United Nations Convention to combat desertification

OBJECTIVE: to approve, on behalf of the Community, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, especially in Africa. SUBSTANCE: on 14 October 1994, the Convention on desertification was signed by the Parties in Paris, and it came into force on 26 December 1996. The Convention, to which the Community is a party, aimed at combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa, through effective action at all levels. These measures are based on international cooperation and partnership arrangements and involve an integrated approach consistent with Agenda 21 of the United Nations, with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in affected areas. The Convention consists of 40 articles and four annexes covering arrangements for its implementation in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and in the northern Mediterranean. The scope of the Convention falls, at least partly, within the Community's sphere of activities: - firstly, as regards environmental protection legislation, particularly under Council regulations and other Community initiatives, notably in the area of science policy (combating erosion and desertification), - secondly, as regards development cooperation, in the framework of the Lomé Convention, the Latin America, Asia and Mediterranean Regulations and other Community instruments dealing specifically with development cooperation. �