Africa calls for the establishment of legally-binding protocol on drought

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says Africa is currently negotiating with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to establish a legally-binding protocol on drought.

Office of the Environmental Commissioner principal project coordinator and advisor Kauna Schroder, who is currently attending the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the UNCCD in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, says the world needs to address drought, desertification and land degradation as promised at the end of the Africa Drought Conference held in Windhoek in 2016.

Schroder represents Africa on the UNCCD Mid-Term Evaluation Committee.

The 10th special session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment held in September in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, called for a legally-binding protocol on drought under the UNCCD, with a specially focus on Africa.

This call for action comes amid growing concerns over the detrimental impact of land degradation, drought and desertification on the continent’s socio-economic stability, food security and environmental sustainability.

The UNCCD COP16 is taking place from 2 to 13 December under the theme ‘Our Land, Our Future’.

The conference is poised to be a game-changer, marking a renewed global commitment to accelerate and take action to restore land and boost drought resilience for the benefit of the people and the planet.

At the moment, the conference has raised over US$ 12 billion to tackle drought and desertification.

In the world of environmental protection, a protocol is a legally-binding agreement negotiated among governments to take action to address environmental problems affecting humanity.