Q. What is/are the importance/importances of the ‘United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’?

  1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships.
  2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions.
  3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  • 1 only
  • 2 and 3 only
  • 1 and 3 only
  • 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Notes:

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD):
  • It was established in 1994.
  • The convention was drafted and opened for signing in 1994. It became effective in 1996 after receiving 50 ratifications.
  • It is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
  • The UNCCD is particularly committed to a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification and land degradation.
    • ​ The convention’s 195 parties work together to improve the living conditions for people in drylands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought.
  • This convention aims to promote effective action through innovative local programmes and supportive international partnerships.
    • The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.
  • The implementation of UNCCD is around five regional annexes: Africa (given a priority because there is where desertification is most severe), Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Northern Mediterranean, and Central and Eastern Europe
  • There is no such provision that the secretariat facilitates the allocation of the major portion of financial resources to the South Asia and North Africa regions.
  • The convention’s 2018 – 2030 Strategic Framework is a comprehensive international commitment to attain Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) aiming at:
    • The restoration of productivity of degraded land.
    • Enhancing the livelihoods of people dependent on them.
    • Mitigating the impact of droughts on vulnerable populations.
  • The UNCCD is one of the three Rio Conventions, the other two being:
    • Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)
    • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  • To spread the word about the UNCCD, 2006 was declared as “International Year of Deserts and Desertification”.