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Originally published on cgiar.org by:International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) on May 19, 2005

Aleppo, Syria: Dr Richard Thomas, Director, Improved Land Management to Combat Desertification (Mega-Project 2) attended the 3rd meeting of the Committee to Review the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC3) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, held in Bonn, Germany, 2-11 May 2005.

The participants discussed mainly how African countries are implementing action programs to combat desertification. ICARDA, through the consortium on Desertification, Drought, Poverty and Agriculture (DDPA), with ICRISAT, presented posters and a state-of-the-art review paper and participated in two open panel discussions, one on knowledge management, technology transfer, and another on agroforestry and soil conservation. Dr Thomas also represented the CGIAR as an advisor on the Facilitation Committee of the UNCCD's Global Mechanism at the same meeting and held talks with UNESCO and other UN agencies on the organization of a major international conference on 'The Future of Drylands' that is being planned for the International Year of Drought and Desertification in 2006. Efforts continue to promote the DDPA research agenda as a strategic research agenda for the UNCCD and to respond to the call made by the EU delegation to increase the scientific base of the UNCCD.

Media contact: s.varma@cgiar.org

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.