• Submitted by: manso
• Society
• 09 / 21 / 2011

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By: Ileana Ferrer Fonte. United Nations, Sep 20 (Prensa Latina) Desertification, soil degradation and drought will be debated at a high-level meeting convened by the UN, as part of the General Assembly works.

Those problems were shown by the UN as a global affair, because they affect all regions of the planet, especially the so-called Horn of Africa.

That zone, particularly Somalia and Kenya, is current stage of an extended famine affecting more than 13 million people, according to UN reports.

In March, the General Assembly approved a resolution alerting on processes of extreme desertification and soil degradation in different parts of the world.

In early September, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) proposed the creation of a world alliance on soils for food security.

That alliance seeks to accelerate commitments the World Soil Charter adopted in 1982 to make progresses in the protection and sustainable management of environment.

The UN declared 2011 as the International Year of Forest, to raise awareness and strengthen sustainable development of forest, one of the fundamental factors in soil protection.