ENV/DEV/380

NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE HEARS DETAILS OF EFFORTS TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND LAND DEGRADATION

A Chinese farmer told how, at great personal cost, she had brought trees and grass to more than 2,000 hectares of formerly desert land and was now going to work against the further spread of sand dunes, raise cattle and sheep, and build a primary school.

Desertification and land erosion were affecting 5 million Bolivians and 41 per cent of the country's territory, the representative of Bolivia said, going on to describe public awareness and mapping efforts. The representative of the Russian Federation said desertification was seriously threatening sections of her country, and in response the Government was training specialists, greening certain regions, increasing public awareness, and doing technical studies. She urged the establishment of a European arid-zone centre.

In his mountainous, land-locked country, the representative of Afghanistan said strong winds threatened highways, cultivated lands, villages, power lines and irrigation. Among measures being undertaken to combat the problem were the increased provision of tree seedlings and tree plantations, the establishment of wind breakers and soil-fixing programmes, range- conservation legislation and mass education.

The representative of Bangladesh outlined how climate change and pollution were threatening his country with drought, desertification, the salinization of a major forest and flooding. If, as a result of global warming, the water level of the Bay of Bengal were to rise by 2.5 metres, he said, "then this free and democratic country with a very rich culture will vanish from the map of the world". The enjoyment of progress by the developed countries would exact a terrible price on those who had caused the least damage to nature.

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The representative of Israel described a range of specific initiatives within his country's subregion, including plans to promote eco-tourism and establish an international graduate school for desert studies.

Also speaking this afternoon were representatives of Armenia, China, Iran, India, Jordan, Yemen, Myanmar, Nepal, Cuba, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Mexico and Spain. The Executive Secretary of the Interim Secretariat to the Convention, Hama Arba Diallo, also responded to yesterday's reports on the African region as well as to today's reports on Asia.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 13 September, to continue its deliberations.

Committee Work Programme

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Elaboration of the Convention to Combat Desertification met this afternoon to continue consideration of urgent action for Africa and interim actions in Asian, Latin American and the Caribbean, and the northern Mediterranean regions.

Statements

HAMA ARBA DIALLO, Executive Secretary of the Interim Secretariat, said he had taken note of the comments made at yesterday's session, in particular, of the possible need to distribute more widely information on the Convention. To meet that need, help would be needed from both the developed and developing countries. He was looking forward to the holding of a meeting in Mauritania regarding the implementation of the Convention in Africa. By keeping the meeting small, it was hoped that there would be real dialogue between representatives of donor countries and affected countries. Similar meetings were being planned for elsewhere in Africa and eventually in Asia and Latin America.

HANQIU XUE (China) said her country had enhanced the role of non- governmental organizations, increased the training of personnel in the affected regions of China, and carried out a national campaign to increase public awareness of the problems of desertification and drought. China had sponsored the first Asian-African forum on the problems, and that forum had attracted enormous media attention in China. There would be another conference in Beijing focusing on regional issues.

YUQIN NIU, a Chinese farmer, spoke about the problems in her desert region. In 1985, she was given 2,000 hectares of desert land, and had now planted trees and grass on more than half of it. As a result of the heavy labour, her husband had died early and her child had had to leave school at the age of ten. For many years, she had not taken even one day off, but her hard work had paid off. In her region, the land was becoming greener and more productive. She had been proclaimed a national labour hero, been given an honourary doctorate by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had made a television programme based on her experience.

She had learned that the shifting of sand was a root cause of the poverty in her region. While the advance of the sand dunes had been stopped in many areas, the standard of living in her region remained low. The Convention was a great, great thing, and she and her fellow citizens supported it with both of their hands. She was planning to dig a well in the desert and to cultivate 20 hectares of irrigated land. Plus she planned to work against the movement of other sand dunes. She was also planning to raise cattle and sheep and build a primary school.

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IQBAL YOUSOFI (Afghanistan) spoke of the unique desertification challenges in his mountainous, land-locked country. He said that strong winds threatened highways, cultivated lands, villages, power lines, and irrigation. Among measures to combat the problem were the increased provision of tree seedlings and tree plantations, the establishment of wind breakers and soil- fixing programmes, range-conservation legislation and mass education. He called for substantial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), as well as other international institutions and donor countries.

SAMVEL BALOYAN (Armenia) said Armenia had worked out a programme on environmental protection covering the period up till the year 2000. There were new bills before Parliament on environmental, vegetation and wildlife protection which were expected to be signed into law next year. The country had also received various grants to assist a range of environmental protection efforts and to study climatic change. He said Armenia's long-term objective was to reduce use of fossil fuels, develop alternative energies, energy conservation, and the development of atomic energy.

MEDHI DANESH-YAZDI (Iran) said his country had undertaken substantial efforts on the national level and to strengthen regional cooperation. A private company had been hired to help with the development of the national action programme. Specific measures had been undertaken to decrease migration to urban areas, protect the migration, stabilize sand dunes, increase public awareness and encourage public participation. Regional efforts had aided the development of national action programmes, public-awareness campaigns, training, and field visits by international officials.

EMMA BORISOVNA GABUNSHINA (Russian Federation) said desertification was seriously threatening sections of her country. Although it was not yet party to the Convention, it was carrying out a broad range of measures to combat desertification and drought. There was a national action plan, developed with the assistance of UNEP. Russia was training specialists, greening certain regions, holding seminars and increasing public awareness, and doing technical studies. The establishment of a European arid-zone centre would be helpful. There was much interest in ratifying the Convention.

ALOK JAIN (India), speaking on behalf of the Asian countries, said a recent conference of the Asian countries had been held recently in New Delhi. Among other things, it was concluded that full participation of all components of civil society was necessary, and that there was a need to mobilize resources and establish networks to spearhead research. Useful discussions had also been held at the current session of the Committee.

AHBAB AHMAD (Bangladesh) said the problem before the Committee was one of life and death and, if proper attention were not given to it, human

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civilization would be in danger of extinction. If the water level of the Bay of Bengal were to rise by 1.5 metres as a result of global warming, then 17 per cent of Bangladesh would be submerged. If the water level were to rise by another metre, "then this free and democratic country with a very rich culture will vanish from the map of the world". Droughts had become a regular phenomenon, degradation of soil had become an alarming matter, rivers were changing courses and becoming dry, and one of the greatest natural mangrove forests in the world was threatened by salinization.

Environmental problems transcended national boundaries, he said. For the enjoyment of progress by the developed countries, a terrible price would be paid by those who have caused the least damage to nature. Developed countries should contribute the agreed-to and fairly paltry percentage of their gross national products to ensure that the vast multitude of people might live a decent life. But with a few honourable exceptions, that contribution had shrunk over the years, and the disparity between the developed and developing countries had been on the increase with dangerous consequences.

For its part, he said, Bangladesh had promoted reforestation, distributed seedlings, and encouraged roadside planting. It had whipped up public awareness and involved the public -- women included -- in planning. It had tried to add environmental issues to its educational curricula. He urged the development of a regular monitoring system, promotion of pragmatic research, and the establishment of an agreed, cross-country legal framework.

ABDELMAJID KHBOUR (Jordan) said 90 per cent of its territory was affected because of drought and various human factors. The country had issued a law which provided for a national action plan and a national environmental protection institution. Within the plan, it had established a land rehabilitation project, as well as a project to classify and take an inventory of the lands of Jordan. The Jordanian Desertification and Land Association had been set up and was helping to raise awareness.

He said a number of awareness-raising projects had been undertaken, through publications and radio and television programmes, and a symposium. It was working with neighbouring countries, including Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Syria, on desertification. A national desertification committee had been set up.

ABDUL-MALIK SHARLUDDIN (Yemen) said Yemen was working with its partners in development, as well as bilateral and international donors, in the battle against desertification. Priority was being given to the protection of the environment and, to that end, a forest law had been made and a council to protect the environment set up. A workshop on desertification was being prepared, and efforts were being made at the local level to raise awareness.

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He said that, although so much effort was being made, the struggle could not be won without external support. Special attention was being given to promoting the new environmental laws, to coordinating the efforts of the non- governmental organizations, to encouraging women, and to creating sand dunes to protect the agricultural areas. Finally, he reported that the country had acceded to the Convention.

URIEL SAFRIEL (Israel) discussed a range of projects and studies on the subregional levels. The projects focused on scientific and pragmatic research, including the possibility of promoting eco-tourism by establishing a subregional park. On the regional level, Israel was collaborating with Turkmenistan on scientific work. It was also working with Turkey on the cultivation of wild plants, and working with Germany on establishing an international graduate school for desert studies.

SOE WIN HLAING (Myanmar) said his country was working to ratify the Convention as soon as possible. An awareness-building seminar would be held. Since prevention was better than cure, Myanmar was taking such actions as planting trees to stop the spread of desertification. It needed help to be able to do more.

LOKENDRA PRADHAN (Nepal) announced that, on 9 September, Nepal's Parliament had ratified the Convention. Nepal was endowed with an unparalleled mountain ecosystem, but land degradation was rampant, washing away topsoil and creating problems in the plains as well. A policy-and-action programme was being developed. Huge investment was required, however, to combat the land degradation. It was hopeful that the Convention's Global Mechanism for funding would be of use.

Mr. DIALLO, of the Interim Secretariat, responding to the comments regarding the Asian region, said many seminars were being organized throughout the region. And he noted meetings that had already been held as part of the Interim Secretariat's efforts to raise awareness, provide information and promote the implementation of the Convention.

ANAYANSI RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) referred to the irregular and unreliable rainfall in her country as the basis of the drought and desertification problem. She said that Cuba had set up a group, comprising several organizations, including non-governmental organizations, to combat desertification, and that it had held awareness-raising activities. They had also established a national environmental monitoring body, as well as preventive measures. She described programmes being organized for people in areas particularly affected by desertification.

Cuba appealed for external financial assistance to facilitate the implementation of the programmes, she said. At the national level, the ratification of the Convention was expected this year. She expressed

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confidence that agreement would be reached on the major issues at these discussions.

INES RODRIGUEZ (Uruguay) said her country was accepting its responsibility towards the Convention and urged other countries to do so. She noted the huge losses that drought and desertification were causing around the world. Because of these, they had become a fundamentally social problem, and the mobilization of financial resources within the facet of North-South cooperation was required. She called on all governments to take part in resolving the challenge, and suggested the alteration of some of the social and economic behaviour that contributes to desertification. She said Uruguay supported the view that this was an opportunity to look towards the more impoverished people of the world.

HECTOR CORREA CEPEDA (Chile) said his country had very little agricultural land, and that placed great demand on renewable agricultural resources. Chile had carried out a study of two communes and held workshops with the communities affected. Public-awareness workshops were also being held. An analysis of the desertification programme in Chile had been undertaken and a national action programme prepared. Chile was also involved in regional and subregional efforts and was preparing informational materials regarding the desertification problem.

SERGIO FLORENCIO (Brazil) stated that his country was implementing the Convention through a national plan being developed by the Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and the Legal Amazon, with the support of the FAO, UNDP, and Esquel do Brazil Foundation, a non-governmental organization. It had also established a national information network on desertification known as "REDESERT". In addition, Brazil had taken part in the development of indicators and benchmarks on desertification, coordinated by the University of Chile.

EDUARDO PEREZ DEL SOLAR (Peru) said that notwithstanding his country's lack of financial resources, the extent of the desertification problem had demanded action. Case studies had been conducted, seminars had been held, and broad public participation emphasized. A working group on desertification had been established; it was hoped that the group would become the vehicle to implement the Convention. Representatives of non-governmental organizations were going to be included in national councils on the problem.

ERWIN ORTIZ-GANDARILLAS (Bolivia) said his country had worked out a national programme to reverse the process of desertification and land erosion, which was affecting 41 per cent of the country. Five million inhabitants were affected, and the priority was to improve their living conditions. Days had been observed to raise awareness of the problems, and maps had been prepared showing the extent of desertification and land erosion.

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CHAPEL Y MENDOZA (Mexico) said his was a land of contrasts, with drought and desertification driving many people away to other countries. A national action programme had been formulated in 1994, while a forest and land programme had been launched this year. A consultative council had also been formed recently to coordinate the national effort. Among the measures being undertaken were planting projects, controlling the use of forest land, a new land law, and a plan for a network of information to be shared with other countries. Internationally, the country had participated in a number of gatherings on drought and desertification, and a mission of assistance to Haiti was being prepared together with Brazil.

ARTURO SPIEGELBERG (Spain) spoke of the country's intensive support for regional efforts, especially the regional reflection group on desertification, which had been set up as a focal point to coordinate activities, and was promoting exchanges with countries in the area and in northern Africa.

He stressed the challenges facing Spain as a country with serious desertification problems, and noted its commitment to sustainable development around the world. It had participated in a number of desertification meetings in Latin America and was also planning significant involvement in Africa. In addition, the Spanish Agency for Development had been involved in the financing of a number of projects.

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