CM/Res. 756(XXXIII) Rev. 1
RESOLUTION RELATING TO THE BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOURA DJALLON MOUNTAIN
The Council of Ministers of the organization of African Unity meeting in its Thirty- third Ordinary Session in Monrovia, Liberia, from 6 to 20 July 1979;
Having taken note of document (CM/980 (XXXIII)) submitted by the General Secretariat to the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on Drought and other natural Disasters;
Considering the disastrous effects of the sudden resurgence of drought in the Sahelian sub-region and its rapid extensions to many countries of the sub-region during the 1977/78 period;
Considering the international plan of action to combat desertification and the urgent need to launch a joint programme for the control of desertification in Africa during the 1980 - 1990 decade whose main objective would be the rehabilitation and biological improvement of degraded ecosystems;
Considering that the attainment of the objectives of such a programme would require the launching of a joint campaign which would include the establishment of a green belt to the North and South of the Sahara which is on of the four transnational pilot projects proposed by the UN Conference on Desertification;
Conscious of the fact that the development of the Fouta Djallon which represents an excellent water catchment in West Africa constitutes a safety relief during the drought months in West Africa:
REQUESTS the Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme to integrate the Pilot project for the development and rehabilitation of the Fonta Djallon Plateau with the transnational project for the establishment of a green belt to the South of the Sahara;
DECIDES that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) should participate fully in the immediate implementation of the pilot project to ensure the development and rehabilitation of the Fouta Djallon plateau by co-ordinating the mobilization of resources needed for the financing of this project;
CALLS ON the appropriate agencies of the OAU to immediately undertake negotiations with the financial institution and within the framework of Afro-Arab Co-operation;
CALLS ON the Administrative Secretary-General of the OAU to establish contacts with the UN Secretary-General so that the latter may mobilize, as soon as possible, including UNDP, FAO and UNESCO, the human and financial resources needed for the services of the qualified experts and consultants who would work in the joint teams in charge of preparing the Pilot Project for the development and rehabilitation of the Fouta Djallon and conducting feasibility studies;
CALLS ON the Administrative Secretary-General to send a report to the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Council.