We are very pleased to present Michael Martin’s breathtaking photographs in this year’s calendar. His work is dedicated to the environment, with a focus on the vulnerability of people living in the arid regions of the world. During the year 2006, the international community will pursue progress on a wide range of fronts as it seeks to advance the work of the closely-related conventions on biological diversity, climate change and desertification. The photographs of Mr. Martin, together with recent reminders of our vulnerability to natural disasters and global change, have served to reinforce the importance of these agreements to humanity’s future.
For the Climate Change Convention, which last year saw the entry into force of its Kyoto Protocol, the focus in 2006 will be on accelerating implementation activities, including through the international market-based mechanisms. Developed countries have to step up their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, each and every country will have to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. There is an urgent need to increase deployment and development of climate-friendly technologies and to facilitate technology transfer to less developed countries. Other priorities include education and increasing public awareness, strengthening climate monitoring and research.
The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will meet in Brazil in 2006, the halfway mark on the road to the 2010 biodiversity target. Having adopted the target in 2002, Parties will need to redouble their efforts to ensure a reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and the protection of all life on earth. They will work to make progress on issues such as the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in threatened ecosystems such as islands, forests and marine and coastal areas; the extension of protected areas; the preservation of traditional and indigenous knowledge and the elaboration of an international instrument to ensure equitable access to and sharing of the benefits from the utilization of genetic resources.
Meanwhile, aware of the serious challenges that still lie ahead of us for the promotion of sustainable development is arid ecosystems, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. The Convention to Combat Desertification and mitigate the effects of drought will use this opportunity to generate greater momentum for reversing dryland degradation. Its Parties will concentrate on strengthening international partnerships and attracting greater donor support with a view to finalize all National Action Programmes under the Convention by 2005, as per the recommendation of the Bonn Declaration. They will also assist affected countries to achieve the required institutional and policy reforms and empower local communities and civil society.
Each of the three Conventions has its own mandate and activities. But each also contributes to the goals and efforts of its counterparts - as well as to the Millennium Development Goals and the Programme of Work agreed at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. Synergistic and mutually supportive activities range from water conservation and improved soil management to sustainable energy to education and poverty alleviation. While the underlying goal of sustainable development will take decades to achieve, every individual year counts. It is vital that 2006 is a year that makes its mark.
Hamdallah Zedan, Executive Secretary, CBD Secretariat
