(e) measures
to monitor and assess the effects of drought:
(i) developing strategies to evaluate the impacts
of natural climate variability on regional drought
and desertification and/or to utilise predictions
of climate variability on seasonal to interannual
time scales in efforts to mitigate the effects of
drought;
(ii) improving early warning and response capacity,
efficiently managing emergency relief and food aid,
and improving food stocking and distribution systems,
cattle protection schemes and public works and alternative
livelihoods for drought prone areas; and
(iii) monitoring and assessing ecological degradation
to provide reliable and timely information on the
process and dynamics of resource degradation in order
to facilitate better policy formulations and responses.
Article
9 (back to
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Preparation of national action
programmes and implementation and
evaluation indicators
Each affected African country Party shall designate
an appropriate national coordinating body to function
as a catalyst in the preparation, implementation and
evaluation of its national action programme. This
coordinating body shall, in the light of article 3
and as appropriate:
(a) undertake an identification and review of actions,
beginning with a locally driven consultation process,
involving local populations and communities and with
the cooperation of local administrative authorities,
developed country Parties and intergovernmental and
non-governmental organisations, on the basis of initial
consultations of those concerned at the national level;
(b) identify and analyse the constraints, needs and
gaps affecting development and sustainable land use
and recommend practical measures to avoid duplication
by making full use of relevant ongoing efforts and
promote implementation of results;
(c) facilitate, design and formulate project activities
based on interactive, flexible approaches in order
to ensure active participation of the population in
affected areas, to minimise the negative impact of
such activities, and to identify and prioritise requirements
for financial assistance and technical cooperation;
(d) establish pertinent, quantifiable and readily
verifiable indicators to ensure the assessment and
evaluation of national action programmes, which encompass
actions in the short, medium and long terms, and of
the implementation of such programmes; and
(e) prepare progress reports on the implementation
of the national action programmes.
Article
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Organisational framework of subregional
action programmes
1. Pursuant to article 4 of the Convention, African
country Parties shall cooperate in the preparation
and implementation of subregional action programmes
for central, eastern, northern, southern and western
Africa and, in that regard, may delegate the following
responsibilities to relevant subregional intergovernmental
organisations:
(a) acting as focal points for preparatory activities
and coordinating the implementation of the subregional
action programmes;
(b) assisting in the preparation and implementation
of national action programmes;
(c) facilitating the exchange of information, experience
and know-how as well as providing advice on the review
of national legislation; and
(d) any other responsibilities relating to the implementation
of subregional action programmes.
2. Specialised subregional institutions may provide
support, upon request, and/or be entrusted with the
responsibility to coordinate activities in their respective
fields of competence.
Article
11 (back to
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Content and preparation of subregional
action programmes
Subregional action programmes shall focus on issues
that are better addressed at the subregional level.
They shall establish, where necessary, mechanisms
for the management of shared natural resources. Such
mechanisms shall effectively handle transboundary
problems associated with desertification and/or drought
and shall provide support for the harmonious implementation
of national action programmes. Priority areas for
subregional action programmes shall, as appropriate,
focus on:
(a) joint programmes for the sustainable management
of transboundary natural resources through bilateral
and multilateral mechanisms, as appropriate;
(b) coordination of programmes to develop alternative
energy sources;
(c) cooperation in the management and control of
pests as well as of plant and animal diseases;
(d) capacity building, education and public awareness
activities that are better carried out or supported
at the subregional level;
(e) scientific and technical cooperation, particularly
in the climatological, meteorological and hydrological
fields, including networking for data collection and
assessment, information sharing and project monitoring,
and coordination and prioritisation of research and
development activities;
(f) early warning systems and joint planning for
mitigating the effects of drought, including measures
to address the problems resulting from environmentally
induced migrations;
(g) exploration of ways of sharing experiences, particularly
regarding participation of local populations and communities,
and creation of an enabling environment for improved
land use management and for use of appropriate technologies;
(h) strengthening of the capacity of subregional
organisations to coordinate and provide technical
services, as well as establishment, reorientation
and strengthening of subregional centres and institutions;
and
(i) development of policies in fields, such as trade,
which have impact upon affected areas and populations,
including policies for the coordination of regional
marketing regimes and for common infrastructure.
Article
12 (back to
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Organisational framework of the
regional action programme
1. Pursuant to article 11 of the Convention, African
country Parties shall jointly determine the procedures
for preparing and implementing the regional action
programme.
2. The Parties may provide appropriate support to
relevant African regional institutions and organisations
to enable them to assist African country Parties to
fulfil their responsibilities under the Convention.
Article
13 (back to
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Content of the regional action
programme
The regional action programme includes measures relating
to combating desertification and/or mitigating the
effects of drought in the following priority areas,
as appropriate:
(a) development of regional cooperation and coordination
of sub-regional action programmes for building regional
consensus on key policy areas, including through regular
consultations of sub-regional organisations;
(b) promotion of capacity building in activities
which are better implemented at the regional level;
(c) the seeking of solutions with the international
community to global economic and social issues that
have an impact on affected areas taking into account
article 4, paragraph 2 (b) of the Convention;
(d) promotion among the affected country Parties
of Africa and its subregions, as well as with other
affected regions, of exchange of information and appropriate
techniques, technical know-how and relevant experience;
promotion of scientific and technological cooperation
particularly in the fields of climatology, meteorology,
hydrology, water resource development and alternative
energy sources; coordination of sub-regional and regional
research activities; and identification of regional
priorities for research and development;
(e) coordination of networks for systematic observation
and assessment and information exchange, as well as
their integration into world wide networks; and
(f) coordination of and reinforcement of sub-regional
and regional early warning systems and drought contingency
plans.
Article
14 (back to
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Financial resources
1. Pursuant to article 20 of the Convention and article
4, paragraph 2, affected African country Parties shall
endeavour to provide a macroeconomic framework conducive
to the mobilisation of financial resources and shall
develop policies and establish procedures to channel
resources more effectively to local development programmes,
including through non-governmental organisations,
as appropriate.
2. Pursuant to article 21, paragraphs 4 and 5 of
the Convention, the Parties agree to establish an
inventory of sources of funding at the national, subregional,
regional and international levels to ensure the rational
use of existing resources and to identify gaps in
resource allocation, to facilitate implementation
of the action programmes. The inventory shall be regularly
reviewed and updated.
3. Consistent with article 7 of the Convention, the
developed country Parties shall continue to allocate
significant resources and/or increased resources as
well as other forms of assistance to affected African
country Parties on the basis of partnership agreements
and arrangements referred to in article 18, giving,
inter alia, due attention to matters related to debt,
international trade and marketing arrangements in
accordance with article 4, paragraph 2 (b) of the
Convention.
Article
15 (back to
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Financial Mechanisms
1. Consistent with article 7 of the Convention underscoring
the priority to affected African country Parties and
considering the particular situation prevailing in
this region, the Parties shall pay special attention
to the implementation in Africa of the provisions
of article 21, paragraph 1 (d) and (e) of the Convention,
notably by:
(a) facilitating the establishment of mechanisms,
such as national desertification funds, to channel
financial resources to the local level; and
(b) strengthening existing funds and financial mechanisms
at the subregional and regional levels.
2. Consistent with articles 20 and 21 of the Convention,
the Parties which are also members of the governing
bodies of relevant regional and subregional financial
institutions, including the African Development Bank
and the African Development Fund, shall promote efforts
to give due priority and attention to the activities
of those institutions that advance the implementation
of this Annex.
3. The Parties shall streamline, to the extent possible,
procedures for channelling funds to affected African
country Parties.
Article
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Technical assistance and cooperation
The Parties undertake, in accordance with their respective
capabilities, to rationalise technical assistance
to, and cooperation with, African country Parties
with a view to increasing project and programme effectiveness
by, inter alia:
(a) limiting the costs of support measures and backstopping,
especially overhead costs; in any case, such costs
shall only represent an appropriately low percentage
of the total cost of the project so as to maximise
project efficiency;
(b) giving preference to the utilisation of competent
national experts or, where necessary, competent experts
from within the subregion and/or region, in project
design, preparation and implementation, and to the
building of local expertise where it does not exist;
and
(c) effectively managing and coordinating, as well
as efficiently utilising, technical assistance to
be provided.
Article
17 (back to
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Transfer, acquisition, adaptation
and access to environmentally sound technology
In implementing article 18 of the Convention relating
to transfer, acquisition, adaptation and development
of technology, the Parties undertake to give priority
to African country Parties and, as necessary, to develop
with them new models of partnership and cooperation
with a view to strengthening capacity building in
the fields of scientific research and development
and information collection and dissemination to enable
them to implement their strategies to combat desertification
and mitigate the effects of drought.
Article
18 (back to
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Coordination and partnership
agreements
1. African country Parties shall coordinate the preparation,
negotiation and implementation of national, subregional
and regional action programmes. They may involve,
as appropriate, other Parties and relevant intergovernmental
and non-governmental organisations in this process.
2. The objectives of such coordination shall be to
ensure that financial and technical cooperation is
consistent with the Convention and to provide the
necessary continuity in the use and administration
of resources.
3. African country Parties shall organise consultative
processes at the national, subregional and regional
levels. These consultative processes may:
(a) serve as a forum to negotiate and conclude partnership
agreements based on national, subregional and regional
action programmes; and
(b) specify the contribution of African country Parties
and other members of the consultative groups to the
programmes and identify priorities and agreements
on implementation and evaluation indicators, as well
as funding arrangements for implementation.
4. The Permanent Secretariat may, at the request
of African country Parties, pursuant to article 23
of the Convention, facilitate the convocation of such
consultative processes by:
(a) providing advice on the organisation of effective
consultative arrangements, drawing on experiences
from other such arrangements;
(b) providing information to relevant bilateral and
multilateral agencies concerning consultative meetings
or processes, and encouraging their active involvement;
and
(c) providing other information that may be relevant
in establishing or improving consultative arrangements.
5. The subregional and regional coordinating bodies
shall, inter alia:
(a) recommend appropriate adjustments to partnership
agreements;
(b) monitor, assess and report on the implementation
of the agreed subregional and regional programmes;
and
(c) aim to ensure efficient communication and cooperation
among African country Parties.
6. Participation in the consultative groups shall,
as appropriate, be open to Governments, interested
groups and donors, relevant organs, funds and programmes
of the United Nations system, relevant subregional
and regional organisations, and representatives of
relevant non-governmental organisations. Participants
of each consultative group shall determine the modalities
of its management and operation.
7. Pursuant to article 14 of the Convention, developed
country Parties are encouraged to develop, on their
own initiative, an informal process of consultation
and coordination among themselves, at the national,
subregional and regional levels, and, at the request
of an affected African country Party or of an appropriate
subregional or regional organisation, to participate
in a national, subregional or regional consultative
process that would evaluate and respond to assistance
needs in order to facilitate implementation.
Article
19 (back to
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Follow-up arrangements
Follow-up of this Annex shall be carried out by African
country Parties in accordance with the Convention
as follows:
(a) at the national level, by a mechanism the composition
of which should be determined by each affected African
country Party and which shall include representatives
of local communities and shall function under the
supervision of the national coordinating body referred
to in article 9;
(b) at the subregional level, by a multidisciplinary
scientific and technical consultative committee, the
composition and modalities of operation of which shall
be determined by the African country Parties of the
subregion concerned; and
(c) at the regional level, by mechanisms defined
in accordance with the relevant provisions of the
Treaty establishing the African Economic Community,
and by an African Scientific and Technical Advisory
Committee. |