(<< back to main table of contents)Table of Contents
Section 1: Action Programmes
» Article 9: Basic approach » Article 10: National action programmes » Article 11: Subregional and regional action programmes » Article 12: International cooperation » Article 13: Support for the elaboration and implementation of action programmes » Article 14: Coordination int he elaboration and implementation of action programmes » Article 15: Regional implementation annexes
Section 2: Scientific and Technical Cooperation
» Article 16: Information collection, analysis and exchange » Article 17: Research and development » Article 18: Transfer, acquisition, adaption and devlopment of technology
Section 3: Supporting Measures
» Article 19: Capacity building, education and public awareness » Article 20: Financial resources » Article 21: Financial mechanisms
PART III
ACTION PROGRAMMES, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND SUPPORTING MEASURES
Section 1: Action programmes
Basic approach
1. In carrying out their obligations pursuant to article 5, affected developing country
Parties and any other affected country Party in the framework of its regional
implementation annex or, otherwise, that has notified the Permanent Secretariat in writing
of its intention to prepare a national action programme, shall, as appropriate, prepare,
make public and implement national action programmes, utilizing and building, to the
extent possible, on existing relevant successful plans and programmes, and subregional and
regional action programmes, as the central element of the strategy to combat
desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. Such programmes shall be updated
through a continuing participatory process on the basis of lessons from field action, as
well as the results of research. The preparation of national action programmes shall be
closely interlinked with other efforts to formulate national policies for sustainable
development.
2. In the provision by developed country Parties of different forms of assistance under
the terms of article 6, priority shall be given to supporting, as agreed, national,
subregional and regional action programmes of affected developing country Parties,
particularly those in Africa, either directly or through relevant multilateral
organizations or both.
3. The Parties shall encourage organs, funds and programmes of the United Nations
system and other relevant intergovernmental organizations, academic institutions, the
scientific community and non-governmental organizations in a position to cooperate, in
accordance with their mandates and capabilities, to support the elaboration,
implementation and follow-up of action programmes.
National action programmes
1. The purpose of national action programmes is to identify the factors contributing to
desertification and practical measures necessary to combat desertification and mitigate
the effects of drought.
2. National action programmes shall specify the respective roles of government, local
communities and land users and the resources available and needed. They shall, inter
alia:
(a) incorporate long-term strategies to combat desertification and mitigate the effects
of drought, emphasize implementation and be integrated with national policies for
sustainable development;
(b) allow for modifications to be made in response to changing circumstances and be
sufficiently flexible at the local level to cope with different socio-economic, biological
and geo-physical conditions;
(c) give particular attention to the implementation of preventive measures for lands
that are not yet degraded or which are only slightly degraded;
(d) enhance national climatological, meteorological and hydrological capabilities and
the means to provide for drought early warning;
(e) 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;
(f) provide for effective participation at the local, national and regional levels of
non- governmental organizations and local populations, both women and men, particularly
resource users, including farmers and pastoralists and their representative organizations,
in policy planning, decision-making, and implementation and review of national action
programmes; and
(g) require regular review of, and progress reports on, their implementation.
3. National action programmes may include, inter alia, some or all of the
following measures to prepare for and mitigate the effects of drought:
(a) establishment and/or strengthening, as appropriate, of early warning systems,
including local and national facilities and joint systems at the subregional and regional
levels, and mechanisms for assisting environmentally displaced persons;
(b) strengthening of drought preparedness and management, including drought contingency
plans at the local, national, subregional and regional levels, which take into
consideration seasonal to interannual climate predictions;
(c) establishment and/or strengthening, as appropriate, of food security systems,
including storage and marketing facilities, particularly in rural areas;
(d) establishment of alternative livelihood projects that could provide incomes in
drought prone areas; and
(e) development of sustainable irrigation programmes for both crops and livestock.
4. Taking into account the circumstances and requirements specific to each affected
country Party, national action programmes include, as appropriate, inter alia,
measures in some or all of the following priority fields as they relate to combating
desertification and mitigating the effects of drought in affected areas and to their
populations: promotion of alternative livelihoods and improvement of national economic
environments with a view to strengthening programmes aimed at the eradication of poverty
and at ensuring food security; demographic dynamics; sustainable management of natural
resources; sustainable agricultural practices; development and efficient use of various
energy sources; institutional and legal frameworks; strengthening of capabilities for
assessment and systematic observation, including hydrological and meteorological services,
and capacity building, education and public awareness.
Subregional and regional action programmes
Affected country Parties shall consult and cooperate to prepare, as appropriate, in
accordance with relevant regional implementation annexes, subregional and/or regional
action programmes to harmonize, complement and increase the efficiency of national
programmes. The provisions of article 10 shall apply mutatis mutandis to
subregional and regional programmes. Such cooperation may include agreed joint programmes
for the sustainable management of transboundary natural resources, scientific and
technical cooperation, and strengthening of relevant institutions.
International cooperation
Affected country Parties, in collaboration with other Parties and the international
community, should cooperate to ensure the promotion of an enabling international
environment in the implementation of the Convention. Such cooperation should also cover
fields of technology transfer as well as scientific research and development, information
collection and dissemination and financial resources.
Support for the elaboration and implementation of action programmes
1. Measures to support action programmes pursuant to article 9 include, inter alia:
(a) financial cooperation to provide predictability for action programmes, allowing for
necessary long-term planning;
(b) elaboration and use of cooperation mechanisms which better enable support at the
local level, including action through non-governmental organizations, in order to promote
the replicability of successful pilot programme activities where relevant;
(c) increased flexibility in project design, funding and implementation in keeping with
the experimental, iterative approach indicated for participatory action at the local
community level; and
(d) as appropriate, administrative and budgetary procedures that increase the
efficiency of cooperation and of support programmes.
2. In providing such support to affected developing country Parties, priority shall be
given to African country Parties and to least developed country Parties.
Coordination in the elaboration and implementation of action programmes
1. The Parties shall work closely together, directly and through relevant
intergovernmental organizations, in the elaboration and implementation of action
programmes.
2. The Parties shall develop operational mechanisms, particularly at the national and
field levels, to ensure the fullest possible coordination among developed country Parties,
developing country Parties and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations, in order to avoid duplication, harmonize interventions and approaches, and
maximize the impact of assistance. In affected developing country Parties, priority will
be given to coordinating activities related to international cooperation in order to
maximize the efficient use of resources, to ensure responsive assistance, and to
facilitate the implementation of national action programmes and priorities under this
Convention.
Regional implementation annexes
Elements for incorporation in action programmes shall be selected and adapted to the
socio- economic, geographical and climatic factors applicable to affected country Parties
or regions, as well as to their level of development. Guidelines for the preparation of
action programmes and their exact focus and content for particular subregions and regions
are set out in the regional implementation annexes.
Section 2: Scientific and technical cooperation
Information collection, analysis and exchange
The Parties agree, according to their respective capabilities, to integrate and
coordinate the collection, analysis and exchange of relevant short term and long term data
and information to ensure systematic observation of land degradation in affected areas and
to understand better and assess the processes and effects of drought and desertification.
This would help accomplish, inter alia, early warning and advance planning for
periods of adverse climatic variation in a form suited for practical application by users
at all levels, including especially local populations. To this end, they shall, as
appropriate:
(a) facilitate and strengthen the functioning of the global network of institutions and
facilities for the collection, analysis and exchange of information, as well as for
systematic observation at all levels, which shall, inter alia:
(i) aim to use compatible standards and systems;
(ii) encompass relevant data and stations, including in remote areas;
(iii) use and disseminate modern technology for data collection, transmission and
assessment on land degradation; and
(iv) link national, subregional and regional data and information centres more closely
with global information sources;
(b) ensure that the collection, analysis and exchange of information address the needs
of local communities and those of decision makers, with a view to resolving specific
problems, and that local communities are involved in these activities;
(c) support and further develop bilateral and multilateral programmes and projects
aimed at defining, conducting, assessing and financing the collection, analysis and
exchange of data and information, including, inter alia, integrated sets of
physical, biological, social and economic indicators;
(d) make full use of the expertise of competent intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations, particularly to disseminate relevant information and experiences among
target groups in different regions;
(e) give full weight to the collection, analysis and exchange of socio-economic data,
and their integration with physical and biological data;
(f) exchange and make fully, openly and promptly available information from all
publicly available sources relevant to combating desertification and mitigating the
effects of drought; and
(g) subject to their respective national legislation and/or policies, exchange
information on local and traditional knowledge, ensuring adequate protection for it and
providing appropriate return from the benefits derived from it, on an equitable basis and
on mutually agreed terms, to the local populations concerned.
Research and development
1. The Parties undertake, according to their respective capabilities, to promote
technical and scientific cooperation in the fields of combating desertification and
mitigating the effects of drought through appropriate national, subregional, regional and
international institutions. To this end, they shall support research activities that:
(a) contribute to increased knowledge of the processes leading to desertification and
drought and the impact of, and distinction between, causal factors, both natural and
human, with a view to combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought, and
achieving improved productivity as well as sustainable use and management of resources;
(b) respond to well defined objectives, address the specific needs of local populations
and lead to the identification and implementation of solutions that improve the living
standards of people in affected areas;
(c) protect, integrate, enhance and validate traditional and local knowledge, know-how
and practices, ensuring, subject to their respective national legislation and/or policies,
that the owners of that knowledge will directly benefit on an equitable basis and on
mutually agreed terms from any commercial utilization of it or from any technological
development derived from that knowledge;
(d) develop and strengthen national, subregional and regional research capabilities in
affected developing country Parties, particularly in Africa, including the development of
local skills and the strengthening of appropriate capacities, especially in countries with
a weak research base, giving particular attention to multidisciplinary and participative
socio- economic research;
(e) take into account, where relevant, the relationship between poverty, migration
caused by environmental factors, and desertification;
(f) promote the conduct of joint research programmes between national, subregional,
regional and international research organizations, in both the public and private sectors,
for the development of improved, affordable and accessible technologies for sustainable
development through effective participation of local populations and communities; and
(g) enhance the availability of water resources in affected areas, by means of, inter
alia, cloud-seeding.
2. Research priorities for particular regions and subregions, reflecting different
local conditions, should be included in action programmes. The Conference of the Parties
shall review research priorities periodically on the advice of the Committee on Science
and Technology.
Transfer, acquisition, adaptation and development of technology
1. The Parties undertake, as mutually agreed and in accordance with their respective
national legislation and/or policies, to promote, finance and/or facilitate the financing
of the transfer, acquisition, adaptation and development of environmentally sound,
economically viable and socially acceptable technologies relevant to combating
desertification and/or mitigating the effects of drought, with a view to contributing to
the achievement of sustainable development in affected areas. Such cooperation shall be
conducted bilaterally or multilaterally, as appropriate, making full use of the expertise
of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The Parties shall, in particular:
(a) fully utilize relevant existing national, subregional, regional and international
information systems and clearing-houses for the dissemination of information on available
technologies, their sources, their environmental risks and the broad terms under which
they may be acquired;
(b) facilitate access, in particular by affected developing country Parties, on
favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed,
taking into account the need to protect intellectual property rights, to technologies most
suitable to practical application for specific needs of local populations, paying special
attention to the social, cultural, economic and environmental impact of such technology;
(c) facilitate technology cooperation among affected country Parties through financial
assistance or other appropriate means;
(d) extend technology cooperation with affected developing country Parties, including,
where relevant, joint ventures, especially to sectors which foster alternative
livelihoods; and
(e) take appropriate measures to create domestic market conditions and incentives,
fiscal or otherwise, conducive to the development, transfer, acquisition and adaptation of
suitable technology, knowledge, know-how and practices, including measures to ensure
adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights.
2. The Parties shall, according to their respective capabilities, and subject to their
respective national legislation and/or policies, protect, promote and use in particular
relevant traditional and local technology, knowledge, know-how and practices and, to that
end, they undertake to:
(a) make inventories of such technology, knowledge, know-how and practices and their
potential uses with the participation of local populations, and disseminate such
information, where appropriate, in cooperation with relevant intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations;
(b) ensure that such technology, knowledge, know-how and practices are adequately
protected and that local populations benefit directly, on an equitable basis and as
mutually agreed, from any commercial utilization of them or from any technological
development derived therefrom;
(c) encourage and actively support the improvement and dissemination of such
technology, knowledge, know-how and practices or of the development of new technology
based on them; and
(d) facilitate, as appropriate, the adaptation of such technology, knowledge, know-how
and practices to wide use and integrate them with modern technology, as appropriate.
Section 3: Supporting measures
Capacity building, education and public awareness
1. The Parties recognize the significance of capacity building -- that is to say,
institution building, training and development of relevant local and national capacities
-- in efforts to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. They shall
promote, as appropriate, capacity- building:
(a) through the full participation at all levels of local people, particularly at the
local level, especially women and youth, with the cooperation of non-governmental and
local organizations;
(b) by strengthening training and research capacity at the national level in the field
of desertification and drought;
(c) by establishing and/or strengthening support and extension services to disseminate
relevant technology methods and techniques more effectively, and by training field agents
and members of rural organizations in participatory approaches for the conservation and
sustainable use of natural resources;
(d) by fostering the use and dissemination of the knowledge, know-how and practices of
local people in technical cooperation programmes, wherever possible;
(e) by adapting, where necessary, relevant environmentally sound technology and
traditional methods of agriculture and pastoralism to modern socio-economic conditions;
(f) by providing appropriate training and technology in the use of alternative energy
sources, particularly renewable energy resources, aimed particularly at reducing
dependence on wood for fuel;
(g) through cooperation, as mutually agreed, to strengthen the capacity of affected
developing country Parties to develop and implement programmes in the field of collection,
analysis and exchange of information pursuant to article 16;
(h) through innovative ways of promoting alternative livelihoods, including training in
new skills;
(i) by training of decision makers, managers, and personnel who are responsible for the
collection and analysis of data for the dissemination and use of early warning information
on drought conditions and for food production;
(j) through more effective operation of existing national institutions and legal
frameworks and, where necessary, creation of new ones, along with strengthening of
strategic planning and management; and
(k) by means of exchange visitor programmes to enhance capacity building in affected
country Parties through a long-term, interactive process of learning and study.
2. Affected developing country Parties shall conduct, in cooperation with other Parties
and competent intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as appropriate, an
interdisciplinary review of available capacity and facilities at the local and national
levels, and the potential for strengthening them.
3. The Parties shall cooperate with each other and through competent intergovernmental
organizations, as well as with non-governmental organizations, in undertaking and
supporting public awareness and educational programmes in both affected and, where
relevant, unaffected country Parties to promote understanding of the causes and effects of
desertification and drought and of the importance of meeting the objective of this
Convention. To that end, they shall:
(a) organize awareness campaigns for the general public;
(b) promote, on a permanent basis, access by the public to relevant information, and
wide public participation in education and awareness activities;
(c) encourage the establishment of associations that contribute to public awareness;
(d) develop and exchange educational and public awareness material, where possible in
local languages, exchange and second experts to train personnel of affected developing
country Parties in carrying out relevant education and awareness programmes, and fully
utilize relevant educational material available in competent international bodies;
(e) assess educational needs in affected areas, elaborate appropriate school curricula
and expand, as needed, educational and adult literacy programmes and opportunities for
all, in particular for girls and women, on the identification, conservation and
sustainable use and management of the natural resources of affected areas; and
(f) develop interdisciplinary participatory programmes integrating desertification and
drought awareness into educational systems and in non-formal, adult, distance and
practical educational programmes.
4. The Conference of the Parties shall establish and/or strengthen networks of regional
education and training centres to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of
drought. These networks shall be coordinated by an institution created or designated for
that purpose, in order to train scientific, technical and management personnel and to
strengthen existing institutions responsible for education and training in affected
country Parties, where appropriate, with a view to harmonizing programmes and to
organizing exchanges of experience among them. These networks shall cooperate closely with
relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to avoid duplication of
effort.
Financial resources
1. Given the central importance of financing to the achievement of the objective of the
Convention, the Parties, taking into account their capabilities, shall make every effort
to ensure that adequate financial resources are available for programmes to combat
desertification and mitigate the effects of drought.
2. In this connection, developed country Parties, while giving priority to affected
African country Parties without neglecting affected developing country Parties in other
regions, in accordance with article 7, undertake to:
(a) mobilize substantial financial resources, including grants and concessional loans,
in order to support the implementation of programmes to combat desertification and
mitigate the effects of drought;
(b) promote the mobilization of adequate, timely and predictable financial resources,
including new and additional funding from the Global Environment Facility of the agreed
incremental costs of those activities concerning desertification that relate to its four
focal areas, in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Instrument establishing the
Global Environment Facility;
(c) facilitate through international cooperation the transfer of technology, knowledge
and know-how; and
(d) explore, in cooperation with affected developing country Parties, innovative
methods and incentives for mobilizing and channelling resources, including those of
foundations, non- governmental organizations and other private sector entities,
particularly debt swaps and other innovative means which increase financing by reducing
the external debt burden of affected developing country Parties, particularly those in
Africa.
3. Affected developing country Parties, taking into account their capabilities,
undertake to mobilize adequate financial resources for the implementation of their
national action programmes.
4. In mobilizing financial resources, the Parties shall seek full use and continued
qualitative improvement of all national, bilateral and multilateral funding sources and
mechanisms, using consortia, joint programmes and parallel financing, and shall seek to
involve private sector funding sources and mechanisms, including those of non-governmental
organizations. To this end, the Parties shall fully utilize the operational mechanisms
developed pursuant to article 14.
5. In order to mobilize the financial resources necessary for affected developing
country Parties to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought, the Parties
shall:
(a) rationalize and strengthen the management of resources already allocated for
combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought by using them more
effectively and efficiently, assessing their successes and shortcomings, removing
hindrances to their effective use and, where necessary, reorienting programmes in light of
the integrated long- term approach adopted pursuant to this Convention;
(b) give due priority and attention within the governing bodies of multilateral
financial institutions, facilities and funds, including regional development banks and
funds, to supporting affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa, in
activities which advance implementation of the Convention, notably action programmes they
undertake in the framework of regional implementation annexes; and
(c) examine ways in which regional and subregional cooperation can be strengthened to
support efforts undertaken at the national level.
6. Other Parties are encouraged to provide, on a voluntary basis, knowledge, know-how
and techniques related to desertification and/or financial resources to affected
developing country Parties.
7. The full implementation by affected developing country Parties, particularly those
in Africa, of their obligations under the Convention will be greatly assisted by the
fulfilment by developed country Parties of their obligations under the Convention,
including in particular those regarding financial resources and transfer of technology. In
fulfilling their obligations, developed country Parties should take fully into account
that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first priorities of
affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa.
Financial mechanisms
1. The Conference of the Parties shall promote the availability of financial mechanisms
and shall encourage such mechanisms to seek to maximize the availability of funding for
affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa, to implement the
Convention. To this end, the Conference of the Parties shall consider for adoption inter
alia approaches and policies that:
(a) facilitate the provision of necessary funding at the national, subregional,
regional and global levels for activities pursuant to relevant provisions of the
Convention;
(b) promote multiple-source funding approaches, mechanisms and arrangements and their
assessment, consistent with article 20;
(c) provide on a regular basis, to interested Parties and relevant intergovernmental
and non- governmental organizations, information on available sources of funds and on
funding patterns in order to facilitate coordination among them;
(d) facilitate the establishment, as appropriate, of mechanisms, such as national
desertification funds, including those involving the participation of non-governmental
organizations, to channel financial resources rapidly and efficiently to the local level
in affected developing country Parties; and
(e) strengthen existing funds and financial mechanisms at the subregional and regional
levels, particularly in Africa, to support more effectively the implementation of the
Convention.
2. The Conference of the Parties shall also encourage the provision, through various
mechanisms within the United Nations system and through multilateral financial
institutions, of support at the national, subregional and regional levels to activities
that enable developing country Parties to meet their obligations under the Convention.
3. Affected developing country Parties shall utilize, and where necessary, establish
and/or strengthen, national coordinating mechanisms, integrated in national development
programmes, that would ensure the efficient use of all available financial resources. They
shall also utilize participatory processes involving non-governmental organizations, local
groups and the private sector, in raising funds, in elaborating as well as implementing
programmes and in assuring access to funding by groups at the local level. These actions
can be enhanced by improved coordination and flexible programming on the part of those
providing assistance.
4. In order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of existing financial
mechanisms, a Global Mechanism to promote actions leading to the mobilization and
channelling of substantial financial resources, including for the transfer of technology,
on a grant basis, and/or on concessional or other terms, to affected developing country
Parties, is hereby established. This Global Mechanism shall function under the authority
and guidance of the Conference of the Parties and be accountable to it.
5. The Conference of the Parties shall identify, at its first ordinary session, an
organization to house the Global Mechanism. The Conference of the Parties and the
organization it has identified shall agree upon modalities for this Global Mechanism to
ensure inter alia that such Mechanism:
(a) identifies and draws up an inventory of relevant bilateral and multilateral
cooperation programmes that are available to implement the Convention;
(b) provides advice, on request, to Parties on innovative methods of financing and
sources of financial assistance and on improving the coordination of cooperation
activities at the national level;
(c) provides interested Parties and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations with information on available sources of funds and on funding patterns in
order to facilitate coordination among them; and
(d) reports to the Conference of the Parties, beginning at its second ordinary session,
on its activities.
6. The Conference of the Parties shall, at its first session, make appropriate
arrangements with the organization it has identified to house the Global Mechanism for the
administrative operations of such Mechanism, drawing to the extent possible on existing
budgetary and human resources.
7. The Conference of the Parties shall, at its third ordinary session, review the
policies, operational modalities and activities of the Global Mechanism accountable to it
pursuant to paragraph 4, taking into account the provisions of article 7. On the basis of
this review, it shall consider and take appropriate action.
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