The eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP 8) is being held in Madrid, Spain, from 3 to 14 September 2007, at the invitation of the Government of Spain.
 
On Monday, 3 September, the first day of the conference, MASHAV, the Israel Foreign Ministry's Center for International Cooperation in cooperation with its Division for International Organizations staged an event aimed at showcasing Israel's leading role in the worldwide battle against desertification and the development of arid regions. Israel has vast experience in these areas, and Israeli companies have developed leading edge technologies in recent years. This is the first time that MASHAV has participated in a conference of the parties to the UN convention.
 
The event was attended by some 60 delegates, including representatives of African countries, international organizations and NGOs who are involved in the struggle against desertification, as well as members of the UNCCD secretariat, who were welcomed by the Israeli ambassador to Madrid, Mr. Raphael Schutz. 
 
The new MASHAV training program for the African continent, 'Combating Desertification and Dryland Development in Africa' was presented to the delegates. This program includes a workshop for African decision makers and senior officials, which will be held in Israel during 2008. The workshop, organized under the auspices of the UNCCD, will allow the participants to observe for themselves Israeli applications in the field of desertification. Follow up programs for the forthcoming years will be developed at the end of the workshop sessions.
 
The workshop will be held in cooperation with leading, internationally acclaimed Israeli authorities on desertification and arid region development. These institutions have developed capabilities that enable them to contend with the issues of desertification. The participating institutions will include:

• CINADCO - Center for International Agriculture Development Cooperation, MASHAV branch
• Ben-Gurion University of the Negev - The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research
• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Faculty of Agriculture
• The Israel Meteorological Service
• Volcani Center for Agricultural Research
• The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
• Keren Kayemet - Jewish National Fund