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UNCCD Executive arrives in Namibia

Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD is in Namibia. (Photograph by Hilma Hashange)

Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD is in Namibia. (Photograph by Hilma Hashange)

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Executive Secretary, His Excellency Luc Gnacadja, is in the country to meet with the committee in charge of preparations for  the 11th Conference of Parties (COP11) that will be hosted in Namibia in September this year.
Gnacadja,who first visited Namibia in 2011, says he is looking forward to working with the COP11 committee to host the best-ever COP conference.
Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Hon. Uahekua Herunga, the Executive Sectretary said he is impressed with what Namibia has achieved in its effort to combat climate change and dessertification.

Addressing the guests on the very serious long-term effects of land degradation, he said Africa is most vulnerable because it it is faced with challenges and is affected by land degradation. “This conference will therefore address issues concerning drought, poverty and land degradation with the aim to maintain and restore land and soil productivity and mitigate the effects of drought,” said Gnacadja.
At least 2000 delegates from 195 countries of the UNCCD are expected to attend the conference.
Born in Benin, Gnacadja served as Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development of Benin from 1999 to 2005 before taking up his position as UNCCD Executive Secretary. He gained first-hand knowledge of the UNCCD process over a number of years in his capacity as Head of Delegation to the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD.
He was also Head of Delegation to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Gnacadja served as Chairman of several international ministerial conferences, meetings and workshops related to the environment, urban and regional development, and sustainable development, including the African Ministers Conference on Environment and the Commission on Sustainable Development. In March 2003, Gnacadja was honoured with the “2002 Green Award” in Washington by the World Bank.

 

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