Desertification and Adaptation to Climate Change - UN Conference

The eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP 8) is being held in Madrid, Spain, from 3 to 14 September 2007.

The sixth session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 6) and the eighth session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST 8) will also be held in conjunction with COP 8.

The theme of the conference is, "Desertification and adaptation to Climate Change". The UNCCD is the centrepiece of the international community's efforts to combat desertification and land degradation in the drylands.

Land degradation is an ecological problem that affects the economic well being of local people by also has global consequences by undermining the stability of ecosystems, according to the UN. More than 250 million people, in over 110 countries, are directly affected by desertification and about 1 billion people are at risk.

The UNCCD was adopted on 17 June 1994, entered into force on 26 December 1996, and currently has 191 parties.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
allAfrica.com: South Africa: Enviro Officials Discuss Desertification

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page last updated on 18.09.2007