Turkey UN to fight desertification together

10/13/2015 3:45:08 AM

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly)The Turkish Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs has saidMonday thatTurkey and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will launchan initiative during COP12 meetingtomitigate the effects of drought across the world.

Veysel Eroglu spoke during a press conference atthe 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Turkish capital Ankara.

The 12th session of the Conference of the Parties aims to address land degradation due to various factors such as climate change in arid semi-arid and sub-humid areas under the UNCCD.

"The 'Ankara Initiative' will be a milestonein world history in fighting against the desertification just as the Kyoto Protocol which is an important step for the climate change" Eroglu said. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 in the Japanese city of Kyoto to fight against climate change by reducinggreenhouse gas emissions.

Eroglu said Turkey would donate $5 million to the African states against desertification.

According to Eroglu desertification threatens around 1.5 billion people in more than 110 countries as well as4 billion hectaresworldwide.

"Our world loses 10 million hectares of cultivated area annually which causes malnutrition of nearly 1 billion people across the world. Also 40 percent of the world population lack water" he said.

Eroglu saidTurkey was one of thetop five countries thatstruggle with the increase in arid land and erosion.

"We degrade 12 million hectares of land every year and with it we lose the opportunity to produce 20 million tons of grain" pointed out Monique Barbutthe executive secretary of the UNCCD. " We don't have to accept the desertification as our destiny we can rehabilitate the lands around the world."

Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner of the event which runs to Oct. 23 at the Ankara ATOCongresiumInternational Convention and Exhibition Center.

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