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Art.4 |
Article 4 |
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Art.4.1 |
1. The Parties shall implement their obligations under this Convention, individually or jointly, either through existing or prospective bilateral and multilateral arrangements or a combination thereof, as appropriate, emphasizing the need to coordinate efforts and develop a coherent long-term strategy at all levels. |
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Art.4.2 |
2. In pursuing the objective of this Convention, the Parties shall: |
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Art.4.2.a |
(a) adopt an integrated approach addressing the physical, biological and socio-economic aspects of the processes of desertification and drought; |
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Art.4.2.b |
(b) give due attention, within the relevant international and regional bodies, to the situation of affected developing country Parties with regard to international trade, marketing arrangements and debt with a view to establishing an enabling international economic environment conducive to the promotion of sustainable development; |
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Art.4.2.c |
(c) integrate strategies for poverty eradication into efforts to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought; |
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Art.4.2.d |
(d) promote cooperation among affected country Parties in the fields of environmental protection and the conservation of land and water resources, as they relate to desertification and drought; |
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Art.4.2.e |
(e) strengthen subregional, regional and international cooperation; |
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Art.4.2.f |
(f) cooperate within relevant intergovernmental organizations; |
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Art.4.2.g |
(g) determine institutional mechanisms, if appropriate, keeping in mind the need to avoid duplication; and |
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Art.4.2.h |
(h) promote the use of existing bilateral and multilateral financial mechanisms and arrangements that mobilize and channel substantial financial resources to affected developing country Parties in combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought. |
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Art.4.3 |
3. Affected developing country Parties are eligible for assistance in the implementation of the Convention. |
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Art.5 |
Article 5 |
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Art.5.1x |
In addition to their obligations pursuant to article 4, affected country Parties undertake to: |
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Art.5.1x.a |
(a) give due priority to combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought, and allocate adequate resources in accordance with their circumstances and capabilities; |
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Art.5.1x.b |
(b) establish strategies and priorities, within the framework of sustainable development plans and/ or policies, to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought; |
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Art.5.1x.c |
(c) address the underlying causes of desertification and pay special attention to the socio-economic factors contributing to desertification processes; |
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Art.5.1x.d |
(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 |
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Art.5.1x.e |
(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 programmes. |
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Art.7 |
Article 7 |
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Art.7.1x |
In implementing this Convention, the Parties shall give priority to affected African country Parties, in the light of the particular situation prevailing in that region, while not neglecting affected developing country Parties in other regions. |
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Art.9 |
Article 9 |
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Art.9.1 |
1. In carrying out their obligations pursuant to article 5, affected developing country Parties and any other affected country Party in the framework of its regional implementation annex or, otherwise, that has notified the Permanent Secretariat in writin |
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Art.9.2 |
2. In the provision by developed country Parties of different forms of assistance under the terms of article 6, priority shall be given to supporting, as agreed, national, subregional and regional action programmes of affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa, either directly or through relevant multilateral organizations or both. |
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Art.9.3 |
3. The Parties shall encourage organs, funds and programmes of the United Nations system and other relevant intergovernmental organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community and non-governmental organizations in a position to cooperate, in accordance with their mandates and capabilities, to support the elaboration, implementation and follow-up of action programmes. |
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Art.10 |
Article 10 |
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Art.10.1 |
1. The purpose of national action programmes is to identify the factors contributing to desertification and practical measures necessary to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. |
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Art.10.2 |
2. National action programmes shall specify the respective roles of government, local communities and land users and the resources available and needed. They shall, inter alia: |
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Art.10.2.a |
(a) incorporate long-term strategies to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought, emphasize implementation and be integrated with national policies for sustainable development; |
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Art.10.2.b |
(b) allow for modifications to be made in response to changing circumstances and be sufficiently flexible at the local level to cope with different socio-economic, biological and geo-physical conditions; |
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Art.10.2.c |
(c) give particular attention to the implementation of preventive measures for lands that are not yet degraded or which are only slightly degraded; |
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Art.10.2.d |
(d) enhance national climatological, meteorological and hydrological capabilities and the means to provide for drought early warning; |
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Art.10.2.e |
(e) promote policies and strengthen institutional frameworks which develop cooperation and coordination, in a spirit of partnership, between the donor community, governments at all levels, local populations and community groups, and facilitate access by local populations to appropriate information and technology; |
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Art.10.2.f |
(f) provide for effective participation at the local, national and regional levels of non-governmental organizations and local populations, both women and men, particularly resource users, including farmers and pastoralists and their representative organizations, in policy planning, decision-making, and implementation and review of national action programmes; and |
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Art.10.2.g |
(g) require regular review of, and progress reports on, their implementation. |
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Art.10.3 |
3. National action programmes may include, inter alia, some or all of the following measures to prepare for and mitigate the effects of drought: |
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Art.10.3.a |
(a) establishment and/ or strengthening, as appropriate, of early warning systems, including local and national facilities and joint systems at the subregional and regional levels, and mechanisms for assisting environmentally displaced persons; |
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Art.10.3.b |
(b) strengthening of drought preparedness and management, including drought contingency plans at the local, national, subregional and regional levels, which take into consideration seasonal to interannual climate predictions; |
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Art.10.3.c |
(c) establishment and/ or strengthening, as appropriate, of food security systems, including storage and marketing facilities, particularly in rural areas; |
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Art.10.3.d |
(d) establishment of alternative livelihood projects that could provide incomes in drought prone areas; and |
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Art.10.3.e |
(e) development of sustainable irrigation programmes for both crops and livestock. |
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Art.10.4 |
Taking into account the circumstances and requirements specific to each affected country Party, national action programmes include, as appropriate, inter alia, measures in some or all of the following priority fields as they relate to combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought in affected areas and to their populations: promotion of alternative livelihoods and improvement of national economic environments with a view to strengthening programmes aimed at the eradication of poverty and at ensuring food security; demographic dynamics; sustainable management of natural resources; sustainable agricultural practices; development and efficient use of various energy sources; institutional and legal frameworks; strengthening of capabilities for assessment and systematic observation, including hydrological and meteorological services, and capacity building, education and public awareness. |
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Art.11 |
Article 11 |
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Art.11.1x |
Affected country Parties shall consult and cooperate to prepare, as appropriate, in accordance with relevant regional implementation annexes, subregional and/ or regional action programmes to harmonize, complement and increase the efficiency of national programmes. The provisions of article 10 shall apply mutatis mutandis to subregional and regional programmes. Such cooperation may include agreed joint programmes for the sustainable management of transboundary natural resources, scientific and technical cooperation, and strengthening of relevant institutions. |
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Art.12 |
Article 12 |
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Art.12.1x |
Affected country Parties, in collaboration with other Parties and the international community, should cooperate to ensure the promotion of an enabling international environment in the implementation of the Convention. Such cooperation should also cover fields of technology transfer as well as scientific research and development, information collection and dissemination and financial resources. |
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Art.13 |
Article 13 |
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Art.13.1 |
1. Measures to support action programmes pursuant to article 9 include, inter alia: |
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Art.13.1.a |
(a) financial cooperation to provide predictability for action programmes, allowing for necessary long-term planning; |
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Art.13.1.b |
(b) elaboration and use of cooperation mechanisms which better enable support at the local level, including action through non-governmental organizations, in order to promote the replicability of successful pilot programme activities where relevant; |
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Art.13.1.c |
(c) increased flexibility in project design, funding and implementation in keeping with the experimental, iterative approach indicated for participatory action at the local community level; and |
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Art.13.1.d |
(d) as appropriate, administrative and budgetary procedures that increase the efficiency of cooperation and of support programmes. |
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Art.13.2 |
2. In providing such support to affected developing country Parties, priority shall be given to African country Parties and to least developed country Parties. |
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Art.14 |
Article 14 |
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Art.14.1 |
1. The Parties shall work closely together, directly and through relevant intergovernmental organizations, in the elaboration and implementation of action programmes. |
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Art.14.2 |
2. The Parties shall develop operational mechanisms, particularly at the national and field levels, to ensure the fullest possible coordination among developed country Parties, developing country Parties and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, in order to avoid duplication, harmonize interventions and approaches, and maximize the impact of assistance. In affected developing country Parties, priority will be given to coordinating activities related to international cooperation in order to maximize the efficient use of resources, to ensure responsive assistance, and to facilitate the implementation of national action programmes and priorities under this Convention. |
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Art.15 |
Article 15 |
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Art.15.1x |
Elements for incorporation in action programmes shall be selected and adapted to the socio-economic, geographical and climatic factors applicable to affected country Parties or regions, as well as to their level of development. Guidelines for the preparation of action programmes and their exact focus and content for particular subregions and regions are set out in the regional implementation annexes. |
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Sect.3.2 |
Section 2: Scientific and technical cooperation |
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Art.18 |
Article 18 |
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Art.18.1 |
1. The Parties undertake, as mutually agreed and in accordance with their respective national legislation and/ or policies, to promote, finance and/ or facilitate the financing of the transfer, acquisition, adaptation and development of environmentally sound, economically viable and socially acceptable technologies relevant to combating desertification and/ or mitigating the effects of drought, with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in affected areas. Such cooperation shall be conducted bilaterally or multilaterally, as appropriate, making full use of the expertise of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The Parties shall, in particular: |
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Art.18.1.a |
(a) fully utilize relevant existing national, subregional, regional and international information systems and clearing-houses for the dissemination of information on available technologies, their sources, their environmental risks and the broad terms under which they may be acquired; |
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Art.18.1.b |
(b) facilitate access, in particular by affected developing country Parties, on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed, taking into account the need to protect intellectual property rights, to technologies most suitable to practical application for specific needs of local populations, paying special attention to the social, cultural, economic and environmental impact of such technology; |
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Art.18.1.c |
(c) facilitate technology cooperation among affected country Parties through financial assistance or other appropriate means; |
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Art.18.1.d |
(d) extend technology cooperation with affected developing country Parties, including, where relevant, joint ventures, especially to sectors which foster alternative livelihoods; and |
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Art.18.1.e |
(e) take appropriate measures to create domestic market conditions and incentives, fiscal or otherwise, conducive to the development, transfer, acquisition and adaptation of suitable technology, knowledge, know-how and practices, including measures to ensure adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights. |
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Art.18.2 |
2. The Parties shall, according to their respective capabilities, and subject to their respective national legislation and/ or policies, protect, promote and use in particular relevant traditional and local technology, knowledge, know-how and practices and, to that end, they undertake to: |
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Art.18.2.a |
(a) make inventories of such technology, knowledge, know-how and practices and their potential uses with the participation of local populations, and disseminate such information, where appropriate, in cooperation with relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations; |
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Art.18.2.b |
(b) ensure that such technology, knowledge, know-how and practices are adequately protected and that local populations benefit directly, on an equitable basis and as mutually agreed, from any commercial utilization of them or from any technological development derived therefrom; |
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Art.18.2.c |
(c) encourage and actively support the improvement and dissemination of such technology, knowledge, know-how and practices or of the development of new technology based on them; and |
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Art.18.2.d |
(d) facilitate, as appropriate, the adaptation of such technology, knowledge, know-how and practices to wide use and integrate them with modern technology, as appropriate. Section 3: Supporting measures |
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Art.19 |
Article 19 |
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Art.19.1 |
1. The Parties recognize the significance of capacity building --that is to say, institution building, training and development of relevant local and national capacities --in efforts to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. They shall promote, as appropriate, capacity-building: |
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Art.19.1.a |
(a) through the full participation at all levels of local people, particularly at the local level, especially women and youth, with the cooperation of non-governmental and local organizations; |
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Art.19.1.b |
(b) by strengthening training and research capacity at the national level in the field of desertification and drought; |
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Art.19.1.c |
(c) by establishing and/ or strengthening support and extension services to disseminate relevant technology methods and techniques more effectively, and by training field agents and members of rural organizations in participatory approaches for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources; |
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Art.19.1.d |
(d) by fostering the use and dissemination of the knowledge, know-how and practices of local people in technical cooperation programmes, wherever possible; |
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Art.19.1.e |
(e) by adapting, where necessary, relevant environmentally sound technology and traditional methods of agriculture and pastoralism to modern socio-economic conditions; |
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Art.19.1.f |
(f) by providing appropriate training and technology in the use of alternative energy sources, particularly renewable energy resources, aimed particularly at reducing dependence on wood for fuel; |
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Art.19.1.g |
(g) through cooperation, as mutually agreed, to strengthen the capacity of affected developing country Parties to develop and implement programmes in the field of collection, analysis and exchange of information pursuant to article 16; |
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Art.19.1.h |
(h) through innovative ways of promoting alternative livelihoods, including training in new skills; |
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Art.19.1.i |
(i) by training of decision makers, managers, and personnel who are responsible for the collection and analysis of data for the dissemination and use of early warning information on drought conditions and for food production; |
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Art.19.1.j |
(j) through more effective operation of existing national institutions and legal frameworks and, where necessary, creation of new ones, along with strengthening of strategic planning and management; and |
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Art.19.1.k |
(k) by means of exchange visitor programmes to enhance capacity building in affected country Parties through a long-term, interactive process of learning and study. |
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Art.19.2 |
2. Affected developing country Parties shall conduct, in cooperation with other Parties and competent intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as appropriate, an interdisciplinary review of available capacity and facilities at the local and national levels, and the potential for strengthening them. |
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Art.19.3 |
3. The Parties shall cooperate with each other and through competent intergovernmental organizations, as well as with non-governmental organizations, in undertaking and supporting public awareness and educational programmes in both affected and, where relevant, unaffected country Parties to promote understanding of the causes and effects of desertification and drought and of the importance of meeting the objective of this Convention. To that end, they shall: |
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Art.19.3.a |
(a) organize awareness campaigns for the general public; |
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Art.19.3.b |
(b) promote, on a permanent basis, access by the public to relevant information, and wide public participation in education and awareness activities; |
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Art.19.3.c |
(c) encourage the establishment of associations that contribute to public awareness; |
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Art.19.3.d |
(d) develop and exchange educational and public awareness material, where possible in local languages, exchange and second experts to train personnel of affected developing country Parties in carrying out relevant education and awareness programmes, and fully utilize relevant educational material available in competent international bodies; |
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Art.19.3.e |
(e) assess educational needs in affected areas, elaborate appropriate school curricula and expand, as needed, educational and adult literacy programmes and opportunities for all, in particular for girls and women, on the identification, conservation and sustainable use and management of the natural resources of affected areas; and |
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Art.19.3.f |
(f) develop interdisciplinary participatory programmes integrating desertification and drought awareness into educational systems and in non-formal, adult, distance and practical educational programmes. |
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Art.19.4 |
4. The Conference of the Parties shall establish and/ or strengthen networks of regional education and training centres to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. These networks shall be coordinated by an institution created or designated for that purpose, in order to train scientific, technical and management personnel and to strengthen existing institutions responsible for education and training in affected country Parties, where appropriate, with a view to harmonizing programmes and to organizing exchanges of experience among them. These networks shall cooperate closely with relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to avoid duplication of effort. |
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Art.20 |
Article 20 |
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Art.20.1 |
1. Given the central importance of financing to the achievement of the objective of the Convention, the Parties, taking into account their capabilities, shall make every effort to ensure that adequate financial resources are available for programmes to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. |
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Art.20.2 |
2. In this connection, developed country Parties, while giving priority to affected African country Parties without neglecting affected developing country Parties in other regions, in accordance with article 7, undertake to: |
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Art.20.2.a |
(a) mobilize substantial financial resources, including grants and concessional loans, in order to support the implementation of programmes to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought; |
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Art.20.2.b |
(b) promote the mobilization of adequate, timely and predictable financial resources, including new and additional funding from the Global Environment Facility of the agreed incremental costs of those activities concerning desertification that relate to its four focal areas, in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Instrument establishing the Global Environment Facility; |
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Art.20.2.c |
(c) facilitate through international cooperation the transfer of technology, knowledge and know-how; and |
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Art.20.2.d |
(d) explore, in cooperation with affected developing country Parties, innovative methods and incentives for mobilizing and channelling resources, including those of foundations, non-governmental organizations and other private sector entities, particularly debt swaps and other innovative means which increase financing by reducing the external debt burden of affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa. |
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Art.20.3 |
3. Affected developing country Parties, taking into account their capabilities, undertake to mobilize adequate financial resources for the implementation of their national action programmes. |
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Art.20.4 |
4. In mobilizing financial resources, the Parties shall seek full use and continued qualitative improvement of all national, bilateral and multilateral funding sources and mechanisms, using consortia, joint programmes and parallel financing, and shall seek to involve private sector funding sources and mechanisms, including those of non-governmental organizations. To this end, the Parties shall fully utilize the operational mechanisms developed pursuant to article 14. |
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Art.20.5 |
5. In order to mobilize the financial resources necessary for affected developing country Parties to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought, the Parties shall: |
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Art.20.5.a |
(a) rationalize and strengthen the management of resources already allocated for combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought by using them more effectively and efficiently, assessing their successes and shortcomings, removing hindrances to their effective use and, where necessary, reorienting programmes in light of the integrated long-term approach adopted pursuant to this Convention; |
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Art.20.5.b |
(b) give due priority and attention within the governing bodies of multilateral financial institutions, facilities and funds, including regional development banks and funds, to supporting affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa, in activities which advance implementation of the Convention, notably action programmes they undertake in the framework of regional implementation annexes; and |
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Art.20.5.c |
(c) examine ways in which regional and subregional cooperation can be strengthened to support efforts undertaken at the national level. |
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Art.20.6 |
6. Other Parties are encouraged to provide, on a voluntary basis, knowledge, know-how and techniques related to desertification and/ or financial resources to affected developing country Parties. |
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Art.20.7 |
7. The full implementation by affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa, of their obligations under the Convention will be greatly assisted by the fulfilment by developed country Parties of their obligations under the Convention, including in particular those regarding financial resources and transfer of technology. In fulfilling their obligations, developed country Parties should take fully into account that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first priorities of affected developing country Parties, particularly those in Africa. |
