Highlights
for Thursday,
23 September 2004
Delegates
met in a high-level segment in the morning and afternoon to
hear statements from ministers and heads of delegation. In the
afternoon, the Committee of the Whole (COW) met to finalize
its work and adopt its report.
Above photo: Traditional Swiss horns while President Philippe
Roch listens at the background.
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HIGH-LEVEL
SEGMENT
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Above photos L-R: Swiss
traditional folk singers and cowbell handlers during the start of the high
level segment. |
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Above photo: The dais during the
opening plenary of the high-level segment
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Moritz
Leuenberger, Swiss Federal Councillor in charge of the Federal
Department of Environment, Transport, Communications and Energy, recalled the
commitment of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
to ensure the Rotterdam Convention’s entry into force.
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Above
photo: President Roch (center) opened the plenary of the
high-level segment.
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Louise
Fresco, FAO Assistant Director-General, called for improved
coordination among ministries at the national level.
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Klaus
Töpfer, UNEP Executive Director, noted that the Rotterdam
Convention’s entry into force was not only an important step
forward for the chemicals agenda, but also for the overall agenda of
sustainable development.
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LOCATION
OF THE SECRETARIAT: German Presentation
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The offer by
Germany to host the Secretariat in Bonn was presented by: Jürgen Trittin
, Federal Minister of Environment,
Nature, Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany; and Bärbel Dieckmann,
Mayor of Bonn.
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Swiss-Italian
Presentation
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The
offer by Switzerland and Italy to host the Secretariat in Geneva and Rome
was presented by: Leuenberger; Ambassador Paolo Bruni, Permanent
Representative of Italy to the UN in Geneva; Mariapia
Garavaglia, Deputy Mayor of Rome; and Ambassador Beat Nobs, Swiss Agency
for Environment, Forests and Landscape.
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COUNTRY
STATEMENTS:
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Minister
Cheick Abdel Kader Sangare (Guinea) (above left) and Minister Luc-Marie
Gnacaddja (Benin) recalled that the Rotterdam Convention was the
product of Chapter 19 of Agenda 21 adopted in 1992 at the UN Conference on
Environment and Development
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Deputy Minister Tomas Novotny (Czech Republic) stressed the importance of including all substances that meet the criteria under Annex III.
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Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi (South Africa) stated the Convention was the first line of defense for chemicals management, and highlighted its potential contribution to reducing poverty, death and disease caused by chemicals mismanagement.
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COMMITTEE OF
THE WHOLE
:
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REPORT OF THE COW:
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The COW agreed to forward the revised draft from the legal working group (UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.1/5/rev.1)
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Delegates approved the report of the COW (UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.1/CW/L.1) with
amendments to reflect the decisions on Annex III, non-compliance, and
activities of the Secretariat, as well as minor editorial changes. Above
photo: view of the plenary.
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ENB Snapshots:
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German Reception: Hosted
by
Jürgen Trittin
(below left)
, Federal Minister of Environment,
Nature, Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany; and Bärbel Dieckmann,
Mayor of Bonn.
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Swiss-Italian Reception:
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