Thank you, Madame Chairman.
Dear delegates,
I am pleased to report on an inter-sessional event organized by Israel, in cooperation with the
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in contribution to the 17th session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development. Last year, Israel also hosted inter-sessional
activities and we welcome the opportunity ?? once again ?? to contribute to the work of the
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).
This year, from 22 March through 30 March, the Government of Israel, in collaboration with
the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, organized a seminar as an
inter-sessional event for the CSD-17 on The Role of Native and Desert-Adapted Species for
the Purpose of Slowing Desertification. The training took place at the Arava Institute for
Environmental Studies located on Kibbutz Ketura in the desert of southern Israel.
The training workshop ?? held in conjunction with Israel?s international development agency,
MASHAV ?? was attended by participants of several developing countries with diverse
backgrounds and dealt with issues such as agroforestry, conservation, desertification
mitigation, land reclamation, native and specialized plants, sustainable agriculture, and
drylands management.
The training workshop enabled the participants to gain an enhanced understanding of the
sciences related to drought and desertification, as well as how to develop better policies and
capabilities for addressing the economic, social and environmental challenges of drought and
desertification.
In particular, the workshop aimed to share experiences and best practices about developing
practical methods of reversing trends of soil degradation, including hydrological strategies
and information on native and desert-adapted plant species. With the twin goals of promoting
methods for improving both food security and economic opportunity, the workshop sought to
improve participants? knowledge base with the ultimate hope of improving the capacity of
each participant?s home country to develop and apply necessary strategies and policies to
mitigate desertification.
The main thrust of the training workshop was to share best practices and lessons learned in
Israel. In Israel, forests that had been nearly eliminated as a result of centuries of neglect and
occasional use for firewood have been restored, and in some cases entirely new forests have
been planted. Tens of thousands of hectares have been reclaimed to make up today?s
productive lands.
The workshop used a number of case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of various tools
and science-based solutions to combat desertification. The workshops addressed issues
including: Comprehensive Planning Initiatives for Drylands; Upgraded Sustainable Water
Management in the Drylands; Continued Afforestation in the Arid and Semi-Arid Regions;
and Policies to Promote Sustainable Agriculture in Vulnerable Regions.
The workshops also included visits to project sites where the participants saw the practical
implementation of restoring an ecosystem that was severely degraded by over-grazing and
erosion.
Madame Chair,
By all accounts of participant feedback, the program was a success and imparted valuable
knowledge on all whom participated. In addition, to ensure that this workshop continues to
have positive impact towards the implementation of the agenda of the CSD16 and CSD17,
the Arava Institute and MASHAV are now working with certain countries to provide in situ
capacity-building programs.
Madame Chair,
This activity is also seen as part of the contribution of Israel to the implantation of UN
General Assembly Resolution A/62/190 ?? a resolution initiated and sponsored by Israel on
agricultural technology for development. The resolution called upon Member States to work
with developing countries in the field of sustainable agriculture and share important
knowledge and technology in that regard.
As a leader in the fields of sustainable agriculture and the mitigation of desertification, Israel
will continue to actively fulfill its responsibility to share the knowledge and skills we have
gained with others, especially in developing countries.
Thank you, Madame Chair.
