The United Nations Convention Of Combat Desertification

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was ratified in 1996. It is a multilateral agreement which was made to address desertification. Desertification is defined as â€Å"the land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, generally known as ‘drylands’ †. Many African states believed their sustainable development was being obstructed due to issues such as poverty, and food insecurity and were not being given necessary attention by the international political community . The need for an international convention was based on the argument that although the effects of desertification are often felt locally, it could not be ignored that globally contributed changes such as climate change and changes in soil and†¦show more content†¦The goals are quantifiable; however, the degree to which they produce measurability is still weak. Land desertification could be analyzed against other factors such as geology, and human action . In addition the use of GIC and various soil indicators and food production can be used to quantify the improvement of desertification. The use of GDP as well as the Human Development Index can be used to measure the improvements of poverty and education. Identification and Description of Challenges One of the greatest difficulties that arises when dealing with an environmental issue such as desertification on an international scale is the fact that its affects are not geographically universal. For instance, regions of Africa and Asia are highly susceptible to land degradation and its affects are often only apparent at the local level. As such, during early debates concerning desertification there was much reluctance coming from developed countries to recognize it as a global concern. Many developed countries, especially within Europe, argued that land degradation was a local problem that results from the â€Å"cumulative