BBC documentary co-produced by GM discussed at COP.8

The UNCCD Secretariat was called upon by the UN General Assembly to provide a summary of the actions and initiatives launched during 2006 for the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD).

A session on Outcomes of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (Document ICCD/COP(8)/11) was organized in this context on Monday 10 September, during the 8th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8), to provide the Parties with a outline of the results and impacts of the IYDD.

The GM, as a contributor to IYDD initiatives, addressed the session, congratulating the UNCCD Secretariat for the report and providing further details on one such activity promoted and co-financed by the GM: the BBC World Series "Villages on the Front Line”. These 8 TV documentaries show how ordinary men and women in some of the worst affected communities worldwide are finding surprising ways to combat desertification and improve their livelihoods.

The series was shot in China, Costa Rica, Haiti, India, Jordan, Morocco, Niger, Spain and Tanzania as a result of major concerted efforts by the Governments of these countries in partnership with organizations including the International Fund for Agricultural development (IFAD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Conservation International (CI), and the Global Mechanism.

The series was aired on BBC World television in November and December 2006, reaching viewers in over 200 countries. The series scored the highest ratings from the BBC World viewer panels – up to 90% of the audience share.

Since the series was launched, the GM and the other partners have received excellent feedback, including offers to dub the series in other languages. Earlier this year TVE Asia Pacific bought the rights to broadcast the series in the Asia and Pacific region.