EARTH NEGOTIATIONS BULLETIN PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (IISD) WRITTEN AND EDITED BY: Pamela Chasek, Ph.D. Elisabeth Corel Langston James Goree VI "Kimo" Wagaki Mwangi A DAILY REPORT ON THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE ON THE CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT Vol. 4 No. 58 Tuesday, 10 January 1995 INCD HIGHLIGHTS MONDAY, 9 JANUARY 1995 The sixth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the elaboration of an international convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa (INCD), began on Monday afternoon. Delegates first adopted the agenda (A/AC.241/28) and the provisional programme of work for the first week (A/AC.241/28/Add.1). INCD Chair Bo Kjelle'n (Sweden) noted that General Assembly Resolution 49/234, adopted on 23 December 1994, said that INCD-6 could last up to two weeks. However, there is a possibility that this session may conclude before 20 January 1995. As a result, the provisional work programme for the second week is yet to be determined. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BURKINA FASO: Anatole Tiendrebeogo, Minister for Environment and Tourism, noted that although the negotiated Convention formed a good basis for compromise, the issues of the financial mechanism and financial resources still need to be resolved. He outlined the interim measures Burkina Faso has undertaken, including: awareness raising among decision- makers, NGOs, technical experts and local populations; the adoption of a plan of action; and the establishment of an organ to oversee the implementation process. Tiendrebeogo lamented that there seems to be a "backsliding" by affected countries, other Parties and the international community at a time when the issue of ratification is being raised. He asserted that urgent measures require the prompt mobilization of funds as early as February 1995. He called on the INCD to announce what it can and intends to do in this regard. Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development Nitin Desai welcomed delegates on behalf of the Secretary-General and noted that the successful negotiation of the Convention in spite of difficulties shows the determination of delegations, the Chair and the Secretariat. Desai expressed hope that the successful conclusion of the Convention should not cause a loss of momentum, and reminded the Committee that the transition from policy development into policy implementation demands political commitment. Desai also noted the need for the INCD to provide input to the CSD's consideration of desertification at its meeting in April. The Chair, Bo Kjelle'n, said that in this phase of the process, there is less pressure on texts, but it is now more important to translate words into action. He noted with satisfaction that when Resolution 49/234 on the INCD was adopted in the General Assembly there were many important statements supporting the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD). Kjelle'n stressed that the participation of NGOs has been essential, as well as the contribution of the Panel of Experts and the scientific community in general, especially the social and economic experts. The Committee's main task at this session is to organize its work for the interim period. He noted the possibility of establishing working groups during the second week of this session. On substantive issues, the main focus will be the work programme for the interim period and the preparation for the first Conference of the Parties (COP). He asked the delegates to comment on the document with respect to time schedules and organization of work for the interim period, including the possible establishment of sessional working groups. On the resolution on urgent action for Africa, the statements made by governments at the signing ceremony are contained in documents A/AC.241/30 and Add.1. The General Assembly mandated the INCD to facilitate implementation through information exchange, which can begin here, but will be the central issue at the Nairobi session in August. Other issues to be considered at this session are extrabudgetary funds, the report to the CSD, and the global mechanism. PHILIPPINES: On behalf of the G-77 and China, Jose' Lino B. Guerrero said that subregional, regional and international collaboration is critical to arrest the causes of desertification and drought and to rectify their effects. Proof of international commitment to combat desertification and drought may be expressed concretely in terms of contributions to the Special Voluntary Fund and the Trust Fund and the mobilization of financial resources. The INCD must formulate a national and realistic work programme for the interim period that includes: support to developing countries in the elaboration of action programmes at all levels; the marshalling of scientific and technical advice; identification of an organization to house the global mechanism to promote the mobilization and channelling of substantial financial resources; and consideration of INCD inputs to the Commission on Sustainable Development. FRANCE: On behalf of the 15 States of the EU, Anne de Lattre observed that the large number of signatories to the Convention in Paris and thereafter attests to the importance of the CCD. For this Convention to be effective, affected countries should take the initiative and establish medium- and long-term plans of action that involve local populations. She further noted that donors must act as true partners of affected countries. Genuine partnership and transparency are major aspects of the Convention. All cooperation agencies should feel responsible for the evolvement of this process and should set up funds to facilitate the mobilization of scientific expertise and local and traditional technology. The States that have signed the Convention should state their positions on the organization of work modalities; the role of the interim Secretariat; funding for the interim period; cooperation and information exchange on the urgent action for Africa; and the relationship between the work of the INCD and the CSD. The EU believes that the role of the interim Secretariat should only be facilitative and not operative, as some of the documents suggest. The EU does not support the increased funding requirements for the interim period before the first COP, which assume that the Secretariat will be playing an operative role. MONGOLIA: The Minister for Environment, Dr. Batjargal, stated that adopting this Convention is moving one step towards the implementation of Chapter 12 of Agenda 21. He explained that over 40% of Mongolia is arid or desert and that cropland degradation increases each year. A National Plan of Action to combat desertification has been developed in cooperation with UNEP and ESCAP. Mongolia is also preparing for ratification. Although land erosion and degradation are often caused by natural causes, such processes are sometimes caused by the negative interaction between people and their environment. CILSS: The Executive Secretary, Mariam Cisse', reported that the region had started the implementation process as recommended in the resolution on urgent action for Africa. The CILSS member countries have convened two meetings, at which affected neighboring states attended, to take stock of the actions to be initiated, including: national action programmes; the organization of national forums; time tables; participatory measures; and preparatory documentation. The resolutions on these items have already been applied by several of the participating countries. Cisse' said that the CILSS is in favor of establishing a maximum of two working groups to look at the preparations for the COP. INDIA: The delegate expressed solidarity with Africa regarding the resolution on urgent action. He outlined the extent of desertification in India, noting that although several initiatives have been undertaken to redress the problem, the activities suffered serious financial constraints. He said that India is willing to provide information on specific research, afforestation and water conservation activities undertaken in relation to desertification. BRAZIL: The delegate noted that in spite of his Government's efforts to deal with the scourge of desertification, Brazil still needs global partnerships involving the participation of rural organizations, NGOs, and international and regional organizations. He declared that combating desertification is a priority issue. NGOS: Heinz Greijn (ELCI) reported that in November some 50 NGOs from around the world met in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to establish a global network on desertification called RIOD (Re'seau International d'ONG sur la De'sertification) and to develop an action plan for the implementation of the Convention. The NGO action plan calls for: organizing consultations between NGOs and Community Based Organizations at the national level; informing people in affected communities about the Convention and developing methods for consulting them about action to be taken; raising awareness about desertification and the Convention in donor countries; promoting women's involvement in the implementation of the Convention; and building a communication system that links the actors of the network at all levels. In other activities, NGOs established an electronic mail conference on desertification for NGOs in Africa and organized a meeting in Brussels to inform European NGOs about the Convention. AGENDA ITEM 4 -- STATUS OF SIGNATURE AND RATIFICATION OF THE CONVENTION Executive Secretary Arba Diallo reported that 95 countries and one regional economic integration organization have signed the Convention to date. The 95th country, which signed the Convention Monday morning, is South Africa. He appealed to those who have not yet been able to sign the Convention to do so as soon as circumstances permit. Kjelle'n joined in this appeal and expressed hope that the Convention will have 100 signatories by the conclusion of this session. SOUTH AFRICA: Amb. Vernon Steward was happy to inform the Committee that South Africa signed the Convention on Monday. The Convention is particularly relevant for Southern Africa. More than half of South Africa was declared potential desert by the 1977 UNCOD report. Since the 1930s, South Africa has had various programmes ranging from education and training of farmers at the grassroots level to conservation auditing and the development of electronic data banks. This experience has facilitated the transfer of technology. He stressed the need for increased resources for the implementation of the Convention and its regional annexes, and called for the implementation of the urgent measures for Africa. RATIFICATION UPDATE In addition to the 85 countries and the European Union that signed the Convention in Paris on 14-15 October 1994, 10 more countries have signed it over the past three months. These countries are: Namibia (24/10/94), Nigeria (31/10/94), Sierra Leone (11/11/94), Nicaragua (21/11/94), Uganda (21/11/94) Paraguay (1/12/94), Uzbekistan (7/12/94), Philippines (8/12/94), Micronesia (12/12/94) and South Africa (9/1/95). FROM THE ARCHIVES On Monday, Bo Kjelle'n noted that ratification of a convention takes a fair amount of time. In fact, ratification of environmental conventions, as measured by the length of time between the date when a convention is adopted and its entry into force, takes an average of 32 months. For example, the 1973 CITES Convention took 28 months to enter into force, the 1979 Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution took 40 months and the 1989 Basel Convention took 38 months. However, the ratification of the two most recent environmental conventions, the 1992 Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, took only 22 months and 19 months, respectively. If there is sufficient political will, the Convention to Combat Desertification may enter into force before June 1996 and continue this trend. THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY PLENARY: The INCD Plenary will convene at 10:00 am to discuss Agenda Items 2 (Work programme for the interim period) and 3 (Preparation for the Conference of the Parties). The Executive Secretary of the Interim Secretariat, Arba Diallo, will introduce A/AC.241/29, which contains recommendations on these items. Delegates will then be invited to comment. REGIONAL GROUP MEETINGS: The Plenary will not meet at 3:00 pm to allow time for regional groups to meet. NGO STRATEGY SESSION: NGOs will be meeting each morning this week at 9:00 am in Conference Room D. COMPUTER ROOM: The CCD Interim Secretariat has set up a computer center in Conference Room A. Although the set-up is not as technologically advanced as in Paris, delegates will find a handful of computers and printers available for their use for the duration of INCD-6. This issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (C) is written and edited by Pamela Chasek , Elisabeth Corell , Langston James Goree VI "Kimo" (kimo@iisd.org) and Wagaki Mwangi . General support for the publication of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin has been provided by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (iisd@web.apc.org), the Government of Denmark, the Pew Charitable Trusts through the Pew Global Stewardship Initiative, and the World Bank. Specific funding for coverage of the INCD has been provided by the United Nations Environment Programme. The authors can be contacted at their electronic mail addresses and by phone and fax at +1-212- 888-2737. IISD can be contacted by phone at +1-204-958-7700 and by fax at +1-204-958-7710. The opinions expressed in Earth Negotiations Bulletin are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD and other funders. Excerpts from the Earth Negotiations Bulletin may be used in other publications with appropriate citation. Electronic versions of the Bulletin can be found on the gopher at and in searchable hypertext through the Linkages WWW-server at on the Internet. 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