Namibia’s enviro initiatives ‘useful’

NAMIBIA has made great strides in the fight against desertification and its experience can help other southern African countries, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) said in Windhoek last week.

Hama Arba Diallo told journalists after a courtesy call on Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab that Namibia had made commendable efforts in the management of its natural resources, at community as well as national level. Diallo said this is what the UNCCD and its partners, such as the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environmental Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation, African Development Bank and the World Bank, wanted to see.”Your efforts are appreciated.Namibia’s experience is quite useful to all her neighbours,” said Diallo.He also praised Namibia for involving the communities themselves in the proper use of natural resources.The United Nations official said people should be given alternatives to help them fight desertification.For example, if people were prohibited from cutting down trees for firewood or building material, there should be a way of helping them to make a living.Planting trees could be one, so that there would be more trees to meet people’s demands.Diallo was in the country to attend a four-day conference of the Global Environment Facility Pilot Partnership on Sustainable Land Use Management.The conference was held at Ondangwa last week.In his speech to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification on June 17, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said desertification undermined the fertility of the world’s land, with productivity losses reaching 50 per cent in some areas.Desertification causes land degradation, food insecurity, famine and poverty.It is estimated that the livelihood of more than 1 billion people worldwide are at risk because of desertification, and 135 million people are in danger of being driven from their land.Diallo said this is what the UNCCD and its partners, such as the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environmental Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation, African Development Bank and the World Bank, wanted to see.”Your efforts are appreciated.Namibia’s experience is quite useful to all her neighbours,” said Diallo.He also praised Namibia for involving the communities themselves in the proper use of natural resources.The United Nations official said people should be given alternatives to help them fight desertification.For example, if people were prohibited from cutting down trees for firewood or building material, there should be a way of helping them to make a living.Planting trees could be one, so that there would be more trees to meet people’s demands.Diallo was in the country to attend a four-day conference of the Global Environment Facility Pilot Partnership on Sustainable Land Use Management.The conference was held at Ondangwa last week.In his speech to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification on June 17, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said desertification undermined the fertility of the world’s land, with productivity losses reaching 50 per cent in some areas.Desertification causes land degradation, food insecurity, famine and poverty.It is estimated that the livelihood of more than 1 billion people worldwide are at risk because of desertification, and 135 million people are in danger of being driven from their land.