Address by
H.E. MR. HARRI HOLKERI
President of the General Assembly
On the occasion of
the opening of the fourth Session of the Conference of Parties
to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
11 December 2000
It is an honour to participate in the opening of the Fourth Session of the Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. In
my capacity as President of the 55th session of the General Assembly, I should
like to reiterate the continued commitment and support of the Assembly to this
Convention and to this session.
I wish to express my appreciation also to the Government of Germany, the State
of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Bonn for the warm welcome that has
been extended to me. I am convinced that the beautiful banks of the Rhine River
and the generous support by the people of this city will contribute towards
successful discussions in this Fourth Conference of the Parties of the Desertification
Convention.
This Convention has truly become one of the important global legal instruments.
Already 171 states have ratified it. As Parties to the Convention, I know you
will do your utmost to achieve concrete progress in its implementation. This
Convention is important, because it focuses on areas where the balance between
the needs of human beings and ecosystems is most delicate and most difficult
to achieve, and where the very existence of people is threatened. Dry and semi-dry
ecosystems often sustain the poorest of the poor people.
In the Millennium Summit last September, the heads of State and Governments
resolved to give priority to eradicate poverty that affects the lives of more
than 1.2 billion people. Your work here, in this Fourth Session of the Conference
of Parties to the Convention to Combat Desertification touches the very heart
of this. Translated into local level, your work serves as a conduit to concrete
actions that enable the poor to live within the limits of the carrying capacity
of fragile ecosystems. Indeed, the only way to address poverty is through creating
sustainable livelihoods and tackling the root causes of poverty - the unequal
distribution of productive assets, access to resources, land-ownership and tenure.
The Millennium Summit offered new stewardship for the conservation and sustainable
use of natural resources. It reiterated the validity and importance of the goals
of the Convention to Combat Desertification. The Summit gave strong emphasis
to the special needs of Africa where poverty and its consequences are most pronounced.
In tandem with the Millennium Summit, the Convention also addresses the situation
in Africa, where land degradation hits the poorest people most seriously.
Land degradation and loss of soil fertility are great environmental threats
- they are very difficult to reverse once they have taken place. Unless effective
preventive action is taken, the new millennium faces a true problem of global
food insecurity, coupled with an increasing number of refugees, internally displaced
people, instability and conflicts.
Co-operation and partnership are keys to practical and wise solutions towards
sustainable development. I am encouraged that this Convention is seeking such
strategic partnerships that will support its efficient implementation. I am
assured that the United Nations family and our other partners stand ready to
co-operate. I welcome the decision of the Executive Board of the United Nations
Development Programme to co-operate with the Convention and the fact that UNDP
is mainstreaming action against desertification at the national and regional
level. I find this decision important. It supports national, sub-regional and
regional efforts to alleviate the impact of drought and desertification. In
this context, we need to acknowledge the strong commitment by the affected countries
in implementing the Convention - we need to support these efforts internationally.
I am also pleased that the other United Nations Conventions, born from the Rio
process, are now actively seeking synergies in the area of sustainable management
of arid lands within the overall context of global benefits. The recent review
of cooperation between the Global Environment Facility and the Rio Conventions
was also positive.
These few examples reiterate the fact that this Convention really is about partnerships.
It is through partnerships that we will be able to empower the poor to help
themselves. I was encouraged to learn that more than thirty National Action
Programmes have already been prepared by the affected countries. These programmes
involve a variety of partners: the private sector, local communities, women's
groups and non-governmental organisations. National Focal Points of the Ministries
of Environment or Agriculture have been the driving forces in preparing these
programmes. In order for these programmes to be turned into action, and for
them to become an integral part of the development plans of the countries concerned,
co-operation between different ministries is essential. Only then can full implementation
of National Action Programmes be achieved.
We have some homework to do at the international level. The commitment of the
developing countries to fulfil their obligations under the Convention should
not only be recognized and praised. But their example should galvanize the interest
of the international community. Therefore, the National Action Programmes should
find their way onto the meeting agendas of the UN, the Bretton Woods Institutions,
OECD/DAC and the European Union as well as those of the bilateral donors. The
fourth Conference of Parties constitutes an excellent opportunity to show and
reiterate our support to those countries and their peoples which are affected
by desertification and drought.
I understand that this session has a very demanding agenda before it. In a surprisingly
short period of time the Parties have undertaken their obligations and provided
National Reports on the implementation of the Convention. The work is impressive:
115 reports from developing countries together with the 60 reports of donor
countries and international organisations. I hope that your rich discussion
of these reports will draw valuable lessons for further action.
I wish you every success in your deliberations and decisions.