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Joint International Conference
Desertification and the International Policy Imperative
La Lutte contre la Désertification et
L’Impératif International de Politiques de Soutien

17-19 December 2006, Algiers

The conference was inaugurated by His Excellency Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. UN Under-Secretary-General and UNU Rector, Prof. Hans Van Ginkel (upper right) and His Excellency Mr. Cherif Rahmani (lower right), the Algerian Minister of Land Planning and Environment were also present
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At its 58th session, the UN General Assembly declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD). In doing so, the General Assembly underlined its deep concern for the exacerbation of desertification and noted its far-reaching implications for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) which must be met by 2015. The IYDD is an opportunity to strengthen the visibility of the desertification issues on the international environmental agenda, while providing a timely reminder to the international community of the immense challenges that still lie ahead. More info at: www.iydd.org

In this context, UNU worked with partner UN and international agencies to jointly organize an international conference focused on the international policy imperatives raised by droughts and desertification and how best to meet the challenges. This conference interlinked with and build upon other meetings and conferences held to celebrate the IYDD, and was hosted by the Algerian Government.

Conference Proceedings:

This book can be ordered from UNU-INWEH. <click here>

Media Release: <click here> (PDF: 53kb)
Conference Brochure: English; French  (PDF: 420 kb)
Book of abstracts: <click here> (PDF: 750 kb)
Registration Forms: English; French  (PDF: 82 kb)
Information about Algeria: <click here> (MS Word: 180 kb)