A U.N.-backed fund has adopted a plan aimed at giving more financial support to countries trying to address severe land degradation.

The assistance plan, formulated late last week by the governing body of the Global Environment Facility, will fund projects targeted at combating problems such as desertification and deforestation, thereby helping countries implement global environmental pacts, such as the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, aimed at promoting sustainable land management.

The funding will "directly improve the livelihoods of people living in dryland rural areas most affected by land degradation and where the word’s poorest reside," said the convention's executive secretary, Hama Arba Diallo.

Countries affected by desertification may apply directly to the multimillion-dollar global fund for assistance once the plan is approved later this year.

The GEF was established in October 1991 and relies on voluntary contributions from countries to fund efforts to tackle global environmental problems such as biodiversity and climate change (U.N. release, May 19).