Guyana prepares to host CRIC17
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DPI, Guyana, Monday, January 7, 2019
The Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) says it is ready for the hosting of the 17th Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre later this month.
The first of its kind in Guyana and the Caribbean, the CRIC conference will examine the United Nation’s global desertification issues. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Guyana has been working with other countries, formulating strategies to deal with land degradation, drought and soil issues among others.
Commissioner, GLSC, Trevor Benn.
GLSC’s commissioner Trevor Benn told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the “final touches” are being put on the preparations for the January 28-31 conference that will see close to 600 persons from 196 countries participating.
“We at the GLSC, as the host organization, have been working with the support of a number of government departments and agencies to ensure that all of the systems are in place… We believe that we are set for the holding of the conference.”
Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.
The new UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework is the most comprehensive global commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in order to restore the productivity of vast expanses of degraded land, improve the livelihoods of more than 1.3 billion people, and reduce the impacts of drought on vulnerable populations.
As the dynamics of land, climate and biodiversity are intimately connected, the UNCCD collaborates closely with the other two Rio Conventions; the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to meet these complex challenges with an integrated approach and the best possible use of natural resources.
The last CRIC conference was held two years ago in Nairobi, Kenya.
Alexis Rodney
Images: Akeem Thomas.