A Partnership Approach for Financing UNCCD Implementation: The Central Asian Experience

Abstract

The Central Asian Countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan became Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in the late 1990s. In Kazakhstan, 66% of the land area is affected by desertification, while in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, this figure is as high as 80%. Erosion affects over 88% of arable land in Kyrgyzstan and 97% of agricultural land in Tajikistan. With the majority of the population of these countries living in rural areas, desertification and land degradation are taking a heavy toll on their ability to survive. In light of the severity of the problem, the five Central Asian Countries have elaborated national action programmes to combat desertification, as recommended by the UNCCD. This publication describes an evolving process of partnership-building that seeks to strengthen the implementation of the UNCCD by: broadening stakeholder participation; promoting a common understanding of the root causes of desertification; initiating processes for enhancing the enabling policy, legislative, institutional and incentive frameworks; and securing dedicated financing.