United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in the United States

Article 8

Relationship with other conventions

1. The Parties shall encourage the coordination of activities carried
out under this Convention and, if they are Parties to them, under other
relevant international agreements, particularly the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, in
order to derive maximum benefit from activities under each agreement while
avoiding duplication of effort. The Parties shall encourage the conduct of
joint programmes, particularly in the fields of research, training, systematic
observation and information collection and exchange, to the extent that such
activities may contribute to achieving the objectives of the agreements
concerned.

2. The provisions of this Convention shall not affect the rights and
obligations of any Party deriving from a bilateral, regional or international
agreement into which it has entered prior to the entry into force of this
Convention for it.

PART III

ACTION PROGRAMMES, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION
AND SUPPORTING MEASURES

Section 1: Action programmes

Article 9

Basic approach

1. In carrying out their obligations pursuant to article 5, affected
developing country Parties and any other affected country Party in the
framework of its regional implementation annex or, otherwise, that has
notified the Permanent Secretariat in writing of its intention to prepare a
national action programme, shall, as appropriate, prepare, make public and
implement national action programmes, utilizing and building, to the extent
possible, on existing relevant successful plans and programmes, and
subregional and regional action programmes, as the central element of the
strategy to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. Such
programmes shall be updated through a continuing participatory process on the
basis of lessons from field action, as well as the results of research. The
preparation of national action programmes shall be closely interlinked with
other efforts to formulate national policies for sustainable development.

2. In the provision by developed country Parties of different forms
of assistance under the terms of article 6, priority shall be given to
supporting, as agreed, national, subregional and regional action programmes of
affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa, either
directly or through relevant multilateral organizations or both.

3. The Parties shall encourage organs, funds and programmes of the
United Nations system and other relevant intergovernmental organizations,
academic institutions, the scientific community and non-governmental
organizations in a position to cooperate, in accordance with their mandates
and capabilities, to support the elaboration, implementation and follow-up of
action programmes.

Article 10

National action programmes

1. The purpose of national action programmes is to identify the
factors contributing to desertification and practical measures necessary to
combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought.

2. National action programmes shall specify the respective roles of
government, local communities and land users and the resources available and
needed. They shall, inter alia:

(a) incorporate long-term strategies to combat desertification and
mitigate the effects of drought, emphasize implementation and be integrated
with national policies for sustainable development;

(b) allow for modifications to be made in response to changing
circumstances and be sufficiently flexible at the local level to cope with
different socio-economic, biological and geo-physical conditions;

(c) give particular attention to the implementation of preventive
measures for lands that are not yet degraded or which are only slightly
degraded;

(d) enhance national climatological, meteorological and hydrological
capabilities and the means to provide for drought early warning;

(e) promote policies and strengthen institutional frameworks which
develop cooperation and coordination, in a spirit of partnership, between the
donor community, governments at all levels, local populations and community
groups, and facilitate access by local populations to appropriate information
and technology;

(f) provide for effective participation at the local, national and
regional levels of non-governmental organizations and local populations, both
women and men, particularly resource users, including farmers and pastoralists
and their representative organizations, in policy planning, decision-making,
and implementation and review of national action programmes; and

(g) require regular review of, and progress reports on, their
implementation.

3. National action programmes may include, inter alia, some or all of
the following measures to prepare for and mitigate the effects of drought:

(a) establishment and/or strengthening, as appropriate, of early
warning systems, including local and national facilities and joint systems at
the subregional and regional levels, and mechanisms for assisting
environmentally displaced persons;

(b) strengthening of drought preparedness and management, including
drought contingency plans at the local, national, subregional and regional
levels, which take into consideration seasonal to interannual climate
predictions;

(c) establishment and/or strengthening, as appropriate, of food
security systems, including storage and marketing facilities, particularly in
rural areas;

(d) establishment of alternative livelihood projects that could
provide incomes in drought prone areas; and

(e) development of sustainable irrigation programmes for both crops
and livestock.

4. Taking into account the circumstances and requirements specific to
each affected country Party, national action programmes include, as
appropriate, inter alia, measures in some or all of the following priority
fields as they relate to combating desertification and mitigating the effects
of drought in affected areas and to their populations: promotion of
alternative livelihoods and improvement of national economic environments with
a view to strengthening programmes aimed at the eradication of poverty and at
ensuring food security; demographic dynamics; sustainable management of
natural resources; sustainable agricultural practices; development and
efficient use of various energy sources; institutional and legal frameworks;
strengthening of capabilities for assessment and systematic observation,
including hydrological and meteorological services, and capacity building,
education and public awareness.

Article 11

Subregional and regional action programmes

Affected country Parties shall consult and cooperate to prepare, as
appropriate, in accordance with relevant regional implementation annexes,
subregional and/or regional action programmes to harmonize, complement and
increase the efficiency of national programmes. The provisions of article 10
shall apply mutatis mutandis to subregional and regional programmes. Such
cooperation may include agreed joint programmes for the sustainable management
of transboundary natural resources, scientific and technical cooperation, and
strengthening of relevant institutions.

Article 12

International cooperation

Affected country Parties, in collaboration with other Parties and the
international community, should cooperate to ensure the promotion of an
enabling international environment in the implementation of the Convention.
Such cooperation should also cover fields of technology transfer as well as
scientific research and development, information collection and dissemination
and financial resources.

Article 13

Support for the elaboration and
implementation of action programmes

1. Measures to support action programmes pursuant to article 9
include, inter alia:

(a) financial cooperation to provide predictability for action
programmes, allowing for necessary long-term planning;

(b) elaboration and use of cooperation mechanisms which better enable
support at the local level, including action through non-governmental
organizations, in order to promote the replicability of successful pilot
programme activities where relevant;

(c) increased flexibility in project design, funding and
implementation in keeping with the experimental, iterative approach indicated
for participatory action at the local community level; and

(d) as appropriate, administrative and budgetary procedures that
increase the efficiency of cooperation and of support programmes.

2. In providing such support to affected developing country Parties,
priority shall be given to African country Parties and to least developed
country Parties.

Article 14

Coordination in the elaboration and implementation
of action programmes

1. The Parties shall work closely together, directly and through
relevant intergovernmental organizations, in the elaboration and
implementation of action programmes.

2. The Parties shall develop operational mechanisms, particularly at
the national and field levels, to ensure the fullest possible coordination
among developed country Parties, developing country Parties and relevant
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, in order to avoid
duplication, harmonize interventions and approaches, and maximize the impact
of assistance. In affected developing country Parties, priority will be given
to coordinating activities related to international cooperation in order to
maximize the efficient use of resources, to ensure responsive assistance, and
to facilitate the implementation of national action programmes and priorities
under this Convention.


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