The UNCCD Secretariat, in collaboration with the Governments of Finland, Germany, Italy and Mali, will hold an international conference on Youth and Desertification in Bamako, one of several major conferences taking place to mark the 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD).
Desertification affects arid regions throughout the world, causing underdevelopment of national economies and inflicting destitution on the populations of vast areas and threatening them with famine. It is directly linked to (a) loss of biodiversity and life supporting ecosystems, (b) conflicts over the use of declining natural resources, (c) climate change and frequent and severe droughts, (d) food insecurity and starvation, (e) forced human migration and (f) underdevelopment, unemployment and increased poverty.