| Follow us on:
|
![[Getty Images]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Namib-Desert-298x300.jpg)
An image from a satellite shows giant sand dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National park in Namibia [Getty Images]
COP 11 is a United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) initiative that has 195 members who meet every two years to address the management of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub- humid areas with a view to maintain and restore land.
This will be the first time COP11 will be held in the Southern African region since its inception in 1994.
Namibia is home to the Namib Desert, the second largest in Africa which stretches for more than 2,000 km along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
Namibia’s minister of environment and tourism Uahekua Herunga said hosting COP11 will solidify Namibia’s commitment to addressing land degradation and reduce poverty.
The Namibian cabinet has budgeted about 10 million Namibian dollars ($1.1 million) for the event that is expected to bring in profits in the region of 40 million Namibian dollars ($4.4 million), according to Herunga.
“Land degradation is a major threat to development and a driver of poverty in Namibia’s rural areas and it is a threat we are committed to addressing,” the minister said.
Namibia’s growth for 2012 was recently announced at five per cent.
Xinhua
