All publications and documents

The World Atlas of Desertification summarizes the current state of scientific knowledge on the drylands of the globe. The Atlas clearly shows that desertification is one of the world's most pressing environmental problems, and that it is a global issue which is accelerating. The global extent of the problem of desertification was indicated in the first edition of the World Atlas of…

The Platform for Action is an agenda for women’s empowerment. It aims at accelerating the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ and at removing all the obstacles to women’s active participation in all spheres of public and private life through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making. …

The UNSO paper maintains that activities to be funded should be primarily community oriented; access to the fund's resources should therefore be restricted to community based organizations, NGO's and local government authorities. The paper also lists a number of initiatives that would qualify for funding: Promoting alternative livelihoods systems to provide incomes in…

Understanding Risk addresses a central dilemma of risk decisionmaking in a democracy: detailed scientific and technical information is essential for making decisions, but the people who make and live with those decisions are not scientists. The key task of risk characterization is to provide needed and appropriate information to decisionmakers and the public. This important new volume illustrates…

Will major global environmental change take place in the 21st century? How much is known about the change? Can we find out more? Must we take it seriously? Should we do something now, or can we wait a decade or so? This book seeks to answer these questions. Scientists are reaching consensus that rates of change in many of the environmental indicators are already increasing in some…

Land degradation and desertification has always been a high priority for the SADC member States for they affect food production. On the road leading to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, SADC-ELMS sensitised, adviced and worked closely with member states to assist them to produce the national UNCED reports. It also produced the regional reports, Sustaining Our Common Future which became part of Agenda 21…