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National Action Programs and Partnership Agreements
Countries affected by desertification will implement the Convention by
developing and carrying out national, sub-regional, and regional action
programs. Criteria for preparing these programs are detailed in the
treaty's four "regional implementation annexes" for Africa (considered a
priority because that is where desertification is most severe), Asia,
Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Northern Mediterranean.
Drawing on past lessons, the Convention states that these programs must adopt a democratic, bottom-up approach. They should emphasize popular participation and the creation of an "enabling environment" designed to allow local people to help themselves to reverse land degradation.
Of course, governments will remain responsible for creating this enabling environment. They must make politically sensitive changes, such as decentralizing authority, improving land-tenure systems, and empowering women, farmers, and pastoralists. They should also permit non-governmental organizations to play a strong role in preparing and implementing the action programmes.
In contrast to many past efforts, these action programs must be fully integrated with other national policies for sustainable development. They should be flexible and modified as circumstances change.
The Convention's action programs will be developed through consultations among affected countries, donors, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. This process will improve coordination and channel development assistance to where it can be most effective. It will also produce partnership agreements that spell out the respective contributions of both affected and donor states and of international organizations.
Developed countries are expected to encourage the mobilization of substantial funding for the action programs. They should also promote access to appropriate technologies, knowledge, and know-how.
The need for coordination among donors and recipients is stressed because each program's various activities need to be complementary and mutually reinforcing.
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