UNCCD

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UNCCD National Action Programme to Combat
Desertification in Pakistan
STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION
Dr. Amjad Tahir Virk Project Manager, SLMP, MoE
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CONTENTS

• Key definitions
• Facts and figures
• Background introduction to UNCCD
• Articles and Obligations under UNCCD
• National Action Programme (NAP)
• NAP priorities
• Where Pakistan stands on UNCCD implementation

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Key Definitions

• Desertification ?

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Key Definitions

• Desertification Land degradation in arid and
  semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from
  climatic variation and human activities
• Combating Desertification Integrated development
  of land for sustainable development aimed at
• Prevention and/or reduction of land degradation
• Rehabilitation of partly degraded land and
• Reclamation of degraded land

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Key Definitions

• Land Terrestrial bio-productive system that
  comprises soil, vegetation, other biota, and the
  ecological hydrological processes
• Dryland Arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas
  having ratio of annual precipitation to potential
  evapotranspiration from 0.05 0.65

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Key Definitions

• Land Degradation Reduction or loss of biological
  or economic productivity complexity of land
  through desertification and deforestation
  processes patterns such as
• Soil erosion caused by wind and/or water
• Determination of physical, chemical and
  biological properties of soil, and
• Long-term loss of natural vegetation.

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Desertification
Some Facts Figures

• Caused primarily by human activities and climatic
  variations (Desertification is not the expansion
  of deserts).
• Dryland ecosystems (1/3rd of world's land area)
  are extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation and
  inappropriate land use
• Contributing factors include poverty, political
  instability, deforestation, overgrazing, and
  water mismanagement.
• Over 250 million people are directly affected by
  desertification

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Desertification
Some Facts Figures

• 1 billion people in over 100 countries are at
  risk mainly world's poorest, most marginalized
  and politically weak citizens.
• US42 billion worldwide income is lost annual due
  desertification (UN estimates)
• Annual cost to prevent desertification is
  estimated US2.4 billion
• African countries are adversely affected

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Desertification
UNEP points out that desertification results from
complex interactions among physical, chemical,
biological, socio-economic and political
problems. These could be Local, National,
Regional and Global
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"Desertification is like a cancer that is
spreading around the planet. We cant wait until
we reach a level of irreversibility." Hama Arba
Diallo, Executive Secretary UNCCD, 2004
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Causes ofDesertification

• Any Idea?

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Causes ofDesertification

• Root Causes
• Increasing human population
• Prevailing poverty
• Direct Causes
• Deforestation
• Over-grazing
• Over-exploitation of NR
• Climatic factors

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Consequencesof Desertification

• Any Idea?

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Consequencesof Desertification

• Desertification reduces the lands resilience to
  natural climate variability
• Soil become less productive
• Vegetative cover damaged
• Consequences are borne by people living adjacent
  to affected areas

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Consequencesof Desertification

• Food production is undermined
• Desertification contribute to famine
• Brings enormous social costs
• Huge drain on economic resources

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UNCCD
Background

• International community recognized that
  desertification is a major economic, social and
  environmental problem.
• The UN Conference on Desertification (UNCOD 1977)
  adopted a Plan of Action to Combat
  Desertification.
• UNEP reported 1991 that desertification
  intensified in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid
  areas.
• Desertification was a major concern for UNCED.
• UN General Assembly (resolution 47/188 of 1992)
  called to establish an Intergovernmental
  Negotiating Committee (INCD) to prepare UNCCD by
  1994.

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UNCCD
Background

• UNCCD was adopted in Paris on 17 June 1994,
  entered into force on 26 December 1996.
• 191 countries are Parties as of April 2005.
• UNCCD Secretariat located in Bonn Germany and
  headed by an Executive Secretary

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UNCCD
Background

• The Conference of the Parties (COP), is
  Convention's supreme decision making body.
• COP Met annually from 1997 to 2001 now meets
  biannually
• Committee on Science Technology (CST) advises
  on scientific and technological maters
• Committee for the Review of Implementation of the
  convention (CRIC)
• CRIC-1 Rome November 2002
• CRIC-2 Havana August-September 2003
• CRIC-3 Bonn May 2005

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UNCCD
Implementation

• Action Programmes are key instruments for
  implementation of the Conventions
• Action plans could be
• Regional
• Sub-Regional and
• National

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An Introduction toUNCCD

• Convention offers new hope in the struggle
  against desertification
• Recognizes that desertification is caused by
  climate variability and human activities
• Desertification undermines land productivity and
  contribute to poverty
• Encourages implementation through action
  programmes

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An Introduction toUNCCD

• Promises to reshape international aid process
• Put emphasis on a bottom-up approach with a
  strong local participation in decision-making
• Consider science technology as vital tool fight
  against desertification
• Advocates efficient use of water resources
• Considers desertification as primary problem of
  sustainable development

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UNCCD
Objective
To combat desertification and mitigates the
effects of drought in countries experiencing
serious drought and/or desertification,
particularly in Africa Achieving this objective
will involve long-term integrated strategies that
focus on improved productivity of land and the
rehabilitation, conservation and sustainable
management of land water resources
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• Pakistan as a Party to UNCCD
• has full power including power to vote at COPs
• In substantive terms, status as a Party allows
  Pakistan to
• Show solidarity with affected countries.
• Benefit from cooperation with other affected
  countries and with developed countries e.g. in
  preparing NAP.
• Improve access to relevant technologies and data.
  
• Participate in the work of Committee on ST.
• Nominate scientists for inclusion on roster of
  experts.
• Participate in networking of relevant
  institutions, agencies and bodies.

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• Key Principles
• (Four principal categories of obligations)
• All Parties .. cooperate at all levels in
  collection, analysis and exchange of information,
  research, technology transfer, capacity building
  and awareness raising, national strategies to
  combat desertification,and financial assistance.
• Affected Parties .. to prepare National Action
  Programs, to cooperate in implementation of
  Sub-Regional Action Programs (SRAPs) and Regional
  Action Programs (RAPs).
• Developed Country Parties .. to support affected
  countries by providing financial resources and by
  facilitating access to appropriate technology,
  knowledge and know-how.
• All Parties .. to report on measures they have
  taken to implement the Convention e.g. National
  Action Programs.

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General Obligation

• Adopt integrated approach
• Strengthen sub-regional, regional international
  coordination
• Cooperate with relevant intergovernmental
  organizations
• Promote the use of existing bilateral
  multilateral financial mechanisms
• Formulate National Action Programmes (NAP)

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Obligations Article 5 Obligations of affected
country Parties (a) Give due priority to
combating desertification and mitigating the
effects of drought, and allocate adequate
resources in accordance with their circumstances
and capabilities (b) Establish strategies and
priorities, in line within the framework of
national SD plans and policies, to combat
desertification and mitigate effects of drought
(c) Address the underlying causes of
desertification and pay special attention to the
socio- economic factors
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Obligations Article 5 Obligations of affected
country Parties (d) Promote awareness and
facilitate the participation of local
populations, particularly women and youth, with
the support of non-governmental organizations, in
efforts to combat desertification and mitigate
the effects of drought and (e) Provide an
enabling environment by strengthening, as
appropriate, relevant existing legislation and,
where they do not exist, enacting new laws and
establishing long-term policies and action
programs.
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Sustainable Development through UNCCD

• Desertification can be reversed through
  changes in local and international behavior,
  leading to sustainable land use and food
  security.
• In other words, combating desertification is a
  part of much broader objective sustainable
  development of countries affected by drought and
  desertification.

• Objective is achievable through implementation
  of national, sub-regional, and regional action
  programs.

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Sustainable Development through UNCCD

• National Action Programmes must adopt
  Participatory
• Democratic
• Bottom-up approach
• Creating an "enabling environment" to allow local
  people to help themselves.
• Main components of NAP should be Decentralized
  authority
• Improved land-tenure systems,
• Empowerment of women, farmers, and pastoral
  communities

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Combating Desertification in Pakistan
NATIONAL ACTION PROGRAMME
PARC, MoE, UNEP, ESCAP 2002
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Objectives of National Action Programme
1. Report on State of Environment, assess
severity of desertification
2. Identify issues to address, to halt the process
3. Propose strategy policy for conservation and
sustainable use of land
4. Identify priority programmes (Federal
/Provincial)
5. Propose measures to involve all stakeholders
6. Promote ways and means to create awareness
among the masses about threats and impacts
7. Propose a mechanism for coordinated efforts of
existing organizations
8. Suggest mechanism for overseeing
implementation of NAP, for generating funds etc.
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NAP Ecozones of Pakistan
1. Northern Mountains
2. Barani Lands
3. Irrigated Plains
4. Sandy Deserts
5. Sulaiman Rod Kohi
6. Western Dry Mountains
7. Coastal Areas
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NAP Priority Areas
1. Afforestation / agroforestry on degraded lands
2. Production and promotion of horticultural crops
3. Improved Crop Production in drylands
4. Improvement in Range / Livestock production
5. Soil water conservation, sand dune
stabilization
6. Increased water use efficiency
7. Preserving Biodiversity, protecting wildlife
8. Soil reclamation, drainage, on-farm water
management
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Focus of Priority Areas
1. Creating awareness at all levels about threats
of desertification, land degradation

• Introducing policies and programmes aiming at
  conservation, maintenance and sustainable
  development of natural resources, i.e.
• Forest,
• Range and Livestock,
• Soil Water (in croplands),
• Watersheds and Wildlife

3. Capacity building and organizational
development of RD institutions, HRD
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UNCCD Implementationin Pakistan

• Pakistan became signatory to UNCCD on October 15,
  1994 and ratified it on February 24, 1997
• MoE is the focal ministry for implementation of
  the UNCCD
• Constituted National Coordination Committee on
  Desertification (NCCD)

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UNCCD Implementationin Pakistan

• Constituted a task force for creation of National
  Desertification Control Fund
• Developed National Action Programme to Combat
  Desertification and Mitigate Drought
• Pakistan participate in COPs and CRICs
• Desertification problem highlighted in WSSD report

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UNCCD Implementationin Pakistan

• Desertification problem highlighted in PRSP and
  addressed under the Medium-Term Development
  Framework 2005-10
• Implemented several projects which directly or
  indirectly address desertification and land
  degradation issues
• Recently secured funding from GEF to design
  full-scale project on Sustainable land
  Management to Combat Desertification

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UNCCD Implementationin Pakistan

• Hosting Thematic Programme Network 6- TPN 6- The
  Local Area Development Initiatives
• TPN 6 is being coordinated by the NRSP

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Thank You