I also congratulate Germany and the city of Bonn for being chosen to host the Permanent Secretariat for this Convention. Today South Africa is proud to announce that on 30 September 1997 we ratified this important Convention. By ratifying, South Africa re-affirms its devotion and commitment to responsible environmental management and sustainable development. Simultaneously, South Africa also ratified the Climate Change Convention. The linkages between these two important Conventions are evident.
Droughts continue to occur over many parts of the globe in varying degrees of severity and duration.
Nations, including South Africa, experience considerable distress during drought occurrences. Currently, South Africa is one of the countries suffering from the effects of the El Nino phenomenon. An Inter-ministerial Committee dealing with natural disasters such as drought has been established in South Africa, to warn farmers and communities of the possible effects of El Nino and ensuring the most effective use of water and the continuation of food security. This will be executed in accordance with and taking account of other policy processes, such as the consultative process completed recently to formulate a policy on environmental management in South Africa as well as the policy on biological diversity, the Convention on which South Africa ratified earlier. The policy process on desertification will also involve non-governmental organisations to bridge the gap between rural populations and national government, thereby ensuring that the priorities of the dryland populations are dealt with in the National Action Programme.