Briefing

The Final Meeting of the Costa Rica-Canada Initiative (CRCI) convened in Ottawa, Canada, from 6-10 December 1999. Sponsored by the Governments of Costa Rica and Canada, in partnership with 21 countries and international organizations, the Meeting was attended by approximately 110 participants from governments, intergovernmental bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), indigenous groups, the private sector and women's groups from more than 50 countries. The Initiative supports Category III of the programme of work of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF), which addresses international arrangements and mechanisms to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. Its provides a process for clarifying issues, identifying commonalities in understanding, facilitating exchanges of views and opening the dialogue to enhance the consideration and identification of elements necessary to build a global consensus on the issue of international arrangements and mechanisms, and, in particular, to identify possible elements of and work toward a consensus on the usefulness of having international arrangements and mechanisms, for example, a legally binding instrument (LBI) on all types of forests.

This meeting was the last of three stages comprising the Initiative. Its objectives were to: provide the basis for informed decision-making on Category III at the fourth and final session of the IFF (IFF-4), which will be held from 31 January-11 February 2000 in New York; gain a better understanding of the arguments for and against three options for future arrangements and mechanisms--existing legally binding instruments (ELBIs), legally binding instruments (LBIs) and legally non-binding instruments (LNBIs); and consider the possible outcomes of IFF-4 and the form(s) and mandate(s) of possible future arrangements. The outcome of the Initiative was a set of findings from the Meeting and “key messages” for IFF-4, which were compiled in a draft Report of the Meeting and discussed in Plenary on the closing day. The Report of the Meeting will be amended to incorporate these discussions and will be submitted to IFF-4, along with supporting documents from the entire Initiative.