regional and national action programmes in unccd annex iv 2
TRANSCRIPT
Regional and National
Action Programmes in
UNCCD Annex IV
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3Introduction to the UNCCD
On 17 June 1994 the United Nations launched a Convention
aiming at combating desertification in all affected regions of the
world through concrete actions of international cooperation.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) entered into force on 26 December 1996; it is the only
legally binding treaty on desertification matters.
The UNCDD provides a common definition of Desertification as
land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas
resulting from various factors, including climatic variation and
human activities.
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4UNCCD objective
The UNCCD stated objective is to combat desertification and
mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious
drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa, through
effective action at all levels, supported by international
cooperation and partnership arrangements.
Affected and non-affected countries must act together in a
coordinated way to elaborate concrete and long-term strategies
focusing on eradicating poverty, promoting sustainable
management of resources, improving living conditions and
preventing long term consequences of desertification.
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5The bottom-up approach
The UNCCD promotes procedures and measures that integrate the
“top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches.
The “bottom-up” approach gives a central role to local communities
in the implementation of the UNCCD: they know more than anyone
else about fragile ecosystems in which they live and should be fully
involved in decision making and planning processes.
Action Programmes must provide for the effective
participation of main actors at the local, national and regional levels
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Regional implementation
The UNCCD defines five Regional Annexes for its implementation:
• Annex I for Africa
• Annex II for Asia
• Annex III for Latin America and the Caribbean
• Annex IV for the Northern Mediterranean
• Annex V for Central and Eastern Europe (newly established)
Each Regional Annex specifies scope, purpose and particular
conditions of that region and provides guidelines for the
preparation of Action Programmes which are the key
instruments to implement the Convention.
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Regional Annexes of the UNCCD.
Note: Albania, Slovenia, Bosnia and Croatia belong to both Annex IV and V.
Regional Annexes
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National Action Programmes (NAPs)
Affected country Parties are requested to elaborate
their NAP, the key element for the Convention
implementation.
NAPs provide the conceptual and legal framework
which integrates existing political and
institutional measures addressing
desertification related issues.
Their purpose is to identify the main factors
contributing to desertification and practical
measures to tackle.
NAPs have to incorporate long term strategies and
be consistent with the “bottom up” approach.8
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National Action Programmes (NAPs) (2)
The Nap implementation is coordinated and monitored by National
Coordination Bodies that includes representatives from the
different governmental institutions.
Each Country names a representative as national Focal Point for
the UNCCD.
Country parties are also requested to consult and cooperate to
elaborate Regional (RAP) and Sub regional (SRAP) Action
Programmes in order to increase the efficiency of NAPs.
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The UNCCD Annex IV for the Northern Mediterranean Region
In the northern Mediterranean area about 99.4 million ha,
corresponding to 32% of the total area, are arid, semi-arid or
dry sub humid*.
* Report of the Group of Annex IV Countries on the implementation of the UNCCD submitted to COP4, June 2000, www.unccd.int/cop/reports/northmed/regional/2000.
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The UNCCD implementation process in Annex IV
The group of the Annex IV countries that first ratified UNCCD
(Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey) took action to collaborate
on a regional basis and identified 7 main transnational priorities
(ToR) for SRAP elaboration :
1. identification of the most sensitive areas;
2. identification of common regional benchmarks and indicators for
processes and mitigation;
3. collection, analysis, and exchange of technical & scientific data;
4. exchange of data and information;
5. involvement of the civil society within the SRAP process;
6. identification of traditional knowledge and practices safeguarding
the quality of north Mediterranean landscape;
7. connection with existing regional and sub-regional initiatives
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The UNCCD implementation process in Annex IV (2)
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Between 2001 and 2004, further consultations
among Country parties were promoted by
MEDRAP, an EC funded project, with the aim of
supporting the elaboration of the Sub Regional
Action Programme for the northern
Mediterranean.
MEDRAP produced targeted recommended
measures and sound technical suggestions,
which should be incorporated into the ToR for
the SRAP elaboration.
Between 1999 and 2002 Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia,
Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia became parties to the UNCCD Annex IV
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•UNCCD ratification: March 1997 by Law N° 2468
•National Coordinating Body for UNCCD implementation: Greek National Committee to Combat Desertification (GNCCD)
• NAP approval: July 2001 by CDM 974/27-7-2001, published on the Official Gazette n° 99605/3719
200 0 200 400 Kilometers
N
EDITORS: N. Yassoglou K. Kosmas
A. Meliadou P. Gavriil
POTENTIAL DESERTIFICATION RISK IN GREECENational Committee to Combat Desertification
Low riskModerate risk due to soil erosionHigh risk due to soil erosionHigh risk due to salinizationLakesCities
LEGEND
National Action Programme for Greece
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National Action Programme for Greece (2)
The NAP for Greece was elaborated through extensive participatory
process and it aims at:
identifying and extending threatened areas; evaluating effectiveness of applied measures and policies;
formulating national strategy to prevent and mitigate desertification;
promoting sustainable land and water use;
promoting public awareness and active participation of populations;
selecting priorities and pilot areas;
rehabilitating affected areas;
providing guidelines and mechanisms for implementation
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•UNCCD ratification: June 1997 by Law N° 170
•National Coordinating Body for UNCCD Implementation: National Committee to Combat Drought and Desertification (CNLSD)
• NAP approval: December 1999 by CIPE Resolution 21/12/1999, n° 229
National Action Programme for Italy
Desertification risk maps for Sardinia, Sicily and Basilicata regions 15
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National Action Programme for Italy (2)
The NAP for Italy was elaborated coordinated and monitored by the
CNLSD. Regions and Watershed Authorities play a key role in the
UNCCD implementation at the local level and participate in the
identification of areas of intervention and in the selection of priorities
such as:
soil protection;
sustainable management of water resources;
reduction of the impact of the productive activities;
land restoration;
information and training;
research.16
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•UNCCD ratification: 1996
•National Coordinating Body for UNCCD Implementation: National Coordination Commission (NCC)
• NAP approval: June 1999 by Resolution of Cabinet n°69/99
National Action Programme for Portugal
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National Action Programme for Portugal (2)
The NAP for Portugal was elaborated by an Internal Coordination
Group of Ministry of Agriculture and supervised by NCC. It is the result
of a widespread participation of stakeholders and it integrates existing
planning tools having direct implication in the fight against
desertification. The NAP aims at:
soil and water conservation;
keeping working-age population in rural areas;
recovery of areas most threatened by desertification;
raising population awareness about desertification;
making fight against desertification an integral part of general and sectoral policies.
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•UNCCD ratification: January 1996
•National Coordinating Body for UNCCD Implementation: National Coordinating Body (OCN)
• NAP approval: September 2007
National Action Programme for Spain
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National Action Programme for Spain (2)
The NAP for Spain is the result of suggestions and contribution by
General State Administrations, autonomous and local Administrations
and all concerned groups of civil society. It identifies drought, forest
fires, improper use of water resources, socio-economical factors,
abandoned cultivation and overgrazing as the main desertification
cause in Spain.
Its objectives are:
to contribute to the sustainable development of arid, semi-arid and sub humid zones;
to prevent and reduce soil degradation;
to restore areas affected by desertification.
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21Conclusions
UNCCD implementation in the Annex IV Sub-Region is relatively
advanced; however harmonization of the NAPs is a difficult task
because in all European Mediterranean Countries the complex and
horizontal nature of desertification is reflected in many sectoral
policies.
NAPs mainly provide a general political framework recalling already
existing national policies or highlighting and proposing measures to
be adopted; furthermore all NAPs refer to local planning as the
natural implementation level.
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Conclusions (2)
Local Action Plans (LAPs) are an essential element in the fight against
desertification, reflecting the participatory approach called for by the
Convention.
LAPs can provide a framework for the implementation and integration
of existing local sectoral policies. They require the ascertainment that
extant sector-specific policies are in accordance with the NAP’s
provisions, consistent with each other and synergic.
The clear picture of the current situation of the area, the problems
encountered by local population and the analysis of available
measures, will enable the identification of ad hoc local plans of action.
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