"Making a difference"

Stories from Local Communities

In the ninth year since the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted in June 1994, it is pleasing to note that the Convention has reached maturity and is moving from preparation of the national action programmes to the implementation phase.

The Convention has been particularly successful in securing the participation of local communities in the decision-making and implementation processes, without which enduring and effective changes needed to fight land degradation and desertification would not be possible. Unlike the traditional top-down approach in the past, which more often than not failed, the Convention's emphasis on a bottom-up approach and partnership building has empowered those people who are most directly affected by desertification and who depend most on the land for their livelihood, to become the initiators of, and the driving force behind, many successful projects that are helping rehabilitate barren lands and fight poverty in affected regions of the world.

The stories collected here are good examples of how local communities in different parts of the world have each sought to tackle the problem of land degradation and desertification in partnership with non-governmental organizations, international organizations and other institutions. While some have just started to fight the problem, others are collecting and enjoying the fruits of their successful projects, ready and eager to replicate their experiences in other communities. In this edition, we have collected more stories, as the exchange of information on their diverse experience in similar struggles is enabling more communities affected by these problems to understand properly the issues at hand and take courage in formulating their unique solutions to the problems within their particular environmental and socio-economic conditions, for the sustainable development of their communities.

My deepest gratitude to all the non-governmental organizations and communities who have contributed by making their stories accessible to a wider public, and to the Global Cooperation Council and the IPS-CIC Communication Project in Germany for their support in the publication of this booklet.

Hama Arba Diallo
Executive Secretary
UNCCD

Downloadable PDF version of stories