Workshop C

The world is currently going through a general slowdown in economic activity with many macroeconomic indicators contracting. Production as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment, investment spending, capacity utilization, household incomes and business profits are all falling. A general loss of investor confidence triggered the current financial crisis resulting in a global liquidity crisis that has caused the governments of developed countries to adopt expansionary macroeconomic policies such as increasing money supply and making substantial capital injections into financial markets, increasing government spending and decreasing taxation. The current perception scenario of high financial risk is affecting economic performance in general; causing instability in the financial markets, which are seen as a priority issue for attention.

Drylands, which stretch across 33% to 41% of the land surface depending on the sources with a large percentage devoted to agriculture. Desertification now affects 30 % of the total land area of the world.

World market prices for energy and food have risen over the past two years, with very critical effectsin 2008. In a few countries the dramatic rise of food prices led to local riots. These recent food crises affect to a great extent the developing countries and requirements for addressing them must focus on a strengthened cooperation and sustainable investment in combating desertification, land degradation and drought. The national policy frameworks to undertake this run through the National Action Programmes to Combat Desertification (,NAPs), the blueprint for UNCCD implementation at the national level.