The objective of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought and/or
desertification around the world, particularly in Africa, through effective action at all levels, supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in affected areas.

The Global Mechanism (GM) is a financial mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), mandated to assist countries in the mobilization of financial resources from the public and private sector for activities that prevent, control or reverse desertification, land degradation and drought. More than two decades of implementation of the Convention since its adoption in 1994 have shown that viable, adequate and sustained financing for effectively combating desertification, land degradation and drought worldwide can only be achieved through a significant involvement of the private sector
(i.e. investors, financial intermediaries, businesses, consumers, and civil society). In this connection, public development finance is expected to play a crucial catalytic and supplementary role as part of a
whole range of enabling governmental and intergovernmental activities. Investments in the UNCCD help to facilitate policy reform, leverage large investments and initiate change at the national level.