United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
| United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa | |
|---|---|
Global desertification vulnerability
|
|
| Context | Environment |
| Drafted | 17 June 1994 |
| Signed | 14 October 1994 |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Effective | 26 December 1996 |
| Condition | 50 ratifications |
| Parties | 196 (195 states + the European Union) |
| Depositary | Secretary-General of the United Nations |
| Languages | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish |
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.
The Convention, the only convention stemming from a direct recommendation of the Rio Conference's Agenda 21, was adopted in Paris, France on 17 June 1994 and entered into force in December 1996. It is the only internationally legally binding framework set up to address the problem of desertification. The Convention is based on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralization—the backbone of Good Governance and Sustainable Development. It has 196 parties, making it near universal in reach.
To help publicise the Convention, 2006 was declared "International Year of Deserts and Desertification" but debates have ensued regarding how effective the International Year was in practice.
The UNCCD has been ratified by 195 states plus the European Union. Currently, all member states of the UN plus the Cook Islands and Niue have ratified the convention. The convention does not apply to Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao and Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands), or to Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, or Jersey (United Kingdom).
...
Wikipedia