Our flagship project
The GTD
The Groupe de Travail Désertification (Desertification Working Group) is a network of French international solidarity and development players involved in the fight against desertification.
A network of actors committed to combating desertification
The GTD: Groupe de Travail Désertification (Desertification Working Group) is a network of French international solidarity and development players involved in the fight against desertification. It brings together NGOs, scientists, private organizations and local authorities. Together, its members aim to mobilize public opinion, strengthen concerted action by development players and influence decision-makers.
As a privileged interlocutor of the French public authorities on the issue of desertification, the GTD is a force for proposals in France and internationally through other networks in the Sahel (ReSaD, Réseau Sahel Désertification ), worldwide (Drynet, an international network of NGOs ) and with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
This network was created in 2001 on the initiative of CARI.
Objectives of GTD
Influence decisions
Advocacy represents an important component of GTD's activities. It aims to express the claims of population groups with limited means to defend their rights with decision-makers. The platform sets up relevant mechanisms to best reach defined objectives, notably through dialogue with national and multilateral institutions and participation in United Nations meetings.
Support the actions of the actors
The vulgarization and distribution of information as well as the sharing of experiences is one of the best means to improve actions against desertification. This is true both in terms of implementation on the ground and for building a structured collective voice, from which civil society can make recommendations to funders and political decision-makers.
Raise awareness of the fight against desertification
The disappearance of water resources, declining soil fertility, and loss of biodiversity are all reflections of land degradation resulting from climate variations and/or human activities. The GTD offers various educational materials, publications, and animations to raise public awareness about desertification and its effects.
The GTD's action plan
Influencing decisions
The GTD operates within the framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the only instrument set up to address the issue of desertification. The UNCCD is a Convention resulting from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, along with those on "Biodiversity" and "Climate Change". It has been ratified by 196 countries, but has not yet succeeded in mobilizing governments and public opinion, unlike the other two conventions, "Biodiversity" and "Climate Change", which are nonetheless closely linked. To this end, the GTD has set itself the following mission:
- Maintain a strategic watch, by actively and effectively gathering information that can be mobilized in current debates on the political scene.
- Build a network positioning, based on shared points of view and formulated in a coherent discourse that can be carried by the collective, thus reinforcing the network's visibility and legitimacy.
- Participate in and contribute to events to bring the voice of French civil society to international bodies, strategically to have the best possible impact on decision-making.
- Involve politicians and donors by maintaining a regular dialogue, and even involving them in our actions, in order to ensure that our concerns are among their priorities.
Supporting members' actions
Sharing experiences is one of the ways in which the GTD has chosen to support its members, as well as all players interested in combating desertification. This support is provided mainly through :
- The dissemination of regularly updated tools and knowledge.
- Building expertise through collective work.
- Capacity building for GTD members through training sessions.
Raising awareness of the fight against land degradation.
The GTD aims to inform and raise awareness among the general public about the issues of desertification, sustainable land management and poverty. This objective is partly transversal to the two previous objectives, since the latter provide the material to be used and translated for widespread dissemination.
The aim is to increase public understanding of the phenomenon of desertification and its environmental, economic and social impacts. The aim is also to make it easier to understand the international governance processes surrounding desertification and the obligations of countries, particularly France.
The members of GTD
All the news from the GTD
The news from the GTD
Are you interested in learning about the progress of the GTD, methods, and agroecological systems?
Read the news from the Desertification Working Group!
