Mr President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

First I would like to express my country’s gratitude to the Republic of Germany. Thank you for giving a home to the permanent secretariat of the Convention. And thank you for hosting this Conference.

At the recent Millennium Summit we agreed to fight poverty. We also agreed that economic and social progress must be achieved in ways that do not destroy the ecological basis on which we all depend.

The Summit reiterated the validity and importance of the Convention to Combat Desertification. Its framework for addressing both the environmental and the poverty problem in a holistic and integrated manner is very important. Safeguarding the productivity of the ecosystem for future generations is at its core.

My government is greatly concerned about the loss of productive land resulting from desertification and land degradation. These processes severely undermine sustainable economic growth and threaten food security. Vulnerability to famine is exacerbated, and is often accompanied by large-scale movements of people.

Worldwide globalisation poses new challenges for the CCD. Trade and investment flows have brought welfare to many, yet the problem of the marginalisation of others persists. We must find ways to make trade, investment and debt reduction vehicles for poverty eradication, social equity and sound management of natural resources.

The key challenge is now to translate policies and plans into action. Regional, sub-regional and national action programmes are a very important first step in the implementation of the Convention. I am encouraged by the efforts so far and by the fact that a variety of stakeholders have contributed. The shift from a top down to a broad participatory approach building on local and traditional knowledge is a marked improvement.

We know there are constraints at all levels in implementing the Convention. At national level closer cooperation between different ministries is essential in order to ensure the integration of national action programmes into overall development planning and involvement of all relevant partners, including civil society and the private sector. Close linkages to national poverty reduction strategies and other frameworks for sustainable development are vital. But let us be honest. Efforts to meet this challenge will obviously come up against conflicts of interest between different groups. In the context of the dry lands, the focus must be on rights and empowerment for people on the margins. This requires political debate and negotiations, not vague consensus.

No country can cope with these challenges on its own. Regional and sub-regional cooperation is critical for the implementation of the CCD. This is particularly important in connection with shared water resources and migration, but also in issues like early warning, land use management and energy. And it is important for strengthening the capacity and power to negotiate of the parties involved.

International cooperation is essential for addressing the issue of poverty and environmental degradation and for finding practical solutions that will promote sustainable development. The commitment demonstrated by the developing countries to fulfilling their obligations under the Convention needs to be matched by strong commitments from the international community. Development cooperation must build on national ownership and leadership – and move from ad-hoc projects to more holistic, programmatic approaches. National action programmes must find a functional interface with the broader development agenda supported by the UN, the Bretton Woods institutions and bilateral partners. The partners have more homework to do in connection with their accountability for commitments made to the Convention. This also applies to Norway.

The Global Mechanism has a key role to play. We are encouraged by the partnership established between the members of the Facilitation Committee of the Global Mechanism. This arrangement has great potential for increasing project activities at the country and sub-regional levels in all affected countries and regions. We now need to mainstream activities to combat desertification and land degradation. In this context Norway welcomes the decision of the Executive Board of the United National Development Programme to strengthen cooperation with the Convention.

Linking up with other environmental conventions is necessary in order to use limited resources efficiently, ensure synergies and avoid duplication. Norway therefore welcomes the decision made at the last Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to develop a joint work programme with the CCD in the area of dryland biodiversity. Close cooperation will also be necessary with the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. Here we have very concrete challenges ahead of us. There is a need for bridge-building.

Norway shares the concern about how desertification efforts can be better accommodated in the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). We are pleased to see that at its last meeting in November the Council of the GEF requested the Chief Executive Officer to explore appropriate options for strengthening GEF support for the CCD.

Norway fully supports the proposed declaration of renewed and strengthened commitment to the CCD that includes a time frame and measurable results. We would, however, also like to see the Committee on Science and Technology become more directly involved in future endeavours under the Convention.

During the last decade Norway has provided comprehensive support for the improved management of drylands and for combating desertification and drought. High priority was also given to supporting the preparation of the national, regional and sub-regional action programmes and the initial stages of implementation of these programmes.

At this conference we are taking stock of achievements made in the implementation of the CCD. But we must also take this opportunity to look forward, particularly to the Rio +10 process. Action on desertification and land degradation has to be an integral part of our joint efforts to fight poverty and promote development that is truly sustainable.

And in this process I can assure you, Mr. President, that Norway is prepared to take its share of responsibility.

Thank you Mr. President.