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SUMMARY OF THE FOURTH SESSION OF THE INC FOR THE: ELABORATION OF AN: INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION: 21-31 MARCH 1994

The fourth 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), met in Geneva from 21-31 March 1994. The UN General Assembly established the INCD in 1992 to negotiate the international convention by June 1994.

At this session, the two working groups completed their mandates and negotiated the texts of both the Convention and the Regional Implementation Annex for Africa. In addition, the Latin American and Asian countries formally tabled draft regional annexes for their regions. A great deal of progress was made in Geneva, despite the fact that numerous brackets remain in both the main Convention and the African annex, and that the INCD has not yet formally negotiated the other regional annexes. A number of issues, including financial resources and mechanisms, institutional questions, the definition of categories of country Parties, and the regional annexes, still remain to be resolved at the next session in Paris, which will be held from 6-17 June 1994. Nevertheless, by all indications, it appears as though the INCD will complete its mandate and adopt a Convention with three regional implementation annexes in June.