A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Global Mechanism (GM) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) for Community-Based Sustainable Land Management Partnership on 23 February 2006, under the auspices of Mr. Olav Kjørven, Director of UNDP Energy and Environment Group.

The Managing Director of The Global Mechanism Mr. Christian Mersmann and the Global Manager of GEF SGP Mr. Delfin Ganapin signed the memorandum that enables The Global Mechanism and GEF SGP to operate on the basis of strategic partnerships based on the principles of complementarity.

In this regard, the Global Mechanism and GEF SGP have agreed to initiate a partnership on CETP and other future NGO and CBO programmes, to provide opportunity for civil society stakeholders to engage in an exchange of lessons learned from the transfer of knowledge at the community level. Particular emphasis will also be given to facilitate the identification of needs, constraints and opportunities to create an enabling environment for communities living in degraded areas to use trade as an incentive to increase investment in sustainable land management.

Under the Partnership GM and GEF SGP:

• Will implement joint programmes to improve the livelihoods of communities and reduce poverty through sustainable land management;
• Provide a broader framework through which local communities can become active partners in combating land degradation and contribute to the implementation of the UNCCD;
• Will work together for change in local, national, and international policy in creating sustainable land management regimes and for combating desertification through community action and experiences;
• Facilitate the analytic and economic work of GM towards its strategic programmes, through knowledge and lessons learnt generated at the local level by communities;
• Improve efficiency in grant-making and programme management in sustainable land management, through the identification of new strategies, procedures and opportunities to create incentives for increasing community investment in sustainable land management through trade and market access;
• Transfer the operational management of community based programmes and projects to the GEF SGP in places where it has the capacity for implementation. Thus, the Global Mechanism will focus more on its mandate of facilitating resource mobilization and SGP will implement programmes at the field level.