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PUBLIC AWARENESS RAISING AND DOCUMENT PREPARATION

: IFAD said that the lack of awareness about the Convention may be the single-most serious obstacle to its implementation. A few countries have initiated awareness raising activities, aimed at their governments and the general public, on the Convention. Senegal has held national seminars and forums aimed at improving the understanding of the problems of desertification.

Mali has initiated measures to establish decentralized structures, and is establishing a new code on collectives and a new law on the taxation of collectives. Denmark has started to provide information about the objectives of the Convention to its embassies. In addition to its national awareness programmes, Lesotho has planned seminars for politicians and policy makers on the implementation of the Convention.

Various forms of awareness campaigns, some involving the media, have been initiated in Mali, Tunisia, Mauritania, the IGADD region, Iran and Armenia. Canada is also supporting anti-desertification and public awareness campaigns in the Sahel. The Philippines stated that awareness raising should be done within the UN system as well.