Transcript Document

SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
UNITED NATIONS
CONVENTION TO COMBAT
DESERTIFICATION
(UNCCD)
UNCCD Secretariat (2003/2008/2011) /
revised and completed by Uwe Holtz
MBA – NGO Management
Module International Politics, 3 December 2011
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
DESERTIFICATION is a truly worldwide
phenomenon and a major threat to humankind
Land degradation affects one third (even up to 40 %)
of the planet’s land surface including parts of Europe
 Around one billion people in over 100 countries are
directly affected by desertification or are at risk (U.H.:
Desertification is a quiet killer, a silent tsunami)
 2/3 of Africa is desert or dryland
 Income losses of $42 billion/year (because of shrinking
soil fertility and productivity losses)
 135 million at risk of being displaced (= population of
France, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands together)
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Luc Gnacadja
Executive Secretary of the UNCCD:
Today’s global challenges such as the food crisis,
the consequences of biofuels on land and food
commodities, the water scarcity, the forced
migrations and other threats of climate change,
are bringing the global community down to earth,
down to the land; they are calling for sound
and integrated policies including on sustainable
land land management.
(2008)
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Definition Agenda 21 and UNCCD
“Desertification” means land degradation
in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid
areas resulting from various factors,
including climatic variations and human
activities.
(Art. 1 UNCCD)
(are not included deserts / hyper-arid zones)
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Cracked earth during drought
(Senegal) © UN Photo
Livestock concentrations lead to loss of
vegetation (Kenya) © UNCCD
Water erosion (Spain) © Dirección
General de Conservación de la Naturaleza
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Sand invading a city (Mauritania)
© FAO Photo/ I. Balderi
Dust storm (China) © CCICCD
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
The United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) came into force in 1996
Secretariat Headquarter in Bonn
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
UNCCD plays a key role
in the world’s efforts to
eradicate poverty,
 achieve sustainable development,
 reach the MDGs.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Holistic approach to development
Preamble
Noting also that desertification is caused by
complex interactions among physical,
biological, political, social, cultural and
economic factors
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
German development cooperation
is active in the areas of desertification/erosion
control, land resource management, rural
development, large-scale reforestation efforts,
improved watershed and sustainable forest
management.
The German Development Ministry is providing
some 200-300 million euros a year for such
activities, more than half of which goes to Africa.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Evaluation from the German perspective
1. The UNCCD has a great strategic potential to improve land use in Africa’s
drylands. As an international legal instrument it facilitates inter alia formal
recognition of land degradation issues, together with UNFCCC and UNCBD.
2. The UNCCD
• can provide a forum to bring together developing and developed countries in
order to exchange experiences and views on both environment and
development.
• is an integrative conceptual frame of reference for activities addressing land
degradation issues.
• is a commonly agreed framework for policy dialogue on land degradation issues,
which assists all partners in shaping future cooperation.
• can be a useful framework and venue for (innovative) partnership-building and
participation and
• can serve as an effective and enabling tool contributing to the attainment of the
MDGs.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Space for improvement
1. Ministries that have developed national action programmes in
participatory processes have difficulties organising their implementation
and mobilising other actors.
2. The circumstance persists that not all ongoing projects and sector
strategies on the sustainable use of natural resources in drylands and on
combating desertification are integrated into national UNCCD processes
and NAP implementation.
3. Improved impact monitoring and a critical mass of local-level
implementation projects are essential to render experience available for
the implementation process.
4. The creation of new strategic partnerships is a key precondition to
enhanced investment in NAP implementation.
5. It is important that desertification remains a priority issue on the agenda of
decision-makers.
6. Despite the “chef de file” approach, coordination among donors continues
to be inadequate. This ultimately causes losses of synergy and costeffectiveness.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Allocation of funds in EU-CSPs (A-envelope / Percentage)
Holtz, 2003
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
The review of PRSPs and CSPs leads to the conclusion that poverty
reduction and country strategies are not sufficiently mainstreamed with
anti-desertification needs and that they do not establish the appropriate
relationship with the UNCCD objectives and tools despite the often
broad-based participatory approaches and the encouraging “aid
philosophies”.
Between 1998-2000, less than three per cent of ODA was directed towards
objectives of the Rio Conventions - UNCCD, UNCBD, UNFCCC State and non-state actors, governments and donors share the
responsibility for this.
Developing countries themselves have to lay more emphasis on rural
development and on combating rural poverty. Parliaments and
parliamentarians were not really involved in the consultation,
elaboration and decision-making process of PRSPs and CSPs.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
UNCCD – Global Governance
• The UNCCD is an example for “global
governance”.
• It is the most postmodern outcome of Rio.
• Intergovernmental post-modernism is setting
binding international rules*
*Andreas Rechkemmer: Postmodern Global Governance. The UNCCD,
Baden-Baden 2004.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Eighth round table of Members of
Parliament
Buenos Aires, 24 and 25 September 2009
Background document by U. Holtz (2009): Parliamentary contributions to achieving food security and
addressing climate change in the drylands under the current economic crisis, in:
www.unccd.int/parliament/docs/XM parliament background-eng.pdf
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Ninth round table of Members of Parliament
Changwon (Rep.of Korea), 13/14 October 2011
Background document by U. Holtz (2011): Achieving global sustainability through effective sustainable land management
and implementing the UNCCD 10-year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention
(2008–2018)
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> www.unccd.int/parliament/data/cop10/9%20session%20RT%20for%20Parliamentarians%20-%20Oct%202011.pdf
SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
U. Holtz: Parliamentary Hexagon:
the main six functions / powers of Parliaments
legislative power
elective power
power of oversight
power of the purse
power of discourse
treaty and war power
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Some anti-desertification measures propagated
by the UNCCD Parliamentary Round Tables
1. Measures designed to combat desertification directly
and to promote sustainable management of natural
resources
a) erosion control
b) conservation and sustainable use of land resources
c) rehabilitation of degraded land
d) better land, water and river basin management
e) establishment of sustainable irrigation facilities to secure
stable water supplies
f) sustainable forest management and effective reforestation
programmes
g) use of modern and safe bio-technologies to disseminate
drought-resistant species
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Watershed integrated management: planting of
living fences (Venezuela) © Ministerio de Ambiente Y
Recursos Naturales
Sand fixation with live plants
(Senegal) © UN Photo
Stone stories to stop water erosion
(Lesotho) © UNCCD
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
2. Measures designed to promote indirectly the
conservation and sustainable management of
natural resources
a) land use planning and adequate land tenure policy
b) sustainable agricultural policies
c) sustainable use of scarce natural resources
including renewable sources of energy
d) protection of biodiversity
e) coping with population pressures
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
3. Capacity-building measures and know-how transfer
a) improvement of technical land and water management skills
b) promotion and utilisation of traditional and site-specific
technological knowledge and practices
c) training, environmental education and environmental
information
d) promotion of specific research on the causes and negative
effects of desertification
e) advancement of applied agricultural and biotechnology
research
f) capacity-building such as training sessions and dispatch of
experts to enhance scientific and technical capacity for
combating desertification, taking into consideration the
special role of women
g) transfer and adaptation of environmentally sound technologies
h) use of state-of-the-art information technologies such as
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geographic information systems
SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
4. Additional measures
a) call upon developed countries, in conformity with the letter and spirit of
the UNCCD, to take appropriate actions aimed at relieving the current
burden on developing countries, particularly through the promotion of
economic reforms aimed at combining growth with human development,
equity and social justice by, inter alia, agreeing on the relief of external
debt, reducing interest rates and improving the overall trading
environment
b) proposal to accompany anti-desertification measures with secured and
innovative financing
c) clear orientation of public policies towards addressing the root causes of
poverty through participative and democratic processes leading to a real
and efficient empowerment of communities, especially women, at the
front line of the sustainable development struggle
d) closer collaboration with local communities, non-governmental and
community-based organisations and civil society, which carry out
grass-roots aid activities and play an important role in combating
desertification
e) avoid production and consumption patterns with negative impacts on land
f) develop appropriate measures against „land grabbing“
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
We, members of parliament,
2007:Reaffirm our commitment to sustainable human
development as a universal concept, which incorporates
the interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars,
which include - economic development, social
development and environmental protection - at local,
national, regional and global levels while remaining
committed to the indivisibility of human rights and
human dignity for all and to democratic systems as well
as to democratic global governance with more effective
and accountable international and multilateral
institutions;
2009: Reaffirm our commitment to do our utmost in
strengthening the political will essential for the
successful implementation of the UNCCD and for the
achievement of sustainable human development at
local, national, regional and global levels;
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
2007
We underline the relevance of ownership and own
efforts in the affected developing country
Parties to overcome the problems of
desertification and poverty;
We stress the critical role of the private sector,
civil society and other stakeholders in
national development efforts, as well as in the
promotion of the global partnership in the
context of the UNCCD implementation
process;
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
2009
Are alarmed by the continuous trends in and perils
of land degradation, soil erosion, drought and
impoverishment, particularly in the fragile
ecosystems and drylands of developing countries
(24 per cent of the global terrestrial area has been
degraded in 25 years),
while also admitting success stories in combating
desertification at the grassroots level in many
countries (almost 16 per cent of that area has been
improved);
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
2009 Parliamentary Declaration of Buenos Aires
We acknowledge that in addition to the tasks of
maintaining peace and avoiding wars between
and within countries, our globe is faced with two
challenges in this century:
first the fight against poverty and hunger and
secondly, climate change through sustainable
development-paths.
These challenges are sharpened by the current
economic crisis and cannot be tackled without
addressing food security and desertification
issues;
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Recognize that the 10-year Strategic Plan and framework
targets the use of effective and practical approaches to
sustainable land management with synergy as a systemic
approach. The main strategic objectives are:
(i) to improve the livelihood of affected populations;
(ii) to improve the productivity of affected populations;
(iii) to generate global benefits;
(iv) to mobilize resources to support the implementation of
the Convention by building effective partnerships
between national and international actors.
The Strategy should also be supported by parliaments and the
IPU.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Parliamentary activities related to food security
in the drylands start from three baselines:
(a) affected States have the primary role in combating food
insecurity;
(b) The participation of affected populations and local
communities, particularly women and young people, must
be ensured;
(c) developed States must actively support, individually or
jointly, suitable efforts of affected developing countries.
The enactment of enabling legislation is a key tool for
combating desertification, the protection of human rights,
including the right to food, and environmental governance
at the national level.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Because of its relevance to food security, poverty
reduction and political stability, as well as to
sustainable development and the environment, there
is a need for a re-evaluation of agriculture in the
political arena; parliamentarians in developed and
developing countries have to play their part.
- At least 10 % of national budgets should be allocated to
agriculture.
- More countries could benefit if governments and donors
were to reverse years of policy neglect and remedy their
disinvestment in agriculture and in rural areas.
- Development assistance must be effective, strengthening
rather than undermining country efforts to improve
governance in agriculture.
- Agricultural protection in donor countries and subsidized
agricultural exports often undermine the assistance
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available to agriculture and efforts in developing countries;
SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Parliaments have a responsibility
to work for a food security enabling environment.
Policies that improve the security of land use rights
are a prerequisite for SLM.
Land tenure regimes play a critical role in ensuring
the right to land, which includes access to an
adequate quantity of land of adequate quality for a
viable livelihood. Sometimes land reforms and a
more equitable land distribution will be necessary.
To maintain the productivity of arable land and top
soil fertility, access to water should be secured.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Climate
The impact of climate change combined with the global
economic crisis, rising food prices, energy shortages,
ecosystem degradation linked to other human causes and
demographic change must be managed in a coordinated
manner.
The poor and hungry in the drylands are suffering the most
from the double blow of desertification and climate
change.
The UN is invited seriously to consider setting up an
instrument, in accordance with international law, such as
an international judiciary body specifically for handling
environmental pollution cases and their consequences.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Desertification and land degradation issues deserve
global policy attention and the needs of drylands
must be fully integrated into the Copenhagen
Protocol.
The initiative for a Global Green New Deal should
be supported on condition that sustainable land
management becomes an integral part of it and of
future climate protection strategies.
A Special International Environment Fund should be
created for this purpose.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
The Convention should be better linked with efforts to
accomplish relevant objectives under climate change
processes and efforts to promote human security, tackle
forced migration and prevent conflict.
Institutions have a crucial role to play everywhere. Actions on
climate change, development planning and disaster risk
reduction must be coordinated . This requires that they are
led from the highest political and organizational level.
Participatory democracy, functioning institutions and
transparency are needed at all levels for effective
adaptation and mitigation.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Parliaments should strive to ensure that food, agricultural
trade and overall trade policies are conducive to fostering
food security in particular through a fair, market-oriented,
non-speculative world trade system embedded in
sustainable, socially balanced and fair globalization.
A UN Parliamentary Assembly could strengthen the
effectiveness, transparency, representativeness, plurality
and legitimacy of the work of the institutions that compose
the UN system. The establishment of a UNPA could also
be a centrepiece for parliamentary supervision of the
renewed system of international financial and economic
governance.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Declaration: 9th Round Table of Members of Parliament
Changwon, 13 / 14 October 2011
Parliamentarians bear a special responsibility for the protection
of natural resources and for global sustainability.
Sustainable Land Management (SLM) is an effective
measure of a number of important local, regional as well as
global benefits and contributes to global sustainability.
Parliaments and governments should to do all they can to
effectively integrate measures to prevent and combat
desertification as well as to mitigate the effects of natural
disasters through relevant policies and programmes, such as
land, water and forest management, agriculture, rural
development, early warning systems, energy, poverty
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eradication and sustainable development strategies
SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Parliamentarians should give broad support to the premise
that a transition to sustainable agriculture and SLM –
while acknowledging the crucial role of women and of
indigenous knowledge – should be part of the
sustainable development solution. They are invited to act
as agents of change.
Parliamentarians are encouraged to engage all actors,
including local and regional governments, civil society
and private sector partners, in the planning and
implementation of SLM policies.
Parliaments and governments should be encouraged to
advocate environmental awareness, enlighten the public
and strengthen education about desertification, SLM,
food waste-reduction measures and coordinated action
against environmental degradation.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
International donors have made many commitments to Africa
and developing countries in other regions, which they
need to keep – a supportive role is to be assumed by
Parliaments. Parliaments should help mobilize adequate
and predictable financial resources, transfer of
technologies and capacity-building.
The parliaments of the developed countries must work for the
increase of official development assistance (ODA),
particularly in those countries which did not reach the
0.7 per cent target so far; until 2015 this target must be
reached.
Desertification and land degradation issues deserve more
global political attention. There is a need to tackle soil
loss of productivity in the post-Kyoto treaty. The
initiative for a Global Green New Deal should be
supported by parliaments on condition that SLM
becomes an integral part of it and of future climate
protection strategies in particular for Rio+20.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Implementation of the Ten-Year Strategy 2008-2018
Parliaments will support by appropriate efforts the realization
of the Ten-Year Strategy, in particular its four strategic
objectives: to improve the livelihood of affected
populations; to improve the productivity of affected
populations; to generate global benefits; to mobilize
resources to support the implementation of the
Convention through building effective partnerships
between national and international actors.
Parliaments can undertake the enactment of enabling
legislation and standards as well as its harmonization with
the provisions of The Strategy. They can promote
corresponding laws and rules of land tenure regimes and
international land deals in line with the paradigm of
sustainable human development.
Parliaments can ensure that adequate financial resources are 42
allocated to the sectors of relevance to The Strategy.
SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Parliaments may ensure that ODA and other sources of foreign
aid are brought on budget and are integrated into the
country’s own development plans.
Parliaments can monitor executive actions and control of
whether The Strategy is on a good road of
implementation – i. a. through putting questions and
interpellations to the executive, adopting resolutions,
setting up special commissions, holding regular hearings
and organizing field visits.
Parliaments in developing countries have a special
responsibility to look after full accountability and
transparency of aid according of the principles
established by the Paris Declaration.
In every parliament a national network of MPs and a focal
point on UNCCD issues should be established.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
As representatives of the people, Parliamentarians are very
often development agents, opinion leaders and also good
disseminators of information within society.
They can serve as channels for conveying The Strategy vision
and its strategic objectives to the public and the grassroots
communities involving local authorities and populations,
women and youth, the business sector, NGOs and
community-based organizations (CBOs), schools,
academics, artists and journalists.
They should ensure that their political parties include in their
manifestos and other policy documents, SLM as a matter
of priority.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
CSOs in the UNCCD Intergovernmental Process
Acknowledged multi-faceted contribution:*
Participation in intergovernmental
processes and international programmes
and activities (UNCCD, UNFCCC, CBD,
etc.)
Implementation partners
Project identification and assessment
Monitoring and evaluation
*cf. Dr. Mohamadou-Mansour N’Diaye: The UN and their co-operation with NGOs
and CSOs illustrated by the example of UNCCD; lecture given to the MBA NGO
Management module “International Politics” on January 29, 2010
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Role of CSOs/NGOs in the UNCCD
The text of the UNCCD calls for the participation of civil
society:
Article 3 paragraph (c) on the principles of the UNCCD states
that “the Parties should develop, in a spirit of partnership,
cooperation among all levels of government, communities,
non-governmental organizations and landholders …..”.
Art. 10 on National action programmes. They shall, i. a.:
(f) provide for effective participation at the local, national and
regional levels of non- governmental organizations and
local populations, both women and men, particularly
resource users….
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Many CSOs/NGOs are innovative and inspiring
They draw up their own management and delivery systems.
They focus on local action and they provide a valuable link
between local actions to prevent and stop land
degradation/desertification and National Policies (NAPs).
NGOs policies into policy and planning processes is crucial.
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Financing CSOs/NGOs in the context of the UNCCD
National/International Support (UN agencies) to
NGOs through their local action programmes
Official Development Aid (ODA) agencies
Other Development partners (WB/EC)
Embassies are good source of information
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Requirements for a qualitative involvement from CSOs
The most prevailing points for high quality involvement of
CSOs include:
Motivation to participate in the formulation processes of
action programmes
Proven expertise on Desertification, land degradation and
drought (DFLDD) issues
Capacities to organise CSOs/NGOs in effective participation
processes
Knowledge on UNCCD procedures and potentials
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SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
SECRETARIAT DE LA CONVENTION SUR LA LUTTE CONTRE LA DESERTIFICATION
Civil society is “people”, each of us
We are the ultimate beneficiaries as
well as the payers of the price of any
collective action, from political
decisions to natural disasters
Margaret Mead (1901-1978):
“Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world”
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