ENB:05:82
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THINGS TO LOOK FOR BEFORE UNGASS
GEF COUNCIL: The next GEF Council meeting will take place from 30 April – May 1997 in Washington, DC. It will be preceded by NGO consultations on 29 April. A replenishment meeting will take place in 2 May. For more information contact Marie Morgan at the GEF Secretariat, tel: +1-202-473-1128; fax: +1-202-522-3240. The GEF Web Site is at: http://www.worldbank.org/html/gef .
APEC MEETINGS: The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum Trade Ministerial Meeting will be held from 9-10 May in Montreal. For information contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, APEC Division; fax: +1-613-944-2732. The APEC Meeting of Environment Ministers on Sustainable Development will be held 9-11 June in Toronto. For information contact Gloria Yang, Environment Canada; fax: +1-613-991-6422.
INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON DESERTIFICATION: This workshop, entitled, “Combating Desertification: Connecting Science with Community Action,” will be held from 12-16 May in 1997 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. For information contact Dr. Jim Chamie, International Arid Land Consortium; tel: +1-520-621-3024; fax: +1-520- 621-3816; e-mail: chamie@ag.arizona.edu.
WTO SYMPOSIUM ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT: The WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) will host a symposium on trade, environment and sustainable development from 20-21 May in Geneva. For more information contact the CTE; tel: + (41 22) 739-5111; fax: + (41 22) 739-5458. Also try http://www.wto.org.
CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: The Ad Hoc Expert Group on Biosafety is scheduled to meet from 12-16 May in Montreal. For more information contact the CBD Secretariat, World Trade Centre, 413 St. Jacques Street, Office 630, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9; tel: +1-514-288-2220; fax: +1-514- 288-6588; e-mail: biodiv@mtl.net.
PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT: The third session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee for the preparation of an international legally binding instrument for the application of a prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals in international trade (INC-3) will be held in Geneva from 26-30 May 1997. The UNEP Governing Council, at its last meeting, adopted a decision calling for completion of negotiations on a legally binding agreement by the end of 1997. For more information contact: UNEP Chemicals (IRPTC); tel: + (41 22) 979 9111; fax: + (41 22) 797 3460; e- mail: IRPTC@unep.ch.
PATHWAYS TO SUSTAINABILITY: This international conference on local initiatives for cities and towns will take place from 1-5 June 1997 in Newcastle, Australia. The conference objectives are to: showcase exemplary Local Agenda 21 case studies; provide opportunity for debate; and engage local communities in progress towards local and therefore global sustainability. For further information, contact the Conference Secretariat at Capital Conferences Pty Ltd., PO Box N399, Grosvenor Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia; tel: +61 2 9252 3388, fax: +61 2 9241 5282, e-mail: capcon@ozemail.com.au. Also visit the World Wide Web site at http://bicentenary.ncc.nsw.gov.au.
ACTIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY: In conjunction with the UN Forum “Pathways to Sustainability,” the people of Newcastle will host the “Actions for Sustainability” conference and festival from 2-7 June 1997. There will be day and evening sessions, as well as exhibitions, stalls and artistic and creative activities. “Actions for Sustainability” will be held in close proximity to the main conference to provide an opportunity for participants to address an international audience and local community groups. For information contact: Cathy Burgess, PO Box 550, Wallsend NSW, 2287 Australia; tel: + 61 14 633 552 or +61 14 073 591; e-mail: lrene@hunterlink.net.au
CITES: Zimbabwe will host the CITES Conference of the Parties from 9-20 June 1997 in Harare. For more information contact: the CITES Secretariat, Geneva Executive Centre, 15 Chemin de Anemones, CP 456, CH-1219 Chatelaine-Geneva, Switzerland; tel: +(41 22) 979-9139/40; fax: +(41 22) 797-3417; e-mail: cites@unep.ch. Also see http://www.unep.ch/cites.html or http://www.wcmc.org.uk/convent/cites.
KNOWLEDGE FOR DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE: The World Bank and Canada will host this conference in Toronto, Canada, from 23-25 June 1997. The conference, co-sponsored by Switzerland, the US, UNDP and UNESCO, among others, will focus on the vital role of information and knowledge in sustainable development. Participants will explore the opportunities and challenges posed by new information/communication technologies, how developing counties and the world’s poor can gain access to them and opportunities for new partnerships. For information contact the Conference Secretariat, Global Knowledge ‘97, the World Bank Economic Development Institute; tel: +1-202-473-6442; fax: +1-202-676-0858; e-mail: globalknowledge@worldbank.org. The conference web site is located at http://www.globalknowledge.org A French version is available at http://www.savoirmondial.org
SPECIAL SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY: The Special Session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled for 23-27 June 1997. The session will conduct an overall review and appraisal of progress in implementing the UNCED agreements since the 1992 Earth Summit. For more information, contact: Andrey Vasilyev, UN Division for Sustainable Development; tel: +1-212-963-5949; fax: +1-212- 963-4260; e-mail: vasilyev@un.org. Also visit the Home Page for the Special Session at http://www.un.org/DPCSD/earthsummit/.