(i) terms used in the UNCCD

This report will be available on the UNCCD web site.

Synergy is considered an important and strategic topic for the UNCCD.

2 Equivalent to euro 1,022,584, based on the prevailing United Nations average rate of exchange for the six months ended October 2005 (EUR 1 US 1.2256).

(c) The use of Internet technology should be in line with the procedures of the UNCCD secretariat.

(b) Development of mechanisms for synergy between the UNCCD and other conventions and organizations.

The ratification process for the Convention to Combat Desertification should be completed in the next few months.

Combat desertification by supporting the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

Combat desertification by supporting the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification aims to combat desertification, mitigate the effects of drought and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

Efforts to integrate the UNCCD into coordination systems should be more systematic.

In close collaboration with the UNCCD secretariat, UNESCO produced the education kits on combating desertification targeting primary schools of desertification affected countries.

IFAD has also assisted country Parties in northern Africa to implement the UNCCD.

Organizing seminars workshops for parliamentarians in each country with the assistance of the secretariat of the UNCCD and regional meetings of parliamentarians to monitor implementation of the action programmes to combat desertification

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) measures to assist the implementation of the UNCCD are carried out with emphasis on the science and education fields of competence.

Currently the UNCCD secretariat is exploring possibilities to associate further personalities for the Year.

(a) To assess the status and needs of information and communication technology in the UNCCD NCBs.

Affected African country Parties have stated that they give priority to renewal energies in the implementation of the UNCCD.

(b) The current state of the CCD process highlights at least three categories of affected countries.

Benin believed that the contribution of the Convention to Combat Desertification to reducing extreme poverty must be better analysed.

Are all CRIC related reports readily available and accessible, e.g. in the UNCCD database?

The Chinese translation is under way, and UNESCO and the UNCCD are looking into production in other languages, including German, Hindi and Mongol.

Pursuing coherent and better coordinated policies in the area of poverty eradication and sustainable human development strategies, including combating desertification, and enhancing synergies between the UNCCD and other relevant multilateral development agreements

(d) A photo competition launched by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to promote the International Year of Deserts and Desertification in 2006.

In the context of the Joint Work Programme (JWP) between the secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UNCCD, priorities for the JWP for 2005 have been established, and the Programme is advancing.

(g) The role of the scientific community within the UNCCD should be increased. This would serve to empower the members of the CST.

Strengthening national legislation and its harmonization with the provisions of the UNCCD in many cases, land and agrarian reforms are a prerequisite

The objective of the project is to promote the adoption of technological options in the combat against desertification and land degradation by focusing on creating awareness of proven technologies at the local scale and creating interlinkages among national and international organizations in order to encourage the realization of UNCCD goals.

Combating deforestation and forest degradation

(b) The project represents an opportunity to enlarge the community of end users and recipients beyond the UNCCD NCBs.

It is clear that this issue of funding CCD activities remains an essential precondition, but is not in itself sufficient.

Within this complex context, the aim of the UNCCD and of this work programme topic is to target poverty, drought and food security in those countries experiencing different degrees of land degradation and desertification.

The CCD process must help to reconcile the immediate needs of the populations with the requirements for long term conservation and sustainability.

Finally, as members of parliament we request the secretariat of the UNCCD, with the assistance of the Inter Parliamentary Union

IFAD will also prepare a document on the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to draw lessons from relevant country and project case studies to facilitate mainstreaming of the objectives of the Convention.

An improved participation process in this area is an important asset in a context where the CCD is recognized as a suitable framework for promoting sustainable development.

The Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) promotes and facilitates implementation of the UNCCD programmes relevant to the rehabilitation of degraded lands in the Arab countries.

Official UNCCD meetings in Bonn.

Effective consultation and mutual cooperation should be promoted under the national action programmes (NAPs) (UNCCD), National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) (CBD) and national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs) (UNFCCC).

We have adhered to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Background The Desertification Convention Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid, and dry sub humid areas.

This issue is assuming growing importance within the UNCCD process, especially since several countries have reached the stage of implementing their NAPs.

Decentralization and the integrated management of natural resources are urgently called for by all the Parties committed to the UNCCD process.

In order to enable the Parties concerned to make progress in that direction, the Bonn Declaration identified strategic areas of action for the implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification.

The CCD process is also viewed as an opportunity to develop regional and international cooperation, notably in the fields of scientific research, information exchange, technology transfer and training.