United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
The Czech Republic provides assistance to the affected developing countries through projects concerning such areas as soil degradation, hydrogeology, hydrology and forestry, particularly within its scope of the Official Development Assistance (ODA). Research and scientific institutions, the academic sector, non-profit organizations and the private sector also contribute to the assistance to the affected countries.
The Czech Republic, as an active Party of the Central and Eastern European Regional Group (CEE), on 15th December 2006 established a Regional Reference Centre within the Mendel University in Brno (MENDELU), which will serve to 22 country partners of that region.
Objectives of Regional Reference Centre (RRC)
The RRC should serve as an information "node". A database will be established that would provide information on available sources of information on status of soil in the region and in the field of its protection. The RRC will provide linkages with other CEE information directories and databases: national libraries, depository libraries, scientific and research institutes, University libraries, Digital libraries and full-text databases to optimize the exchange of information, hard and electronic copies of publications, reports, dissertations, specialized documentation etc. The RRC will distribute information upon request where possible in a respective format: hard or electronic. The RRC does not duplicate existing centers or institutions but is built and developed on existing competencies and activities. It will not physically centralize all available documentation in the RRC but it will centralize them in a database. The database will collect all information and enable easy access to it.
History
Late '60s and early '70s of the 20thcentury Drought in sub-Saharan Africa - over 200 000 people died
September 1973 Inter-State Permanent Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) established by 9 Sahelian countries.
August-September 1977 United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD) held in Nairobi, Kenya - Desertification addressed as a worldwide problem for the first time and a Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (PACD) adopted
June 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - The Earth Summit and Agenda 21 called on the UN General Assembly to set up an inter-governmental committee to prepare for a legally binding instrument that addresses the problem of desertification
17th June 1994 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) adopted in Paris, France - June 17 becomes the world day of combat desertification
26th December 1996 the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification came into operation over ratification from the first 50 countries.
January 1999 Permanent secretariat of the UNCCD established in Bonn (Germany)
25th January 2000 the Czech Republic expressed to fellowship with the affected developing countries and accepted this Convention as a 161st country.
24th April 2000 the Czech Republic validated the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
11th-22nd December 2000 the 4th Conference in Bonn (Germany) COP 4 - Implementation annex for Central and Eastern Europe (Annex V)- it originated Central and Eastern European Regional Group (CEE*)
6th September 2001 the Czech Republic validated Annex V.
15th-16th December 2003 Conference in Minsk (Belarus)-- Regional meeting for strengthening cooperation in the field of land resources management in Central and Eastern Europe.
15th December 2006 established a Regional Reference Center within the Mendel University in Brno Brno (Mendelu).
* it subsumes this countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Hungary, FYRM, Moldavia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Monte Negro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine.