Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

Desertification is not about deserts:meeting drylands challenges through educationLuc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat DesertificationThe encroachment of deserts on productive land causesdesertification, but this is only a small part, not themain cause, of desertification. Desertification refers toland degradation in the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humidareas due to various factors, including human activities andclimate variations.Together, deserts and other dry ecological systems are known asdrylands. They occupy over 41 per cent of planet Earth. One in everythree people lives in the drylands, as well as a significant proportionof the wildlife and half of the world’s livestock. These figures suggestthat it is impossible to achieve sustainable development while ignoringthe drylands.The sustainable management of the drylands today is essential forthe eradication of poverty and the attainment of other internationallyagreed development goals. The approach to land managementadvocated in combating desertification also enhances our abilityto meet future global food demand, move excess carbon from theatmosphere into the soil and strengthen the resilience of ruraldrylands communities to climate change. Therefore, efforts to curbland degradation in the drylands – known as combating desertification– must be at the centre of the campaigns linked to the UNDecade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD).The basis for education initiatives to combat desertificationEstablished in 1994, the United Nations Convention to CombatDesertification (UNCCD) 1 is the sole legally binding internationalagreement linking environment, development and thepromotion of healthy soils. The Parties to the Convention(193 countries and the European Community) seek toalleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore theland’s productivity and mitigate the effects of drought.Each Party implements the Convention on the basisof its national action programme. This is the packageof activities each country deems critical to addressingdesertification, land degradation and drought(DLDD). The developed countries without any drylandsprovide support for the implementation of the actionprogrammes. Although education is not prescribedas a requirement for inclusion in every programme, itis recognized as one of the priority fields for possibleaction under Article 10 paragraph 4 of the Convention,and as one of the supporting measures under Article 19.At their 2007 Conference, the Parties adopted aten-year strategic plan and framework to enhance theimplementation of the Convention for the period 2008-2018 (the Strategy). Education is a priority objective ofthis Strategy. The Convention’s educational messagesseek to deepen understanding of issues of interest to thestakeholders so that measures to combat desertification,land degradation and drought become part and parcelof every country’s development policy.The Convention’s primary focus is the drylands areasbut its commitment to preventive measures, by promotingImage: © Isselmou Ould Mohammed Hanefi& UNCCD 2009 Photo ContestImage: © Reza Deghati & UNCCD 2009 Photo ContestDesert encroachment is only a small part of the desertification storyLand degredation and drought are widespread[ 45 ]