On September 3, Ministers in charge of the UNCCD from countries previously holding the Presidency together with Republic of Korea, host country of the upcoming COP 10, issued a Call for urgent action on the implementation of the convention.
Aiming to strengthen the UNCCD to become a global authority on scientific and technical knowledge on issues related to desertification land degradation and drought (DLDD), the Call said that that the UNCCD should engage in synergistic activities along with other intergovernmental processes such as Climate Change and Biodiversity. The ministers gave their support to the UNCCD process, and stated their determination to take necessary measures at the Rio+20 Summit to mainstream DLDD as a major component of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
The call for urgent action on the implementation of the UNCCD will be transmitted to both the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly and to the UNCCD COP 10.