The PAIA on Combating Desertification was proposed by the MTP 2006-11 as a result of the transformation of an erstwhile PAIA entitled: Strengthening Capacity for Integrated Ecosystem Management (ECOM) into two formally new PAIAs: one on Combating Desertification (DSRT) and the other one on Sustainable Management of Mountains (MTNS).

It may be recalled that, as originally designed, the PAIA on: “Strengthening capacity for integrated eco-system management” (ECOM) was of a somewhat hybrid nature. Its title clearly conveyed what was one of its primary intended purposes, i.e. to foster in-house cooperation in the use of the integrated eco-system management approach. However, it also included two programmes of inter-disciplinary assistance of critical importance to the concerned Member Nations, i.e. in arid and semi-arid zones and mountains. Needed in-house cooperation linked to the latter two programmes in effect extends well beyond the application of the integrated eco-system management approach, and the visibility of these programmes was somewhat negatively impacted by their being subsumed into the ECOM PAIA. Moreover, the programmes on arid zones and mountains have strong interfaces with external political pronouncements, i.e. respectively the UN Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) and UNCED Agenda 21 and the subsequent International Year of the Mountains (IYM) for which FAO was the designated lead agency (as well as for its follow up). These strong external interfaces were also largely overshadowed by the ECOM label.

The ECOM PAIA has by now largely exhausted the purpose of promoting the integrated eco-system management approach. The latter is now effectively applied in several areas (e.g. biodiversity, fisheries). It is, therefore, possible to formally remove the ECOM theme – taken in the narrow sense – from the list of current PAIAs. The approach would, of course, continue to be mainstreamed and applied in sectoral programmes where relevant.

It ensues that the two active programmes of assistance relating to arid and semi-arid zones and mountains should be “upgraded” to full PAIA status, with the titles and acronyms of respectively: “Combating Desertification (DSRT)” and “Sustainable Management of Mountains (MTNS)”. Even under the previous ECOM label, these PAIAs had their own organizational arrangements and clearly identified collaborative activities. These are expected to continue, and the latter change is thus largely a matter of presentation.

[extract from MTP 2006-11]