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Google Alert - desertification
http://www.cariassociation.org/gtd/blog/?p=173
IFAP participated in COP8 in Madrid to advocate a better involve of farmers in the UNCCD process. Prior to the COP, IFAP conducted a lobby campaign by contacting States representatives from more then 30 countries. This was aimed at encouraging them to support the proposal mentioned in a UNCCD document to better involve farmers within the Convention. IFAP’s participation was supported by the Working Group on Desertification (GTD) from France of which the Federation is a member. IFAP also participated along with ENID (European CSOs working group on desertification), in the preparation and circulation of comments to the UNCCD 10 year strategic plan, highlighting the importance to improve the involvement of civil society organisations in the UNCCD process.
During the Conference, discussions focused on elements related to UNCCD institutional structure, budget 2008-09 and programme, and a 10 year strategic plan was presented. Despite the need to increase the budget in order to deliver commitments and reach the level of expectations, the budget and program were not adopted. Another meeting will be necessary to finalize this discussion. However, the 10 year strategic plan and framework for the UNCCD was adopted by the 191 country parties. It sets out operational objectives on issues including awareness-raising, policy framework, science and technology and capacity-building.
The Conference stressed a general agreement to enhance synergies between the three UN Conventions on environment (Biodiversity, Climate change and Desertification), e.g. projects, common criterias, scientific groups, etc. The importance of reforestation and water management were also underlined as well as the need for capacity building and technology transfer. Adaptation to climate change was a key topic. Climate change is making desertification the biggest problem of humankind according to the Secretary Executive of the UNCCD.
The UNCCD decided to collaborate with the UNCSD Secretariat (Commission on Sustainable Development) on “desertification” as one of the themes to be discussed during the coming cycle CSD 16 and 17 in 2008-2009. It will be a good opportunity to raise awareness on this issue. The need to reinvest in rural areas and to establish clear priorities in national development policy to help farmers should be addressed.
For the first time, the three Secretary Executives of the three UN Environmental Conventions were gathered publicly to contribute to bring together more synergies. The Secretary Executive of UNFCC (Climate Change Convention) said that it is the political will that will bring solutions and not institutional structures. He stressed four areas of complementarity between the 3 Conventions: reforestation, adaptation, education and awareness; and mitigation (which is key to reduce pressure on the planet).
Under the Presidency of the Minister of Environment of Spain, COP8 was also a good opportunity for UPA (Spain), IFAP member organisation, to communicate on the issue of land degradation and farmers’ concerns to their media with a pres release and through radio interviews. They also raised the awareness of their government representatives on farmers and the fight against desertification.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO):
Addressing the COP8, Mr. Jarraud, Secretary General of WMO, stressed that considering only about 11% of the global land surface that can be used for agriculture, land degradation is critical to address if we want to ensure food security. There is a clear linkage between growing pressure on land and climate change and a big impact of desertification on agriculture. Because of climate change, the water regime is changing. It increases in high latitudes while decreases in subtropical land regions. He offered the collaboration of his organisation to help farmers better understand meteorological information and thus better manage their production strategy and crop selection.. IFAP will follow-up on possible collaboration with the WMO.
More: http://www.iisd.ca/desert/cop8/ and http://www.unccd.int/ and www.wmo.int
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