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United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is established in those countries that suffers from Serious Drought and/or Desertification, especially in Africa (UNCCD) could even be a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the results of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.
The only convention stemming from a recommendation of the Rio Conference's Agenda 21, was entered into force in December 1996. It is the sole internationally legally binding framework found out to deal with the matter of desertification. The Convention is predicated on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralization—the backbone of excellent Governance and Sustainable Development. The 197 parties makes it near universal in reach.
2006 was declared "International Year of Deserts and Desertification" to help publicise the Convention, but debates have ensued regarding how effective the International Year was in practice.
The UNCCD has been ratified by 197 states: all 193 UN Member States, the Cook Islands, Niue, the State of Palestine and therefore the EU.
On 28 March 2013, Canada became the primary country to withdraw from the convention. Canada reversed its withdrawal three years later by re-acceding to the convention on 21 December 2016, leading to Canada becoming party to the convention again on 21 March 2017.
The holy see is the only state that's not a party to the convention that's eligible to accede thereto. In 1997, in Rome, the permanent Secretariat of the UNCCD was established during the first Conference of the parties (COP 1). Since January 1999, it has been located in Bonn, Germany and moved from its first Bonn address in Haus Carstanjen to the new UN Campus in July 2006.
The functions of the secretariat are to form arrangements for sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its subsidiary bodies established under the Convention, and to supply them with services as required. One key task of the secretariat is to compile and transmit reports submitted thereto .
The secretariat provides assistance to affected developing country parties which is vital when compiling information and reports required under the Convention. UNCCD activities are coordinated with the secretariats of other relevant international bodies and conventions, like those of the UN Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC) and therefore the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The COP oversees Convention’s implementation. It is established by the Convention because it is the supreme decision-making body, and it comprises all ratifying governments. The first five sessions of the Conference of the Parties were held annually from 1997 to 2001.
Beginning the sessions in 2001 have persisted on a biennial basis interchanging with the sessions of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC). CRIC’s first session was held in 2002.
National Action Programmes (NAP) are one among the key instruments within the implementation of the Convention. National Action Programmes (NAP) are strengthened by Action Programmes on Sub-regional (SRAP) and Regional (RAP) level. NAP are developed with a participative approach involving the local communities which they spell out the sensible steps and measures to be taken to combat desertification in specific ecosystems.
