UNCCD and Its Initiatives

Transcription

1 UNCCD and Its Initiatives National Seminar UNECE Water Convention and Its Role in International Law By Yang Youlin OIC, Asia RCU/ UNCCD Secretariat Almaty, Oct. 2010

2 OUTLINE 1. Meeting the Challenge of Global Poverty and Sustainable Development 2. The UNCCD as a Useful Tool for Achieving Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation 3. UNCCD s Initiatives at Various Levels--Global, Regional, Sub-regional and National 2

3 Meeting the Challenge of Global Poverty and Sustainable Development Poverty alleviation and desertification could advance together. The priority is to cooperate for the sustainable development of the communities who live in absolute poverty or suffer from extreme poorness. These are often rural communities in dryland areas; Land degradation and poverty affect 3.6 billion ha worldwide, an area equivalent to one quarter of the earth s land mass. Desertification affects 70% of all drylands on this planet in more than 100 countries. 24 billion tons of topsoil are estimated to be lost every year as a result of this phenomenon, with serious impact on agricultural production. 3

4 38% of the world population-2.3 billion people-live in dryland areas. It is estimated that the livelihood of 250 million people is directly affected by desertification, while another billion living in rural drylands is threatened by this disaster. Nearly half of Africa s population-or 325 million people-is threatened by desertification and millions are already affected in dryland communities where basic subsistence is a daily challenge. 4

5 There is a complex cause-effect relationship between desertification, population growth and poverty that is best illustrated as a poverty/land degradation downward spiral, whereby growing and impoverished populations overexploit their already stressed land resources, thereby further degrading a shrinking resource base and exacerbating poverty. In that circle, poverty is both a cause and consequence of land degradation, and the poor are both agents and victims of the process. 5

6 UNCCD Useful tool for Achieving Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation UNCCD was created to reverse the poverty-land degradation cycle and support the development needs of drylands communities in a sustainable way. It is characterized by: 1) An Authentic Sustainable Development Focus UNCCD is a strategic instrument to integrate environmental and developmental policies through its sustainable development focus; 2) A Focus on Poverty Stricken Communities in the Drylands UNCCD offers a community-based, bottom-up, participatory approach designed to support local communities facing the double challenge of poverty and desertification. 6

7 3) A Tool to Prevent Socio-Economic Instability and Forced Migration UNCCD offers advantages as an instrument that can prevent food insecurity, socio-economic disruption and forced migrations through the sustainable development of rural communities, thus also reducing pressure on the urban communities by the rural poor. The UNCCD addresses this challenge by channeling aid flows and integrative framework to support dryland communities development. 7

8 4) A Tool to Prevent Conflict Over Scarce Resources UNCCD geographic scope coincides with areas where conflict over scarce resources is prevalent. Where environmental scarcity did not degenerate into violent conflict, the critical factor in preventing resources-based conflicts was the ability of local people in resource-poor areas to intensify agricultural production, better manage their pastoral areas, agree joint programmes for the sustainable management of transboundary natural resources or diversify their livelihoods without degrading environment; 8

9 5) An Integrative, Participatory Instrument UNCCD provides a framework for a participatory-thus democratic-and integrated approach to sustainable development: the National Action Programmes (NAPs). The NAPs promote policies and strengthen institutional frameworks which develop cooperation and coordination, in a spirit of partnership, between the donor community, governments at all levels, local populations and community groups, and facilitate access by local populations to appropriate information and technology and help them control the resources in their areas; 9

10 6) A Multi-Layered Cooperation Instrument UNCCD establishes a framework for the development of national, sub-regional and regional action programmes and international cooperation that are mutually reinforcing instruments. It also has the opportunities to establish synergies or linkages with other major environmental and socio-economic treaties including UNFCCC, CBD, as well as regional agreements; 10

11 7) A Partnership Approach to Financial Resources UNCCD is an effective instrument to coordinate financial resources from multiple sources, including those of foundations, nongovernmental organizations and other private sector entities, with the aim of maximizing benefits for the dryland communities. 11

12 6.17--World Day to Combat Desertification and Mitigate Drought Effects 12

13 UNCCD and Its Initiative at Global Level 1992 Rio Summit recommended the formulation of the UNCCD; 1994 June UNCCD adopted and open for ratification; 1996 December UNCCD came into force; 1997 COP1, Rome, Italy; 1998 COP2, Dakar, Senegal; 1999 COP3, Recife, Brazil; 2000 COP4, Bonn, Germany; 2001 COP5, Geneva, Switzerland; 2002 preparation of WSSD, and Preparation of CRIC1; 2003 CRIC2 and COP6, Havana, Cuba; 2004 CRIC3 in Bonn 2005 CRIC4 and COP7, Nairobi, Kenya; 2006 Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting on National Report Preparation; 2007 CRIC5 in BsAs, Argentina and COP8 in Madrid, Spain; 2008 CRIC6 and Asia Regional Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey; 2009 Asia R. Meeting in BKK, CRIC7, Sci. Con., CST&COP9 in BsAs; 2011 CRIC8 and Asia Regional Focal Points Meeting; 2011 COP10 and CRIC9 in Changwon City, RoK. 13

14 At Regional Level Combating Desertification in Asia Desertification takes many different forms across the vast Asia; National Action Programmes are being formulated by several Asian countries; Affected developing countries National Action Programme illustrates the need to make combating dryland degradation a longterm strategic goal; Regional activities are being launched through TPNs; Six TPNs have been planned and launched in Asia Region; Each TPN is coordinated by a country task manager ; West Asia countries have developing a subregional programme to strengthen their activities under the Convention; Central Asia Countries outlined their SRAP and it is planned to align this SRAP; East, Southeast and South Asia operate national efforts in implementing the UNCCD and their NAPs; Southeast Asia SRAP development in Vietnam; Northeast Asia Forest Network, proposed by RoK, China, Japan and Mongolia, on June 14-15, 2006 in Seoul, Rok. 14

15 UNCCD Initiative at Regional Level Six TPNs Organizations of CRICs which were held in and 2005 in Bonn, Havana and Bonn; 1 st Asian Ministerial conference on CCD Implementation in China in nd Asian Ministerial Conference on CCD Implementation, UAE,

16 UNCCD and Its Initiative at Sub-regional Level 1. Support to the organization of a subregional workshop on NEA in combating desertification, mitigating the effects of drought and controlling sand and dust storm in 2002 ; 2. Support to promoting subregional collaboration in tacking land degradation and mitigating the effects of drought among the South Pacific Island countries in 2002; 3. Support to the preparation and implementation of a subregional action programme (SRAP) to combat desertification in the Aral Sea Basin in 2002; 4. Organized the SEA SRAP workshop and endorsment in Vietnam and Thailand in 2005 and 2007; 5. Coordinated and organized NEA SRAP workshop and Symposium on Prevention and Control of DSS and Mitigation of DLDD in NEA. 16

17 UNCCD s Initiative at National Level National Awareness Seminars in the Affected Countries Ratified or Acceded the UNCCD; Preparation of National Report to Implement the UNCCD in affected developing countries; Preparation and Adoption of the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification and Mitigate the Effects of Drought; 7 countries in Asia have submitted; Coordination Meeting on Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization for the CCD Implementation - Roundtable meeting (1999 Mali, 2001 China). Who will be next? Preparation of Help guides for NAP and national report; Help national focal point strengthen national coordination body. 17

18 Thank you for your attention!