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Time for a change

Number 14 - December 2000

Table of contents

Time for a change .............1

Regional meeting ofAfrica .................................2

Regional meeting ofLatin America and theCaribbean ..........................3

The health impacts ofdesertification ................4-6

Thematic ProgrammeNetworks ...........................7

SRAP for the Aral SeaBasin...................................8

Information system for theMediterranean ..................8

Calendar ofevents 2000......................2-8

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by Dr. Theo-Ben GurirabPresident of the 54th Session of theUnited Nations General AssemblyMinister of Foreign Affairs, Namibia

The very nature of this Convention makes ita sustainable development convention par excel-lence, addressing key issues for developing coun-tries such as poverty eradication, food security,sustainable agriculture, and the promotion of sus-tainable livelihood not necessarily dependent onthe vulnerable natural resource base.

The Convention is now being implementedby most country Parties to it. To date a totalnumber of 169 are Parties to the Convention andmore are expected to join soon.

However, we note with increased concernthat this process lacks the kind of support it isentitled to, in terms of financial assistance fromthe international community for its timely andeffective implementation.

This can undoubtedly be seen as a major con-straint in the implementation process of theUNCCD in many countries. The UNCCD, un-like other Rio Conventions does not have accessto GEF funding for its implementation.

One can wonder whether the internationalcommunity has been consistent in putting inplace a financial mechanism in support of otherRio Conventions and not for the UNCCD. Allaffected countries and a certain number of theirdeveloped partners are starting to realise this situ-ation and are looking towards the only suitableand well funded mechanism, the Global Environ-mental Facility.

If we consider that the UNCCD is the onlylegally binding instrument that came as a con-crete and direct recommendation of the Rio Sum-mit, we must admit that the international com-munity misjudged the importance of the issuesat stake when it decided not to grant it direct ac-cess to GEF resources.

In the early years of this process, mindful ofthe real opportunities created by the Convention,the developing countries were willing to give thisdecision the benefit of the doubt and try to worktowards the implementation of the UNCCDthrough other mechanisms of funding, and to givetheir support to the establishment of this mecha-nism.

Unfortunately, six years after this Conven-tion was created, we all must admit that sustainedfunding has failed to come to this process.

A tangible example was provided by the na-tional reporting process required from Africancountry Parties for the third session of the COP.Notwithstanding the financial difficulties encoun-tered in that process, the African countries deliv-ered their obligations in an outstanding way bypresenting by the established deadline, more than40 reports. Similar difficulties have characterizedthe reporting process, this year, of country Partiesof Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.Despite this, more than 80 reports have been re-ceived from these two regions.

I would also like to take this opportunity tocongratulate the UNCCD secretariat for the wayin which it spared no efforts to raise funds to meetat least the minimum financial needs required toensure the success of the reporting process. May Ialso add that, despite all those efforts, the amountraised to cover the needs of all African countriesis equivalent to the grant that the GEF allocates toone single country for its “enabling activities”.

I am convinced that any impartial observer willagree that this constitutes a rather unfair situation,particularly if we consider that we are dealing herewith the poorest countries in the world.

It is important for us to underline that this situ-ation cannot continue without seriously hamper-ing the success of this vital process. As we en-gage more and more in the implementation phaseof the UNCCD, it is indispensable that countryParties be provided with the same tools as otherconventions to maximize or improve their abilityto meet their obligations successfully.

We have to also underline that the UNCCDimplementation cannot be conceived only in bi-lateral terms as it remains a multilateral instru-ment addressing the vital issue of sustainable de-velopment in arid ecosystems.

In the light of the ongoing preparation of the“Rio plus ten” review, it is essential for the devel-oping country Parties to re-assess their position atthis crucial venture and make concrete and ur-gently needed proposals for the long term financ-ing of the UNCCD implementation that shouldtake into considerations the problems exposed.This is a historical responsibility that we will as-sume fully.❐

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Number 14 - December 2000 2

African countries assess progressesand identify priority actions

����The National Focal Points of 36 Coun-

tries, representatives of six sub-regional or-ganisations and eight non-governmental or-ganizations, as well as of African and inter-national organisations attended the AfricanRegional Conference preparatory to theFourth Session of the Conference of the Par-t ies to the Convention to CombatDesertification (COP-4). The Conferencewas held in Algiers, Algeria, from 22-24 Oc-tober 2000, organised by the UNCCD Sec-retariat in collaboration with the Governmentof Algeria.

Participants focussed in particular on Af-rica’s position on issues in the agenda ofCOP-4, and on the review of the implemen-tation process in the region since the COP-3, at the national, sub-regional and regionallevels.

However, specific attention was devotedalso to the development of the Action Planfor Enhancing Global Environment Facility(GEF) Support for Land Degradation, al-ready considered by the GEF Council lastyear. In this framework, participants urgedfor all necessary measures and arrangementsto explore the best options for the fundingof UNCCD related programmes by the Glo-bal Environmental Facility.

Participants also requested the GlobalMechanism to enhance actions towards thenecessary resource mobilization for thepreparation of national reports, and imple-mentation of activities at all levels. Theycalled for financial synergies with other mul-tilateral environmental Agreements, andcalled upon bilateral and multilateral devel-opment partners of African countries to pro-vide or to continue to provide them substan-tial financial resources in order to enablethem to fulfil their mandate and obligationsunder the Convention.

Additional recommendations referred tothe preparation for future appointments, inparticular Rio+10, the Millennium Ecosys-tem Assessment, and the elaboration of aDryland Land Degradation Assessment(LADA), as well as proposals for the futureagenda of work of the Committee of Scienceand Technology.

In Africa, as of to date already 17 Na-tional Action Programmes (NAPs) have beenfinalized, nearly half of which have been for-mally adopted by the respective govern-ments. Participants evaluated progressesreached, as well as constraints which include

: insufficient awareness of the populations incountries that have not been able to launch theNAP process; insufficient integration of na-tional plans and strategies; lack of sufficientfunding at various stages (elaboration, imple-mentation of NAPs); absence of synergies be-tween the Rio Conventions’ implementation inmost countries.

In this framework, they also identified pri-ority actions to address these concerns, namelystrengthened decentralization; enhancement oflinks between national focal points and authori-ties for development co-operation; integrationof UNCCD programmes into national devel-opment strategies and other relevant policyareas; increased involvement of civil society;evaluation of progress by using pertinent,quantifiable and readily verifiable indicatorsand benchmarks; further awareness raising,education, training, income generating activi-ties and access to credit, in particular addressedto women.

Activities at the sub-regional levels wereillustrated by representatives respectively ofCILSS/ECOWAS (Western Africa); SADC(Southern Africa); IGAD (Eastern Africa);UMA (Arab Maghreb) and CEMAC (CentralAfrica). A number of activities have beenlaunched to implement the four SRAPs alreadyadopted, although financial constraints remaina main obstacle. Representatives of the sub-regional organizations illustrated the respec-tive initiatives undertaken, which include forexample awareness raising campaigns; meet-ings of thematic groups for project formula-tion; workshops on resource mobilization (incollaboration also with the GM); and theprogress achieved in relation to thetransboundary projects identified in particularamong CILSS and UMA country Parties.

At the regional level, all administrativeprocedures to put in place the Regional Co-ordinating Unit and to ensure its functioninghave been completed. The RCU is hosted byAfrican Development Bank in Abidjan and nowoperational. Consultative meetings have beenheld to consider the formal launching of thefirst three (3) out of the six Thematic Pro-gramme Networks (TPNs) for the RAP. How-ever, again, participants recalled that furtherfinancial resources are needed to operationalizethese networks and thereby implement theRAP. In this regard, participants recommendedthat the COP-4 includes RCU costs in its corebudget.❐

31 January – 2 FebruaryMexico City, MexicoRegional meeting on nationalreporting

7-9 FebruaryCotonou, BeninRegional Meeting of SelectedAfrican CCD Focal Points onNAP implementation

11-14 FebruaryDubai, UAEInternational Conference onDesertification

16-18 FebruaryRome, ItalySocial participation to combatdesertification – assessment,adaptation and design of pilotimplementation scheme for theuse of EASW methodology inthe framework of Annex IV(16)Ministerial meeting of AnnexIV Countries (17)Workshop on synergiesbetween desertification,climate change, biodiversityand forest between Northernand Southern Mediterraneancountries (18)

23-24 FebruaryAlmaty, KazakhstanWorkshop on nationalreporting for Central Asia

29 February – 1 MarchBeirut, LebanonWorkshop on nationalreporting for Western AsianFocal Points

3 Number 14 - December 2000

Newsletter of the CCD Secretariat

Latin America and the Caribbean countriescall for GEF desertification window

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(continued)

The implementation process of theUNCCD in Latin America and the Caribbeanshows significant progresses, including theincrease of institutional and inter-institutionalco-ordination, as well as of public awarenessof issues at stake.

However, challenges ahead remain rel-evant and stronger international support willbe necessary to meet them. In this framework,country Parties of the region called for theopening at the Global Environmental Fund(GEF) of a specific window with sufficientand adequate resources to address UNCCDrelated priorities, in particular the financingof the formulation and implementation ofNational Action Programs (NAPs), in re-sponse to the urgent need for fresh resourcesas expressed also by country Parties of otheraffected regions.

These are among the main conclusionshighlighted by focal points and representa-tives of 28 country Parties of the region thatgathered from 16 to 19 October in San Salva-dor for the Sixth Regional Meeting to discusssuccesses and obstacles in the UNCCD im-plementation process. A specific workshop onresource mobilization with representatives ofthe Global Mechanism followed on 20-21 Oc-tober.

Eight NAPs have already been finalizedin the region, as well as six sub-regional ones.Desertification is now included in school cur-ricula of some country Parties, while increas-ing communication with, and involvement ofcivil society also reflects a positive trend.Progress continues also for the nine projectsincluded in the Regional Action Programme,although limited financial resources allowedfor the launching of only the information net-work (DESELAC http://www.rolac.unep.mx/deselac) and the project for parameters andindicators for ecosystems in arid lands inLatin America.

Partnership mobilization of developedcountry Parties, in particular for capacitybuilding and training, knowledge and tech-nology transfer, was deemed still insufficientand as such one of the major obstacles to thesuccessful implementation of the UNCCD, to-gether with lack of coherent policies at thenational level, of integration with other con-ventions, and the non inclusion ofdesertification and drought programmes innational development policies and reconstruc-tion plans.

The 6th Regional Meeting therefore high-lighted the need to support the following pri-

orities: assure or assist the implementationof the NAPs; strengthen and consolidate thenational co-ordination organisms, the nationalfocal points, as well as the Regional Execut-ing Committee and the Regional Co-ordinating Unit, namely through the inclusionof the latter in the Secretariat’s core budget;promote the harmonization of public policies;increase NGOs and civil society participa-tion; encourage and ensure national and re-gional training of specialized human re-sources within the framework of an investi-gation project that considers the multi-dimen-sion of desertification and the recovery of thetraditional knowledge.

Participants further highlighted the needfor additional information tools, monitoringand early warning systems, as well as ofmechanisms and tools to facilitate the inte-gration and participation of the private sec-tor and civil society. Economic incentives andother instruments will be essential to facili-tate the involvement of the private sector,small community and peasant organizations,and the channelling of fiscal and private in-vestment to combat land degradation. Impactindicators, among which the economics ones,should be further developed in order to de-termine the economic losses due to land deg-radation.

Reports on specific issues provided addi-tional elements to the global picture. Particu-lar attention was devoted to Central America,where the most populated areas coincide withthose most vulnerable to desertification. Pov-erty remains the direct cause of non-sustain-able agricultural practices. Central Americasocial-economic dynamics exclude poor peo-ple from the most suitable agricultural land,while unsustainable deforestation for grazingpurposes further worsens the situation. Soilerosion heavily affects water availability, itsuse in agriculture and for human consump-tion. Furthermore, desertification increasesvulnerability to hurricanes, strong rain falls,which regularly affect the Central Americaregion, with related, heavy economic costs.

The Sixth Regional Meeting was co-or-ganized by the Government of El Salvadorand the UNCCD Secretariat. Participants in-cluded representatives of regional andsubregional intergovernmental organizations,agencies from the United Nations system andNGOs. The seventh Regional Meeting willtake place in Chile, tentatively in September2001.❐

6-8 MarchBamako, MaliSecond Africa-Latin Americaand Caribbean Forum on theImplementation of the UNCCD

14-17 MarchNew Delhi, IndiaTPN2 Launch Meeting (AsianRegional Thematic ProgrammeNetwork on Agroforestry andSoil Conservation in Arid,Semi-arid and Dry Sub-humidAreas)Workshop on nationalreporting

23-28 MarchBonn, GermanyConsultative Meeting on TPNon Integrated Management ofWater Resources ofTransboundary River, Lakeand Hyrogeological Basins forAfrica (23-24)Consultative Meeting on theTPN on Agroforestry and SoilConservation for Africa (25-26)Consultative Meeting on theTPN on Rational Use ofRangelands and Fodder Cropsfor Africa (27-28)

30-31 MarchKingston, JamaicaNational awareness seminar

20-22 AprilN’Djamena, ChadNational forum on NAPvalidation

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Number 14 - December 2000 4

The health impacts of desertification and drought

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By Bettina Menne and Roberto BertolliniWorld Health Organization, Regional Office forEurope, European Centre for Environment andHealth, Rome division

At the beginning of the 21st century, environ-mental changes on an unprecedented and global scalehave begun to impinge upon human health simulta-neously, and often interactively. These changes in-clude altered composition of the atmosphere, deple-tion of terrestrial aquifers and ocean fisheries, loss ofbiodiversity, and the process of desertification andland degradation. The health impacts of some of thesetrends will become apparent during the coming dec-ades.

In arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areasdesertification and drought already present a seriousthreat to the well-being and health of the localpopulations. They are directly linked to food and watershortages, conflicts, mass migration, increased pov-erty, increased risk of fires, decreased availability offuel and limited access to health care.

The extent of the impact depends on the vulner-ability of populations and individuals, and on pre-existing conditions. A complex mix of factors deter-mines the degree of individuals’ vulnerability, includ-ing age, gender, disability, genetics, immune status,income, cultural knowledge, legal rights, and accessto health services. Causes of population vulnerabil-ity include poverty, inequalities, access to servicesand medicine, geographical isolation, population sizeand technological development. Demographic in-creases when resources are scarce make societies evenmore vulnerable.

In affected areas, a vicious circle linksdesertification to declining agricultural productivityand individual income levels, leading to severe eco-nomic crises and poverty for entire countries, com-munities and families that depend primarily on ruralincome. Poverty directly affects health. Those coun-tries with the lowest GDP per capita have the high-est infant mortality rates.

From a public health point of view we are livingthrough what is, historically, a major transition in

human health. Noncommunicable diseases (such ascardiovascular diseases, cancer, and depression) pre-dominate in developed countries. In poorer countries,infectious diseases (especially in childhood) remainimportant, even as noncommunicable diseases increasein urban populations due to changes in lifestyle andenvironmental and occupational exposures. However,many countries suffer under a double burden of allthese diseases.

The balance sheet is indelibly stained by the avoid-able burden of disease and malnutrition that the world’sdisadvantaged populations continue to bear. Some ana-lysts have characterized a world of incomplete epide-miological transition, in which epidemiologically po-larized subpopulations have been left behind.

In the case of dryland degradation and drought,health care services are often badly disrupted due topopulation movements and deteriorating financial andeconomic conditions. Disrupted health systems be-come unable to cope with the population’s needs.National health and anti-desertification policies shouldtherefore be coordinated and integrated.

Furthermore, desertification leads notonly to staple food shortages but also to adecrease in the wild plants that providenutritional supplements for the entire fam-ily. Desertification, deforestation and over-use of wilderness areas have drastically re-duced the amount of supplementary prod-ucts gathered in the bush, such as vegetablebutter. Bush meat in West Africa in par-ticular is a major source of animal proteinbut it is increasingly less available due tothe destruction of dry forest and woodlandhabitat. Changes in local biodiversity mightput at risk traditional medicine, which holdsa very important place in all parts of Af-rica, in villages remote from modern chem-ist shops where medicines are in any casebeyond the reach of country people.

Women and children are most vulnerable todroughts. Women are increasingly becoming bread-winners in addition to their domestic and caretakerroles. They are exposed to higher stress when search-ing for water and fuel wood at increasing walking dis-tances. However, as their earnings are likely to be lower,patterns of poverty are easily perpetuated. Studies inZimbabwe in 1994-1995 found out that for womenthe effects on the body-mass index were temporaryand if it rained the following year, women gained muchof the lost body index. But for children aged 12-24months droughts can have permanent effects.

The “technology” exists to prevent or control mostof the world’s biggest killers because they are linked tofactors such as inadequate levels of food supply, safewater, secure shelter, and access to education andhealthcare. A population’s technological vulnerabilitynecessarily reflects its economic conditions and cul-tural values. Some technologies affect basic commu-nity vulnerability (for example, wholesale and retailfood storage and safety inspection facilities); othersaffect the capacity to prevent or treat specific injuries

8-9 MayBrussels, BelgiumWorkshop on Landdegradation andDesertification in Central andEastern Europe

8-11 MayMenemen, TurkeyConference on The future ofthe Mediterranean RuralEnvironment. Prospects forSustainable land use andManagement

17-21 JuneBrazzaville, CongoNational awareness raisingdays

15-18 JuneMurcia, SpainMeeting of focal points of thegroup of Annex IV countries (15)Ministerial meeting of the groupof Annex IV countries (16)Mediterranean NGO’sConference of the group of AnnexIV countries (16-18)Meeting of Focal Points andNGOs of the group of Annex IVcountries (18)

17 JuneWorld Day to CombatDesertification

28-30 JuneTokyo, JapanTPN 1 Workshop (Asianregional thematic programmenetwork on desertificationmonitoring and assessment)

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and diseases (for example, public education systems;vaccination programmes; health-care system capac-ity, accessibility and organisation; disaster responsecapacity; and food reserves and food distribution sys-tems).

Although further research is necessary, there issufficient evidence that droughts and desertificationnegatively influence human health. In areas affectedby desertification, health policies need therefore to befully integrated into programmes to combatdesertification.

The health impacts of desertification can be di-vided into malnutrition and famine, water borne dis-eases, other infectious diseases, respiratory diseasesand burning injuries.

1. Malnutrition and famine

Desertification and drought affect food produc-tion, resulting in malnutrition, hunger, and often fam-ine. Although over the past three decades world foodproduction has increased at a greater rate than haspopulation, hunger persists and is increasing in somecountries. According to FAO, “There has been noimprovement since the last count: 826 million peo-ple still do not get enough to eat in a time of unprec-edented plenty”.

In Africa, the number of malnourished peoplehas increased in absolute numbers, and in many coun-tries as a percentage of the population as well. Some49% of the 10 million annual deaths among childrenunder five years of age in the developing world areassociated with malnutrition.

Malnutrition affects all age groups across the en-tire life span (Table 1), with a profound influence ongrowth, development, morbidity and mortality. Mal-nutrition related to desertification, drought and pov-erty implies, among other effects, protein-energymalnutrition, intrauterine growth retardation, and de-ficiencies of several micronutrients, such as iron andVitamins A and C. Effects include growth and devel-opment retardation, major susceptibility to infections,blindness and anemia.

Maternal malnutrition is the major determinant

of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in devel-oping countries. Maternal anaemia, gastrointestinaland respiratory infections, malaria and cigarette smok-ing are also important etiological factors. IUGR de-mands urgent attention for the significantly increasedrisks it implies not only for the child’s health (for ex-ample, increased malnutrition, morbidity, mortality,poor cognitive and neurological development), butalso for the adult, increasing the risk of certain dis-eases (for example, cardiovascular disease, high bloodpressure, obstructive lung disease, diabetes and renaldisease).

IUGR also reinforces the inter-generational cy-cle of malnutrition, poverty and disease with enor-mous costs in terms of failed and unachieved humanand socio-economic development potential.

Even moderate malnutrition can, when long last-ing, prevent the normal development of children’sbrains. Poverty forces many children to drop out fromschool, and hunger will disadvantage the learningprocess of those still in the school. When the normalgrowth of pelvic bones by girls is disturbed, futurechildbirth can become extremely risky.

Malnutrition weakens the body’s resistance todiseases. Several kinds of famine-related death arecaused by infectious diseases that the victim’s emaci-ated body is unable to resist. Measles, for example, isstill a major cause of mortality in undernourishedpopulations. Outbreaks of beriberi, pellagra andscurvy still occur among the extremely poor and un-derprivileged.

The most common deficiency syndrome inpopulations affected by food emergencies is causedby the lack of vitamin A. Ocular signs of vitamin Adeficiency — known as xerophthalmia — includenight blindness and Bitot’s spots in the earlier stages.Xerophthalmia progresses to corneal xerosis, ulcera-tion and scarring, and eventually blindness. Signs ofxerophthalmia were detected in 7% of the childrensurveyed in one region of Somalia during the droughtof 1986-1987; 2.1% in drought-affected Niger in 1985;and 2.7% in a region of Mauritania in 1984. Datasuggest that vitamin A deficiency is linked with highchildhood mortality.

Table 1: Malnutrition across the life span, by disorder and consequences (WHO, 1999)

30 JuneBurkina FasoOfficial launching of theimplementation of NAP

9-11 JulyNouakchott, MauritaniaFirst forum on NAPelaboration

18-20 JulyBishkek, Issyk-Kul, KyrgyzstanExperts meeting on thepreparation of the Sub-regional Action Programme(SRAP) tocombat Desertification in theAral Sea Basin in the contextof UNCCD

6-8 SeptemberNiamey, NigerNational Forum to validate theNAP

20 SeptemberBrussels, BelgiumFocal Point Meeting of theGroup of Annex IV Countries

25-29 SeptemberDamascus, SyriaConsultations on thelaunching of TPN4 Asia(Water resources)

26-27 SeptemberThe GambiaForum on the NAP to CCD

(continued)

Main Consequences

Low birth weight ; Brain damage; Neuraltube defects; Stillbirths

Growth retardation; Developmentalretardation; Brain damage; Early anaemiaContinuing malnutrition; Developmentalretardation ; Increased risk of infection;High risk of death; Blindness ; AnaemiaDelayed growth spurt ; Stunted height;Delayed/retarded intellectual development;Increased risk of infection; Blindness;Anaemia; Inadequate bone mineralizationInsufficient weight gain in pregnancy;Maternal anaemia; Maternal mortality;Increased risk of infection; Night blindness;Low birth weight/high-risk death rate forfetus

Common Nutritional Disorders

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR);Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD);Folate deficiencyLow birth weight ; IDD

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) ;IDD ; Vitamin A deficiency (VAD);Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA)PEM, IDD, IDA ; Folate deficiency ;Calcium deficiency

PEM, IDD, BAD, IDA; Folatedeficiency; Calcium deficiency

Life Stage

Embryo/fetus

Neonate

Infant andyoung child

Adolescent

Pregnantand lactatingwomen

Source: WHO, 1999

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Number 14 - December 2000 6

During the droughts in Somalia in 1987 clinicalsigns of vitamin C deficiency, as evidenced by swol-len, bleeding gums and swollen joints, were detectedin 3.6% of the children in the Bay region.

Iron deficiency is the world’s most widespreadnutritional disorder, affecting both industrialized anddeveloping countries. In the former, iron deficiency isthe main cause of anaemia. In developing countries itis also associated with other nutrient deficiencies (folicacid, vitamin A, B12), malaria, intestinal parasiticinfestations (especially hookworm, schistosomiasisand amoebiasis), and chronic infections such as HIV.In the poorest populations, where the usual diet isnot only monotonous but also based on cereals whichare low in iron and contain high levels of absorption-inhibitors, iron stores are characteristically low, par-ticularly in young children and pregnant women.

Animal health deserves a short reference, consid-ering its high importance in the livelihood of mostdryland peoples. Water problems affect herds, andtherefore human well-being and health. For example,livestock herds were decimated due to land degrada-tion and drought in the Saharo-Sahelian zone between1968 and 1973. Effects persist even if abundant rainsreturn, as subsistence farmers were forced to depletetheir stock of seed for the following year, and hugenumbers of draft animals had to be slaughtered or hadstarved.

2. Water and food borne diseases

A 1997 WHO assessment estimated that inad-equate water and sanitation contributed to 5.3% ofglobal mortality. About 1.1 billion people do not haveaccess to clean water, and 2.9 billion to sanitation – anumber projected to increase to 3.3 billion this year.Eighty percent of these people live in rural areas.

The drying of water sources forces people to useheavily polluted water, leading to severe epidemics.Water-related disease can be divided into four cat-egories: faecal-oral, water-washed, water-based anddisease spread by water-related vectors. In particu-lar, desertification and droughts can increase faecal-oral diseases and water wash diseases. Faecal oraldiseases spread via water or food contaminated withfaecal material. They include cholera, typhoid, Hepa-titis A and diarrhoeal diseases. Diarrhea still repre-sents an important potential source of morbidity andmortality in an undernourished population, and isparticularly evident in drought-affected countries. Thespread of water-wash diseases from one person tothe other is exacerbated by the lack of water for per-sonal hygiene. They include skin and eye infectionssuch as impetigo and trachoma.

The Aral Sea zone of Central Asia offers an-other example of the consequences for health, theeconomy, and employment that result from waterscarcity, pollution and salinization, and from the de-struction of what used to be a natural barrier againstthe drying effects of winds. Public water supplies inthe disaster zone are unreliable and unsafe, mainlybecause of bacteriological contamination. Life expect-ancy in the disaster zone as a whole is 1.8 yearsbelow that of surrounding nations, and in districts

near the sea, the difference is nine years.Last but not least, territories subject to erosion

and wind might experience sudden flooding. The healthimpacts of flooding are not taken into consideration inthis review.

3. Other infectious diseases

3.1. It is apparent that the sub-Saharan meningo-coccus meningitis belt is enlarging its southern borders.Meningococcal disease is a contagious bacterial illnesswith very high fatality rates, and is spread by person-to-person contact through the respiratory droplets ofinfected people. The highest number of cases occurs insub-Saharan Africa in an area referred to as the menin-gitis belt. Epidemics occur in seasonal cycles betweenthe end of November and June, depending on the loca-tion and the climate of the area, and then decline veryrapidly with the arrival of the first rain.

3.2. The seasonal migration of families and work-ers to urban areas during dry seasons is very commonin African sub-Saharan countries. These migration pat-terns lead to the easy spread of communicable dis-eases such as AIDS. Drought periods, seasonal dryseasons, food shortages and finally desertification of-ten lead to an increase in the migration flow, as well asto changes in destinations. The health effects of thisprocess should be further analyzed with respect bothto the populations in destination areas, and the groupsthat remain in their areas of origin.

3.3. Migration has been recognized as an impor-tant cause of malaria resurgence in Africa and EasternEurope. Epidemics of malaria are subject to rapid in-creases in incidence, usually related to season and popu-lation movements. Epidemics can result from popula-tion movements of the non-immune into malariousareas, either in search of temporary work, or into newfrontier settlements.

The Sahel is the only dryland in the world to haveexperienced a long drought, with a 21% decline in an-nual rainfall over the past 100 years. Not only is therea trend towards less rainfall, but rainfall has becomeless predictable, with an increased variability ininterannual rainfall in 1961-1990 compared with 1931-1960. In this framework, malaria prevalence in Saheliancountries appears to be in decline but is likely to be-come unstable, with epidemics occurring in years withexcessive rainfall.

3.4. Emergency situations, such as prolongeddroughts, may lead to heavy population movements.They cause the young and the old in particular tosuffer stress and death. A study of 42 refugeepopulations from 1984-1988 shows acute proteinenergy malnutrition (PEM) prevalence and crudeunadjusted monthly mortality (CMR) rates, and astrong positive association between the two. Over-crowding of shelters and basic services such as sanita-tion and water supply, contact with, and/or introduc-tion of new diseases or disease vectors, may lead tooutbreaks or cases of communicable diseases such astyphus, typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhoeal diseases,eye and skin infections.

27-29 SeptemberCopenhagen, DenmarkStart-up Workshop onDesertification InformationSystem for the Mediterranean29 SeptemberPraïa, Cape VerdeRound-Table on NAPimplementation

2-4 OctoberMombasa, KenyaConsultative Meeting of IGADand SADC sub-regions onpartnership agreements

9-13 OctoberNairobi, KenyaIGAD Sub-regional meeting onthe implementation of theSRAP and NAPs

16-19 OctoberSan Salvador, El Salvador

20-21 OctoberSan Salvador, El SalvadorLatin America and theCaribbean RegionalConsultative meeting onpartnership agreements

22-24 OctoberAlgiers, Algeria4th Regional Meeting of Africain preparation for COP-4

25-26 OctoberAlgiers, AlgeriaWorkshop on resourcemobilization in NorthernAfrica

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(Cont. on page 7)

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Newsletter of the CCD Secretariat

Thematic Programme Networks (TPNs), par-ticularly in Africa and Asia, are an effective opera-tional framework to facilitate the implementation ofthe Convention at the regional level through co-ordi-nation, collaboration and action on selected, priorityissues of particular relevance within the CCD frame-work.

In Africa, a TPN for the “Integrated Manage-ment of international river, lake and hydrogeologicalbasins of Africa” was launched in Ghana, from 29November-1 December 2000. The Regional Coordi-nating Unit of Africa invited African specialized in-stitutions, international agencies and bilateral part-ners to meet and adopt a work programme and relatedtimetable, define practical modalities for collabora-tion and identify tasks and roles of each partner.

The network aims at providing a framework forthe coordination and exchange of experiences amongwater basin organizations of various subregions ofthe continent, in order to promote action in hydro-agricultural components and integrated developmentprogrammes of the great water basins for the benefitof the desertification control and/or mitigation of theeffects of drought.

Further to the above, five additional TPNs willbe launched in the framework of the Regional ActionProgramme, each of them addressing an issue of ma-jor concern for the region, as identified at the PanafricanConference on the implementation of the UNCCDheld in Burkina Faso (March 1997). The themes in-clude the following: Agroforestry and soil conserva-tion; Rational use of rangelands and development offodder crops; Ecological monitoring, natural resourcesmapping, remote sensing and early warning systems;Promotion of new and renewable energy sources andtechnologies; Sustainable agricultural farming systems.

Seven related thematic workshops already tookplace between 1998 and 1999. Six thematic focal pointswere designated by the Ministerial Segment of theThird Regional Africa Conference (Nairobi, Kenya,1999). The first consultative meetings were held inBonn, Germany, in March 2000, to define the opera-tional framework of the TPNs, as well as their stand-ards, goals and activities.

Within the framework of the RAP for Asia, sixTPN areas were identified at the Beijing MinisterialConference on Regional Co-operation to Implementthe UNCCD in Asia (May 1997), on the basis ofdecisions agreed upon at the first CCD Asian Re-gional Conference (India 1996).

TPN1 (Desertification monitoring and assess-ment) was officially launched in July 1999 and is

hosted by China. Further to an expert consultationmeeting in Tokyo, in June 2000, decisions were madeon specific programmes and distribution of tasksamong participating countries on a continuous basisthat would lead to the production of a regionaldesertification map.

TPN2 (Agroforestry and Soil Conservation),hosted by India, was launched in March 2000. Thenetwork aims at supplementing the ongoing nationalefforts in the region to develop sustainable agriculturein arid and semi-arid zones without jeopardizing frag-ile ecosystems. The network will facilitate informa-tion and technical know-how exchanges as well asregional co-operation.

Launching of TPN3 (Rangeland Management andSand Dune Fixation) is scheduled by early 2001 inIran. The network will aim, inter alia, at improving theproductivity of rangelands and controlling land degra-dation in arid and semi-arid regions. So far, sevencountries in the region have already officially ex-pressed their interest in participating.

Finally, preparations are underway also for thethree remaining Asian TPNs, which address Waterresources management (in Syria), Strengthening ca-pacities for drought impact management anddesertification control (in Mongolia), and Integratedlocal area development (in Pakistan).

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the RAPcomprises projects that, while not formally describedas TPNs as is the case in Africa and Asia, focus onspecific subjects or themes and are based indeed alsoon networking. The entire region participated in theirdevelopment and implementation. The Regional Co-ordinating Unit and Regional Executive Committeeare responsible for regional co-ordination.

Such projects include, for example, the develop-ment of a regional information network (DESELAC)to facilitate, among others, the speedy and effectivesharing of relevant information on policies to combatdesertification and mitigate the effects of drought.The DESELAC information network was launchedin 1998 and covers 90% of the LAC countries.

The harmonisation of public policies to combatdesertification is another key project within the RAPframework. It will be launched as a pilot project in2001 in 6 countries (Barbados, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico,Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic). Furthermore,a number of sub-regional projects have been devel-oped.

The principle of developing thematic networkswas also approved by Annex IV countries at theministerial meeting in Murcia, Spain, in June 2000.❐

Thematic Programme Networks

30 October – 4 NovemberN’Djamena, ChadInternational Seminar onCombating Desertification,Freshwater Resources andRehabilitation of DegradedAreas in Drylands

7-8 NovemberBangkok, ThailandThird Regional Meeting of theCCD National Focal Points inAsia

9-10 NovemberBangkok, ThailandRegional Workshop onApproaches to ResourceMobilization for the UNCCD

29 November - 1 DecemberAccra, GhanaLaunching meeting for TPN onIntegrated Management ofInternational River, Lake andHydro-geological Basins inAfrica

4-7 DecemberRome, ItalyWorkshop on Drylands LandDegradation Assessment(LADA)

11-22 DecemberBonn, GermanyFourth session of theConference of the Parties ofthe CCD

12-13 DecemberBonn, GermanyRound Table ofParliamentarians inconnection to the COP-4

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(Cont. from page 6)

4. Respiratory diseases and burninginjuries

Drought increases the susceptibility of some for-ests and rangelands to fires. Widespread bush fires inAustralia during 1983 were particularly attributableto the proceeding drought. In 1997, uncontrolled for-est fires burned the Indonesian states of Kalimantan

and Sumatra in combination with a severe regionaldrought and depressed mixing heights and prevailingwinds, resulting in a regionally severe air pollutionepisode of biomass smoke in several Southeast Asiannations. This biomass burning causes acute andchronic respiratory diseases. However, very high lev-els of biomass smoke might cause infant mortalityand the development of chronic lung disease in adults.Acute exposure to fires can lead to burning injuriesand multiple fractures. ❐

Down to Earth

Number 14 - December 2000 8

This newsletter is publishedby the CCD Secretariat with

the support of UNEP’sInformation Unit for

Conventions. It providesgeneral information only

and does not represent theofficial views of the United

Nations or any of itsspecialised agencies. Therewill be two issues in the year

2000, in June andSeptember. Readers arewelcome to reprint the

contents giving appropriatecredit. For a free

subscription, please contactCCD Secretariat, External

Relations and PublicInformation Unit, PO

Box 260129, D-53153Bonn, Germany,

secretariat@unccd.intThis newsletter is also

available via email and isposted at the secretariat’sweb site: www.unccd.de.

Printed on recycled paper.GE.00-03591

December 20002,500 CCD/NL/00/2

The Sub-regional Action Programme toCombat Desertification (SRAP/CD) in theAral Sea Basin in the context of theUNCCD should be ready for discussionand adoption at an International Confer-ence on the SRAP/CD for Central Asia inthe second half of 2001.

This was the main decision taken at theJuly 2000 meeting in Kyrgyzstan, con-vened at the request of five Central Asiancountry Parties to the UNCCD with thepurpose of launching preparations for theSRAP/CD. The Ministerial segment high-lighted the need to launch appropriate andbroad consultations that would form anintegral part of the preparatory process.

Sub-regional action programmes aremeant to encourage transboundary coop-eration and to harmonize, complement andincrease the efficiency of the respectiveNational Action Programmes for combat-ing desertification. In this framework, theKyrgyzstan meeting identified the follow-ing as possible areas to be covered by theSRAP/CD: Moni tor ing and assess ingdesertification processes and conducting

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA);Improving the use of water in agricultureand combating erosion, salinization andswamp formation; Agroforestry and forestresources management on the plains and inthe mountains; Watershed management;Range land management ; Na ture andbiodiversity conservation including the de-velopment of eco-tourism; Involvement ofcommunities in natural resources manage-ment; Scientific cooperation in the sub-re-gion; Awareness raising, information man-agement and training programmes; Institu-tional strengthening of national coordinat-ing bodies (including non-governmentalrepresentatives); and Harmonisation ofpolicy and legislation.

The Aral Sea Basin comprises five Cen-tral Asian states: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and a major part ofsouthern Kazakhstan. The scale and com-plexity of the environmental problems of theregion, including health and social prob-lems, require cooperation among the statesof the region and with the internationalcommunity.❐

A s ta r t -up workshop fo r aDesertification Information System to Sup-port National Action Programmes in theMediterranean (DIS/MED) took place inCopenhagen, Denmark on 27-29 Septem-ber: The event was hosted by the EuropeanEnvironmental Agency (EEA).

DIS/MED is a fully demand-drivenproject, facilitated by the UNCCD, fur-ther to the recommendations of a prelimi-nary meeting held in Marrakech, Morocco,at the end of 1998 at the request of theGovernment of Italy.

The overall goal of DIS/MED will beto offer to decision-makers the possibilityof taking measures and adopting appropri-a te po l i c ies to e ffec t ive ly combatdesertification on the basis of the produc-tion and availability of new knowledge,indicators and information.

The participants to the start-up meet-ing included representat ives of e ightNorthern and Southern Mediterraneancountries as well as of international organi-

Preparations launched for Sub-regional ActionProgramme for the Aral Sea Basin

Information System launched for the Mediterranean

zations notably the European Union, theSahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), andthe Arab Maghreb Union.

The workshop addressed the follow-ing issues: project objectives and ap-proaches; interested partners, the institu-tional framework, and synergies with otherinitiatives; the system’s structure and op-erational mechanisms; and activities andcommitments by par tne rs and o therstakeholders.

The next workshop (tentatively sched-uled for spring 2001, in Egypt) will addressinformation requirements for the elabora-tion and implementation of National, Sub-regional and Regional Action Programmes.

The European Union, the EEA and theOSS informed participants they would of-fer their support to the DIS/MED in termsof expertize and know-how. Participantshighlighted the need to identify further sup-porters of the project, currently sponsoredby the Italian Government.❐