What is/are the importance/importances of the 'United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification'?

Q: What is UPSC Prelims?

UPSC Prelims is a competitive examination conducted in India. This question is from the 2016 UPSC Prelims Environment & Ecology paper.

Q: How can I prepare for UPSC Prelims Environment & Ecology?

To prepare for UPSC Prelims Environment & Ecology, practice previous year questions (PYQs), understand concepts thoroughly, and solve mock tests regularly. This 2016 question covers Soil & Land Degradation – Desertification & Remediation topic.

Q: What is the difficulty level of this question?

This UPSC Prelims 2016 Environment & Ecology question has a hard difficulty level and is marked as an important question.

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Question

What is/are the importance/importances of the 'United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification'?It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships.It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions.It is committed to a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification.Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: C — 1 and 3 onlySolution:Statement 1 — Promotes effective action through innovative national programmes and international partnerships: This is correct. The UNCCD (established 1994) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development with sustainable land management. It aims to combat desertification and land degradation through national action programmes, technology transfer, capacity building, and international cooperation and partnerships. ✓Statement 2 — Special focus on South Asia and North Africa, with major financial resources allocated there: This is incorrect. UNCCD's primary geographic focus is on Africa (particularly Sub-Saharan Africa) and other dryland regions across Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean — not specifically South Asia and North Africa. The convention recognises Africa as the most severely affected continent and gives it priority, but this is not exclusively South Asia and North Africa. ✗Statement 3 — Committed to bottom-up approach with local people's participation: This is correct. UNCCD is particularly known for its commitment to a bottom-up approach — unlike top-down environmental agreements. It explicitly encourages the participation of local communities, NGOs, and affected populations in designing and implementing national action programmes to combat desertification. ✓Why other options are incorrect:Options A, B, D: All include or exclude Statement 2 incorrectly.Key Concept: UNCCD was established following the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (along with UNFCCC and CBD). It entered into force in 1996 and has 197 parties. The convention addresses arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas (drylands). Key programmes: Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) — countries commit to achieving no net land degradation by 2030; Great Green Wall of Africa initiative. India is a party to UNCCD. India has about 29% of its geographical area degraded, with Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra being most affected. India's commitment to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under the LDN framework is a major UNCCD-linked pledge.

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