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AWARENESS RAISING:

During INCD-6, delegates stressed the need to raise awareness about the Convention in both affected developing countries and developed countries. However, it is important to recognize that awareness raising may only result in public knowledge of the existence of the Convention and may not generate the expected action. As such, the challenge for both governments and the Committee is to not only raise awareness, but raise the consciousness of the target communities as well as policymakers and NGOs in developed countries.

For example, a number of organizations, in addition to the CCD Interim Secretariat, are publishing popularized versions of the Convention. Camilla Toulmin of the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development, and a former member of the International Panel of Experts on Desertification, has written a user"s guide to the Convention. The Swiss Government is funding the Geneva-based Centre for Our Common Future to publish its own "easy-to-read" version of the Convention. In Nairobi, Econews Africa and ELCI are producing a guide to provide an entry point into the Convention by NGOs and community workers in the field. However, even if these efforts at spreading an understandable version of the Convention seem to be overlapping, they are an important part of the much needed awareness raising on this issue. The fact that several publications are being produced provides the opportunity to reach different audiences on different levels. In this respect, it is important to recognize the need to distinguish between materials for raising general awareness on the Convention and those aimed at consciousness raising.