Lesotho: National action programme in natural resource management, combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought

The objectives of this national action programme (NAP) is to structure and guide the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and define the elements of strengthening environmental capacities, enhance public awareness and mobilize active participation in order to better manage the natural resources, combat desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD).

The objective also contains elements of strengthening the policy, legal and institutional foundations for environmental management.In order to structure overall programme of the NAP, the five programme areas that were formulated in 1998 and reviewed and adopted as part of NAP in 2005 have been subjected to a series of stakeholder consultations starting November 2013 in an effort to align the 2005 NAP with the 2007 10 Year UNCCD Strategy. The result has been elaboration of 4 strategic and 5 operational objectives to guide the implementation of NAP. These are considered as different dimensions of the programme, and each of these have been further structured with its own sets of objectives and activities.

The four strategic objectives and 5 operational objectives provide the basis for strengthening coordination and arriving at partnership to support various activities to be undertaken for successful implementation for the UNCCD in Lesotho. The four strategic objectives are: (i) to improve the living conditions of affected populations, (ii) to improve the condition of affected ecosystems, (iii) to generate global benefits through effective implementation of the UNCCD, (iv) to mobilize resources to support implementation of the Convention through building effective partnerships between national and international actors. These are then elaborated into the following 5 operational objectives each of which is described in terms of a varying number of outcomes: (i) advocacy, awareness raising and education (3 outcomes), (ii) policy framework (5 outcomes), (iii) science, technology and knowledge, (iv) capacity-building (2 outcomes), (v) financing and technology transfer.