Mohammad Reza Salamat, Iran

12:00 midnight. The contact group on programme and budget has broken up again after another deadlock… An agreement two hours ago to establish a permanent CRIC that meets for two weeks in between COPs  and two weeks during the COP is the cause of the delay. Apparently, having initially agreed on a 12% budget increase for the Secretariat and a 33% increase for the Global Mechanism, this new decision on the CRIC requires a renegotiation of these amounts. But after an hour-and-a-half of negotiating, there is still no agreement and the prospect of the COW resuming in the next hour seems quite ambitious…

Listen to Charles Basset's comments on the workings of the COP

Adoption of the Report of the COW:
Introducing the report and draft decisions of the group, COW Chair Jabbari noted that the Committee had successfully concluded its work, and was recommending for adoption11 draft decisions, as amended by the COW, on:
* programme of Work
* review of implementation
* review of available information regarding the financing of Convention implementation by multilateral agencies and institutions, including information on the activities of the Global Environment Facility concerning desertification that relate to its four focal areas, as specified in Article 20, paragraph 2 (b) of the Convention
* review of activities for the promotion and strengthening of relationships with other relevant Conventions relevant international organizations, institutions and agencies
* consideration of rule 47 of the Rules of procedure
* World Summit on Sustainable Development
* World Day to Combat Desertification
* additional procedures for institutional mechanisms to assist the COP in regularly reviewing the implementation of the Convention. The G-77/China amended all references in the text from "committee to review implementation" to the "committee for the review of implementation

Biaou was elected CRIC Chair by acclamation

Finally, delegates considered draft decision on programme and budget for the biennium 2002-2003. Cuba requested that "and a draft scale of assessment" be added to Paragraph 15, which requests the Executive Secretary, in the proposed programme and budget for the biennium 2004-2005 and the performance report, to include detailed tables and narrative of the implemented, as well as proposed expenditures, resource requirements for each subsidiary body under the budget line for substantive support to the COP and its subsidiary bodies specified according to the actual Fund utilized. The meeting was briefly suspended for delegates to consider the new draft decision, and reconvened to adopt it following a minor typographical change. The US asked that her concern about the size of the budget be noted, and said she does not foresee similar increases in the future, noted the lack of transparency with regard to use of the budget and strongly supported budget reform. Brazil made a reservation, noting it will follow the scale of assessment agreed at COP-1.
Delegates then adopted the report of COP-5, agreeing that the Rapporteur will finalize the report after the close of the session

Adoption of the Report of the CST:
CST Chair Brown then introduced the recommendations transmitted from the CST on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the CST that, inter alia, establishes a group of experts. Chair Brown noted it does not preclude the creation of ad hoc panels in the future. The US highlighted the importance of ensuring adequate representation of affected Parties in the composition of the group of experts. The ten CST decisions were adopted

Listen to Chair Brown's closing remarks