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Description

The text of the UNCCD explicitly acknowledges the relevance of trade in pursuing the objectives of the convention. Under the "General obligations"- Art. 4 Par. 2(b) - the Parties are required to give due attention, within the relevant international and regional bodies, to the situation of affected developing country Parties with regard to international trade, marketing arrangements and debt with a view to establishing an enabling international economic environment conducive to the promotion of sustainable development.

Trade is also included in the draft ten-year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention (2008-2018) that may be adopted by the Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD at its eighth session in September 2007. This strategic plan aims to address some of the Convention's key challenges, to capitalize on its strengths, to seize opportunities provided by the new policy and financing environment, and to create a new, revitalized common ground for all UNCCD stakeholders. The text considers trade as a tool to achieve different operational objectives that will guide the action of all UNCCD stakeholders and partners. The document acknowledges the need for desertification/land degradation to be addressed in relevant international forums such as those pertaining to agricultural trade like the WTO. It also considers the identification of innovative sources of finance and financing mechanisms to combat land degradation in market-based mechanisms and trade.

This workshop provided different perspectives on how trade policies and processes could contribute to advancing the objectives of sustainable land management and sustainable development in dryland regions of the world. It aims to provide a forum for exploring opportunities and constraints of using trade as a tool for creating incentives to promote sustainable land management in drylands.