Drylands cover more than 40 percent of the world's surface but are increasingly being affected by desertification. Desertification is land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from climatic variations and human activities. It occurs because drylands are extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation and inappropriate land use (for example, deforestation, overgrazing, bad irrigation practices...)
Desertification can lead to increased poverty, loss of land productivity, loss of biodiversity, internal and/or cross-border migrations of people, etc. More than 250 million people are directly affected by desertification. A further 1.1 billion people in more than 100 countries, many of which are World Bank development partners, are at risk from desertification. Data show that areas affected by desertification also tend to have the poorest, most marginalized and politically weak citizens.
In response, the international community negotiated the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), which was ratified in 1996. As of March 2008, 193 Country Parties have signed the Convention. The CCD's framework focuses on human survival and conservation of natural resources and emphasizes multi-stakeholder commitment, participation, interdisciplinarity, and partnerships.
The World Bank supports direct implementation of the CCD through its lending and non-lending activities, the Global Environment Facility, and support to the Global Mechanism (GM) of the CCD. The GM was established to facilitate the rationalization of resource allocation and the mobilization of additional resources to combat land degradation and poverty. For the period 2001-2004, the Bank has earmarked $3.75 million grant resources for the GM for the elaboration and implementation of national action programs to combat desertification.
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