A session focusing on lessons learned from the Strategic Investment Programme for Sustainable Land Management, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was held at the Great Green Wall Pavilion as part of COP17 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).The discussions focused on lessons learned from the implementation of the programme in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the role of regional collaboration, knowledge sharing and peer learning in supporting countries.The objective is, in particular, to enable countries to better define, implement and strengthen their voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets.The session also highlighted the experiences of regional economic communities and other regional stakeholders in integrating LDN into national development plans, sectoral policies and spatial planning strategies.Participants emphasized the importance of regularly monitoring commitments, ensuring the effective participation of different stakeholders, improving institutional coordination, and establishing appropriate financing mechanisms.These conditions were considered essential to transforming voluntary LDN targets into concrete and measurable results on the ground.The session was moderated by Mr. Emmanuel Seck, Executive Director of ENDA Énergie, who facilitated discussions on experiences and good practices in sustainable land management and the fight against land degradation.Through these exchanges, COP17 reaffirmed the importance of partnership and regional cooperation in accelerating efforts to restore degraded land and strengthen the resilience of territories in the face of environmental change.Overall, the session, entitled “Implementing Voluntary LDN Targets within Regional Economic Communities (RECs)”, presented lessons learned from the Strategic Investment Programme funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in sub-Saharan Africa.It also provided an opportunity to examine how regional collaboration and peer learning can contribute to advancing the definition and implementation of voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets.Babaclimat – Agropasteur Journal