Deputy Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
1) notes that -
a) Sunday 17 June 2007 marks the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought; and
b) the day is meant to deepen awareness amongst South Africans and the world community about the impact of drought and desertification;
2) recalls that-
a) desertification occurs in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas where the soil is especially fragile, vegetation is sparse and the climate is particularly harsh and that are inhabited by one fifth of the world's population; and
b) one third of the earth's land surface (four billion hectares) is threatened by desertification, over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification, 24 billion tons of fertile soil disappear annually, and that from 1991 to 2000 alone droughts have been responsible for over 280 000 deaths and accounted for 11% of all water-related disasters;
3) remembers that desertification results mainly from variations in climate and from human activities but that many other causes can interact to create conditions likely to lead to desertification, including the movement of refugees during periods of conflict, inappropriate land use or environmental management and specific socio-economic and political factors;
4) further remembers that international trade patterns are based on the short-term exploitation of local resources for export, which acts against the long-term interests of the local people, and that poverty leads to desertification, which in turn leads to poverty;
5) commends the work done by the United Nations and environmental organisations in their efforts to combat desertification and to raise awareness amongst people; and
6) calls on our government to intensify environmental education programmes to rekindle our people's love for the land and to increase environmental consciousness amongst our youth.
Agreed to.