Spreading Sand
More Talk, Little Action at
Desertification Conference
The 152 member countries - plus some 80
NGOs -- of the Convention to Combat
Desertification gathered at the fourth
Conference of the Parties in Bonn from
11-22 December. Measures were taken at the
regional, sub-regional and national levels
to promote the rapid and effective
implementation of the Convention.
German President Johannes Rau set the
tone for the conference with strong words,
pointing out that some developed countries
practiced economic colonialism in the Third
World. He urged that these countries
reflect seriously about their failures to
combat poverty and foster economic
development in the developing world,
recommending that they transfer the best
available technologies and more financial
assistance to the developing world.
Environmental destruction, he noted, was a
factor in 30 of the 85 armed conflicts that
took place across the world between 1994
and 1997. However, this situation can only
be reversed if developing countries in turn
respect human rights, attempt to reduce
socio-economic disparities, fight against
corruption, and reinforce democracy. He
stressed that these goals can only be met
if people at every level are involved in
the decision making process.
In sum, many countries have not paid
their promised financial contributions to
the Convention, and the implementation of
the Convention is weak in quite a number of
countries. Thus, a running theme in the
discussions taking place in plenaries,
expert sessions, high-level ministerial
sessions and sectoral committees was the
need for greater international cooperation
in the implementation of the
Convention.
Mensah Todzro,
FoE Togo
