Land and desertification: the GM at CSD-16

Government delegations, international organizations, and major civil society groups are currently reviewing global progress in sustainable land management (SLM), drought and desertification, at the 16th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-16), from 5-16 May 2008, in New York. The session is also addressing other issues of prime importance to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), including agriculture, water management and rural development.

 

The UNCCD delegation comprising the Secretariat and the GM has been contributing through side events, learning centres, and as panellists in thematic discussions. In the regional discussion on Africa, Luc Gnacadja, UNCCD Executive Secretary highlighted the importance of SLM for reducing poverty and for increasing sustainable livelihoods, emphasizing the primary role of the UNCCD in this regard. As a panellist in thematic discussions on land and desertification, Christian Mersmann, the GM’s Managing Director, stressed the need to engage strategically to pinpoint opportunities for incorporating UNCCD implementation clearly within the framework of national budgeting cycles, and to work in partnership with governments, the private sector, NGOs and the international community to develop integrated financing strategies leading to comprehensive investment frameworks for effective UNCCD implementation. 

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Ms Elisabeth Barsk-Rundquist, Director, Strategic Programmes
Tel. +39 06 5459 2471
e.barsk (at) global-mechanism.org