sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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A regional action programme was established in March 1998 to coordinate national efforts. The
Regional Implementation Annex for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was drawn up on the basis of the region’s particular characteristics:
(i) the existence of broad expanses which have been severely affected by desertification and/or
drought; this threatens one of the largest resources of biological diversity in the world;
(ii) the frequent use of un<strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> practices in affected areas;
(iii) a sharp drop in the productivity of ecosystems, coupled with a decline in agricultural,
livestock and forestry yields and a loss of biological diversity; from the social point of view,
the results are impoverishment, migration, internal population movements, and deterioration
of the quality of life.
The degradation of lands in terms of their biological value or economic productivity is fairly slow
and largely invisible, if measured in terms of policy time frames. Even though the techniques, procedures
and strategies for <strong>sustainable</strong> land management are well known, the low priority assigned by the region’s
Governments prevents the problem from being tackled with the required forcefulness.
Another reason for the scant attention paid to the issue is insufficient statistical, cartographic and
economic information to disseminate present and future effects. It is hoped that the 10-year strategic plan
and framework to enhance the implementation of the United Nations Convention to combat
Desertification (<strong>20</strong>08–<strong>20</strong>18), which has revised the format and content of national reports on combating
desertification, will help to improve this situation. Since <strong>20</strong>10, Parties to the UNCCD have been required
to quantify and deliver indicators of progress.
Recent studies by ECLAC and the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification 12 highlight the economic impact of inaction. According to preliminary long-term
scenarios, in Central America, land area with six or more dry months will double (from 9% in <strong>20</strong>10 to
<strong>20</strong>% in 2100 under IPCC scenario A2). By way of example, it is estimated that, by 2100, a total of 92.5%
of El Salvador will experience six or more dry months (as compared with 39.8% in <strong>20</strong>10). Honduras will
be the country to lose the most wetlands (44,632 km 2 ) by 2100. In percentage terms, between <strong>20</strong>10 and
2100 Belize will lose 45.4% of its wetlands, El Salvador 45.6% and Honduras 48.4% (ECLAC/Global
Mechanism, <strong>20</strong>11).
Table II.6 below shows estimated productivity losses in some countries in the region under IPCC
scenario A2, measured as a percentage of agricultural GDP.
In <strong>20</strong>10, the second International Conference: Climate, Sustainability and Development in Semiarid
Regions (ICID) was held as part of the preparatory process for the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+<strong>20</strong>). The conference issued the Declaration of Fortaleza, which defines
key issues for Rio+<strong>20</strong> relating to desertification, land degradation and drought.
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The Global Mechanism was set up by Article 21 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
and came into operation in October 1998. As a subsidiary body of the Convention, its mandate is to “increase the
effectiveness and efficiency of existing financial mechanisms” and to “promote actions leading to the
mobilization and channelling of substantial financial resources […] to affected developing country Parties”.