Meetings in Japan and Mali have taken place in the framework of the 2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification.

The International Conference on Youth and Desertification, which met in Bamako, Mali, from 4-6 September 2006, attracted 150 delegates from 45 countries. Participants at this meeting approved the “Bamako Statement,” which calls on governments to ensure that young people are involved in the management of natural resources and decision-making processes, and to give priority to creating youth employment as a matter of national urgency. They further agreed to establish a UNCCD Youth Partnership Network to facilitate the exchange of information among young people and to ensure that their concerns are brought to the attention of decision makers.
Meanwhile, the symposium, “Living with Deserts II: Linkages between Dryland Science and On-the-Ground Practice,” which convened in Tokyo and Tottori, Japan, from 25-28 August 2006, was the second in a series, following an international conference held in May 2004. Specialists at this event discussed how research can help those who live in the desert achieve better lives.
Links to further information
“Living with Deserts II” website and webcast (August 2006)
International Conference on Youth and Desertification website (September 2006)