ENB:04:11
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INFORMATION SHARING SEGMENT
INCD Chair Kjell‚n opened the information sharing segment and informed the delegates that they were beginning both a new venture and a new adventure, as these negotiations will have to find innovative solutions to the problems of desertification and drought. He stated that they need to set clear negotiating goals and results, as they owe this to the people who live in areas suffering from desertification. He hoped that the spirit of Rio and the perception of the drylands problem as a global concern will carry the negotiations through. He wants to have a consolidated text of the convention available by the end of the year. He said that the convention and the protocol for Africa should serve as a firm basis and a platform for a continuing process, including other regional protocols. He expressed hope that there will be rapid signatures, beginning at the 49th General Assembly in 1994, and a prompt start to the Convention.
The information sharing segment was divided into seven sections: Desertification, drought and the global environment; Causes, general extent and physical consequences of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas; Social and economic dimensions; Patterns of bilateral and multilateral assistance; Experience with international, regional, sub-regional and national programmes to combat desertification and mitigate drought in developing countries; Experiences of developed countries; and Some possible elements of a new strategy to promote sustainable development in countries experiencing drought and desertification. The INCD Secretariat will prepare a report on the information sharing segment for the September session of the Committee.