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ARTICLES 20 and 21 -- FINANCIAL RESOURCES and FINANCIAL MECHANISMS:

The Bureau decided that the texts of these paragraphs contained so many brackets that they could not serve as a basis for productive negotiations. Instead, a small working group was established under the coordination of Pierre-Marc Johnson (Canada) and Bolong Sonko (The Gambia). The EU, Canada and the G-77 submitted proposals to the coordinators, which were used as the basis for consultations. The group met four times during the course of the meeting and identified phrases that were common to two or all three of the informal texts. Common areas of understanding included: the need for mobilization of financial resources from various sources; the need for effective and efficient use of resources; and an appreciation for the current efforts of affected developing countries and the contributions of developed countries to combatting desertification. The coordinators expect to hold further consultations during the next month to develop a possible draft negotiating text for these articles to be tabled in Paris.