Contact: In Washington, DC:Kristyn Schrader +1-202-468-6826 Kschrader@worldbank.org MADRID, September 12, 2007 – The World Bank today called for sustained and collective action by the international community to address land degradation and desertification, but that for these efforts to bear sustainable results, action must be guided and defined at the country level. “While desertification must be fought at all levels, it is clear that the battle must ultimately be won at the local level,” said Warren Evans, Director for Environment, World Bank, in his statement to the Eighth Session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), taking place this week in Madrid, Spain. “And there is clear evidence that with sustained local commitment, success is possible.” The World Bank’s support for Sustainable Land Management The World Bank views sustainable land management as a high priority poverty reduction and development instrument at local, national, regional, and global levels. The Bank has been involved in projects in numerous countries with a focus on poverty reduction and combating desertification and land degradation and managing the effects of drought. Between fiscal years 2001 and 2006, the Bank committed US $1.4 billion for projects in natural resources management, with US $701 million specifically aimed at sustainable land management. In addition, within the same period of time, the World Bank implemented Global Environment Facility (GEF) sustainable land management projects amounting to US $202 million, which represents a leveraging ratio of 1:4 (for every $1 GEF invested, the World Bank co-financed by a factor of $4). Mainstreaming action on desertification into development Beyond specific investments, the Bank states that it is vital that combating desertification and promoting sustainable land management are mainstreamed and handled as on-going development issues through country strategies and development frameworks rather than as stand-alone activities. “Many countries face the challenge of multiple donors and agencies attempting to reduce desertification and land degradation,” said Evans. “Coordination of these efforts, agencies, and organizations is important for effective and efficient use of financial and environmental resources, strengthening of institutional capacity, and delivering long-term benefits.” Emerging and Niche areas present new opportunities to address desertification The World Bank is also calling upon and helping member countries to expand into niche areas that can benefit the implementation of the UNCCD. Land rehabilitation measures can contribute to climate change management while tapping the carbon market. The Bank’s Carbon Finance Program has demonstrated the potential of market-based public/private initiatives to invest significantly in sustainable land management interventions that provide measurable local and global benefits. Adaptation to climate variability and change provides an opportunity to reduce land degradation. Climate variability and change can and does exacerbate land degradation. “Many countries,” said Evans, “especially in Africa and particularly the poorest communities living in coastal areas and drylands are most vulnerable to extreme weather events such as droughts, sea level rise, floods, and heat waves. The risks to development are greater in these poorer countries and the ability to adapt smaller. While the effects of droughts are exacerbated by armed conflicts and the pre-existence of major diseases, increased water stress will put further pressure on these triggers.” The Bank is actively implementing and advocating a risk management approach with an initial emphasis on minimizing the risk to development and human livelihood posed by present climatic extremes. Added Evans, “The current global focus on climate change and the availability of additional funds for adaptation provide an opportunity to improve the strategies and action plans for more coordinated effort at the national level on sustainable development and the reduction of desertification and land degradation. The World Bank is calling on partner countries to embrace this opportunity.” Challenges and Action Areas Droughts, floods, and other weather-related disasters are projected to increase due to climate change. While much work on climate change has focused on mitigation, the Bank emphasizes that there is an urgent need to balance the approach with a strong focus on adaptation. “Therefore,” said Evans, “a broader approach is needed to tackle the challenges linked to climate change, through a country-responsive strategy that prioritizes adaptation via mainstream low-carbon growth development programs in land management, agriculture, energy, water management, and forestry.” Raising additional resources for sustainable land management and climate change adaptation is crucial. Evans emphasized that there is a current financing gap that needs to be closed to enable affected countries respond to the effects of desertification and climate change so as to be able to systematically integrate adaptation issues into their policies and development programs. Said Evans, “The World Bank’s Clean Energy Investment Framework (CEIF) seeks to accelerate access to reliable energy services, promote low-carbon growth, and implement concrete measures to adapt to climate change and strengthen climate risk management capacities. This framework provides an entry point to scale up financial support and in collaboration with private sector financing, for example, through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), for the development and sharing of low carbon technology and energy efficiency in affected countries.” Gender mainstreaming in land administration and management is critical. According Evans, meeting world food needs in the future will depend increasingly on addressing issues related to gender and on strengthening the capabilities and resources of women, bearing in mind that: § approximately 98 percent of rural women classified as economically active are engaged in agriculture and are the primary food producers in many parts of the world; § women make up 60 percent of the world’s 1.2 billion poor; and § the percentage of women below the poverty line has increased by half since the 1970s. “These realities,” stressed Evans, “need to be reflected in our sustainable land management investments at all levels. It is crucial that we strengthen awareness and support with respect to women and vulnerable groups in land management activities.” In support of all these points, the World Bank encouraged better coordinated and integrated efforts aimed at gathering data on all aspects of land management to understand the significance of land degradation and maintain a strong level of assistance. In addressing the Parliamentarian session of the COP, Enos Esikuri, Senior Environmental Specialist, also emphasized that, “While official development assistance (ODA) is crucial, we believe that the UNCCD is a sustainable development instrument that is best implemented through utilization of resources (financial, capacity, institutional, etc.) from national and local levels. The role of parliamentarians in mobilizing these resources is crucial.” ### For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org/sustainabledevelopment www.worldbank.org/environment www.worldbank.org/rural |
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