Trevor Sargent
Ceist:155 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way in which the Government proposes to honour commitments under the United Nations Convention to combat desertification. [29166/01]
Written Answers. - United Nations Convention.
The Rio Earth Summit in 1992 adopted Agenda 21, a global blueprint for sustainable development that has become the basis for much of the globe's national and local planning as well as an essential framework for development cooperation. The Rio meeting also approved global covenants dealing with issues such as climate change, biodiversity and combating desertification which have subsequently given rise to global conventions on these subjects.
Following signature and subsequent ratification, Ireland became a party to the UNCCD – UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and-or Desertification, particularly in Africa – in October 1997. Ireland Aid continues to mainstream commitments and obligations under the Convention into Ireland Aid's programme activities in affected priority countries. For example, in the Eastern Tigray region of Ethiopia, we have supported a watershed management approach, integrating soil and water conservation with production-income generation issues in those areas which suffer most severely from desertification and drought. This approach has been highly successful and has simultaneously addressed the problem of land degradation, moisture deficit and food insecurity, providing short-term employment on a cash-for-work basis as well as enhancing the long-term production and income-generating potential of watersheds. We also support activities to combat desertification through our contributions to the core resources of the Global Environmental Facility and other multilateral fora.
Ireland has participated actively in the various meetings of the conferences of the parties which are signatories to the convention and has made both mandatory and voluntary contributions to the core resources of the UNCCD since 1998.