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CANADA:

Arthur Campeau, Canada's Ambassador for Environment and Sustainable Development, noted the extraordinary achievement of the upcoming entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity on 29 December 1993. With regard to the CSD, he commented on the importance of setting up national sustainable development plans and strategies. Specific to this, Canada hosted an OECD-sponsored workshop in October on national plans for sustainable development. Over 70 representatives from OECD and non-OECD countries attended. Canada supports the CSD's multi-year thematic programme of work, the role of the high level advisory board and the interagency committee for sustainable development (IACSD). The success of the CSD depends in part on implementation of Agenda 21 at the national and local levels. He urged that the CSD remain transparent and inclusive, establish and strengthen constructive partnerships and use roundtable discussions to transfer policies into actions. The CSD must continue to preserve the Spirit of Rio and resist falling into the trap of becoming overly institutionalized and bureaucratic.

Canada supports the Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States as well as the resumed PrepCom to build upon the work completed to date. With regard to the INCD, Canada is concerned that the intent of the original mandate has not been preserved. All regions of the world suffer from desertification and drought, but the African nations are the most vulnerable and the least able to combat these problems without concerted international assistance. Canada advocates a substantial convention with integrated regional annexes but does not support extending the negotiations, due to the financial implications. Regarding the Conference on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, Canada supports a legally-binding regime that sets out conservation and management measures for conservation of fish stocks, surveillance and control of fishing practices, an enforcement regime and a model for compulsory, binding dispute settlement. He also stressed the importance of Habitat II and welcomed the Malaysian Prime Minister's proposal to establish an intergovernmental taskforce on forests. [Return to start of article]