CSO Statement in the Closing Ceremony of High Level Segment of COP10

CSO Statement in the Closing Ceremony of High Level Segment of COP10

Oct 18, 2011

Distinguished World Leaders attending COP10,

We, the Civil Society Organizations (CSOS) attending the COP10 welcome you to this High-Level Segment to find ways and means of addressing desertification, land degradation and drought for the improvement of the living conditions of people from affected areas. The fight against poverty cannot succeed without priority given to drylands, land governance, investment in family farming systems, financing climate change adaptation and providing better food safety and sovereignty.

 

In their opening statement to the COP-10 last week, CSOs expressed their concern about the slow nature of implementation of actions at the grassroots level.

CSOs have advocated that unless they are fully taken on board in the process of the UNCCD, effective combating of desertification for poverty eradication would remain elusive.

Partnership in the UNCCD process is an obvious need for the realization of the aspirations of the communities to eradicate hunger and poverty.  Essentially, we all know the complexity of challenges in addressing DLDD and this can be met only by action of all the major stakeholders acting together in partnership and linking it with biodiversity conservation and climate change to promote synergies.

 

CSOs, by their action in the UNCCD process so far, have established their relevance to grassroots achievement of combating land degradation and thus can engage effectively with Parties in designing of development strategies and innovative including local and traditional technologies targeted towards achieving the objectives of UNCCD at all levels.

Distinguished Leaders, CSOs have also noted their diminishing participation in the UNCCD process year after year since the Convention was initiated. This development undermines the spirit of the Convention. We therefore call for an increased participation of CSOs and communities representatives in the process of UNCCD at all levels in order to give effect to the provisions of the Convention and legitimacy of partnership in the process of implementation of the UNCCD.

It is an acknowledged fact that DLDD have become a pervasive problem in affected ecosystems. However, the worst impact of it is experienced by the poor people. The solution lies in mainstreaming SLM into national development policies and practices. 

CSOs request the world leaders to support strengthening the knowledge base of SLM through improved scientific input in order to enhance effective decision making on DLDD.

 

Distinguished Leaders, CSOs have taken an initiative here in COP10 to forge an alliance in this Convention to develop and establish a platform amongst their constituencies for the exchange of experiences, technologies and better approaches on DLDD. The alliance is also expected to emerge as a formidable entity for meaningful partnership and dialogue with the stakeholders of the UNCCD process.

 

CSOs present in this Conference of Parties request the World Leaders to extend all possible support to the Changwon Initiative in which we as CSOs expect to play a key role by building a global alliance on desertification and land degradation.

 

Thank You.