landscan-whatsnew–no.38-392013(21-30.docVIP

LAND SCAN - Whats New – No. 38- 39/2013 (21- 30 September) UNCCD Library information service - All about desertification, land degradation, drought, drylands, sustainable land management, and more related issues compiled from the Web ??FROM THE NEWS HEADLINES ? ‘Land is often taken for granted’ – Luc Gnacadja WINDHOEK – The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has pledged that the United Nations system stands ready to continue supporting Namibia’s efforts to mitigate the effects of the current drought and to build resilience. In his message to the 11th Conference of Parties (COP11) to the United Nations Convection to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP11) read by Dr Veerle Vanderweerd, Director of the Energy and Environment Group of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday, the Secretary-General said desertification and land degradation threaten the livelihoods, well-being and sustainable development of at least one billion people around the world. “In the dry-lands of Africa, climate change is already having an impact.? Temperatures have risen by some 2 degrees Celsius in some areas. Long periods of drought, famine and deepening poverty are impoverishing and depopulating vast areas,” he noted. “As we define the post-2015 development agenda, we need to be able to measure progress towards the commitment to halt and reverse land degradation. We need a paradigm shift to land stewardship. We need to work with countries and local communities to protect and sustain the world’s fragile dry-lands and restore degraded land,” stressed Ban Ki-moon. Outgoing UNCCD Executive Secretary, Luc Gnacadja said land is often taken for granted even though it is the vital capital resource at the nexus of food, energy and water security, and very often the sole asset of the rural poor. “For present and future generations, we need to consider the impact of our land-use decisions and take account of the difficult trade-offs connected, both directly an