UN Convention to Combat Desertification

Abstract

Desertification is a major economic, social, and environmental concern to the international communities. It is seriously constraining the global food security, ecosecurity, socioeconomic stability, as well as sustainable development. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in those countries experiencing serious drought or desertification, particularly in Africa, has supplied an adaptive, preventive, and rehabilitative guiding principle for global desertification control. It inaugurated a center of global action to combat desertification and mitigate the effect of drought and to establish international cooperation and partnership. Also, it stipulates the common obligations of governments at various levels and international organizations. Therefore, UNCCD is characterized by its milestone significance. At present, over 193 member states have ratified and accepted the convention. Desertification is one of the leading factors causing environmental and natural resources degeneration. It has brought serious catastrophe to global environment and human livelihoods in many affected developing countries. Combating desertification requires a complex engineering approach, including biological plantation, improvement of desert–oasis protective system, reafforestation, replantation, revegetation, and rehabilitation of natural desert woodlands or bushlands on considerable scale. It also includes other mechanical, engineering, and chemical measures for stabilizing and fixing shifting sands and mobile dunes in different climate zones. Desertification is a global issue and it requires global action. Combating desertification is an obligation of both the affected developing countries and the affected developed countries. The UNCCD came into force on 26 December 1996, but it is estimated that over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification, and some 1 billion are at risk, and people are continuously threatened by environmental worsening, soil deterioration, land degradation, climate change, effect of drought, poverty, and food crisis.