IV. Conclusion and proposed follow-up action

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56. Many actors are involved in the implementation of the Convention and the Resolution on Urgent Action for Africa. Given their importance as action framework at national and international levels, the ministries responsible for food, agriculture, forestry and rural development should play an essential role in the establishment and running of the national coordinating bodies and in the work of the Conference of the Parties and more generally to all decisions pertaining to the implementation of the resolution on Urgent Action for Africa and subsequently of the Convention.

57. ISCRAL, is among other FAO programmes mentioned in pare. 32, an important instrument for the implementation of the Convention and, in particular, for the Resolution on Urgent Action for Africa. Governments of Member Nations may wish to make use of the framework provided by ISCRAL in the forthcoming discussions at the Conference of the Parties as a basis for the elaboration of national and/or sub-regional policies and programmes and in seeking the support for their implementation. FAO, at the request of its Member Nations, could within its mandate and available resources provide assistance in the elaboration of such policies and programmes and in their presentation at the Conference of the Parties. In particular, FAO through ISCRAL could play the following roles:

1. continue providing support to governments in the formulation and implementation of their policies, programmes. and projects;
2. facilitate the exchange of experience and the expertise (TCDC) among its Member Nations;
3. pursue efforts to raise awareness of the international community and mobilizing resources for capacity-building and investment in land rehabilitation and conservation, desertification control and peoples' participation therein;
4. as Task Manager in the UN system for the implementation of Chapter 10 on Land Resources Planning and Management and Chapter 14 on Sustainable Agriculture and

Rural Development (SARD), ensure the cooperation of UN system agencies concerned in a coordinated response to the critical situation of land degradation and desertification in the African continent.