Canada supports the desertification convention

Within the framework of Canada’s current policy thinking on rural development, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will release the last version of its draft strategy on Sustainable Land Management at the Sixth Conference of Parties in Havana, Cuba, in August 2003. This new strategy aims to provide a strategic platform for enhancing partnerships between Canadians and developing country partners on issues related to land degradation and poverty.

Canada is an active supporter of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD), which was ratified in December 1995. In addition to working to support developing country efforts in this area, Canada has been an active participant in the UNCCD process, including a term as Chair at the Fourth Conference of Parties and President of the Fifth Conference of Parties.

Since Canada contains drylands in the Western Prairies, Canada is also considered an affected party under the UNCCD. Unlike developing countries, Canada does not have to develop a National Action Plan to address the issue. It does, however, have to ensure that desertification issues are integrated into its national sustainable development plans and policies. Canada is expected to manage its own vulnerable areas while sharing its management knowledge with developing countries. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and other government departments play a leading role in the development of sustainable land management systems for the Prairies.

Although Canada is an affected country, its main role vis-à-vis the Convention is also as a donor through aid programming. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is the lead department for the implementation of the Convention for Canada. Implementation of the Convention is managed by CIDA in cooperation with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and in consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), and the Departments of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Environment and Justice. CIDA and IDRC implement a large number of programmes to combat land degradation and desertification within a poverty reduction framework. Initiatives have ranged from dune stabilisation and market gardening in West Africa to agro-forestry in India and promoting soil-conserving agricultural practices in Latin America. CIDA supports the desertification-related efforts of more than one hundred domestic and international partners, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), universities, companies and community groups.

For more information on Canada's efforts on desertification,
land degradationand the UNCCD, see our website:
www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/desertification-e.htm
Contact us via: desertification@acdi-cida.gc.ca