The Saga of the Convention to Combat Desertification: The Rio/Johannesburg Process and the global responsibility for the drylands
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The Convention to Combat Desertification is an integral part of the Rio/Johannesburg process. Dryland problems will most probably still be more intractable in the future because of the effects of climate change. This means, that the whole conetx of sustainable development must be brought to bear on the problems of the drylands.
In Johannesburg, considerable attention was paid to the combat of poverty. This is not a theoretical problem: it is a living reality for millions, and many of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world in drylands. Furthermore, the fundamental problem of water and food security was given central attention.
In the follow-up to Johannesburg, it will be necessary to utilize fully the potential of the Convention to Combat Desertification in order to make it a priviliged instrument to reach the objectives enumerated in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The recent successful first meeting of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention demonstrates the vitality of the Convention and its concrete outreach to the drylands.
The Convention is also an instrument of the fundamentals: it has very concrete objectives. It deals with elements which have been basic to human beings for thousands and thousands of years; sun, wind, sand, water, people, food. It is, and remains, a responsibilty for the international community to combat unacceptable conditions for the more than one billion people who live in the vast dryland on this planet.
Outlines the multilateral negotiation process which culminated in the Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa 1994. Discusses: (1) the preliminary planning, including issues examined by the working groups; (2) the evolution of the negotiation process; (3) the definition of desertification; (4) the establishment of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Desertification; (5) disputes over the financing of the Convention; (6) the ongoing roles of science and research; and (7) the Convention's impact on development cooperation.
In Johannesburg, considerable attention was paid to the combat of poverty. This is not a theoretical problem: it is a living reality for millions, and many of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world in drylands. Furthermore, the fundamental problem of water and food security was given central attention.
In the follow-up to Johannesburg, it will be necessary to utilize fully the potential of the Convention to Combat Desertification in order to make it a priviliged instrument to reach the objectives enumerated in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The recent successful first meeting of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention demonstrates the vitality of the Convention and its concrete outreach to the drylands.
The Convention is also an instrument of the fundamentals: it has very concrete objectives. It deals with elements which have been basic to human beings for thousands and thousands of years; sun, wind, sand, water, people, food. It is, and remains, a responsibilty for the international community to combat unacceptable conditions for the more than one billion people who live in the vast dryland on this planet.
Outlines the multilateral negotiation process which culminated in the Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa 1994. Discusses: (1) the preliminary planning, including issues examined by the working groups; (2) the evolution of the negotiation process; (3) the definition of desertification; (4) the establishment of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Desertification; (5) disputes over the financing of the Convention; (6) the ongoing roles of science and research; and (7) the Convention's impact on development cooperation.
Keywords
economic development
international environmental law
scientific research
economic development
environmental agreements
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