28 – 29 September 2009, High Level Segment Round Tables,

Within the UNCCD COP 9 meeting in Buenos Aires, some 1600 delegates from over 150 countries have participated in three High Level Segment Round Tables for two days. The purpose of the Round Tables was to discuss responses to emerging challenges as they relate to desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD). It was anticipated that the Round Tables should bring political momentum to the deliberations of country parties on the best options to foster the implementation of the UNCCD Convention. Three Round Tables have been organized, each starting with a key-note speech, initial interventions by 5 panellists, and followed by interventions of a substantial number of country representative’s interventions. GRF Davos President Walter J. Ammann had the honour and pleasure to moderate the first Round Table.

• Round Table 1: The global trends of desertification, land degradation and drought: Liaison with other problems, and challenges for decision makers and stakeholders (Moderator: Walter J. Ammann, President GRF Davos, Switzerland). 

• Round Table 2: Desertification/ land degradation and climate change: What role for the land in the ongoing negotiations for a new climate change regime at Copenhagen? (Moderator: Ms Jan McAlpine, Director UN Forum on Forests UNFF)
  

• Round Table 3: Partnerships and institutions for combating desertification, land degradation and drought: The path to improvement (Moderator: Hon. Ambassador Ms Carla Del Ponte, Swiss Ambassador in Argentina, Buenos Aires).
  

The three Round Table have revealed UNCCD’s considerable potential not only to guide the sustainable use of the world’s land and soils, but also, in so doing, to harness multiple benefits for other urgent global challenges, including food security, energy security, water security, poverty alleviation, climate change and biodiversity. To achieve this potential, it has been recognized to be vital that the UNCCD process, along with all stakeholders in the fight against desertification, capitalize on cutting-edge scientific knowledge, information management, and monitoring and assessment techniques, advocates for the importance of combating DLDD and for the potential of the soil as an important carbon storage in the up-coming Copenhagen process, and concentrates on strategic cooperation on international and regional level.

For more information: read the COP 9 President’s Summary and visit the UNCCD website  http://www.unccd.int/cop/cop9/menu.php

For some information in German klick here.

The way ahead

GRF Davos President Walter Ammann and UNCCD Assistant Secretary General Luc Gnacadja have agreed to integrate the DLDD topic at the next year’s IDRC Davos 2010 Conference to follow up on scientific and technological needs to support UNCCD in its way to achieve its goals.