2010 Programme - World Water Week

Photo: Håkan Tropp, SIWI
Sunday 5
Combating Desertification: A Strategic Response to Global Change and Challenges
Convenors: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
Desertification and land degradation are an increasingly global
threat, causing food insecurity, economic under-development,
poverty and even destitution in vast areas of the world. The global
community responded to the spectre of desertification and land
degradation by establishing the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification. Since its inception, the UNCCD has
also come to recognise important links between land degradation
and water resources. This threat is characterised by biogeophysical
links between land degradation, the hydrologic cycle, and the
provision of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services, but also
by the livelihood and public policy implications these changes
affect upon individuals and communities in degraded areas. This
session will look into the fundamentals of desertification, land
degradation and drought and their impacts on the availability,
accessibility and quality of water resources and will endeavour
to highlight water-related impacts of land degradation and to
define potential responses to the related consequences. The session
will be structured around a high level framing of the water
management challenges posed by desertification delivered by
the UNCCD Executive Secretary and two moderated panel
discussion of the science and policy implications of the challenge.
The event will be organised to encourage a high level of
audience participation.
Seminar Programme
14:00 Welcome and introduction. Ambassador Bo Kjellén, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs (retired), Sweden and Dr. David Purkey,
Senior Scientist, SEI, USA
14:15 Keynote address: Recognising links between land degradation
and water management. Mr. Luc Gnacadja, UNCCD, Benin
14:45 Panel 1: Scientific considerations at the interface between
desertification, land degradation, and water management.
Moderated by Dr. David Purkey, SEI, USA
Panellists:
, GeWa Consulting, Sweden
, UNCCD, Honduras
, SEI, Sweden
14:00-17:30, Room K24
15:30 Coffee break
16:00 Panel 2: Livelihood and Policy implications at the interface
between desertification, land degradation, and water management.
Moderated by Ambassador Bo Kjellén, Sweden
Panellists:
, Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable
Future, UK
, SEI, Sweden
management responses to links between desertification, land
degradation, and water management: A guided discussion.
17:30 Close of seminar
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