United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

 

PART I

INTRODUCTION

Article 1

Use of terms

For the purposes of this Convention:

(a) “desertification”means land degradation in arid, semi-arid and
dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic
variations and human activities;

(b) “combating desertification”includes activities which are part of
the integrated development of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas
for sustainable development which are aimed at:

(i) prevention and/or reduction of land degradation;

(ii) rehabilitation of partly degraded land; and

(iii) reclamation of desertified land;

(c) “drought”means the naturally occurring phenomenon that exists
when precipitation has been significantly below normal recorded levels,
causing serious hydrological imbalances that adversely affect land resource
production systems;

(d) “mitigating the effects of drought”means activities related to
the prediction of drought and intended to reduce the vulnerability of society
and natural systems to drought as it relates to combating desertification;

(e) “land”means the terrestrial bio-productive system that comprises
soil, vegetation, other biota, and the ecological and hydrological processes
that operate within the system;

(f) “land degradation”means reduction or loss, in arid, semi-arid and
dry sub-humid areas, of the biological or economic productivity and complexity
of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest and
woodlands resulting from land uses or from a process or combination of
processes, including processes arising from human activities and habitation
patterns, such as:

(i) soil erosion caused by wind and/or water;

(ii) deterioration of the physical, chemical and biological
or economic properties of soil; and

(iii) long-term loss of natural vegetation;

(g) “arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas”means areas, other than
polar and sub-polar regions, in which the ratio of annual precipitation to
potential evapotranspiration falls within the range from 0.05 to 0.65;

(h) “affected areas”means arid, semi-arid and/or dry sub-humid areas
affected or threatened by desertification;

(i) “affected countries”means countries whose lands include, in whole
or in part, affected areas;

(j) “regional economic integration organization”means an organization
constituted by sovereign States of a given region which has competence in
respect of matters governed by this Convention and has been duly authorized,
in accordance with its internal procedures, to sign, ratify, accept, approve
or accede to this Convention;

(k) “developed country Parties”means developed country Parties and
regional economic integration organizations constituted by developed
countries.

Article 2

Objective

1. The objective of this Convention is to combat desertification and
mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought
and/or desertification, particularly in Africa, through effective action at
all levels, supported by international cooperation and partnership
arrangements, in the framework of an integrated approach which is consistent
with Agenda 21, with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable
development in affected areas.

2. Achieving this objective will involve long-term integrated
strategies that focus simultaneously, in affected areas, on improved
productivity of land, and the rehabilitation, conservation and sustainable
management of land and water resources, leading to improved living conditions,
in particular at the community level.

Article 3

Principles

In order to achieve the objective of this Convention and to implement
its provisions, the Parties shall be guided, inter alia, by the following:

(a) the Parties should ensure that decisions on the design and
implementation of programmes to combat desertification and/or mitigate the
effects of drought are taken with the participation of populations and local
communities and that an enabling environment is created at higher levels to
facilitate action at national and local levels;

(b) the Parties should, in a spirit of international solidarity and
partnership, improve cooperation and coordination at subregional, regional and
international levels, and better focus financial, human, organizational and
technical resources where they are needed;

(c) the Parties should develop, in a spirit of partnership,
cooperation among all levels of government, communities, non-governmental
organizations and landholders to establish a better understanding of the
nature and value of land and scarce water resources in affected areas and to
work towards their sustainable use; and

(d) the Parties should take into full consideration the special needs
and circumstances of affected developing country Parties, particularly the
least developed among them.

PART II

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 4

General obligations

1. The Parties shall implement their obligations under this
Convention, individually or jointly, either through existing or prospective
bilateral and multilateral arrangements or a combination thereof, as
appropriate, emphasizing the need to coordinate efforts and develop a coherent
long-term strategy at all levels.

2. In pursuing the objective of this Convention, the Parties shall:

(a) adopt an integrated approach addressing the physical, biological
and socio-economic aspects of the processes of desertification and drought;

(b) give due attention, within the relevant international and regional
bodies, to the situation of affected developing country Parties with regard to
international trade, marketing arrangements and debt with a view to
establishing an enabling international economic environment conducive to the
promotion of sustainable development;

(c) integrate strategies for poverty eradication into efforts to
combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought;

(d) promote cooperation among affected country Parties in the fields
of environmental protection and the conservation of land and water resources,
as they relate to desertification and drought;

(e) strengthen subregional, regional and international cooperation;

(f) cooperate within relevant intergovernmental organizations;

(g) determine institutional mechanisms, if appropriate, keeping in
mind the need to avoid duplication; and

(h) promote the use of existing bilateral and multilateral financial
mechanisms and arrangements that mobilize and channel substantial financial
resources to affected developing country Parties in combating desertification
and mitigating the effects of drought.

3. Affected developing country Parties are eligible for assistance in
the implementation of the Convention.

Article 5

Obligations of affected country Parties

In addition to their obligations pursuant to article 4, affected country
Parties undertake to:

(a) give due priority to combating desertification and mitigating the
effects of drought, and allocate adequate resources in accordance with their
circumstances and capabilities;

(b) establish strategies and priorities, within the framework of
sustainable development plans and/or policies, to combat desertification and
mitigate the effects of drought;

(c) address the underlying causes of desertification and pay special
attention to the socio-economic factors contributing to desertification
processes;

(d) promote awareness and facilitate the participation of local
populations, particularly women and youth, with the support of non-
governmental organizations, in efforts to combat desertification and mitigate
the effects of drought; and

(e) provide an enabling environment by strengthening, as appropriate,
relevant existing legislation and, where they do not exist, enacting new laws
and establishing long-term policies and action programmes.

Article 6

Obligations of developed country Parties

In addition to their general obligations pursuant to article 4,
developed country Parties undertake to:

(a) actively support, as agreed, individually or jointly, the efforts
of affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa, and the
least developed countries, to combat desertification and mitigate the effects
of drought;

(b) provide substantial financial resources and other forms of support
to assist affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa,
effectively to develop and implement their own long-term plans and strategies
to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought;

(c) promote the mobilization of new and additional funding pursuant to
article 20, paragraph 2 (b);

(d) encourage the mobilization of funding from the private sector and
other non-governmental sources; and

(e) promote and facilitate access by affected country Parties,
particularly affected developing country Parties, to appropriate technology,
knowledge and know-how.

Article 7

Priority for Africa

In implementing this Convention, the Parties shall give priority to
affected African country Parties, in the light of the particular situation
prevailing in that region, while not neglecting affected developing country
Parties in other regions.

 

Conclusion

Notes

See Also

References and Further Reading

About the Author/s and Reviewer/s

Author: international

Mentioned in these Entries

Development International Law -9, Environment and Wildlife conventions, International Conventions from 1991, International Environment, Biodiversity and Climate resources, Other Environmental conventions, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 2, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 3, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 4, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 5, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 6, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 7.


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