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Highlights from
Monday, 11 December:
Opening Ceremony
 The
Fourth Conference of the Parties (COP-4) to the Convention to Combat
Desertification (CCD) opened today in Bonn, Germany. Delegates met
informally in their regional groups in the morning and convened in an
afternoon session for the official opening of the Conference. Opening
statements were delivered by the CCD Executive Secretary, the President of
the Federal Republic of Germany, the Mayor of Bonn and the President of
COP-3. The first Plenary meeting of the COP convened to elect the
President of the session. It was then briefly suspended to allow the
regional groups time to complete their nominations for the COP Bureau. As
the groups were unable to complete their work, the meeting was adjourned
at 6:50 p.m.
Above photo (L-R): UNCCD Executive
Secretary Hama Arba Diallo, H.E. Mr. Harri Holkeri (President of the
fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly), H.E. Mr. Johannes Rau
(President of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Mr. José
Sarney Filho(Minister of State for the Environment, Brazil), H.E.
Mrs. Bärbel Dieckmann (Lord Mayor of Bonn)
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 Hama
Arba Diallo, CCD Executive Secretary (Left), said that this was
the first time a session of the COP was being held in the host
country since the relocation of the Secretariat in early 1999. He
said that COP-4 should constitute a defining step to move the
implementation of the Convention from reporting to assessment to
bring actions down to earth to address the concerns of the millions
of people threatened by poverty and land degradation.
RealAudio
of Hama Arba Diallo's opening statement
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 Left
photo: H.E. José Sarney Filho, Minister of Environment of Brazil
, who served as COP-3 President, noted with concern the
unsustainable actions that characterize the behavior of the world
economy. He stated that despite technological progress, world
poverty was increasing.
RealAudio
of H.E. José Sarney Filho's opening statement
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Right photo: H.E. Harri Holkeri (Finland), President of the 55th
session of the General Assembly, assured delegates of the
Assembly's support for the CCD. He noted that the CCD is important
because it focuses on areas where balance has to be reached between
the needs of humans and ecosystems, and that dry ecosystems support
the poorest of the poor. He recalled that the UN Millennium Summit
resolved to prioritize the eradication of poverty, which affects 1.2
billion people.
RealAudio
of H.E. Harri Holkeri's opening statement
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 Left
photo: H.E. Bärbel Dieckmann, Mayor of Bonn, welcomed
COP-4 participants to the city, which is also the location of
the CCD Permanent Secretariat. She noted that the presence of
the German President clearly indicated the importance Germany
attaches to this Convention.
RealAudio
of H.E. Bärbel Dieckmann's opening statement
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 H.E.
Johannes Rau, President of the Federal Republic of Germany,
officially opened COP-4 at 4:00pm. Noting that some developed
countries were practicing eco-colonialism, he urged them not to
shirk responsibility for short-term gains, to be self-critical
enough to admit their failure to combat poverty and realize
development in developing countries, to stick to the 0.7% GDP
target for development assistance despite short-term
difficulties in realizing it and to undertake their
responsibility to provide the best technology, financial
assistance, transfer of know-how and rules to assure
competition.
RealAudio
of H.E. Johannes Rau's opening statement
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