EXPERTS MEETING IN BANGKOK TO COMBAT LAND DEGRADATION AND DROUGHT
Press Release
ENV/DEV/489
REC/30
EXPERTS MEETING IN BANGKOK TO COMBAT LAND DEGRADATION AND DROUGHT
19981111 BANGKOK, 11 November (UN Information Services) -- Environmental experts are meeting in Bangkok to discuss regional cooperation to reverse land degradation and reduce effects of drought in the Asia and Pacific region.The International Expert Group Meeting on the Regional Action Programme for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Asia is being organized jointly by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and is being held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 10 to 13 November.
In his keynote address to the Meeting, Pongpol Adireksarn, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Royal Thai Government, stressed that desertification and drought are both problems of a global dimension, affecting all regions of the world.
"Thailand is conscious of the fact that deforestation is a leading cause of desertification and drought, and thus is concerned about the consequences for our own country. We therefore reconfirm our commitment to the terms and conditions of Agenda 21, particularly to the provisions relating to desertification, and are preparing a national action programme that conforms to the Convention to Combat Desertification", said the Minister.
Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, pointed out that the Asian and Pacific region, where half of the world's population resides, was identified as the region most affected by dryland problems caused by a range of unsustainable land-use factors, including, among other things, over-grazing, over-cropping, poor irrigation practices and deforestation combined with climate variation.
"The Asian and Pacific region is also the worst affected in terms of lost productivity, keeping in mind that Asia has the highest estimated percentage of productive land now desertified, as compared to Africa, North America or South America. It is stressed that desertification is primarily a problem of sustainable development, and at the core of this are the socio-economic issues of poverty and population", said Mr. Mooy.
In his statement to the meeting, Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification warned that the
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threat of land degradation in the world is severe. He recalled the magnitude of the catastrophic flooding of the Yangtze area of 1998 which had affected 240 million people and caused vast economic losses amounting to over $20 billion, and the 1997 forest fires in Indonesia, which had led to heavy economic loss, environmental cost and widespread health hazards.
He further stated that the fragile drylands ecosystems affected by soil loss and desertification is at risk in a widening context of income disparity between the haves and have-nots, within individual countries and within the international community. "If our societies are not to split into increasingly hostile factions, economic and ecological issues must be tackled together", Mr. Diallo said.
Adopted in 1994, the Convention to Combat Desertification seeks to correct errors of the past and make the worldwide efforts to reverse dryland degradation more effective. Under the Convention, affected countries must promote "bottom-up" participation and adapt their legal, institutional and policy frameworks so that local communities can engage actively in national efforts to combat dryland degradation. Meanwhile, the developed countries and donor agencies must strengthen the consultation and coordination with the affected countries and communities when they support their efforts with financial and technical aid.
The objective of the Meeting is to agree on the institutional mechanisms that will ensure the respective regional thematic programme networks' effective coordination and to review the networks' tentative work programmes. The agenda for discussions at the Meeting include Assessment of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa implementation process at national and regional levels; reviews of Thematic Programme Networks on desertification monitoring and assessment, agro-forestry and soil conservation; range management and sand dune fixation; water resources; drought preparedness; and local area development. The Meeting will also discuss inter-agency synergies in support of the Regional Action Programme for Asia.
The recommendations of the Meeting will be the input to the Second Conference of Parties of the Convention to Combat Desertification scheduled to be held from 30 November to 11 December in Dakar, Senegal.
Participants of the Meeting include officials familiar with the Convention's process from over 20 countries of the ESCAP region, representatives of the scientific community, experienced development practitioners and non-governmental organizations.
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