Technical cooperation agreement signed to support UNCCD implementation in Meso-America, through capacity-building and promoting quality information exchange.
On 15 July Dr Christian Mersmann, Managing Director of the Global Mechanism and Dr Pedro Ferreira, Director General of the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), based in Turrialba, Costa Rica, signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement supporting the UNCCD implementation process in Meso-America.
This Agreement aims to improve the quality of information on the status of natural resources in this region and strengthen institutional, governmental and private sector capacities to combat desertification and drought.
A key element of the Agreement is the promotion of sustainable land management (SLM) by:
- forging strategic alliances with existing networks of institutional partners in the region;
- contributing to national and regional dialogue process;
- exploring the use of innovative funding mechanisms;
- integrating UNCCD issues into political, pragmatic and budget frameworks; and
- mobilizing technical and financial resources for this purpose.
CATIE will act as the host institution for the GM and will provide offices and technical and logistic support for the GM’s Regional Advisor for Meso-America to develop his activities, both at headquarters in Turrialba and in its national technical offices.
The countries of the region will benefit directly from this agreement due to the contacts that will be established with institutional partners and direct interaction through continuous interchange of experiences, tools and methodological approaches for the implementation process of the Convention. This will allow GM to widen its coverage and the temporary framework of its services to the countries in thematic and strategic areas that contribute to creating favorable conditions for funding.
