GOVERNMENTS AGREE FUTURE STEPS FOR COMBATING DESERTIFICATION
Press Release
ENV/DEV/493
GOVERNMENTS AGREE FUTURE STEPS FOR COMBATING DESERTIFICATION
19981211 DAKAR, 11 December (UNCCD) -- A two-week intergovernmental meeting on the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is concluding here today by adopting decisions to speed efforts to reverse dryland degradation over the next two years."By working together we can build a momentum for this Convention that demonstrates a convincing and binding political commitment to addressing the most pressing concerns of the people of the African continent and of all arid and semi-arid regions of the world," said Souty Touré, President of the second session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention and Minister of Environment of Senegal.
A round table of parliamentarians from 21 countries that met during the Conference issued a strong appeal that the Convention be implemented without delay and that sufficient resources be made available. It called for the declaration of a Decade to Combat Desertification to start in the year 2000.
The meeting also heard a series of reports from Ministers and senior officials on their National Action Plans. Under the Convention, developing countries affected by land degradation are to elaborate Plans based on a participatory, bottom-up approach that engages the energies of all segments of society.
Chad, for example, described the launching of information campaigns and workshops for rural men and women, non-governmental organizations, and traditional and administrative authorities. Mali outlined national reforms for decentralizing administration and allowing local communities to take charge of anti-desertification actions.
Eritrea reported that consultations on its National Action Plan were continuing amongst administrators, village assemblies, village elders, and the community at large. Acknowledging Eritrea's strong international partnership with Denmark, the Minister concluded that "we the affected countries should realize that we are the owners of our projects and the assistance we get from our partners, valuable as it is, can only be secondary".
Iran reported that its National Committee for Combating Desertification has produced a draft National Action Plan that is under final review. The Plan addresses the issue of dryland degradation in a comprehensive manner, emphasizing population controls, institutional coordination, the promotion of new technologies and techniques, the better use of indigenous knowledge, and public participation in decision-making.
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For their part, developed countries and United Nations agencies reported on their support to the affected countries. Learning from the lessons of the past, the Convention calls on donors to strengthen their consultation and coordination with affected countries and communities when they support their efforts with financial and technical aid.
"During this conference we have seen evidence that the Convention is beginning to have an impact on the ground and on the lives of people living in the drylands," said Hama Arba Diallo, the Convention's Executive Secretary. "The next two years will be vital for maintaining and building on this momentum, and I look forward to the more detailed progress reports that we shall soon be receiving from governments."
The formal decisions adopted by the meeting cover policy, technical, and organizational matters. One decision establishes a Committee on the Review of the Implementation of the Convention. The Committee will consider national reports and other information from the Parties, the Global Mechanism, and the secretariat. It will start its work about one year from now.
An ad hoc panel was also established to compile and synthesize the most important and widely applied traditional knowledge about techniques for combating land degradation.
The work programme for the next session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-3), to be held in Recife, Brazil, from 15 to 26 November 1999, was also adopted. The Recife Conference will consider the review of implementation reports from Africa, the activities of the Global Mechanism (responsible for promoting financial support to developing countries), synergies and collaboration with other conventions, procedures and institutional mechanisms for resolving questions on implementation, and arbitration and conciliation procedures.
The fourth session of the Conference of the Parties, to be held in the year 2000, will review the implementation reports of affected countries from regions other than Africa, in particular Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, Italy proposed the elaboration of a "Dakar Mandate" that would lead to consideration by COP-4 of a protocol containing more specific commitments. This was strongly supported by many delegations.
The COP also adopted the headquarters agreement for Bonn, Germany, where the secretariat will move in January 1999, and a declaration of solidarity with the people of Central America suffering from Hurricane Mitch and its aftermath.
The Conference was attended by over 500 officials from 132 countries, of whom some 30 were of ministerial or deputy-ministerial rank. Some 1,200 people in total participated, including observers from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and the press.
For more information, contact Nada Osseiran at (+41-22) 917 8412, fax (+41-22) 979 9030/1, e-mail: nosseiran@unccd.ch. Official documents and other information are available on the Internet at http://www.unccd.ch. * *** *