"Sustainable Development is development that
meets the needs of the present
without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"
Desertification
UN Convention to Combat Desertification
In 1977, the United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD)
adopted a Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (PACD).
Desertification is a major economic, social and environmental problem
of concern to many countries in all regions of the world.
Local
Success - but Overall Increase of Land Degradation
In 1991, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
concluded that the problem of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and
dry sub-humid areas had intensified, although there were "local examples
of success". Consequently, the difficulty of how to tackle desertification
was still a main concern for the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development (UNCED),
which was held in
Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Integrated Approach - Sustainable Development
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),
which was held in Rio
de Janeiro in 1992, supported a new, integrated approach to the problem,
emphasizing action to promote sustainable development at the community
level.