By By Ken Hanly Mar 28, 2013 in Environment Ottawa - Canada will be the only country in the world to withdraw from a UN convention that fights droughts following a cabinet order from the Harper government. The UN is has a committee researching methods of stopping the spread of droughts that threaten farmlands across the globe, but particularly in Africa. A notice from the UN Environment Program said that scientists, governments, and civil society organizations are on the way to Bonn, Gemany in April " "to carry out the first ever comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of desertification, land degradation and drought". The meeting will "Also, for the very first time, governments will provide concrete data on the status of poverty and of land cover in the areas affected by desertification in their countries." While the issue of desertification is global in reach, Africa has been worst affected particularly in the Sahel region and has plunged millions into poverty. No doubt this result also increases the attraction of radical ideologies in those areas. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino claimed "membership in this convention was costly for Canadians and showed few results, if any for the environment." The office of the minister refused to respond to follow up questions which inquired as to how much money was spent on the convention and when the UN would be informed. From 2010 to 2012, government documents show that Canada provided a grant of $283,000 to support the convention. Compared to the cost of many programs this is very little. In a speech before the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, in May of 2008, the Canadian representative said that Canada has been a strong supporter of the convention. The speech applauded the convention's efforts "to elevate the profile of desertification as a key environment and development issue, and will continue to support activities to combat desertification, land degradation and drought." The decision to leave the convention fits in with the renewed concern for only supporting international development if it is directly tied to Canadian interests as discussed in a recent The Canadian International Development Agency actually issued a 40 page report, "Canada's First Report on Domestic Activities Relevant to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification." This report said that it was in Canada's national interest to support the convention and that Canada was an "Affected Party" under the treaty because of "the existence of dry lands in the Canadian prairies." :"Our status as Party to this Convention is in our national interest because this Convention (and related issues like biodiversity), and the global thinking which is emanating from it, will benefit our own vision and approach of how we address our own, and the world's drylands," . The New Democratic Party foreign affairs critic said that the decision shows that the Harper government is outside international norms, and the decision increases Canada's isolation. Dewar also criticized the government for not announcing the decision. This decision will fuel more criticism of the Harper record on the environment. As well as pulling out of the Kyoto protocol, Canada has been accused of muzzling scientists whose reports the government dislikes. The government has also cut funding of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Foreign Affairs Minister Baird suggested that it did not want to pay for advice that did not fit in with the direction and policy of the government. The group had warned the government that it could not meet its targets for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions unless it priced carbon, a position the Conservative government adamantly opposes. The decision to leave this UN convention, will expose Canada to global ridicule. If the Harper government has any concern at all for its environmental record, it will immediately reconsider this decision. There is to be a major meeting on the convention in Germany in April. The federal cabinet ordered the withdrawal on the recommendation of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. The withdrawal was not announced. The UN secretariat learned of the decision only via a telephone call from the Canadian Press. The order of the Harper government cabinet, "authorizes the Minister of Foreign Affairs to take the actions necessary to withdraw, on behalf of Canada, from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, in those Countries Experiencing Severe Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa. " Canada had signed the convention in 1994 and ratified it in 1995. A total of 194 countries plus the EU are now party to the agreement.The UN is has a committee researching methods of stopping the spread of droughts that threaten farmlands across the globe, but particularly in Africa. A notice from the UN Environment Program said that scientists, governments, and civil society organizations are on the way to Bonn, Gemany in April " "to carry out the first ever comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of desertification, land degradation and drought". The meeting willWhile the issue of desertification is global in reach, Africa has been worst affected particularly in the Sahel region and has plunged millions into poverty. No doubt this result also increases the attraction of radical ideologies in those areas. The secretariat of the UN group would not comment on the Canadian withdrawal:"We cannot comment on something that is not communicated officially to the secretariat or to the United Nations."In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino claimed "membership in this convention was costly for Canadians and showed few results, if any for the environment." The office of the minister refused to respond to follow up questions which inquired as to how much money was spent on the convention and when the UN would be informed. From 2010 to 2012, government documents show that Canada provided a grant of $283,000 to support the convention. Compared to the cost of many programs this is very little.In a speech before the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, in May of 2008, the Canadian representative said that Canada has been a strong supporter of the convention. The speech applauded the convention's efforts "to elevate the profile of desertification as a key environment and development issue, and will continue to support activities to combat desertification, land degradation and drought."The decision to leave the convention fits in with the renewed concern for only supporting international development if it is directly tied to Canadian interests as discussed in a recent Digital Journal article about merging our development agency into the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. However the issue does directly concern Canada and our interests since parts of the Canadian prairies also face problems of drought. Any research could very well help farmers in drought-prone areas of Canada.The Canadian International Development Agency actually issued a 40 page report, "Canada's First Report on Domestic Activities Relevant to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification." This report said that it was in Canada's national interest to support the convention and that Canada was an "Affected Party" under the treaty because of "the existence of dry lands in the Canadian prairies." The report concludedThe New Democratic Party foreign affairs critic said that the decision shows that the Harper government is outside international norms, and the decision increases Canada's isolation. Dewar also criticized the government for not announcing the decision.This decision will fuel more criticism of the Harper record on the environment. As well as pulling out of the Kyoto protocol, Canada has been accused of muzzling scientists whose reports the government dislikes.The government has also cut funding of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Foreign Affairs Minister Baird suggested that it did not want to pay for advice that did not fit in with the direction and policy of the government. The group had warned the government that it could not meet its targets for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions unless it priced carbon, a position the Conservative government adamantly opposes.The decision to leave this UN convention, will expose Canada to global ridicule. If the Harper government has any concern at all for its environmental record, it will immediately reconsider this decision. This opinion article was written by an independent writer. 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