International Symposium on
Drylands Ecology and Human Security
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Role of Local Bodies in Implementing the Farooq Ahmad Department of Geography, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan Abstract UN Convention to Combat Desertification comes as a ray of hope for more than one billion people around the world whose lives are threatened by the adverse impacts of drought and desertification. District Councils and Union Councils in Pakistan may play an effective role in the implementation of the CCD in Pakistan. This is because of the fact that Union Councils and District Councils have sufficient mechanism and infrastructure to implement and monitor the CCD activities. Furthermore, they could also develop the infrastructure and raise funds to combat land degradation in their respective areas. Similarly, these councils may also be used as platforms for the capacity building and training of the NGOs, CBOs and VOs in the affected areas. In addition to that these can also be treated as forums of accountability, as the Convention gives full-authority to local bodies to criticize the implementation mechanism of the CCD at any stage. |