a high toll on his personal life. Not only does he always have to be on his guard for his own safety but, as he cannot enter the occupied territory himself because of a three year arrest warrant, he is also always concerned for the safety of the civil reporters he works with. ‘I sometimes think about my future and I don´t know if I can keep going like this. But I can´t stop either, because then I will have lost. I’ve already lost my house and home. If I quit this job I will also lose my dream of being a journalist.’

Matsuka and the group of journalists gathered in Caux will continue to exchange experiences and mutual support after their time in Caux and dedicate themselves to ethical journalism that contributes to unity and democratic values in their country. 

• Find out more about Addressing Europe's Unfinished Business 2018
• Discover the new conference Tools for Changemakers 2019

By Irene de Pous

Liliana Neciu, mezzo-soprano at State Opera in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, has taken part in two Caux programmes in 2017. Since then she’s been talking about Caux to everybody, from close friends and family members to work colleagues and people she meets through her professional life. This summer, she is returning to give freely of her time, cheerful nature and wonderful talents. On Thursday 26, 2018, Liliana and her friend, pianist Oana Dinea, are offering a free concert during Addressing Europe’s Unfinished Business (AEUB).

The concert, “Classic sounds for piano & voice”, will take place in Caux Palce Conference and Seminar Centre, on 26th of July 2018, at 8:15 pm, in the Theatre Hall. The entry is free.

We asked Liliana what Caux means to her.

"Last year my sister was going to Caux for the sixth time. She convinced me to come to the Week of International Community so I could start to understand why she loves this place. I attended the programme with my two kids, and two weeks later I returned for Addressing Europe’s Unfinished Business. These experiences connected me to what I call ‘the magic of Caux’.

For me, Caux was a series of memorable experiences: the beauty of Caux Palace and the amazing panoramic view over Lake Geneva, all the activities, meeting interesting people from other countries, the inspiring speakers and their amazing stories, the incredible joy of singing in the village church in the evening and many more ….

One striking lesson was the power of multiculturalism. I greatly value the deep connections I made. I still keep in touch with two amazing friends I made in Caux– one from Palestine and one from Nepal. These are countries far away from mine.  Every time we communicate helps me to understand their way of life and challenges better, and to notice the differences and similarities we share. This connection cancels the geographical distances. We discover how easily we can transcend the cultural differences and connect at the deeper, human level.

There were several stories I heard in Caux that impressed me and one went directly to my heart. It was about the power of listening and it made me realize that we have the answers to our problems inside us. At times we just need someone to listen to us, so we can find the answers for ourselves, deep within.

Caux helped me have more confidence in myself and trust my inner power. I learned to take my ‘quiet time’, when I reflect and search to understand what is truly important. I also started to listen more to others and to put myself in their position.

Another special moment was one evening in the Caux church, during the singing-prayer time. Looking around, I realized that in the same place, singing together peacefully, were people belonging to different religious faiths and denominations. I – an Orthodox woman – was sitting next to a Buddhist man. In front of us there was a Catholic; behind, a Protestant; and not far away, a Muslim …. There was something magical and special about it.

After Caux I decided to get more involved in volunteering in my community. I also decided to involve my kids more in such activities, so that they can learn the joy of service and helping others.

Since last year, I have spoken to many people about Caux. As a result a good friend of mine will join me this year at the Caux Peace and Leadership Programme (CPLP). I am returning to explore more and support the changes I felt growing within me last year. And I am very happy I can contribute to AEUB by offering my professional skills with an evening Concert, together with my dear friend, Oana Dinea, a wonderful piano player. For me Caux was like a cell of a perfect world – a place of acceptance and dialogue."

 
About the musicians

Liliana Neciu| Romania

Mezzo-soprano Liliana Neciu was born in Baia Mare, Romania, in 1977. She graduated the Arts School of her native town where she studied canto and continued her studies at the Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, Romania, at prof. Ana Rusu’s canto class. Since 2008 Liliana is one of the soloists of National Opera of Cluj Napoca. Over the years, she has collaborated with various musical institutions in Romania, like the National Opera in Bucharest, National Opera in Timisoara, Filarmonica Arad, Filarmonica Cluj Napoca, etc. Liliana Neciu has been part of numerous tours, singing in major European cities.

Oana Dinea | Romania

Oana Dinea is a Romanian pianist currently based in Geneva, Switzerland, where she is pursuing her career as e concert pianist and teacher at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique de Genève.  She is inspired by the human condition and seeks to convey meaning to her audience and students through her service.   She started playing piano at the age of seven in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where she quickly understood that music would always be a part of her life.  After she finished her studies in Romania, she was admitted for a Bachelor Degree in Geneva with Elisabeth Athanassova.   She continued her studies with a Master specialized in Concerts and the second one, in Pedagogy, both with Dominique Weber at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Geneve.  During this period Oana was rewarded with several scholarships. She also had the opportunity to learn from great artists like Leon Fleisher, Robert McDonald, Julian Martin and others.   She initiates the group ''Pianistes en Scene pour une Cause Humaine'' in 2016: four Romanian pianists that play together for a human cause.   Inspired to share her art, to approach and to understand better the audience, Oana started a non-conventional type of concerts: mixing different type of arts but also activities and passions of life as coffee, yoga, food with the music of the great composers. Her purpose is to give life to the classical music and to break the distance that some conventions put between the artist and the audience.  She believes that Art must be Life. It must Belong to Everybody!

On 20 July, the Caux Dialogue for Land and Security focused on sustainable finance and land restoration. The day was introduced by Rishabh Khanna, who spoke of the need to sequester 100 PPM of C02, as our current atmosphere has reached the historic high of 410 ppm, with rapid effects on the climate. Although this would cost almost US$ 4.27 trillion, the investment could create food security, jobs and resolve conflicts.

Today, Khanna continued, we have global market capitalization of US$ 85 trillion, according to Business Insider UK. Of this about US$ 30 trillion come from pension funds, health care and education, which are essential services. If we move a fraction of this money from speculative equity markets to evergreen investment frameworks, in which money is used for sequestering CO2, it would create resilient ecological and social systems. As an example of how to invest to sequester Co2, he presented the Better Globe initiative, which plants trees in a semi-arid region of East Africa and in which he had personally invested.

The inspirational workshops, presentations and panellists which followed generated much interest. Themes included bringing significant investment into land restoration and ecosystem services. There were discussions about the role of blockchain in enabling more efficient financing of land restoration, payment for ecosystem services, enhanced transparency and verification of activities.

The breadth and depth of the themes reflected the diverse needs of smallholder farmers, financial institutions, intergovernmental organizations including the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and raised questions about financial inclusion, transparency, fairness and the nature of existing monetary policy.

The day culminated in a celebration of the diversity of the land restoration movement around the world with expertise in financial services, sustainable agriculture, agroforesty, smallholder empowerment and women’s leadership.

Many of the organizations represented committed themselves to collaborating and conducting side events at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties in Poland in December 2018. They included Initiatives for Land, Lives and Peace (ILLP), African Development Bank (Adaptation Mechanism), Regen Network, Regen Investment, BlueGen, Earthpulse, Nutiva, Soil4Carbon, Worldview Impact Foundation and Bio-Carbon Engineering.

Participants also discussed the formation of a global blockchain alliance for land restoration. The group will take its message about the role of soil carbon and land restoration in the UNFCCC context into a blockchain Hackathon for Climate, focusing on regenerative agriculture, blockchain use cases and investment.

Several pilot projects will be launched on such themes as the use of blockchain to verify carbon sequestration and ecosystem services, on blockchain investment and finance mechanisms, and on stakeholder engagement.

This summer, I took part in the Emerging Leaders Programme, which was part of the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security (CDLS) 2018. I am currently between my Bachelor in Economics and my Masters in Development Studies and found this experience extremely enriching, both on a personal and professional level.

The 10 of us on the programme were the youngest participants in the conference. On top of the ‘regular’ conference schedule, we had a tailored programme, which aimed to give us additional tools and insights. A great group spirit quickly formed between us, and sharing those few days together allowed us to create meaningful links and friendships.

What I especially cherished was the constant stimulation to learn, develop and share ideas with other participants. Everyone was eager to discuss and teach. I gained new knowledge about land degradation and conservation and how they link to conflict and peace-building, a subject I have always been interested in.

Throughout the conference, I could feel the strong determination of speakers and participants to do something about the state of the planet and society. The diversity of nationality, age, background and profession made the event even richer.

Coming back from the forum, I am determined to take this learning process further and to find the best way to use my knowledge and skills in the fight to restore land and to prevent conflicts rising from tensions around resources. I have realized the importance of these topics for development and will include related courses in my curriculum, which I had not planned to do. In my personal life I will continue to reduce my environmental impact and encourage the people around me to do the same. I hope to take part in CDLS again next year, with new insights to share and a stronger knowledge base to build on.

I recommend the Emerging Leaders Programme to anyone willing to take action and learn more about land and security.

We, the participants of the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security 2018, comprise senior officials of governments, parliaments, international organizations, financiers, business, NGOs and media from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, met on July 17 - 21 at the Caux Conference Centre, and have formally endorsed this Declaration.

Conscious that land restoration is a key driver of food, water income and energy security as well as climate resilience and mitigation, we acknowledge the urgent need to scale up and multiply transformative sustainable land based solutions to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030.

We recognise that a robust policy framework and targeted financing are needed to prevent more land degradation and to restore our degraded landscapes, and we see an urgent need for a paradigm shift in our governance systems towards a more inclusive and comprehensive assessment and accounting of natural capital.

We call for the strengthening of dynamic and enabling environments at local, national and regional levels, and for the mainstreaming of landscape restoration approaches across national and regional development strategies for promoting peace and security.

Having discussed ways in which this might be done from the standpoints of our diverse organizations, disciplines and backgrounds, we offer these key recommendations and observations structured under three broad headings:

Policy frameworks to incentivize land restoration and avoid perverse incentives

1. Implement land governance policies and systems that provide appropriate land tenure security and that guarantee local communities’ land use rights, including those of women and youth;
2. Map the degradation status and vulnerability and the potential for restoration, at both local and landscape levels, of lands as a decision support tool, ensuring transparency and the accountability of landscape stakeholders in the process;
3. View farmers and local communities as agents of transformation and provide high-level political support to landscape restoration;
4. Eliminate perverse incentives that promote degradation, and devise positive incentives that reward the adoption of land restoration practices such as agroforestry and regenerative ecosystems;
5. Provide opportunities for women and youth to diversify their livelihoods through local communities and civil society organizations in order to help de-incentivize migration; and
6. Promote comprehensive assessment, valuation, and accounting of natural capital at national and corporate levels.

Financial tools and innovative mechanisms available as incentives for land restoration

7. The single most significant step to reduce GHG emissions from terrestrial ecosystems is to scale up global land restoration financing. The restoration of lands and ecosystems can provide at least a third of the total mitigation target required to keep temperature rise in line with the internationally agreed target of staying well below 2 degree Celsius;
8. The restoration of land, the preservation of biodiversity, climate change initiatives and the peace agenda must converge because integrated approaches that offer multiple benefits, such as agroforestry and regenerative agriculture, are more likely to succeed, offer a much higher return on investment, and can more easily leverage public - private financing; co-operation between the three Rio-Conventions is pivotal for holistic approaches;
9. The global funds needed to address land degradation and climate change significantly exceed current financial flows. Additional investments in land restoration are critically important since a full quarter of the global land area has been degraded over the past half-century, with impacts that range from exacerbated climate change to worsening conditions especially for the most vulnerable and poorest. The full societal cost of degradation is extraordinarily high, with estimates ranging up to $6 trillion a year, or 8% of world GDP;
10. Public funding alone is not sufficient to address the current needs. 95% of climate finance goes to mitigation, of which 80% is targeted at the private sector, while only 5% of climate finance goes to adaptation initiatives. There is a need to scale-up private sector finance for land restoration and adaptation;
11. Public concessional finance has a key role to play in mobilizing private finance. Global funds such as the GEF, GCF and LDN Fund as well as bilateral and multilateral institutions and national public finance, must be deployed strategically to leverage, de-risk and crowd in private as well as impact investors, including through blended (public-private) finance structures;   
12. Results-based mechanisms (such as payment for ecosystem services and adaptation benefit mechanisms) can encourage private sector investments at scale in efforts aimed at the land and ecosystem restoration, and facilitate decentralized financial flows;
13. Innovative financial and monitoring technologies such as artificial intelligence and distributed ledgers (e.g. blockchains) have huge potential to unlock private financing, facilitate impact investing, and encourage farmer participation in land restoration projects by providing secured accountability and trust in complex, multi-actor transactions; 
14. Enhanced accountability and transparency is needed in the use of emerging technologies such as blockchain for land restoration / adaptation projects through standards, tracking, monitoring and verification of results;
15. Engaging and empowering key stakeholders, including affected communities and civil society actors (who support vital nexus of impact, finance and innovation), is critical; and
16. We must make sure that new and innovative financial instruments focusing on land restoration and climate change adaptation and resilience solutions are explored with particular emphasis on accountability, scalability, and decentralization, and that the UNCCD, UNFCCC and CDB are encouraged to use COPs as fora to promote land restoration.

The impact of land restoration on migration and conflict

17. Migration is a major global phenomenon across regions and nations, and within nations, that needs to be managed as a priority; 
18. Land degradation diminishes livelihoods which in turn drives conflict and migration, while sustainable land management including the restoration of degraded landscapes have the potential to alleviate pressures that drive conflict and migration;
19. A key solution is to address the migration push factor that is ecosystem degradation by prioritizing land restoration across the Sahel region as well as in other hotspots around the globe. The financial, human, and political cost of sustaining the livelihoods of those who may migrate is far lower than coping with poorly managed mass migration;
20. Women’s empowerment and youth’s education are keys to success on the ground. Jobs, livelihoods and value chains for income generation in the context of sustainable landscape management will also play a major role in mitigating the environmentally induced push factors of migration;
21. Land restoration can foster close collaboration among diverse stakeholders and support shared prosperity, including in post-conflict areas to support healing of land as well as that of local communities;
22. There is a need for seeking further evidence to understand the linkage between land degradation, conflict and migration, as well as looking into smart policy options to reduce conflict through land restoration; and
23. Building on ongoing efforts, there is an urgent need to undertake in-depth research by the International / National Agencies and partner institutions on human and societal benefits from land restoration needs.

Together with our partners, we commit ourselves to implement these recommendations to the maximum extent of our possibilities.

We call upon leaders, experts and key stakeholders at all levels to join us in this endeavor.

Collectively, we strive to build new partnerships to support the approaches outlined above.