United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification: Its Effectiveness Evaluation

• Main Authors: Po-ching Chiu, 邱柏菁
• Other Authors: Nien-Tsu Alfred Hu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/69473219812839089535

碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 政治學研究所 === 103 === Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate the actual performance and effectiveness of the United Nations Convention on Combat Desertification (or UNCCD, the Convention) since its entry into force in December 1996. This study applies “Oslo-Potsdam Solution” posed by Arild Underdal as a research framework for evaluating the effectiveness of the UNCCD, while the year of entry into force of the Convention is designated as a “point of reference”, articles of the Convention are deemed as “collective optimum” or collective objectives for combating desertification and the obligations laid down by the provisions of the Convention are designated as evaluation standards in examining the implementation of UNCCD in global, regional and national levels as well as the gap between actual performance of the Convention and its objectives so as to better understand the relative improvement that has been made since the UNCCD entered into force. This study concludes that the implementation of UNCCD is ineffective on global, regional, and national levels. This Convention has certainly constructed valuable transnational communication channels and an implementation framework for dealing with desertification problems. However, the apathy and lack of substantive actions of the Contracting Parties to the Convention led to the consecutive failures on all three levels. That the Convention does not determine the ratio of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Gross Nations Product (GNP) on the part of developed Contracting Parties to the Convention, nor impose any sanction for imbreachments of the Convention, made this Convention powerless in terms of its legal binding force which, in turn, indirectly led to the shortage of fund and technology in supporting the implementation activities on every levels. How to promote communication and integrate existing programmes under the framework of the UNCCD so as to raise environmental awareness and care of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for further harmonizing environmental conservation and economic development needs further study.