SA delegation attends UN conference

A HIGH-LEVEL South African delegation, led by Deputy President Jacob Zuma, is attending the sixth UN conference on desertification in Havana, Cuba. The meeting will continue until September 5, with workshops and round tables to assess proposals aimed at combating the encroachment of deserts on farmland and residences. Speaking moments before leaving Johannesburg on August 29 for the conference, Environmental Affairs and Tourism minister, Valli Mossa, highlighted the role South Africa hopes to play during the conference. "South Africa is represented by a very strong team to argue the case from an African and Nepad point of view," he said. Moosa also confirmed the conference would deal with decisions taken at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held last year in Johannesburg. The minister confirmed that desertification is a "big problem in many parts of the world, but particularly in Africa, where there is a shortage of food and agricultural land". (Natalia Thomson)