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Date : 16/03/2006
Source: Ministry for Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Title: Mabudafhasi: Launch of International Year of the Deserts and Desertification


  Speech by the Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, at the official launch of the International Year of the Deserts and Desertification

Programme Director,
The Executive Mayor for Sekhukhune District Municipality,
The Local Mayor,
Representatives from the different media houses,
Members of the community,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is in deed very exciting for me to join you on this very special day, the national launch of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, which is celebrated under the theme “Desertification a threat to humanity.”

Programme Director, The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), at its 58th ordinary session, adopted a resolution, which declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD). In so doing, it underlined its deep concern for the exacerbation of desertification particularly in Africa and duly noted its far reaching implications for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in particular on poverty eradication.

Based on the resolution, the General Assembly invited all countries, international and civil societies to celebrate the year 2006 and to support public awareness activities related to desertification and land degradation.

The main objective of the IYDD is to get the message across that desertification is a major threat to humanity and launch the fight against it as a global sustainable development challenge.

While fully addressing the growing threat that desertification presents for mankind, the year also seeks to celebrate the unique ecosystem and cultural diversity of deserts worldwide therefore establishing a clear difference between the need to protect deserts as unique natural habitats and fight against desertification as a global sustainable development challenge.

Programme Director, South Africa has ratified the United Nations Convention to Combat (UNCCD) desertification and effects of drought in September 1997 and has since committed itself to the development and implementation of a long term strategy to address issues relating to desertification.

Both the UN’s MDGs and the declaration of the World Summit on Sustainable Development of 2002 focuses on development and poverty eradication together with protecting the environment. They reaffirm support for the principles of sustainable development including those set out in agenda 21.

The summit also reaffirmed sustainable development as a central element of the international agenda and gave impetus to global action to fight poverty and protect the environment.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) identified the UNCCD as one of the important instruments at the disposal of the international community to fight poverty. The UNCCD provides a framework for countries affected by desertification to address the problem of land degradation effectively on a national level.

Programme Director, land degradation is obviously not only about land it is about the people. Millions of people are directly affected by natural resource degradation and many of them live below the poverty line. They depend on natural resources for survival. Yet the capacity of our country’s land, water and biological resources to sustain its people is eroding. Tons of productive land are now lost and many once pristine conservation areas are denuded.

Desertification is more of a challenge to us than ever before. It poses huge threat to rural communities who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Unfortunately the poorest of the poor of which mostly are women bare the brunt as they are the ones who depend on these natural resources for survival in a form of wood, water and agricultural produce for subsistence and commercial.

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism as the focal point together with other national and provincial departments have committed themselves to providing support to provincial and national activities aimed at promoting awareness on desertification, land degradation and the effects of drought.

The National Action Programme (NAP) on combating of land degradation to alleviate poverty is one of the key interventions the department has adopted. Its first principle is to be the prime contributor to sustainable rural development.

The Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) is another strategy in which government in partnership with communities, the private sector as well as donor agencies, seeks to address land degradation at the same time alleviating poverty.

CBNRM is about local people coming together to protect their land, water animals and plants so that they can use these natural resources to improve their lives sustainably for the benefit of their children and grand children. It is a tool to enable every member of the community to play a part in improving the quality of people’s lives, economically, culturally and spiritually.

We are gathered here today to not only to launch the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, but also to unveil the Madibaneng Soil Conservation Project aimed at soil conservation and local economic stimulation. This project will be funded by the Department to the tune of R5 million and will run for an approximate period of 63 weeks. It is estimated to create temporary jobs for over 200 people.

This money is made available by the department through our social responsibility unit. Programme Director, the challenges of land degradation requires our urgent attention now.

As a Party to the UNCCD, South Africa is committed to integrate sustainable use of natural resources through combating land degradation as a core element of the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa and indeed the overall reconstruction and development programme.

In Africa, we are experiencing the dire consequences of desertification on a daily basis. Land degradation has destroyed ecosystems triggered large scale population movements, disturbed economic development prospects, exacerbated regional conflicts and jeopardised the lives of people living under its shadow.

There is therefore a very strong need for a special long term collective effort in South Africa and the entire Sub-Saharan Africa to address land degradation at all levels. Achieving this objective requires long term integrated strategies that focus on improved productivity of the land, leading to improved living conditions, in particular at community level.

As we celebrate the IYDD, we need to collectively raise awareness of the links between land degradation and poverty and give priority or support to conservation and wise use of natural resources including water and wetlands in national poverty eradication strategies.

It is imperative that we ensure gender equity in sustainable natural resource management strategies.

We must encourage the role of local communities and indigenous knowledge in addressing economic and ecological challenges of dry-land management ecosystems.

I thank you.

Issued by: 16 March 2006
   

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