The Role of the National Focal Point
The purpose of this document is to invite to an exchange of opinions to the national focal
points and to representatives of those entities which constitute the national coordinating
body. The document does not represent the policy of the secretariat in this matter.
I
Role of the National Focal Points
Due to the complexity, rapid evolution and variety of issues that the Rio conventions
undertake, particularly the UNCCD, it is required the operation of official links for its
formulation and implementation at the national level.
This role corresponds primarily to national institutions, called National Focal Points,
NFP, who serve as links, negotiators, designers, facilitators and participants1 in the
attainment of the objectives and mandates of the UNCCD. They make sure that, on one
side, the populations of communities affected by desertification and drought processes
and on the other side government and non-government agencies of all types, be benefited
with the implementation of the fields covered by the Convention. These tasks correspond
to the National Coordinating Body, NCB.
Specifically, the text of the UNCCD mentions that the Focal Point is a country
representative that serves as liaison to the Convention, specifically with its Secretariat.
The focal point is distinguished for being the leader or head officer accredited of the
country’s Delegation before the COP and also participates in the activities that are carried
out intersessionally. As the NFP takes charge of presenting and indicating positive
solutions to problems at the national level, it is necessary the recognition, from national
governments, of the importance of the functions performed by such agent. It requires
support for preparation in matters related to the Convention, in the development and
strengthening of international negotiation capacities (based on solid national positions,
subregional and regionally, formal and informally) and in the identification and
awareness of possible impacts and interlinkages.
The activities that the PFN undertakes are additional to the traditionally carried out,
requiring the strengthening of national capacities for sound identification of the
desertification and drought phenomena and the consequent international negotiation for
the implementation of proposed results. One example of the complexities of the task to be
performed by the NFP is the recently2 voiced calls for mainstreaming activities for the
National Action Programs to Combat Desertification and Drought, NAPs, into overall
national development strategies. It is necessary to establish a national level mechanism
by which the NFP can be empowered and given access (to information and existing
resources) and a voice in negotiations on development assistance. This is so more
complex when taking into account the apparently opposite approaches the NFP must use
to particularly attract financial support for the operative stages of the UNCCD
implementation. The crucial example is provided by balancing a bottom-up approach at
1
2
The UNCCD text indicates the primary role that stakeholders play in the implementation of its objectives.
At the Ad Hoc Working Group meetings, celebrated in Bonn, Germany during March-April, 2001
The Role of the National Focal Point
the local and stakeholder level and a top-to-bottom approach when developing and
establishing links with ministries that are relevant to international financial cooperation
(like the ministries of finance, economy, planning and international cooperation). These
different methodologies to solving problems must be reflected at the institutional level.
The positioning of the NFP in the governmental setup is the way country parties’
governments can show their political commitment to the UNCCD process. A further
strengthening of the NFP is needed to assure a proper coordination and effective
implementation of the UNCCD.
The UNCCD National Focal Points have six main functions derived from the UNCCD
mandate, expressed in the NAPs:
1. To serve as link before the Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD.
2. To develop the national vision in the issues of desertification and drought integrated
into the framework of the country’s policies and strategies on sustainable
development.
3. To contribute and to participate in the national development of knowledge, inasmuch
as policies and measures related to scientific - technical and socio-economic issues, to
make them an integral part of the national political agenda.
4. To actively participate in the development of policies, goals and national action
programs on desertification and drought.
5. To produce and to distribute scientific and technical information as well as to take
actions geared to increase awareness and capacity raising to the directly affected and
its organizations.
6. To develop training and formation programs at the base-level organizations.
The NFP should use the more appropriate means available to reach both, the stakeholders
in affected zones and the decision making level, like ministries that deal with negotiations
on financial assistance from developed country parties and the focal points from other
UN sustainable development conventions. Some of them are:
1. To participate in the celebration of awareness meetings in a decentralized manner, at
the national, government, and local levels;
2. To support the production of materials in diverse forms, accessible to the affected
communities and decision makers (newspapers, radios, through universities, research
centers, NGOs, municipalities) and to publicly debate national and local needs and
concerns;
3. Cooperation in the generation of conservation and productive projects and activities,
with training and technology transfer components, and incentives for the
improvement and enhancement of local knowledge and gender equality;
4. Development of mechanisms for the creation and strengthening of partnerships,
making an optimal use of the available resources.
For their activities, the NFP can be benefited from the National Coordinating Body, from
regional and subregional nodes in desertification and drought, from the UNCCD’s
The Role of the National Focal Point
Committee on Science and Technology, as well as from the extensive range of activities
and projects in implementation in the countries, of bilateral and multilateral sources.
II The National Coordinating Body and the elaboration of the national action
programs of and its indicators of implementation and evaluation
The need for a NCB is expressed because its reasons of being, as the instance that will
eventually back up and support the work of the NFP.
The affected country parties will appoint a National Coordinating Body, NCB, to perform
a catalyzing function in the elaboration, implementation and evaluation of its national
action program. The National Focal Point will be a member of the NCB. Also, the
composition of the NCB is of utmost importance. It is necessary to ensure that both, local
level and decision makers of the various relevant ministries that deal with developing
assistance be members of the NCB.
The NCB will have the following functions:
1. It will determine and will examine measures, beginning with a consultation process at
the local level in which local communities participate, indigenous groups and local
authorities, donor countries and intergovernmental and non-government
organizations, upon the initial stakeholder consultations at the national level;
2. It will determine and will analyze the existing constraints, needs and resources
required that affect development issues and the sustainable use of land resources; will
recommend practical measures to avoid duplication of efforts with the maximum
advantage possible of the pertinent activities under way, and will promote the
application of the results;
3. It will facilitate the planning of activities and projects based on flexible and
interactive criteria to assure the broad participation of populations in affected zones
and to reduce to the minimum the adverse effects of those activities; also, will
determine financial and technical cooperation needs, establishing an order of
priorities among them;
4. It will establish and will utilize pertinent indicators that can be measurable and easily
verifiable, to assure the preliminary exam and assessment of the national action
programs, that must comprise short, medium and long run measures, and the
implementation of such agreed national action programs;
5. It will prepare reports upon the progresses carried out in the implementation of the
national action programs.
III Sustainability of the NFP
To improve the Sustainability of the activities of the NFP is required to have the critical
mass of key national players aware and participating in the UNCCD process. This is
The Role of the National Focal Point
when the NAP mainstreaming should be integrated. The development of some initial
activities in sound identification of the phenomenon is a must.
1. Utilization of physical and biological indicators, and of other types, to scientifically
determine the magnitude of the problem and its long-term perspectives.
2. Dissemination of the UNCCD issues, with strong participative efforts, taking into
consideration gender issues of and community participation in general, based on
improvement of household economies and attaining poverty reduction objectives.
3. In Latin America and The Caribbean the actions of drought should walk next to
desertification efforts, seeking integrated and consistent willingness to do just that.
4. Training linked to other efforts, for example the issue of health (basic health) and
improvement of water availability, without forgetting the aspects of economics and
production (compatible economic activities with environmental characteristics that
neither promote desertification nor drought) and in general, of poverty reduction and
food security.
5. Financial resources and efforts of desertification should be articulated, doing the link
among the economic aspects and desertification issues (e.g. economic impacts of
desertification) and the recognition and taking advantage of synergies with other
environment and sustainable development conventions to mainstream the NAP
process.
6. Social mobilization, dissemination and public consultation in the rural area is crucial
in LAC. It is intended to institutionally create the NCB, a political type organism,
which can help in taking adequate decisions at the government level and in
strengthening the organization of the national focal point.
The issues of desertification, drought, poverty and environmental programs must
transcend of traditional programs and should seek a cross cutting issue, which can be
provided by the UNCCD, with national goals clearly defined. Sustainability of these
concerns mentioned can be only given by its true integration into the national sustainabledevelopment strategic framework.
IV Suggestions for the organization of the National Coordinating Body, of which the
National Focal Point is a member
The UNCCD has elaborated a series of methodological documents on the issue, of which
the present notes are derived. The experience of some countries stands out the need to
create adequate institutionality to the particular conditions of each country, by answering
to the questions expressed in the table 1 below.
Table 1: Guidelines for the conformation of the National Coordinating Body, of which
the NFP is a member */
Indicators
Evaluation
parameters
Remarks
Questions
The Role of the National Focal Point
Indicators
Established
and
functional
National
Coordination
Body, NCB
and the role
of National
Focal Point,
NFP
3
Evaluation
parameters
Legal status
Remarks
The status of the NCB as well as
its role, function of the NFPs give
an indication of its institutional
capability and latitude to act in
promoting the UNCCD
implementation as a supervisory
and coordinating body.
Resources
Resources (human, financial,
material), as indications of the
NCB’s capacity to act.
Cross-cutting
and
multidisciplinary
characters
Should be reflected, within the
NCB, by the presence of senior
staff from various sectors who are
trained and have experiences in
various socio-economic and
environmental fields and in natural
resource management.
Composition and
mode of
operation
Should describe how the NCB
enables
various
actors
to
participate in its work, in particular
representatives of local populations
and NGOs.
Questions

What is the juridical personality of
the NCB?
 What is its legal capacity?
 Does it have financial autonomy?
 What are its functions and
mandate?
 What is its institutional
framework?
 What are its human resources (total
staff number of managers,
professionals and their levels and
areas of expertise)?
 What are its financial resources?
 What are the other material
resources (equipment etc)?
 What are the social and economic
sectors that are relevant to
combating land degradation
represented in the NCB?
 What are other relevant
institutional or social categories
represented?3
 What are the ways and means of
communication or networking
among members of the NCB and
the groups they represent?
With regard to consultations:
 What is the modality for
nominating members of the NCB?
 What is the composition of the
NCB and what is the ratio of
Government/civil society and
men/women among participants?
 What is the frequency of meetings
of the NCB?
With regard to functioning:
 Is there a work plan and timetable
for activities?
 Is there a budget for the
functioning of the NCB?
 What are the mechanisms for
supervision, control and evaluation
of the work of the NCB?
In some countries besides the government, these entities are part of the NCB: universities, NGOs,
scientific organizations, rural associations, indigenous associations, convergence fora, sustainable
development networks.
The Role of the National Focal Point
Indicators
Evaluation
parameters
Status of
information data
Remarks
Databases, access to the internet,
web site, information networking
(internal and external)
Questions




What are the information system
capacities of the NCB?
What specific databases are being
maintained by the NCB?
What other databases exist in the
country which are relevant to
desertification?
How exchanges of information are
promoted internally and externally
by NFP/NCB?
*/ Adapted from “National Reports On The UNCCD Implementation, Help Guide” Version 1, October 1999