Read at : Linkages Update – Thursday, 27 March 2008
Earth Negotiations Bulletin <enb@iisd.org>
http://www.iisd.ca/media/forests_deserts_land.htm#unccd
The Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has recently entered into two new partnership agreements. On 7 March 2008, Luc Gnacadja, UNCCD Executive Secretary, and Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding between their two organizations, through which they will address a number of issues, including science, technology, knowledge management, capacity building, financing and technology transfer, advocacy, awareness raising and education. They will also work with African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in mainstreaming issues of land degradation, desertification and drought in national sustainable development strategies, poverty reduction strategy papers and other sectoral and crosssectoral policies and programmes.
On 12-14 March 2008, the Secretariat hosted a meeting jointly organized by CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) Centers ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) to finalize a global proposal for a science program to combat agriculturally-caused dryland degradation and desertification. This program is called the “Oasis Challenge Program,” and will be submitted to the CGIAR Science Council and Executive Council for consideration. The programme will focus on integrating bio-physical with socio-economic science through alliances with stakeholders to build their capacities while ensuring that the outputs meet their needs and can be scaled-up for global impact.
Links to further information
ECA press release, 7 March 2008
UNCCD website on Oasis Challenge Program
