Fact sheet

1

An introduction to the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification
The Convention offers newhope in the struggle against
desertification
Over the past decades, theproblem of land degradation in
dryland regions has continued toworsen. The Convention
promotes a fresh new approachto managing dryland ecosystems
and - just as important - tomanaging development aid
flows.
Desertification is caused byclimate variability and humanactivities
In the past, drylands recovered
easily following long droughts
and dry periods. Under modern
conditions, however, they tend
to lose their biological andeconomic productivity quickly
unless they are sustainably
managed. Today, drylands on
every continent are being
degraded by overcultivation,
overgrazing, deforestation, andpoor irrigation practices. Suchoverexploitation is generally
caused by economic,
environmental and socialpressures, ignorance, war, anddrought. (See Fact Sheet 2.)
Desertification undermines theland‘s productivity andcontributes to poverty
Prime resources - fertile topsoil,
vegetation cover, and healthy
crops - are the first victims ofdesertification. The people

themselves begin to suffer whenfood and water supplies becomethreatened. In the worst cases,
they endure famine, massmigration, and large economic
losses. Over 250 million people
are directly affected bydesertification, and some one
thousand million (one billion) are
at risk. (See Fact Sheet 3.)
The Convention to Combat
Desertification is being
implemented through action
programmes
These programmes are the coreof the Convention. At thenational level, they address theunderlying causes ofdesertification and drought andidentify measures of preventing
and reversing it. National
programmes are complemented
by subregional and regional
programmes, particularly whentransboundary resources such as
lakes and rivers are involved.
Action programmes are detailed
in the five regional
implementation annexes to theConvention -- Africa, Asia, Latin
America and the Caribbean, theNorthern Mediterranean, andCentral and Eastern Europe. (See
Fact Sheet 4.)
The Convention promises toreshape the international aid
process dramatically
It seeks to engage donor nations
and agencies and recipient
countries in a new partnership.

The respective roles of donors
and recipients are worked out in
partnership agreements
developed through a consultative
process. The aim is to ensurethat funding programmes are
better coordinated, that funding
is based on the needs of theaffected countries, that donors
can be sure their funds are wellspent, and that recipients obtainthe maximum benefit from thesums available. (See Fact Sheet
5.)
Another radical departure is thestrong emphasis on a “bottomup” approach with strong local
participation in decision-making
Traditionally, local communities
have been relatively passive
participants in development
projects. Now the Convention
puts them on an equal footingwith other actors in thedevelopment process.
Communities and their leaders,
as well as non-governmentalorganizations, experts, andgovernment officials, work
closely together to formulateaction programmes. For thisinnovative and complicatedprocess to work, awarenesscampaigns are envisaged to
inform people about the newopportunities presented by thisConvention. (See Fact Sheet 6.)

Science and technology arevital tools in the fight against
desertification
The Committee on Science andTechnology, established under
the Convention, promotes
technological and scientificcooperation among national,
subregional and regional
institutions through datacollection, analysis and review
as well as the provision of upto-date scientific knowledge
and advice. Land degradation
can be minimized by means ofboth new and traditional
technologies, ranging fromsatellite monitoring to theterracing of steep hill slopes.
Science and technology must
respond to people’s real needs,
and the Convention encourages
researchers around the world tocombine their talents for thispurpose. (See Fact Sheet 7.)
Financial resources need to bechanneled and invested more
efficiently
Most funding is raised
domestically by the affected
countries, but bilateralassistance programmes andinternational agencies also
provide large sums. The
Convention has established a
Global Mechanism to promote
the mobilization of financial
resources. In addition, theGlobal Environment Facility has
been designated as a financial
mechanism to the Convention.
To this effect, and as means toenhance the implementation of
the Convention, the GEF
adopted a new Operational
Programme (OP.15) exclusively
designed to fund activities
related to land degradation.
Innovative funding sources,
including debt swaps andPhoto © Pamela Ceron Valladares

private-sector financing are also
encouraged. (See Fact Sheet 8.)
The Convention has
established a number of
institutions and procedures for
guiding international action
The Convention entered into
force on 26 December 1996,
three months after the fiftiethcountry ratified it. As at March
2008, 193 countries and theEuropean Union had ratified or
acceded to it. The supreme
body of the Convention is theConference of the Parties(COP), which comprises ratifying
governments and regional
economic integration
organizations. It is assisted in its
tasks by two subsidiary bodies,
the Committee on Science andTechnology and the Committee
for the Review of the
Implementation of theConvention. The COP held eight
sessions up to the beginning of
2008, the first of which washeld in Rome in October 1997.
The COP will continue to meetbiennially in the future. (See
Fact Sheet 9.)
Desertification is primarily aproblem of sustainable
development
It is a matter of addressing
poverty and human well-being,
as well as preserving theenvironment. Social andeconomic issues, including foodsecurity, migration, and politicalstability, are closely linked toland degradation and drought.
So are such environmental topics
as climate change, loss of
biological diversity, andfreshwater supplies. The
Convention emphasizes the needto coordinate research efforts
and action programmes forcombating desertification withthese related concerns. (See
Fact Sheet 10.)
2008: A new strategic plan andframework for the UNCCDIn September 2007, the eighth
Conference of the Parties in
Madrid adopted the ten-year
strategic plan and framework toenhance the implementation of
the Convention (The Strategy).
To make UNCCD a systemic andworldwide response to global
environmental issues affecting
land and its ecosystems thatdeserves a specific momentum
and a strong international
mobilization, The Strategy setsout operational objectives on
issues including awarenessraising, policy framework,
science and technology andcapacity-building (see Fact Sheet
16.)

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

2

The causes of Desertification

Desertification is thedegradation of drylands
It involves the loss of biologicalor economic productivity andcomplexity in croplands,
pastures, and woodlands. It isdue mainly to climate variability
and unsustainable humanactivities. The most commonly
cited forms of unsustainable
land use are overcultivation,
overgrazing, deforestation, andpoor irrigation practices.
Seventy percent of the world’s
drylands (excluding hyper-arid
deserts), or some 3,600 million
hectares, are degraded. While
drought is often associated withland degradation, it is a natural
phenomenon that occurs whenrainfall is significantly below
normal recorded levels for along time.
Drylands respond quickly to
climatic fluctuations
By definition, drylands have
limited freshwater supplies.
Precipitation can vary greatly
during the year. In addition tothis seasonal variability, wide
fluctuations occur over years
and decades, frequently leading
to drought. Over the ages,
dryland ecology has become
familiar to this variability inmoisture; plants and animals can

respond to it rapidly. For
example, satellite imagery has
shown that the vegetation
boundary south of the Sahara canmove by up to 200 km when a
wet year is followed by a dry
one, and vice versa.
People must also adjust tothese natural fluctuations
The biological and economic
resources of drylands, notably
soil quality, freshwater supplies,
vegetation, and crops, are easily
damaged. People have learned toprotect these resources with ageold strategies such as shifting
agriculture and nomadic herding.
However, in recent decades
these strategies have becomeless practical due to changing
economic and politicalcircumstances, population
growth, and a trend towards
more settled communities. When
land managers cannot or do notrespond flexibly to climate
variations, desertification is theresult.
The relatively low priority given
to environmental protection
often leads to poor land
management decisions
The overuse of land may result
from specific economic
conditions or from inappropriate

land laws or customs. In manycases, unregulated access toland resources may lead someindividuals to maximize their own
gains by overexploiting the landat the expense of the community
as a whole. Poor people,
particularly poor women, often
lack access to the best land,
depending instead on the mostfragile areas and resources. Theirpoverty may give them little
alternative but to extract what
they can from the scarce
resources available to them, eventhough this degrades the land.
International economic forces
can encourage people tooverexploit their landInternational trade patterns canlead to the short-term
exploitation of local resources forexport, leaving little profit at thecommunity level for managing or
restoring the land. Similarly, thedevelopment of an economy
based on cash crops, or theimposition of taxes, can distort
local markets and promote
overexploitation of the land.

Photo © Samuel de Leon

Ignorance, errors, and naturaland man-made disasters canalso contribute to landdegradation
Ignorance of the naturalenvironment played an
important role in the US during
the infamous Dust Bowl of the
1930s; among other errors,
during a time of drought
Midwestern farmers usedploughs better suited for the
more temperate latitudes ofWestern Europe. In recent
decades, similar mistakes in the
choice of policies ortechnologies have led to landdegradation in many countries,
both developed and developing.
Disasters such as wars andnational emergencies also

destroy productive land by
displacing its managers or
causing heavy concentrations of
migrants to overburden an area.
Natural disasters such as floods
and droughts can have a similareffect.
What roles do increasing
populations and population
densities play?
It is tempting to conclude thatan expanding human populationis the ultimate driving force
behind desertification. Morepeople in an area inevitably
exert a greater pressure on thatarea’s resources; sometimes thispressure is indirect, as whengrowing urban populations placedemands on food production in

uncrowded rural areas. But thecauses of desertification arecomplex, and the relationshipbetween two variables such as
population and desertification is
not clear-cut. For example, adecline in population can result
in desertification since there
may no longer be enough people
to manage the land adequately.
Many hillside terraces in Yemen
have fallen into disrepair withthe exodus of labour toneighbouring oil-rich countries.
Examples can also be cited ofareas that support large
concentrations of people without
much degradation, such asaround the city of Kano in
Nigeria.

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

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3

The consequences of desertification
Desertification reduces theland’s resilience to natural
climate variability
Soil, vegetation, freshwatersupplies, and other dryland
resources tend to be resilient.
They can eventually recoverfrom climatic disturbances, suchas drought, and even fromhuman-induced impacts, such as
overgrazing. When land isdegraded, however, thisresilience is greatly weakened.
This has both physical and socioeconomic consequences.
Soil becomes less productive
Exposed and eroded topsoil canbe blown away by the wind or
washed away by rainstorms. The
soil’s physical structure and biochemical composition canchange for the worse. Gullies
and cracks may appear and vitalnutrients can be removed bywind or water. If the watertable rises due to inadequate
drainage and poor irrigation
practices, the soil can become
waterlogged, and salts maybuild up. When soil is trampled
and compacted by cattle, it canlose its ability to support plant
growth and to hold moisture,
resulting in increased
evaporation and surface run-off.

Vegetation becomes damaged

Food production is undermined

The loss of vegetation cover isboth a consequence and a causeof land degradation. Loose soil
can sandblast plants, bury them,or leave their roots dangerously
exposed. When pastures are
overgrazed by too many animals,
or by inappropriate types, edible
plant species may be lost,
allowing inedible species toinvade.

Desertification is considered amajor global environmental issue
largely because of the link
between dryland degradation andfood production. A nutritionallyadequate diet for the world’s
growing population implies
tripling food production over the
next 50 years. This will bedifficult to achieve even underfavourable circumstances. If
desertification is not stopped andreversed, food yields in many
affected areas will decline.
Malnutrition, starvation, andultimately famine may result.
The relationship between soil
degradation and crop yields,
however, is seldom
straightforward. Productivity isaffected by many different
factors, such as the weather,disease and pests, farming
methods, and external markets
and other economic forces.

Some of the consequences areborne by people living outside
the immediately affected area
Degraded land may cause
downstream flooding, reduced
water quality, sedimentation inrivers and lakes, and siltation ofreservoirs and navigation
channels. It can also cause dust
storms and air pollution,
resulting in damaged machinery,
reduced visibility, unwanted
sediment deposits, and mental
stress. Wind-blown dust can also
worsen health problems,
including eye infections,
respiratory illnesses, andallergies. Dramatic increases in
the frequency of dust storms
were recorded during the Dust
Bowl years in the US, in the
Virgin Lands scheme area in theformer USSR in the 1950s, and in
the African Sahel during the1970s and 1980s.

Desertification contributes tofamineFamine typically occurs in areasthat also suffer from poverty,
civil unrest, or war. Drought andland degradation often help totrigger a crisis, which is thenmade worse by poor food
distribution and the inability to
buy what is available.

Photo © Ana Cecilia Gonzales Vigil

Desertification has enormous
social costs
There is now increased
awareness of the relationshipbetween desertification, massmigration, and conflicts. In
Africa, many people havebecome internally displaced orforced to migrate to othercountries due to war, drought,
and dryland degradation. The
environmental resources in andaround the cities and camps
where these people settle comeunder severe pressure. Difficult

living conditions and the loss ofcultural identity further
undermine social stability.
Desertification is a huge drainon economic resources
There is little detailed data on
the economic losses resulting
from desertification, although
an unpublished World Bank
study suggested that the
depletion of natural resources in
one Sahelian country was
equivalent to 20% of its annual
Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

At the global level, it isestimated that the annual
income foregone in the areas
immediately affected bydesertification amounts toapproximately US$ 42 billion
each year. The indirect
economic and social costs
suffered outside the affectedareas, including the influx of“environmental refugees” andlosses to national foodproduction, may be muchgreater.

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

4

Action programmes forcombating desertification
The Convention to Combat
Desertification is being
implemented through national
action programmes (NAP)
Developed country Parties andaffected country Parties are
expected to consult on theirrespective roles in supportingthese programmes, which can
result in a more holistic,
integrated and participatory
management of natural
resources in drylands
ecosystems. Once significant
effort has been made to design
a framework programme,
international solidarity might
facilitate the launching ofspecific projects and activities
under the agreed policies, in an
effective manner and without
creating excessive transactionalburden. Because programmes
need to be adapted toparticular regional
circumstances, most of thespecific requirements aredescribed in the five regional
implementation annexes for
Africa, Asia, Latin America andthe Caribbean, the northern
Mediterranean and Central andEastern Europe. As at March
2008, 102 National Action
Programmes (NAPs) had been
prepared and adopted. These
instruments are considered tobe core references for an
ongoing process of planning forpoverty reduction and thesustainable development ofdrylands.
Efforts to combat
desertification should be fully
integrated into otherdevelopment programmeframeworks
Reversing land degradation andalleviating poverty go hand in
hand. Both involve improving
food security, educating andtraining people, strengthening
the capacity of local
communities, and mobilizing
non-governmental organizations.
Similarly, because desertification
affects and is affected byenvironmental concerns such as
loss of biological diversity andclimate change, NAPs need tohave a great potential topromote synergies with otherprogrammes dealing with such
issues. However, improved dataat the country level and stronger
recognition of the NAPs have yet
to manifest this potential fully
through concrete initiatives.
Programmes outline long-term
strategies and are formulatedwith the active participation of
local communities
These are essential for providing
ownership and continuity forlong-term programming. The
participatory process enables
governments to coordinate andadminister their resources more
effectively while addressing theunderlying socio-economic causesof desertification. These
approaches pay particularattention to preventive measuresand encourage a sense ofcommitment to sustainable
practices by the very people who
most depend upon the land. The
programmes should be
sufficiently flexible toaccommodate new initiatives
and local adaptations as
circumstances change. In many
instances, the strengthening of
the capacities of key actors at
the local level has proved
successful in identifying andaddressing challenges linked todecision making for natural
resources management. The lackof a strong civil society presencein other affected states,
however, continues to be a
drawback in ensuring people’s
participation in the mainstream
policy formulation andimplementation process.
NAPs also specify the practicalsteps and measures to be taken
as well as the commitments
made by national governments
to provide an “enabling
environment”

Photo © Sabine Schmidt

Specific measures to improvethe economic environment
could include creating financial
instruments suited to local
needs or the introduction ofdrought-resistant crops. Other
measures could include
promoting research activities,
drought contingency plans, andimproved early warning systems.
National governments, for theirpart, can make commitments toremove obstacles and provide
support by enacting new laws or
strengthening existing legislation
and adopting policies thatencourage sustainable
development, such as thereplacement of fuelwood byother energy sources. Part of thenational budget must be clearly
earmarked for efforts to combat
desertification and drought
according to national conditions
and capabilities, but the NAPs
are also expected to mobilize
substantial financial resourcesfrom external sources. Lack ofpredictable programme resources
and funding has slowed and
impeded the implementation of
NAPs. As Parties are now movingfrom the phase of programme
preparation to that of
implementation, theestablishment of a country-driven
mechanism to mobilize

international support to the NAP
in affected country Parties isurgently called for.
Subregional and regional
action programmes (SRAPs andRAPs) can help to harmonize
and strengthen national
programmes
These are designed throughconsultations among theaffected countries of eachregion (such as Africa) and subregion (such as West Africa). In
addition to boosting theefficiency of national
programmes, SRAPs and RAPs
can promote joint programmes
for the sustainable managementof shared rivers and other crossboundary ecosystems. The
thematic programme networks
which often constitute the mainelements of RAPs generate spinoff effects on activities taking
place at the national level, suchas water management,
agroforestry and monitoring, andforge each country‘s scientificand technical capacities. They
may help in disseminating theknowledge of appropriatetechnologies and good practices.
As at March 2008, 11 subregionaland 2 regional action
programmes had been launched.

The Parties identified theintegration of sustainable
development policies into
economic policies as achallenge to be overcome
They highlighted the urgent
need of inter-ministerial
cooperation and for themainstreaming of action
programmes into development
strategies in order to address the
problem in a comprehensive
manner and to avoid duplication.
Given that the NAPs cut across
many development sectors suchas agriculture, forestry andwater management, the NAPs
have, at times, encouraged
inter-ministerial cooperation andfocused attention on
inappropriate land tenure or
certain trade practices notconducive to sustainable landuse. Furthermore, Parties called
for the insertion of Conventionrelated measures into bilateraland multilateral negotiations.
Relevant parts of theConvention
Articles 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11,
and Regional Implementation
Annex for Africa Articles 4, 8,
and 9

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

5Partnership arrangements
between donors and affected countries
The Convention to Combat
Desertification aims tofacilitate a long-term
partnership for the sustainable
development of vulnerable
drylands ecosystem, and, tothis effect, to improve thechannelling and investment ofofficial development aid

example, it is generally agreed
that many past aid efforts
suffered because they were
“supply driven” by the financing
agency, handled top-down byplanners, or delivered without
adequate coordination at alllevels. These insights arerecognized in the Convention.

The Convention considers thatits consensus approach enhances
policy coherence and a more
effective delivery ofdevelopment aid. Developed
country Parties are invited tomake full use of thismultilateral instrument whose
potential can only be realizedwith their active involvement.
Affected country Parties
continues to review andenhances the regime ofgovernance of natural resourcesin order to get maximum benefit
from the limited assistanceavailable.

Partnership agreements are an
essential requirement for the
implementation of theConvention

The Convention builds upon
the lessons of the past andexpresses an international
consensus for an integrated
framework of action
Over the years, a great deal of
insight has been gained into how
to improve the process ofdevelopment aid aimed at themore marginal ecosystems andlower income groups. For

As a vital part of the Regional
Implementation Annex for Africa,these agreements spell out
explicitly the role of eachpartner, including donor agencies
and governments, recipient
governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),in the implementation of theConvention in a given country.
This should help to harmonize
efforts and maximize theimpact of assistance. Partnershipagreements should be part of, or
associated with, national action
programmes. They could be used
for many different purposes,
such as mobilizing financial
resources, reorienting assistancemechanisms to fit theConvention’s approach, making
inventories of funding sources,
or developing new models fortechnological cooperation.
Similar calls for coordination

mechanisms are contained in all
regional implementation annexes.
The consultative process aiming
at the conclusion of partnershipagreements is a defining
moment in the implementation
process for the affected country
Under the Convention, theconsultations for concluding
partnership agreements are
initiated and managed by therecipient country in order tomove from programme planningto operations. The government
invites its partners to join acoordinating body, which would
act as a forum for consultations.
It ensures the participation ofpolicy makers from various
branches of the government,
including ministries anddepartments responsible forfinance and planning, as well as
community leaders, members of
non-governmental organizations,and others responsible for the
resulting activities. Participantsin these partnership forums work
together to evaluate past efforts,
identify the country’s needs, andset priorities and responses, thus
maximizing options for
programme coherence andsynergies. The participatory
approach involving the inclusionof local communities and collectivities would strengthen anational consensus and respondPhoto © Daniel Chaves Aamot

to the policy objectives ofinternational partners who favor
a more direct transfer ofresources to natural resources
end-users.
The mechanism to link up therecipient country withinternational partners is thus
at the core of theimplementation dynamics
International partners would
include bilateral aid agencies,
regional development banks,and other international agencies.
These partners would need toagree on a format, round tableor otherwise, to suit national
circumstances on a revolving
basis, and to pay due attention
to monitoring their commitments.
The affected country Party would
also wish to integrate combating
desertification into national
level poverty reduction
strategies, and to present its
case more systematically inbilateral negotiations, withdonor partners.
The developed country Parties
recognize on the whole theneed to mainstream andcoordinate their response
The donor partners must ensurethat implementation of the
UNCCD deserves due attention

in their respective development
policy approaches, and that it isreflected in their cooperation
with the developing country
partners. Their support must be
channeled through a clearly
identified mechanism for theConvention’s implementation inorder to ensure predictability ofresources at the national andregional levels. The donor
partners, particularly developed
country governments, could also
develop a consultation process
among themselves to structure
their dialogue with recipient
governments. They may wish to
identify bilateral chefs de file tocoordinate their activities tocombat desertification. This
would help them to minimize
overlaps and gaps, and toevaluate and respond torequests for assistance.

The need for a breakthrough in
mobilizing predictable financial
resources

Non-governmentalorganizations are granted an
unprecedented role in thisprocess

Relevant parts of theConvention

NGOs tend to be well-organized,
close to the community level,
and able to draw on a pool ofskilled and experienced people.
The Convention recognizes thesestrengths and makes specificprovisions for NGOs to become
active partners in thesepartnership arrangements.

Partnership arrangements havebeen launched in only few
countries and have notmaterialized in most others,
because of coordinationdifficulties between therecipient national focal points
and the relevant government
bodies responsible for the
allocation of development aid aswell as a lack of past experiencein such arrangements. Moreawareness raising andcommitment among donor
countries and a country-driven
consultative process have been
pointed out by Parties as being
indispensable for a breakthroughin mobilizing substantial andpredictable financial resources.

Articles 10 and 14, plus Regional
Implementation Annex for Africa
Articles 6, 8, 9, 18, and 19.

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

6

Participatory development: A bottom-up
approach to combating desertification
What role do local
communities have under theConvention to Combat
Desertification?
Traditional development
planning has too often been
“top-down”. Outside experts
start the process by defining
objectives, activities, andexpected outputs. Sometimes
they visit the area to consult
local authorities, inform themof the plan, and invite thecommunity to help in executing
projects. The Convention
intends to turn this approach
upside down. The spirit andletter of the Convention reflect
the philosophy of participatory
development. Action
programmes to combat
desertification are to originate
at the local level and to be
based on genuine local
participation. Shared ownershipof planned initiatives is a key
condition for theirsustainability.
Why is local participation inproject planning so important?
Projects must survive once
experts withdraw!
Over the past two decades,
programmes designed with little
reference to the perceptions
and capacities of local people
have often failed. Outsiders

cannot necessarily identify local
needs and priorities or work out
how best to meet them. Local
communities have valuable
experience and special
knowledge and understanding of
their own environment. Whenthe responsibility for natural
resource management is taken
away from them, their use ofland and other natural resources
can become highly inefficient.
The result is often landdegradation. Participatory
development recognizes therights of local communities overtheir resources. They have agreater stake than anyone else inimproving agricultural
productivity while ensuring thelong-term ecological balance of
their fragile lands. In addition,
local participation in planningand decision-making is essential
for building local capacity.
Who should participate?
Those most directly involved in
the management, use andbenefits of a particular resourcemust be active participants. In
the case of desertification, small
farmers (both men and women),pastoralists, nomads and otherlocal land users are clearly vitalto the process, as they have themost intimate contact with theland. Local leaders — villageelders, traditional chiefs, andrepresentatives of community
groups — as well as local
authorities (regional, district andmunicipal officials) are alsoessential for mobilizing action.
Technical experts, researchers,
non-governmental organizations(NGOs) and voluntary associations
are called on to bring skills andexpertise in response to locallyperceived challenges.
When should local participation
start and how should theprocess be initiated?
At the very inception of adevelopment initiative, to begin
with, the objectives and planned
activities should be identified
through a participatory process,which includes the local level.
Once a programme has started,
the participants need to makeregular reviews of progress madeand obstacles encountered. Wheneach phase is completed, aconsultative mechanism should
help them all to be involved in
evaluating its outcome anddeciding on the next steps. NGOs,
community based organizations(CBOs) and women’s and youth
organizations have a key role toplay here. It may also benecessary for the central
government to delegate moredecision-making authority and toshare key aspects of thesustainable governance of natural

Photo ©

resources with decentralized
authorities closer to the local
grass-roots level.
How can participation bestrengthened?
The participatory process istime-consuming and labourintensive. Many affected Partystates need a stronger civilsociety presence. There are no
short cuts. Awarenesscampaigns are needed, toeducate the public about theConvention and about national
action programmes. Agriculturalextension services and NGOs canhelp to build up thecommunity’s capacity for“participatory programming”.
Local decision-making
procedures may have to beadapted and strengthened. The
community has to go through along learning and confidencebuilding process in order to takefull advantage of the new
resources it now receives andmanages directly. Due attention
is also paid to gender issues andthe involvement of the moremarginalized social groups.
How is local input used at theregional and national levels?
At the local level, discussions
are likely to take place ininformal groups as well as inorganized meetings. The results
need to be carried forward to
the provincial level to ensureinter-village cooperation andcoordinated management of theregional environment. At thenational level, all of this input istranslated into a national action
programme. In addition, thenational government needs to
respond to local aspirations byproviding an “enabling
environment”, including a
legislative and macro policy
framework conducive todrylands development, public
infrastructure and technicalassistance. It also serves as thecentral point for contact withforeign aid providers. Ideally,
through the iterative NAP
process, information and ideas
flow back and forth continuously
among the various groups.
What are the specificprogramme activities where
input from the stakeholders isvalued?
In the formulation andimplementation process of thenational action programmes, thefocal points promote a bottomup approach by inviting local
stakeholders to submit their
input. The involvement of local
stakeholders is also encouraged
for the workshops and forums
that are being organized. Thesefacilitate the formulation ofinterdisciplinary field projects,
the exploration of linkages withother multilateral conventions
and sustainable development
policies, as well as theestablishment of partnershiparrangements for the NAP
implementation.
Positive results and obstacles
The strengthening of capacities
for key actors at the local levelproved successful in identifying
and addressing challenges linked
to sustainable development. The
bottom-up approach of theConvention helped instrengthening relationships
between governments and local
communities, particularly inlarger countries. It also favoredthe decentralized involvement of
stakeholders and natural
resources end-users in thedevelopment process. The lack ofa strong civil society presence ina number of affected states, or,in certain cases, the troubled
state of public security, has beena drawback to ensuring people’s
participation in the mainstream
policy and decisionmaking
process. Greater awarenessraising is necessary, in order toencourage the further
participation of NGOs, CBOs andwomen’s and youth organizations.
Relevant parts of the Convention
Articles 3, 5, 9 and 10, plus
Regional Implementation Annex
for Africa Articles 6 and 9.

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

7

The role of science and technology

The Convention to Combat
Desertification has establisheda Committee on Science andTechnology (CST)
Composed of government
representatives, a Committee
on Science and Technology(CST) provides advice to theConference of the Parties (COP)on scientific and technologicalmatters relevant to combating
desertification and mitigating
the effects of drought. By
decision 13/COP.8, theoperations of the CST shall bereshaped in line with the 10year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention (20082018). Future sessions of the CST
shall be organized in a predominantly scientific and technicalconference-style format,
bringing on board scientificexpertise from the international
community to support the workof the CST.
Consistent with the provisionsof the Convention, thefunctions of the CST are as
follows
It provides advice to the COP on
scientific and technologicalmatters, and collects, analyses
and reviews relevant data. In
addition, it promotes cooperation in the field of

combating desertification andmitigating the effects of drought
through appropriate regional,
sub-regional, and national
institutions, and in particularthrough activities in research anddevelopment, which contributeto increased knowledge of theprocesses that contribute to landdegradation, desertification anddrought as well as their impacts.
It also contributes to distinguishing causal factors, both natural and human, with a view tocombating desertification
and achieving improved land
productivity as well as thesustainable use and managementof resources.
The Convention promotesinternational cooperation inscientific research andsystematic observation
The CST serves as a liaison
between the COP and thescientific community by seeking
the cooperation of, and utilizing
the services and information
provided by, competent bodies
or agencies - national,
international and nongovernmental. The CST keeps
itself informed of the activitiesof the scientific advisory bodiesof the other Conventions andcoordinates the activities of the
COP in order to avoid duplicationand optimize efficiency.

In the framework of the CST
activities, new technologies andknow-how are being developed,
transferred to affected
countries, and adapted to local
circumstances
Modern communications,satellite imagery, and genetic
engineering are only a few
examples of modern tools that
can help in combating
desertification. Better weather
forecasts and alerts can help tomaintain or increase the land’s
productivity while improving
food security and local living
conditions. So too can new plant
and animal varieties that areresistant to pests, diseases, andother dryland stresses.
Photovoltaic cells and windenergy may reduce theconsumption of scarce fuel woodand thus deforestation. For allthese reasons, the Convention
commits Parties to encouragetechnological cooperation. It
calls for the promotion andfinancing of the transfer,acquisition, adaptation, anddevelopment of technologies that
help to combat desertification orcope with its effects. These
technologies should also be
environmentally sound,
economically viable, and sociallyacceptable.

Many related internationalorganizations and the CST haveidentified traditional knowledge
and know-how as very
important means of combating
desertification and mitigating
the effects of drought
People have been coping withthe degradation of land andother natural resources since
the introduction of agricultural
practices thousands of years
ago. Many local populations
have developed techniques for
managing soil and water, domesticating plants and animals, andeven for forecasting the weather.
Examples include the terracingof steep slopes in the Andes andHimalayas and the use of
irrigation systems around theworld since prehistoric times.
Many of these traditional
technologies are still in use andhave proved their effectivenessover centuries. Too often,
however, changes in economic,
ecological, or cultural
conditions have led people toabandon techniques that could
still be valuable today. The
Convention states, therefore,that traditional and local
technologies and know-how
should be protected, promoted
and used.
The COP works to draw
scientific and technology
researchers into a global
network to support theConvention
Under the leadership of the
COP, the CST has surveyed andidentified existing networks,
institutions, agencies, and otherbodies working on issues
relevant to desertification, andhas established a database
based on their responses. It
evaluates the principal potential
units in certain regions andsubregions through a pilot in-

Photo © Pamela Ceron Valladares

depth survey, and thenreplicates it in other regions inorder to recommend to the COP
ways and means of facilitating
and strengthening networking of
the units at the local, nationaland other levels, with a view topromoting a global research
network committed to supporting
the Convention. Scientists worldwide are always encouraged tocontribute with their knowledge
and research results to this international effort.
Capacity building, educationand training are essential tohelp affected developing
countries in combating
desertification at local level
Developing countries often
suffer from a scarcity ofdomestic skills, expertise,libraries, and research centres.
Many also need improvedhydrological and meteorologicalservices. The Convention
encourages developed countries
to support capacity-building
efforts, which will enable
developing countries to combat
desertification more effectively
through science and technology.
In order to improve theefficiency and effectiveness of
the CST, the COP established aGroup of Experts (GoE)

played an important institutionalrole, providing the CST withinformation on the current
knowledge, the extent and theimpact, the possible scenarios
and the policy implications on
various themes assigned in its
work programme. Its
achievements included
developments of:communication strategies
between the activities of theGoE, end-users and the researchcommunity; guidelines to update
the world atlas ofdesertification; an integrative
assessment methodology forpoverty and land degradation;
recommendations on ways toeliminate perceived gaps
between biophysical, socioeconomic and cultural
knowledge and activities tocombat desertification;
methodologies for assessment ofdesertification; guidelines forboth short-term and long-term
early warning systems; andcommon benchmark andindicator systems for themonitoring and assessment ofdesertification.
Relevant parts of theConvention
Articles 8, 16, 17, 18, 24 and 25

Until its terms of reference
concluded in 2007, the GoE

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

8

Financing to combat desertification

How much money is needed tocombat desertification?
It is difficult to estimate just
how much money will be neededto achieve the objective of theConvention to Combat
Desertification. The cost will
depend largely on the contentsof the National Action
Programmes (NAPs) throughwhich affected countries willseek to implement theConvention. The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP)
estimates that an effective 20year global effort would cost US$ 10-22 billion per year. To put
this estimate in perspective,
UNEP also calculates thatdesertification currently causes
affected countries to forego
some US$ 42 billion in income
per year.
What are the major sources offunding?
The largest source of funds isthe affected countries
themselves. The largest
external source for Africa isbilateral official development
assistance provided on grant orconcessional terms. Multilateralbank loans made on acommercial basis are the major
external source of funds for
Latin America and Asia. Foreign

private investment is also
important in these regions,although it has been largely
untapped in Africa. The World
Bank, the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD),
regional development banks, andother international financial
institutions also play a prominentrole, as do United Nationsorganizations and agencies. Nongovernmental organizations(NGOs) are another significant
source, particularly in Africa.
Since the adoption of Landdegradation as a GEF Focal areaand ensuing Operational
Programme on sustainable land
management (OP.15) in 2003,
the implementation of theConvention can rely on predictable financial resources neveravailed before. The GEF is therefore one of major sources offunding.
What financial commitments do
the Parties make?
Affected developing counties are
expected to allocate adequate
resources to the effective
implementation of theConvention, given theircircumstances and capabilities.
Developed countries are toprovide “substantial financial
resources and other forms of
support”, including grants andconcessional loans, through bothbilateral and multilateralchannels. They also pledge toseek new and additional funding
through the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) for activities tocombat desertification under its
new OP.15. In addition to funding
land degradation projects, thisprogramme also envisages to fundthe elaboration of action
programmes and national reports
under the Convention, throughcapacity building components.
Action programmes have however
proven to be costly. In thisregard, collaborations withprivate sector and nongovernmental organizations for
implementation of actions suchas debt swaps and other
innovative means of reducing
external debt burdens also need
to be promoted. Over and above
these commitments, any Party
can voluntarily provide financial
resources to affected developing
countries.
How will the flow of funding
from donors to affected
countries be coordinated inorder to ensure maximum
effectiveness?
At its first session in October
1997, the Conference of theParties identified IFAD as the
Host Institution of the Global

Photo © Kushal Gangopadhyay

Mechanism; its role is topromote actions leading to themobilization and the channellingof substantial resources toaffected developing countries,
including the transfer oftechnology. With the new GEF
focal area, the role of the
Global Mechanism has beenfurther strengthened as afinancial broker, particularly
regarding the co-funding
resources required for GEF
intervention.
How will funding be channeledto the projects and activities
where it is most needed?
The Convention encourages the
allocation of funds using an

integrated “bottom-up”
approach involving the fullparticipation of local
communities. The Regional
Implementation Annex for Africa
states that recipient
governments establishes policies
and procedures for channelling
resources more effectively togroups at the local level. They
enable non-governmentalorganizations to assume an
unprecedented role in ensuringthat local communities obtain
the external resources theyneed to carry out their own
programmes. Governments also
provide a macroeconomic
framework conducive tomobilizing financial resourcesand ensure that the financial

package is fully integrated into
their overall national
development programme.
Relevant parts of theConvention
Articles 5, 6, 13, 20 and 21, plus
Regional Implementation
Annexes for Africa (Article 15),
Latin America and the Caribbean(Article 6), Asia (Article 7), andCentral and Eastern Europe(Article 7)

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

9Institutions and procedures of the Convention
The Convention to Combat
Desertification was negotiatedunder the auspices of theUnited Nations
In June 1992, the United Nations
Conference on Environment andDevelopment (UNCED), also
known as the Rio Earth Summit,
recommended that the United
Nations General Assembly
establish an Intergovernmental
Negotiating Committee for a
Convention to Combat
Desertification in Countries
Experiencing Serious Drought
and/or Desertification (INCD) in
order to prepare a convention tocombat desertification in thosecountries experiencing serious
drought and/or desertification,
particularly in Africa. The
Committee held five preparatory
sessions before adopting theConvention on 17 June 1994 in
Paris.
The Convention entered into
force on 26 December 1996, 90
days after it had been ratified
by 50 countries
As of March 2008, there are 193
Parties to the Convention. After agovernment’s representatives
have signed the Convention, thedesignated legislative body
ratifies. The government thensends its instrument of ratification to the United Nations
in New York, which acts as the
Depository. Countries which have
ratified, accepted, approved or

acceded to the Convention
become Parties and are legally
responsible for carrying out theirtreaty commitments 90 days
after having deposited theirinstrument of ratification,
acceptance, approval oraccession.
While only national
governments which
ratify/accede to the Convention
can become Parties to the
UNCCD, other bodies andorganizations can also
participate in the Conferenceof the Parties (COP) as observers
International conventions arelegal agreements among
sovereign countries. However,this Convention makes special
provision for national andinternational agencies andqualified NGOs to attend themeetings of the COP and tocontribute to its work. NGOs
have not only played a prominentrole in the Convention process,but they continue to raise publicawareness and to lobby
parliamentarians for effective
implementation of the Convention.
Such international and regionalorganizations provide crucial
information, expertise, contacts,
and research and managerial
capabilities.
The Conference of the Parties
periodically reviews theimplementation of theConvention

The COP was established by theConvention as the supremedecision-making body; itcomprises ratifying governments
and regional economic
integration organizations, suchas the European Union. Up to
the year 2008, the COP had held
eight sessions; it has been
meeting biennially since 2001.
One of the main functions of the
COP is to review reports
submitted by the Parties
detailing how they are carryingout their commitments. The COP
then makes recommendations on
the basis of these reports. It also
has the power to makeamendments to the Convention
or to adopt new annexes, suchas additional regional
implementation annexes. In thisway, the COP can guide theConvention as global
circumstances and national
needs change. To assist the COP,
the Convention provides for
subsidiary bodies and allows the
COP to establish additional ones
if necessary.
The Committee on Science andTechnology (CST) advises the
COP on scientific and technological matters
The CST is a subsidiary body of
the COP and provides it withinformation and advice on
scientific and technologicalmatters relating to combating
desertification and mitigating theeffects of drought using the mostPhoto © UNCCD secretariat

up-to-date scientific knowledge.
The CST is multi-disciplinary,open to the participation of theParties and composed ofgovernment representatives with
relevant expertise. It reports
regularly to the COP on its work,
including at each of the sessionsof the COP. The bureau of the
CST is responsible for follow-up of
the work of the Convention
between COP sessions.
The Committee for the Reviewof the Implementation of theConvention (CRIC) assists the
COP in regularly reviewing theimplementation of theConvention
An official procedure forreviewing progress made in theimplementation of the Convention
was first decided upon at COP 5.
Parties agreed to establish a
subsidiary body tasked to consider
reports from country Parties andobservers, as well as information
and advice from the CST and the
Global Mechanism, and to reportto the COP on ways and means toenhance the implementation of
the Convention at national, subregional and regional levels. The
CRIC holds its yearly sessions
during and between the ordinary
sessions of the COP. The review
process leading to the CRIC,
which includes input at sub-regional and regional levels, willallow it to draw conclusions andto propose to the COP concrete
recommendations on further steps
in the implementation of theConvention. The review is to be
conducted along thematic lines
decided by the COP, with due
regard to geographic dimensions.
The mandate and functions of the
CRIC, as well as its schedule ofmeetings, are subject to renewal
at COP 9 where the new Terms ofReference of the CRIC is expected
in light of the 10-year strategicplan and framework to enhance
the implementation of theConvention (2008-2018), adopted
at COP 8.
The COP is supported by asecretariat
As do other conventions’ secretariats, the UNCCD secretariat
provides services to the COP byarranging its meetings, preparing
documents, coordinating withother relevant bodies, compilingand transmitting information,and facilitating consultations andother actions. It also, on request,
provides assistance to affecteddeveloping countries, in thecompilation and communicationof information required under theConvention. Affected developing
countries can also rely on thesecretariat for information or

advice on, for example, organizing
their national consultation
processes.
Global Mechanism (GM) helps
the COP to promote funding forConvention-related activities
and programmesThis mechanism was not conceived
to raise or administer funds.
Instead, the GM encourages andassists donors, recipients,
development banks, NGOs, andothers to mobilize funds and tochannel them to where they are
most needed. It seeks to promote
greater coordination among
existing sources of funding, andgreater efficiency andeffectiveness in the use of funds.
The GM is under the authority of
the COP, which periodicallyreviews its policies, operational
modalities and activities.
Furthermore, by decision
3/COP.8, the secretariat was
requested to prepare a draft
joint work programme (JWP)
with the GM, which would assist
the two entities to ensure consistency and complementarity inthe delivery of services, and tostrengthen their coordination andcooperation. The GM is hosted by
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in
Rome, Italy.

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

10

Desertification, global change andsustainable development

The Convention to Combat
Desertification cannot beviewed in isolation from otherefforts to promote sustainable
development
The Convention text refers
frequently to sustainable
development, climate change,
biological diversity, water
resources, energy sources, foodsecurity, and socio-economic
factors. The interactions
between these issues anddesertification are often not
fully understood, but they areclearly important. The
Convention therefore
emphasizes the need tocoordinate desertificationrelated
activities with theresearch efforts and response
strategies inspired by theseother concerns.
Efforts to combat
desertification complement
efforts to protect biologicaldiversity
While many people tend to
identify the issue of biodiversity
with tropical rain forests,
dryland ecosystems also containa rich biota, including plant andanimal species not foundelsewhere. Many of humanity’s

most important food crops, suchas barley and sorghum, areoriginated in drylands. Thoughdisappearing fast, indigenous
varieties remain a vital resourcefor plant breeders because of
their resistance to stresses suchas disease. Dryland species also
provide drugs, resins, waxes,
oils, and other commercial
products. For example, drylands
supply one third of the plantderived drugs in the US. Finally,
drylands provide critical habitats
for wildlife, including large
mammals and migratory birds.
These habitats are particularly
vulnerable to land degradation.
Land degradation affects thequantity and quality of freshwater supplies
Drought and desertification areassociated with lower water levels in rivers, lakes, and aquifers.
For example, unsustainable irrigation practices can dry therivers that feed large lakes; theAral Sea and Lake Chad haveboth seen their shorelines shrink
dramatically in this way. Water
crises are raising political tensions in many parts of the world,
particularly where rivers andlakes are shared across borders.
Land degradation is also a

leading source of land-based
pollution for the oceans, as
polluted sediment and water
washes down major rivers.
Natural climate variations canstrongly affect drought patterns
Currently the best understoodlink between global climate
variability and drought involves
sea-surface temperature patterns
Research into such climate
patterns is starting to improveseasonal rainfall predictions.
Efforts to strengthen predictions
are an important part of national
action programmes to combat
desertification and will help
dryland farmers and herders to
prepare better for droughts.
Desertification also impacts
upon the climate, with landdegradation and related loss ofvegetation leading to increased
emissions and reduced carbon
sink. Restoration of dryland
conditions could therefore havea major impact on global climate
patterns.
Climate change anddesertification
Climate change is a major
contributing factor todesertification. An increase inPhoto © Tongjing Lu

weather extremes such as
droughts and heavy rains as aresult of global warming willlead to further landdegradation. This in turn will
exacerbate the ongoingproblems of poverty, forced
migration and conflicts. Whiledesertification is alreadyresponsible for significant
forced migration, more than abillion people – one in seven of
the current world population could be forced from theirhomes between now and 2050 if
climate change worsens.
Desertification may
temporarily affect climatechangeLand degradation tends toreduce surface moisture.
Because less water is available
for the sun’s energy toevaporate, more energy is left
over for warming the groundand, as a result, the lower
atmosphere. Meanwhile, winderosion in drylands releases dust
and other particulates into theatmosphere. By absorbing the

sun’s rays or reflecting themback out into space, they may
help to cool the Earth’s surface.
However, the energy they absorb
can heat the lower atmosphereand in this way reduce
temperature differences
between the atmosphere’s
vertical layers; this can lead to
fewer rain-showers and thus drier
land. Finally, the periodic
burning of arid and semi-arid
grasslands, often associated withunsustainable slash-and-burn
agriculture, emits greenhousegases. So does the unsustainable
use of fuel-wood and charcoal, amajor cause of land degradation.
On the other hand, reforestation
is likely to have a cooling effectand is also, of course, an
important way to combat landdegradation.

from the land and who are
suffering most from the double
blow of desertification andclimate change.
Desertification exacerbates
poverty and political instability
It contributes significantly towater scarcity, food crisis, andinternal displacement of people,
mass migration, and social
breakdown. This is a recipe forpolitical instability, for tensions
between neighboring countries,and even for armed conflict.
Evidence is mounting that there
is often a strong correlation
between civil strife and conflicton the one hand andenvironmental factors such as
desertification on the other.

A common approach to tacklingdesertification and climatechange will have multiple
advantages
It particularly benefits the poorin the world’s drylands who
struggle to secure a livelihood

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

11

Combating desertification in Africa
Desertification has its greatest
impact in Africa
Two thirds of the continent isdesert or drylands. There areextensive agricultural drylands,
almost three quarters of which
are already degraded to somedegree. The region is afflicted byfrequent and severe droughts.
Many African countries arelandlocked, have widespreadpoverty, need external
assistance, and depend heavily on
natural resources for subsistence.
They have difficult socioeconomic
conditions, insufficientinstitutional and legal
frameworks, incomplete
infrastructure, and weakscientific, technical, andeducational capacities. Thesedifficult circumstances explain
why African countries have put somuch effort into convincing theinternational community of theneed for a “Convention to
Combat Desertification in ThoseCountries Experiencing Serious
Drought and/or Desertification,
Particularly in Africa”.
Africa’s desertification isstrongly linked to poverty,
migration, and food security
In many African countries,
combating desertification andpromoting development are
virtually one and the same due tothe social and economic
importance of natural resources
and agriculture. When people livein poverty, they have little choice

but to over-exploit the land. Whenthe land eventually becomes
uneconomic to farm, these people
are often forced into internal andcross-border migrations, which inturn can further strain theenvironment and cause social andpolitical tensions and conflicts.
The link with migration was
important to the international
community’s recognition ofdesertification as a truly global
problem, like climate change or
biodiversity loss. Food security
can ultimately be put at risk
when people already living on theedge face severe droughts andother environmental disasters.
The Regional Implementation
Annex for Africa outlines a
strategy for action in the African
continent
This Annex is the most detailed
and comprehensive of all theregional annexes to theConvention. Its proposals for
National Action Programmes
benefited from early attention
when Parties adopted a Resolution
on urgent measures for Africa
which entered into force in June
1994, some two and a half years
before the Convention itself.
Implementation of NAPs can be
successful only if consultations
are continuous
During the past years, most Africancountries have organized nationalawareness-raising seminars inorder to launch the process of

formulation of their National
Action Programmes (NAPs).
By February 2008, 41 Africancountries finalized, validated andadopted their National Action
Programmes. These countries are:
Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina
Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape
Verde, Chad, Congo, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Djibouti,
Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,
Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya,
Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mali, Mauritania,
Morocco, Mozambique, Niger,
Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa,
Sudan, Swaziland, the United
Republic of Tanzania, Tanzania,
Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia,
Zimbabwe. The following
countries are still on the process
of formulating their NAP: Angola,
Central Africa Republic, Comoros,
Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mauritius,
Namibia, Sao Tome & Principe,
Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone
and Somalia. The preparation of
NAPs is a dynamic ongoing process
and the status of each country is
subject to change over time. In
order to be successfully
implemented, the NAPs need to
be integrated into other national
strategies for sustainable
development, such as the Poverty
Reduction Strategy andconsultative processes need to belaunched, aiming at the setting
up of partnership agreements.
The participation of nongovernmental organizations(NGOs) and of the scientificcommunity is particularly
important and their valuable
contribution to the process has
been widely recognized.
Five Subregional Action
Programmes (SRAPs) have also
been finalized
The existing subregionalorganizations in five subregions ofAfrica entrusted with coordinatingthese programmes are the Arab
Maghreb Union (AMU) for northern
Africa, the Permanent Inter-State
Committee for Drought Control in
the Sahel (CILSS) for the west, theIntergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) for the east,
the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) for the south
and the Commission des Forêts del’Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC) for
Central Africa. Whilecommunitybased organizations arevery important actors in theprocess of formulating NAPs, suchspecialized intergovernmentalorganizations feature as main
partners in designing SRAPs. Whenpossible, these programmes seek
synergies with other regional
objectives. For example, a projectfor connecting subregionalorganizations to each other and totheir respective member States
via electronic systems willcontribute to the strengthening of
the regional communications
network.
A Regional Action Programme(RAP) is also being developed
A Regional Coordination Unit
(RCU) hosted by the African
Development Bank in Tunis has
been operational since early
2000, its main purpose is tosupport the implementation of
the RAP. Further to therecommendations of the 1997 Pan
African Conference on the
Implementation of the UNCCD,
seven thematic workshops wereorganized in 1998-1999 to look

Photo © Pamela Ceron Valladares

into prospects for establishing
Thematic Programme Networks(TPNs) in order to promote theintegrated management ofinternational river, lake, andhydrogeological basins (TPN 1);
agroforestry and soil conservation(TPN 2); rangelands use andfodder crops (TPN 3); ecologicalmonitoring, natural resources
mapping, remote sensing, andearly warning systems (TPN 4);
new and renewable energy
sources and technologies (TPN 5);
sustainable agricultural farming
systems (TPN 6). The TPNs arecoordinated by a focal point
representing an African institution
specialized in the respective
thematic area. By now, all TPNs
have been launched and priority
activities are under implementation.
African countries have moved
from planning to action, but thereal work still lies ahead
To succeed, affected countries
must ensure that combating
desertification is given toppriority and that NAPs are
effectively linked to poverty
reduction and investment
strategies. They must actively
promote an enabling environment
by adopting appropriate legal,
political, economic, financial, andsocial measures. For instance,
they may need to change theirrules on land use and ownership,
further decentralize government
administration and strengthen

political rights at the local level.
Meanwhile, external partners will
have to prove themselves fullycommitted to the principles of theConvention by entering into
productive partnerships withaffected countries. Greater efforts,
including capacity building andfinancial support, are also needed
to enable NGOs and civil society
to remain active throughout theimplementation stage.
Some national partnershipplatforms in support to theimplementation of the NAP arebeing experimented through pilot
initiatives such as the Country
Pilot Partnerships (CPP) promotedby the GEF and its implementing
agencies in Burkina Faso, Namibia
and Ethiopia, and the TerrAfrica
initiative facilitated by the WorldBank in cooperation with the
NEPAD Secretariat.
With the adoption of the 10 Years
Strategic Plan and Framework toenhance the implementation of
the Convention, which gives
strategic directions andoperational objectives to beachieved by 2018, a new
momentum seems to take place,which could be ceased by theAfrican Country Parties and theirpartners to enhance theimplementation of the NAPs.
Relevant parts of the Convention
Annex I: Regional Implementation
Annex for Africa

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

12

Combating desertification in Asia

Desertification manifests itself
in many different forms acrossthe vast Asian continent
Out of a total land area of 4.3
billion hectares, Asia contains
some 1.7 billion hectares of arid,semi-arid, and dry sub-humid
land reaching from theMediterranean coast to the shoresof the Pacific. Degraded areas
include expanding deserts in
China, India, Iran, Mongolia andPakistan, the sand dunes of Syria,
the steeply eroded mountainslopes of Nepal, and thedeforested and overgrazed
highlands of the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic. Asia, interms of the number of people
affected by desertification anddrought, is the most severely
affected continent.
The Convention’s Regional
Implementation Annex for Asia
recognizes particular
circumstances and needs ofeach country
It calls for activities at thenational, sub-regional, andregional levels in the form of
coordinated and integrated
action programmes. The
integration of activities directly
related to the combat against
desertification into otherenvironmental and sustainable
development strategies is meant
to maximize the output andbenefit for affected country

Parties. Therefore, action at the
local level should combine thefight against desertification withefforts to alleviate rural poverty.
29 Asian and Pacific countries
have adopted their National
Action Programmes (NAPs) as ofMarch 2008
These countries are: China, Fiji,
India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan,
Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic,
Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Niue,
Oman, Pakistan, Palau,
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria,
Tajikistan, Thailand,
Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United
Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Viet
Nam, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The other affected developing
countries in the Asia and Pacificregion are at various stages of NAP
formulation. The preparation of
NAPs is a dynamic ongoing process
and the status of each country is
subject to change over time. The
Convention’s “bottom-up”
approach, whereby existingdesertification programmes arereviewed by the stakeholders,
including non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs), local
authorities, and community
leaders, was generally adopted informulating NAPs. Mainstreaming
the NAPs in order to enhancetheir effective implementation isanother important considerationin this regard.

Regional activities have beenlaunched through Thematic
Programme Networks (TPNs)
Based on the principles containedin the Convention to Combat
Desertification and its regional
annex for Asia, a number ofregional meetings introduced an
approach that has become central
to regional cooperation in Asia:
the TPNs. Each network deals
with one core aspect, which iseither a cause or an effect ofdesertification, and aims at
providing and promoting regional
solutions through improved andinnovative regional cooperationand exchange of information. The
networks have evolved following
the 1997 Beijing Ministerial
Conference, the 1998 Muscat
meeting and the 1997 Tashkent
Conference. The implementationof the NAPs is advanced by thepromotion of regional cooperationand capacity-building at nationaland sub-regional levels throughthe six TPNs adopted at the
Beijing Ministerial Conference.
These are TPN1 - Desertification
monitoring and assessment(hosted by China and launched inJuly 1999), TPN2 - Agroforestry
and soil conservation (hosted byIndia and launched in May 2000),
TPN3 - Rangeland management
and fixation of shifting sanddunes (hosted by Iran andlaunched in May 2001), TPN4 Water resources management forarid-land agriculture (hosted bySyria and launched in July 2002),
TPN5 - Strengthening capacities
for drought impact mitigationand combating desertification(hosted by Mongolia andlaunched in July 2003), andTPN6 - Assistance for the
implementation of integrated
local area development
programmes (hosted by Pakistan
and launched in June 2004).
West Asian countries are
implementing a subregional
action programme (SRAP) tostrengthen their activities
under the Convention
In response to the sub-region‘sneeds, West Asian country Parties
and interested organizations
formulated and implemented
activities promotingintergovernmental cooperation
within the sub-region. The
activities focused on two mainareas: water resources andvegetative cover. Following the
adoption of the 10-year strategicplan and framework to enhance
the implementation of theConvention (2008-2018) at COP 8,
countries in the sub-region
decided to review operational
modalities and overall
expectation of the SRAP in orderto harmonize outputs and future
activities. The review is expected
to take place in 2008 and will
ensure that sub-regional activities are in line with National
Action Programmes (NAPs) while
complying with broader
developmental goals identified by
The Strategy.
Severely affected or affected bydrought and desertification, allCentral Asian countries are
Parties to the UNCCD
Since the early 1990s, allcountries of the sub-region(Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan andUzbekistan) have been
undergoing a process of radical

Photo © Ferdinand Singhsocio-economic reforms,
including democratization,
decentralization, privatization,
improved access to informationfor ordinary citizens, and land
reforms, which have direct orindirect implications forenvironmental protection,
including combating
desertification. The Central Asian
countries have adopted measuresthat are conducive to theeffective implementation of theConvention. In 2003, they
adopted the Sub-Regional Action
Programme (SRAP/CD). Activities
have been undertaken to
implement SRAP/CD throughnational projects under theCentral Asian Countries Initiative
for Land Management (CACILM),
which was prepared in parallel to
the SRAP/CD process as a 10-year
programme of country-driven
action and resource mobilization.
The objective of CACILM is toensure a coordinated andintegrated approach tosustainable land management in
CA states for the period
2006–2016. Since 2007, activities
have been undertaken to
establish a Drought Management
Center for Central Asia incooperation with the UNCCD
secretariat, OSCE and WMO.
East, Southeast, and South Asia
has a very varied climate andcontain much biological diversity
Nevertheless, the magnitude ofsoil erosion and the resulting lossof biodiversity and agricultural
productivity are increasingly
threatening both the ecologicaland the economic base of many
countries. Concerted action isneeded to halt the emerging
trends. The 1996 Delhi
Conference and the 1997 Beijing
Ministerial Conference endorsed
the principle of cooperation
across climatically different
regions in order to prevent further
land degradation. South AsianCountry Parties adopted SRAP in
Sri Lanka in July 2004, andSoutheast Asian Country Parties
adopted SRAP in Bonn (at COP4)
in 2005.
The Pacific Island Country
Parties are unique in theirproblems and the ways toaddress those problems
Drought preparedness, land
productivity and vulnerability tonatural disasters and economic
shocks are the main issues
confronting them in relation tosustainable development,
including this Convention. Since
2007, 14 Pacific countries andTimor-Leste are implementing
activities on “Land degradation,
rehabilitation and drought effectmitigation” in cooperation with
the UNCCD and the Governmentof the Bolivarian Republic ofVenezuela, aimed at supporting
grassroots activities such as
controlling deforestation, revegetating deforested lands andpreventing soil from erosion as
well as water harvesting.
Relevant parts of the Convention
Annex II: Regional Implementation
Annex for Asia

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

13

Combating desertification in Latin America
and the Caribbean

Although well known for its
rain forests, Latin America andthe Caribbean is actually about
one-quarter desert anddrylands (20,533,000 km2)
The hyper-arid deserts of the
Pacific coast stretch fromsouthern Ecuador, the entire
Peruvian shoreline and northern
Chile. Further inland, ataltitudes of 3,000-4,500 meters,
high and dry plains (Altiplano)of the Andean mountains coverlarge areas of Peru, Bolivia,
Chile, and Argentina. To theeast of the Andes, an extensive
arid region extends from
Chaco’s northern reaches inParaguay to Patagonia insouthern Argentina.
Northeastern Brazil contains
semi-arid zones dominated bytropical savannahs. Large partsof Colombia and Venezuela arehighly degraded. In Dominican
Republic, Cuba, Haiti andJamaica, there are arid zones,
as erosion and water shortages
are noticeably intensifying in
the Eastern Caribbean. Most of
Mexico is arid and semi-arid,
mainly in the north. Landdegradation and severe droughts
make the Central Americancountries vulnerable to extreme
events, delaying theirsustainable development.

Poverty and pressure on land
resources are causing landdegradation in many of theseareas

The Regional Annex for Latin
America and the Caribbean
strongly emphasizes the needfor sustainable development

A region with 465 million
inhabitants, around 110 million
live below the poverty line.

Unsustainable practices include
excessive irrigation andinappropriate agricultural
practices, inadequate legal
issues, inappropriate use of soil,
fertilizers and pesticides,
overgrazing, and intensive
exploitation of forests. Frequent
droughts and forest fires alongwith these practices lead to landdegradation. Indeed, the sharp
losses of ecosystem productivity
reduce overall economic
productivity and livelihoods.

The Convention to Combat
Desertification has strong
political support
All countries in the region havealready joined the Convention
and its issues are becoming partand parcel of the national
agendas on sustainable
development and combating
poverty. Non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) haveorganized efforts through theInternational network of NGOs,
RIOD (Réseau Internationaled’Organisations Non
Gouvernementales sur laDésertification). The network has
four sub-regional focal points andone regional focal point. While
RIOD’s contribution is important,more needs to be done to attract
NGO participation at thenational, sub-regional, andregional levels.

National Action Programmes(NAPs) have been formulated inmost countries of the region
There are 23 adopted National
Action Programmes in Latin
America and the Caribbean. It is
expected that the majority of theremaining ten would be finalized
and adopted by the end of 2008.
The bottom-up process is being
finalized with the involvement of
all relevant stakeholders,
including civil society. Although
this process benefits from theregion’s strong scientificresources, much remains to bedone, at institutional andPhoto ©

technical levels, to increase andstrengthen the capacities of apromising critical mass in theregion that would allow effective
progress and concrete
achievements. Streamlining of
National Action Programmes inrelation to other national
environment and sustainable
development is now a toppriority for many countries in
the region.
The Regional Action
Programme first officiallyadopted in 1998 is constantly
being reviewed to ensure it
meets the needs of the times
as regards the implementation
process
The last major review of the
programme included six regional
thematic programme networks(TPNs) covering the following
areas: Benchmarks andindicators of desertification anddrought (TPN1); Information
Network on Desertification andDrought (DESELAC) (TPN2);
Integrated water resourcesmanagement (TPN3); Promotionof agro-forestry (TPN4);
Promotion of traditional
knowledge (TPN5); andSustainable renewable energy(TPN6). A Regional Unit (RCU)

was established in Mexico Cityin the United Nations Economic
Commission for LAC (ECLAC).
The coordination level has been
facilitated and further
enhanced, aimed at, inter alia,
promoting exchange of
information and experiences;
technical, scientific andfinancial collaboration,
partnerships with cooperation
agents as well as providing
valuable feedback to activities
and projects derived from NAPs,
SRAPs and the RAP. A major
review of the Regional Action
Programme is presently being inview of the 10-year strategicplan and framework to enhance
the implementation of theConvention (2008-2018),
adopted at COP 8.
Several subregional
programmes have also beenlaunched and further
implemented
The SRAP of Gran Chaco
Americano (Argentina, Bolivia
and Paraguay) is implementing
sound actions on socioeconomics
and environmental degradation.
The SRAP for Puna Americana,(Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,
Ecuador and Peru) has
become an important tool tolink NAP processes at the subregional level, while promoting
sustainable development, also
through awareness raising andincreased stakeholder
participation in related
processes. The SRAPs of
Hispaniola (Dominican Republicand Haiti) and Colombia and
Venezuela, have shown progress,
one in the trans-boundary areaand both in institutional
cooperation; strengthening ofthese actions is underway. Apartfrom the existing SRAPs, theCaribbean and the Meso America
sub-regions are presently
working on developing their own
that covers 16 countries. The
SRAP is of vital importance, as
this sub-region needs tocooperate more closely in they
are to have an efficacious
implementation process. As
regards Meso America, theprocess is progressing moresmoothly as they have recently
be given some technical andfinancial support to help
accomplish this task.
Relevant parts of theConvention
Annex III: Regional
Implementation Annex for Latin
America and the Caribbean

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

14

Combating desertificationin the Northern Mediterranean
The Northern Mediterranean
region is a complex mosaic ofdiversified landscapes
It has been settled andcultivated for millennia by
various cultures andcivilizations. Much of the regionis semi-arid and subject toseasonal droughts with highrainfall variability or sudden
intense downpours. The regionis also characterized by highpopulation densities, heavy
concentrations of industry, andintensive agriculture. Althoughpeople here often use the term
“desert”, they do so in thesense of wilderness, lack of
population, or isolation and lessin term of sand dunes.
Mediterranean landdegradation is often linked topoor agricultural practices
Soils become salinized, dry,sterile, and unproductive in
response to a combination ofnatural hazards - droughts,
floods, forest fires - and humancontrolled activities, notably
overtilling and overgrazing. The
situation has worsen by thesocial and economic crisis in
traditional agriculture in recent
years and the resulting
migration of people from rural
to urban areas. The result isabandoned land, particularly on

marginal and easily eroded
hillsides, and weakened
agricultural planning and land
management.

Among the Northern
Mediterranean affected country
Parties, seven are members of
the European Union

The modern economy is also
contributing to the problem

The Fourth Regional
Implementation Annex offers
concrete opportunities forstrengthening mutual cooperationand more effective national
action. The European
Community, France, Monaco andIsrael are participating in the
sub-regional and regional
processes as observers.

Fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation,
contamination by heavy metals,
and the introduction of exotic(and invasive) plant species areundermining the long-term
health of the region’s soils.
Physical changes imposed onwatercourses by the constructionof reservoirs, the canalization ofrivers, and the drainage of
wetlands are affecting land
quality. Meanwhile, groundwaterlevels are declining widely,
resulting among other things insalt-water intrusion into coastal
aquifers. Some 80 percent of theregion’s available freshwater isused for irrigation. The dramaticand continuing growth ofindustry, tourism, intensive
agriculture, and other modern
economic activities along thecoastlines is placing particularstress on coastal areas. In
addition, in the last five years
the effects of climate change,such as drastic decrease of
rainfall and consequent
important drought, have had avery serious impact on theregion’s land and its
productivity.

The Sub-Regional group of
Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain
and Turkey
has worked together for several
years on sub-regional activities.
Since 2004, a regional
consultative mechanism has been
established with the assistance of
the UNCCD secretariat covering
now under the annex IV all
Northern Mediterranean countries
together. At the regional level,
activities are being promoted andundertaken particularly throughthe establishment of regional
thematic networks for scientificcooperation, the organization ofworkshop on technology andknow-how, the development of
mechanisms for exchanges of
information and documentationand the organization of regional
training courses. In addition toPhoto © Lucio do Rosario

intraregional cooperation, theFourth Annex calls on its
members to cooperate withother regions and sub-regions,
Central and Eastern Europe forexample, and particularly withthe developing countries ofNorthern Africa. A DroughtManagement Center for South
Eastern Europe in the context of
the UNCCD is currently being
hosted by Slovenia and involving
countries from both annexes IV
and V.
The Annex also stimulates
action at national level
As of February 2008, Italy,
Greece, Portugal, Spain andTurkey adopted their National
Action Programmes (NAPs) to
combat desertification. Other
affected countries from
Northern Mediterranean are in
the process of elaboration or
finalization of their NAPs.
Desertification research isreceiving a renewed emphasis
A number of research
programmes are developed,
targeting among others the endusers, assessing the impact ofclimate and weather on landand soil degradation in theregion. EU members are also
investing more in the systematic
monitoring of land degradation,
the development of indicators,
although there is still a need forbetter coordination of thecollection, analysis, andexchange of data, including
exchange of data with countries
outside the EU. In addition,
there is a need for more
technical and scientificcooperation on research into
the socio-economic
consequences of landdegradation and the cost ofinaction.
A number of other policies also
have great potential, including
the soil strategy of EU
It is widely recognized that onepriority for the region should beprotecting land that has not yet
been significantly degraded. An
effective and “integrated”
approach to water management
at the local, national, andregional levels needs to address
simultaneously traditional andintensive agriculture, industry,
employment, biodiversity,
freshwater resources, waterpollution, and the special

problems of coastal areas.
Synergies with other treaties
should be explored. Traditional
knowledge and know-how need
to be conserved and used. The
development, adaptation, andtransfer of technologies tocombat land degradation andprotect soil, which areenvironmentally sound,
economically viable, and sociallyacceptable should be more
actively promoted. Finally, local
communities and nongovernmental organizations arebeing increasingly engaged. The
10-year strategic plan andframework to enhance theimplementation of theConvention (1008-2018),
adopted at COP 8, will guide theaction of all regional
stakeholders in putting into
practice those policies andmarks a important step towards
the achievement of theirobjectives.
Relevant parts of theConvention
Annex IV: Regional
Implementation Annex for the
Northern Mediterranean.

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

15

Combating land degradation/desertificationin Central and Eastern Europe
Land degradation
desertification and drought
affect many countries ofCentral and Eastern Europe(CEE)
Desertification and landdegradation are not only aproblem of the developing
countries, as developed
countries are not less affected.
Although the process and degreeof soil degradation in CEE region
is varying considerably fromcountry to country, soil
degradation is an issue for thewhole Europe. In CEE, affected
countries are: Albania, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia andHerzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
The former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia, Georgia, Hungary,
Latvia, Moldova, Romania,
Russian Federation, Slovakia,
Slovenia and Ukraine.
The region’s particularconcerns are addressed by theConvention’s fifth regional
implementation Annex
The Annex sets out guidelines
and arrangements for
implementing the Convention inCentral and Eastern Europe. It
was adopted by the fourth
session of the Conference of theParties in 2000 and it enteredinto force on 6 September 2001.
All CEE countries except one
have acceded to the Convention.
Several CEE countries are
members of the European Unionand some countries are emerging
donors. The particular featuresof the CEE region, as defined in
Annex V, which apply in varying
degrees to the affected country
Parties of the region, include
specific problems and challenges
related to the process of
economic transition, the variety
of forms of land degradation in
the different ecosystems, crisis
conditions in agriculture due tosoil depletion in arable lands andother stresses. Inappropriate
irrigation and the excessive
exploitation of water resources
are contributing to chemical
pollution, salinization and theexhaustion of aquifers. Also
deforestation, due to pollution
stress and frequent forest fires,
remains a serious problem.
The fifth regional
implementation Annex for CEE
countries also offers concrete
opportunities for strengthening
regional and sub-regional
cooperation
Because economic activities andecosystems are linked acrossborders, countries can benefit

from coordinating their efforts.
Noticeable success was reachedin 2003 when a regional
consultative mechanism has been
established with the assistance of
the UNCCD secretariat topromote activities such as theestablishment of Regional
Thematic Networks (RTNs) on
scientific cooperation; theorganization of workshops on
technology and know-how; theorganization of Regional Training
Centers (RTCs); and theestablishing Regional ReferenceCenters (RRCs) for exchanging of
documentation, materials andpublications. Concrete activities
are being launched to implement
these agreements, in particular
by Romania on establishment of
an RTN on afforestation, by
Armenia and Bulgaria onlaunching training courses and by
the Czech Republic onestablishment of an RRC. The
common efforts can also
contribute to rehabilitating lands
degraded by industrial activities
and nuclear wastes, to reducing
the consumption of fertile soils
by urbanization, and to sharing
and monitoring the use oftransboundary natural resources.
Sub-regional activities are being
undertaken aimed at managing
drought in South Eastern Europe.
In view of predictable increase of

Photo © Giorgi Kolbin

drought occurrence, frequency
and impacts, the countries ofSouth Eastern Europe (Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, The former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Greece, Hungary, Republic ofMoldova, Romania, Slovenia,
and Turkey, as well as
Montenegro and Serbia)
established in 2006 a Droughtmanagement Center for South
Eastern Europe in the context of
the UNCCD, hosted by Slovenia
and in cooperation with the
UNCCD secretariat and WMO.
The Center also involves
countries from Northern
Mediterranean.
The annex also stimulates action
at national level by the affected
CEE countries. In particular,
importance of issues of landdegradation and desertification
for sustainable land
management is gradually
recognized by the countries of
the region. This trend is being
confirmed by a growing number
of affected countries that havealready prepared National
Action Programmes (NAPs) as amain instrument for combating
desertification and landdegradation. As of February
2008, these countries are
Armenia, Georgia, Republic ofMoldova and Romania. Other
affected countries are in theprocess of preparing or
finalizing their NAPs (Azerbaijan
and Bulgaria) or expressed aninterest in preparing them. The
preparation of NAPs is a
dynamic ongoing process andthe status of each country is
subject to change over time. As

in other regions, interested
research institutes, nongovernmental organizations(NGOs) and local communities
are encouraged to participate in
the preparation, coordinationand implementation of NAPs.
The 10-year strategic framework
to enhance the implementationof the Convention (2008-2018)
will guide the action of all
regional stakeholders in putting
into practice those policies andmarks an important step towards
the achievement of theirobjectives.
Relevant parts of theConvention
Annex V: Regional
Implementation Annex forCentral and Eastern Europe

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification

Fact sheet

16

UNCCD towards new decadeto forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertification/land degradationand to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas
in order to support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability

UNCCD coming into a new
decadeThe policy environment haschangedDeveloped as a result of the Rio
Summit, the United Nations
Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) is aunique instrument that hasbrought attention to landdegradation where exist some of
the most vulnerable ecosystems
and people in the world. Ten
years after its coming into
force, the UNCCD benefits fromuniversal membership and isincreasingly recognized as an
instrument which can make animportant contribution to theachievement of sustainable
development and poverty
reduction.

Development paradigm has
shifted largely since the Rio,
especially with adoption of theMillennium Development Goals(MDGs). More focus on issues such as Africa and the leastdeveloped countries, stronger
commitment for climate change
mitigation and adaptation,
prospects of global agricultural
trade liberalization, and growing
numbers of environmental
refugees and migrants - areshedding new lights on theimpacts of poverty andenvironmental degradation
today.

Ten years of implementation
limited by some global factors
After a decade of
implementation, Parties
recognized limiting factors have
prevented optimal deploymentof the Convention. The
Convention operates today in anenvironment that has evolved
considerably since when it was
first negotiated.

The scientific environment haschangedWith the work of the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment (MA) on
dryland ecosystems, thescientific environment has also
evolved, contributing to
improved understanding of thebiophysical and socio-economic
trends relating to landdegradation in global drylands
and their impacts on human andecosystem well-being.

The financing environment has
also changed profoundly in thelast decade
In 2003, the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) has become afinancial mechanism of theConvention. Official development
assistance (ODA) flow has
increased again after ten years ofstagnation, and declining
resources for rural development
and agriculture. Major
cooperating partners have
refocused their financing
strategies to support countrydriven priorities.
This new environment provides
the starting point for the newstrategic plan of the Convention
During COP 8, held in Madrid in
September 2007, the 192 Parties
unanimously adopted the 10-year
strategic plan and framework toenhance the implementation of
the Convention for 2008-2018(The Strategy). The Strategy
provides unique opportunity toaddress some of the Convention’s
key challenges, to capitalize on
its strengths, to seize
opportunities provided by the
new policy and financing

environment and to create a
new and revitalized common
ground for all UNCCD
stakeholders.
The new Strategy is tasked toprovide a global framework
The Strategy supports thedevelopment andimplementation of national andregional policies, programmes
and measures to prevent,control and reverse
desertification/land degradationand mitigate the effects ofdrought through scientific andtechnological excellence, raisingpublic awareness, standard
setting, advocacy and resource
mobilization, thereby
contributing to poverty reduction.
The strategic objectives andexpected impacts of theStrategy
Four strategic objectives with
their own long-term impacts will
guide the actions of all UNCCD
stakeholders and partners toachieve the global vision. Thesefour strategic objectives are: 1)

to improve the living conditionsof affected populations, 2) toimprove the condition ofaffected ecosystems, 3) togenerate global benefits througheffective implementation of the
UNCCD and 4) to mobilize
resources to support theimplementation of theConvention through building
effective partnerships between
national and international
actors.
Successful implementation of
The Strategy requires efforts
from all Parties
All parties are requested to put
into operation theimplementation of The Strategy
in accordance with their national
priorities and in a spirit ofinternational solidarity andpartnership. Affected developing
country Parties, and any otheraffected country Parties within
the framework of its Regional
Implementation Annex, are urged
to align their action programmes
and other relevant implementation
activities relating to theConvention with The Strategy.

The secretariat’s new
Structure
Successful implementation of
the strategic plan also requires astrengthening of the coreservicing, advocacy and agendasetting and representation
functions of the UNCCD
secretariat in order to support
Parties, the COP and thesubsidiary bodies of theConvention in fulfilling theirrespective roles. The aim is tomake the UNCCD secretariat arobust and highly performinginternational organization which
will facilitate theimplementation of the Strategy
and build a global momentum onland issues. In light of the visionenvisaged in The Strategy, the
new structure pays greaterattention to the need to support
the continuum between“knowledge management”,“information and policy
advocacy” and “monitoring andassessment of theimplementation process”
through cooperation andpartnership.

United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification