ENB:03:04
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SWITZERLAND:
The observer from Switzerland said that the
quality of the CSD must be maintained and strengthened. There is a
need for a better political platform for the high-level segment.
General statements should be banned, the role of the Chair is
fundamental, and a final statement should be maintained, even if
there is divergence of opinions. He stressed the need to coordinate
different sectoral issues, the need for composite sustainable
development indicators, and suggested that peer reviews in regional
ad hoc groupings may assist the work of the CSD. The
desertification negotiations are of particular importance to
Switzerland, as this is the first legally-binding convention to be
negotiated since Rio. The Convention and the instrument for Africa
should be completed in June and should be followed by other
regional instruments. The prompt start idea should be examined
again when the Convention is further developed. Switzerland does
not think that the Convention should be financed by a new window in
the GEF as this should be considered only after the restructuring
process is complete. Switzerland has supported the INCD by
providing a member of the Secretariat, contributing to the
voluntary fund, providing free office space to the Secretariat in
Geneva and training negotiators.