ENB:04:65
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ROLE OF THE INTERIM SECRETARIAT:
The interim period will be
strongly affected by both the role of the Interim Secretariat and debates between
developed and developing countries on what this role should be. Developing countries,
which support an active Secretariat, expressed concern that the restrictive attitude of
developed countries would deprive them of a much needed coordinator for
desertification activities and disseminator of information. Developed countries, for
their part, seemed to emphasize that the Secretariat should play a facilitative role,
fearing that the Interim Secretariat might become the big, central machinery that the
Convention is trying to avoid in the promotion of a bottom-up approach. The question
of the role of the Secretariat has a direct bearing on the provisions of extrabudgetary
funds. As long as developed countries are not satisfied with the role of the Secretariat,
they may withhold contributions to the Secretariat Trust Fund. This could have a two-
fold effect. First, it could reduce the effectiveness of the Secretariat in even the most
basic tasks as its numbers diminish. Second, it could lead to prolonged discussions
during every future session of the INCD, as developing countries plead for more
money for the Secretariat and developed countries defend their positions.