U.N. Sponsors Desertification Conference at BGU
U.N. Sponsors Desertification Conference at BGU
July 11, 2008
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – November 15, 2006 — More than 200 participants from over 30 countries participated in an international conference coordinated by and held under the auspices of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification – Annex IV nations (UNCCD). “Deserts and Desertification: Challenges and Opportunities” took place November 6-9, 2006 at the University’s Sde Boker campus. The conference highlighted Israel’s role as a leader in this field.
Speaking at the opening plenary session, Ambassador Gregoire de Kalbermatten, deputy general secretary of the United Nations Conference on Combating Desertification (UNCCD), lauded Israel’s success in developing solutions for desert living. He presented a statement prepared by the United Nations Development Programme that acknowledged Israel’s role as a leader in dryland agriculture. The full statement is attached.
This is the first time that a UN General Assembly resolution has welcomed an Israeli initiative on an issue that is high on the global agenda and it comes as an acknowledgment of the State of Israel’s leadership role in the worldwide battle against desertification.
University President Prof. Rivka Carmi welcomed the UN initiative and the guests from around the world. “Nearby this hall lies the gravesite of David Ben-Gurion, visionary founder and first prime minister of the State of Israel. He is buried on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Zinn Canyon because he believed that the desert holds all the potential and hope for the future,” she said. “Combating desertification and making the Negev desert bloom were Ben-Gurion’s passionate missions and this conference is also serving as a living memorial to this great man’s ideals.”
“We are very proud that the Israeli event marking the year of Desert and Desertification has been organized by the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research. This is just part of the ongoing commitment to realize the mission of BGU and to contribute to the development of the Negev and other drylands of the world,” said the director of the BIDR, Prof. Avigad Vonshak. “Our researchers represent Israel on a number of multi-lateral and international committees. By hosting the conference here in Sde Boker we are able to highlight the Institutes’ role in the worldwide effort to stem desertification.”
The four-day conference addressed the effectiveness of different initiatives employed to combat desertification and shared a variety of opportunities available for ensuring the quality of life and sustainable livelihoods in the drylands. In addition, organizer Prof. Alon Tal explained, “We are attempting to assess different domestic policies and strategies in countries affected by desertification. We have brought together social activists and scientists, technicians and politicians, so that they can confront the urgency of combating desertification.”
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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