R Mabudafhasi: Launch of International Year of the Deserts and
Desertification

16 March 2006

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: Ministry for Environmental Affairs and Tourism
16 March 2006