DEVELOPED COUNTRIES URGED TO MATCH DEVELOPING-WORLD EFFORTS TO COMBAT 'GLOBAL SCOURGE' OF DROUGHT, DESERTIFICATION

Press Release
GA/EF/2877

DEVELOPED COUNTRIES URGED TO MATCH DEVELOPING-WORLD EFFORTS TO COMBAT 'GLOBAL SCOURGE' OF DROUGHT, DESERTIFICATION

`Politics Cannot Stop Desertification, But Cross-Border Partnerships Can’, Says Israel

Echoing the sentiments expressed by a number of speakers this afternoon, the representative of the Republic of Korea said that the international community must make concrete gestures that matched the efforts of developing countries to combat desertification, particularly in Africa, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) continued its consideration of the environment and sustainable development.

Desertification ultimately affected everyone, in developed and developing countries alike, he said. Yet nowhere were the symptoms of that global scourge felt more acutely than in Africa, where already millions had been forced to abandon their villages just to ensure their very survival. It was encouraging to note that several developing countries had formulated their own national action programmes to reverse, or at least minimize, the impact of desertification. It was the duty, however, of industrialized countries to lend a hand in the struggle against that common enemy.

South Africa’s representative said that Africa contained the world’s largest expanse of drylands, covering roughly 65 per cent of the continent’s total land area. Almost 50 per cent of his country was arid or semi-arid and was threatened by desertification. Recurrent droughts were a permanent fact of life throughout Africa’s drylands and had seriously affected agriculture, causing poverty and malnutrition. It was essential that governments, particularly developed country partners, fulfilled their voluntary contributions to the Global Mechanism in order to facilitate effective implementation of the Convention.

While progress made so far in tackling desertification was heartening, the international community could not become complacent, the Director of the North American Liaison Offices of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said. There were still key areas that remained to be addressed, among them the potential of biotechnology for hunger and poverty alleviation in drylands, and the modalities for favourable access and transfer of technology. Perhaps most

Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2877 21st Meeting (PM) 25 October 1999

important was the fulfilment of donor financial commitments. Only then would those in affected developing countries have the necessary resources to tackle desertification head-on.

Israel’s representative said that his country’s initiative for collaboration in combating desertification in the drylands of the Middle East underscored its determination to advance peaceful and friendly relations with all its neighbours. Since its birth, Israel had been experimenting with dryland development, and had finally arrived at a sustainable way to develop it. His country was deeply committed to sharing its experience with other countries. “Desertification knows no boundaries”, he said. “Politics cannot stop desertification, but cross-border partnerships can”.

Statements were also made by the representatives of the Solomon Islands, Philippines, Senegal, Kenya, Canada, New Zealand, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Qatar and Singapore. The observer for Switzerland and the representatives of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also spoke. The Committee was also addressed by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

Also this afternoon, draft resolutions were introduced by the representatives of Cameroon, Guyana (on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China) and Mozambique (on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)).

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow to conclude its consideration of environment and sustainable development, and to begin its consideration of the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994).

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to continue its consideration of environment and sustainable development. For further background, see Press Release GA/EF/2876, issued this morning.

Draft Resolutions

With regard to its consideration of environment and sustainable development, the Committee had before it a draft resolution on conservation and sustainable development of Central African forest ecosystems, sponsored by Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon (document A/C.2/54/L.7). By the terms of the text, the General Assembly would decide to establish a trust fund to provide sustainable support for the Central African countries in their efforts for the management and conservation of and research into forest ecosystems. Further, it would request the Secretary-General to submit to it at its fifty-fifth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution.

With regard to its consideration of operational activities for development, the Committee had before it a draft resolution on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries (document A/C.2/54/L.5), sponsored by Guyana, on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China. By its terms, the Committee would call on all Governments, relevant United Nations organizations and multilateral and regional financial institutions to increase allocations of financial resources for economic and technical cooperation among developing countries, and to identify new funding modalities to promote South-South cooperation, such as triangular cooperation and private sector funding.

The Committee would request the United Nations system to take appropriate measures to improve the effective incorporation of technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC) into its programmes and projects and to intensify efforts towards mainstreaming the modality of TCDC, including through support to the activities of the Special Unit for TCDC, and encourage other relevant international institutions to undertake similar measures. It would reiterate its request to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to ensure that the separate identity of the Special Unit is maintained and that its programme is adequately funded at a level commensurate with its mandate and system- wide responsibilities in promoting, monitoring and coordinating TCDC.

Also before the Committee was a draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) (document A/C.2/54/L.6), sponsored by Mozambique. In adopting the text, the General Assembly would call on the States Members of the United Nations and organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system that have not yet established contact and relationships with the Community to explore the possibility of doing so. It would also call on the international community, particularly the United Nations, to meet its responsibility for maintaining peace, stability and the future rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Further, it would call on the international community to consider supporting the creation of special economic zones and development corridors in the Community, with active participation of the private sector.

The Assembly would also urge the international community to take appropriate action, especially the providing of humanitarian assistance, in order to prevent the suffering of the Angolan people, particularly children, women and the elderly. The international community would also be urged to continue to assist those countries receiving refugees in coping with the resulting economic, social, humanitarian and environmental challenges.

Statements

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said that the Framework Convention on Climate Change was one of the most important outcomes of the Rio Summit. An important development in the process begun in Rio was the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, which had set targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In looking at current trends of emissions from the Annex I countries, the indications were that they would be above the reduction target level. “Business as usual” would not deliver the Kyoto targets. The primary purpose of the Fifth Conference of the Parties (CoP 5) was to prepare for CoP 6, to be held next year, when all issues to meet Kyoto targets would be brought together, including the functioning of the Kyoto mechanisms. The General Assembly needed to focus on a number of issues, such as the institutional linkage between the Convention and the United Nations. He foresaw a continued failure to reach the Kyoto targets unless specific actions were taken by Annex I countries.

Concerns over climate change were first articulated by small island developing States (SIDS), he said, and SIDS were the most active in undertaking measures to address the problem. The Assembly had recently held a special session to review implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action. In many ways, a great deal had been done by SIDS and regional organizations to support their efforts. However, SIDS still did not have the support they needed with regard to financial resources and technology transfer to fully implement the Programme of Action.

Finally, he said that there was a need to step back and ask whether or not the whole process begun at Rio was meeting expectations. “Are we just adding process to process”? he asked. “Are we connecting valuable policy discussions at the global level into action in national and regional policies”? That was the challenge in looking ahead to the 10-year review of Agenda 21. The Commission on Sustainable Development would be focusing on that at its next session, and the Assembly would have a report before it next year on the modalities of that review. A series of national consultative meetings to get regional perspectives would be held to build up momentum at the regional level. National reporting was also crucial in the review process. States must start thinking now about what was to be achieved from the 10-year review.

Introduction of Draft Resolutions

MARTIN BELINGA EBOUTOU (Cameroon) introduced the draft resolution on conservation and sustainable development of Central African forest ecosystems, under the item on environment and sustainable development. Last March, as part of national and subregional action to translate Agenda 21 into reality, Cameroon, with the support of the World Nature Fund, had organized a summit of Heads of State of the Central African countries on conservation of the region’s forests. Central Africa, with 210 million hectares, after Amazonia had the greatest amount of forest concentrated in one place on the planet. That major forest complex comprised almost 45 per cent of the Earth’s biodiversity. At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State committed themselves to categorizing 30 per cent of their territories as protected areas.

All Central African countries were highly indebted and undergoing structural adjustment programmes, he continued. The trying economic situation characterizing those countries did not allow them to carry the burden of protecting and preserving those forests alone. The Assembly, in adopting resolution 53/188, had asked the United Nations to come to the aid of Member States in efforts at the national level to translate Agenda 21 commitments into reality. It was in that connection that the countries of the Central African subregion were proposing establishment of a trust fund to support those countries in their efforts at preserving their forest ecosystems.

GEORGE TALBOT (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, introduced the draft resolution on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries (ETCDC), under the item on operational activities for development. The draft, which contained minor oral amendments, did two things. It provided an updated assessment of South/South cooperation and it sought to promote further action on several key fronts. First, the documentation and dissemination of experiences and lessons learned. Second, the continued support of the United Nations in furthering South/South cooperation. Third, increasing financing for South/South cooperation and increased allocation of resources by Governments, United Nations agencies and other organizations. It also focused on the need to strengthen cooperation between the countries of the South.

CARLOS DOS SANTOS (Mozambique), speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), introduced the draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and SADC, also under the item on operational activities for development. The draft called for continued assistance to the Community. It also appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to Angola and aid in reconstruction for Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He looked forward to a constructive discussion on the draft and continued support with regard to co-sponsorship of the text.

IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said that the vital importance which Africa as a whole attributed to the Convention to Combat Desertification was self-evident. The Convention reflected a recognition by the international community of the global ramifications of the phenomenon. Strengthening of the universal mission of the Convention through new ratifications, and the establishment of a secretariat in Bonn, were achievements in the institutional evolution of the Convention. But there was still a reluctance on the part of certain States to give that Convention the same weight as other international agreements. The delay in making the Global Mechanism operational was regrettable.

Global and integrated protection of the environment was incompatible with a selective approach. There was a link of causes and effects. Climate change and desertification necessitated action on all levels. Senegal was firmly committed to implementation of the Convention. Based on lessons from the past, its national plan on desertfication took into account several aspects: education, training, hydraulic energy and deforestation. Direct community involvement in management of resources was crucial to the plan.

JEREMIAH MANELE (Solomon Islands) said that while Small Island Developing States (SIDS) had made efforts at the national level to implement the Barbados Programme of Action (POA), there had been little international action to complement those efforts. The Solomon Islands had taken steps towards implementation by adopting appropriate policies and enacting the needed legislative measures. Biodiversity conservation, coastal and marine/fisheries resources, land resources and agriculture would continue to be among priority areas where national, regional and international partnership would be critical. Investment in renewable sources of energy would contribute to the development of provincial and rural areas.

The implementation of the Barbados POA must take into account the economic vulnerability and ecological fragility of SIDS, as well as the limited resources available to them. A combination of capital and technical assistance was required to meet the goals and objectives of the POA. With the increasing risks posed by globalization and trade liberalization, the sustainable development of SIDS had become more challenging than ever. International support to assist SIDS in utilizing the opportunities and mitigating the negative impacts of those global forces was vital. In addition, international action was required to facilitate economic diversification, to ensure market access, to stabilize primary commodity prices and to reverse the decline in official development assistance (ODA) flows, he said.

LIBRAN N. CABACTULAN (Philippines) said that his delegation had been very active in meetings of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and would continue on that path. The international community should adopt as soon as possible a body of mutually agreed measures for global action on matters relating to biosafety. While genetically modified organisms represented tremendous potential for food production and food security, it was at the same time crucial that the international community proceed with care, and within the bounds of common principles, so that the environment -- in particular human health -- was not put in jeopardy.

He encouraged all countries that had yet to sign or ratify the Kyoto Protocol to do so as soon as possible so that the Protocol could come into effect. Developed countries had to undertake urgent and effective domestic steps to implement their commitments under the Protocol. It was critical that developing countries be provided with support in terms of resources and technical know-how so that they could meet their commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change. As an archipelago, with a sizeable number of small islands, the Philippines shared the aspirations of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The SIDS were vulnerable to the fury of nature, and most of them had extreme limitations in terms of resources and capacities for sustained economic growth and sustainable development. He therefore called on the international community to intensify its efforts to implement fully the Barbados POA.

JOHN K. A. KOECH (Kenya) said his country supported the initiatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in assisting countries affected by land degradation and in strengthening cooperation and collaboration with other United Nations bodies. However, UNEP’s programmes were few, and had had little impact on desertification problems. He urged UNEP and other multinational agencies to explore more avenues for sustainable funding. The Global Mechanism, whose mandate included mobilizing and channelling financial resources, was not yet fully operational. Hence, it too had had little impact in the implementation of desertification projects.

Kenya called on the international community, especially the developed countries, to reach mutual understanding with developing countries in the conservation of biodiversity, he said. There were problems of inadequate financial resources to support implementation activities, particularly those of developing countries, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and the decisions of the Conference of the Parties. Besides the financial problems, other urgent issues relating to the Convention should be tackled, such as the reconciliation of trade and environment in the agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. They needed to be urgently sorted out if there was to be successful implementation of some aspects of the Convention. Kenya supported efforts being undertaken and urged the following steps. First, support of the work by indigenous and local communities towards conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and recognition by the Convention of those efforts. Second, finalization of the biosafety protocol in recognition of the conservation of environment and human health.

ZVI GABAY (Israel) said that the Convention on Biological Diversity was the first global agreement to assert that conservation of biological diversity was a common concern of humankind and an integral part of sustainable development. Moreover, the provisions of the Convention had ramifications on the world market, in terms of international agreements on trade and biotechnologies, access to genetic resources and gene banks and rehabilitation of ecological systems. In compliance with the biological diversity and related conventions, Israel had integrated a number of measures into its sustainable development programmes, including dryland development. Israel’s initiative for collaboration in combating desertification in the drylands of the Middle East underscored its determination to advance peaceful and friendly relations with all its neighbours.

Since its birth, he said, Israel had been experimenting with dryland development, and had finally arrived at a sustainable way to develop it. His country was deeply committed to sharing its experience with other countries. The national Blaustein Institute for Desert Research had been upgraded into an international centre for combating desertification. That centre had launched a number of educational innovations and had established a computer-mediated information centre. Israel also promoted partnership in desertification-related research with developed countries. “Desertification knows no boundaries”, he said. “Politics cannot stop desertification, but cross-border partnerships can”.

DENIS CHOUINARD (Canada) said that among the current pressing environmental challenges, climate change stood out as one of the most difficult. The Kyoto Protocol was only one step. Everyone must now work together towards facilitating implementation of those commitments and the reduction of global emissions of greenhouse gases. Early agreement on the Kyoto Mechanisms was particularly important. Emissions trading, and projects to reduce emissions through the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation processes, could help to meet obligations cost-effectively. Basic guidelines were also necessary to ensure proper monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions reduction.

Canada believed it was essential to integrate trade and environment policy formulation, and to foster coordination between domestic trade and environment ministries to meet the challenges posed by the cross-cutting nature of those issues, he said. Mutually supportive trade and environmental policies were essential to ensuring that the next set of negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the ongoing work of the United Nations would contribute to sustainable development. Care must be taken to ensure that trade policies supported sustainable development, and did not restrict legitimate actions to protect the environment. At the same time, it must be made certain that environmental policies were developed and implemented in the least trade restrictive manner necessary to accomplish the policy objective. One area in which the WTO and UNEP should work together was on increasing understanding of the complex relationship between trade liberalization and environmental objectives. It would also be useful for the two organizations to work together on a framework to clarify the relationship between multilateral environmental agreements and the WTO.

GRANT ROBERTSON (New Zealand) said it was vital that all countries approach the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) armed with the political will to engage in substantive and meaningful dialogue on how best to achieve the goal of sustainable development for all -- through local, regional, national and global action. One of the key outcomes of the Seventh Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development was the proposal to develop a consultative process to facilitate improved consideration of ocean issues within the United Nations system. A resolution along those lines was being prepared for this year’s General Assembly.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) had entered a new phase with longer lead times before meetings of the parties, he said. A longer lead time should not lead to proliferation of the agenda, but should allow for stronger scientific input into the process and better prioritization of work. On the subject of climate change, he said that emissions trading should proceed on a liberal and open basis, without substantive restrictions such as quotas or ceilings that would distort the market and impair its efficiency. Developed countries must take the lead on those and other measures aimed at responding to climate change.

J0NE DRAUNIMASI (Fiji) said that many more steps must be taken before effective implementation of the Barbados POA was assured. The inherent development problems of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) were those that were fundamental to human survival, ranging from a lack of safe drinking water, education, health facilities, infrastructure, communication and modes of transportation to high cost energy and lack of food security. The challenges were not of SIDS’ own making. It would therefore be utopian to assume that SIDS could achieve sustainable development without the assistance of the United Nations system and the international community.

The avenue to achieving sustainable development was through trade, investment and business development, he said, which should act as the driving force needed to increase wealth and accumulate the necessary capital to implement sustainable development policies. The SIDS continued to encounter difficulties in regaining access and the differential treatment that once enabled them to be more self- reliant and resilient. Unless the international community, and in particular the developed countries, met its obligations, there would be a growing credibility gap between its promises and its actions.

ROSLYN KHAN-CUMMINGS (Trinidad and Tobago) said that the issues of poverty, illicit drug trafficking, crime and HIV/AIDS continued to warrant high priority in the allocation of domestic resources, all at the expense of other development programmes. Her Government was, however, committed to the mobilization of domestic resources to encourage the creation of a competitive environment. It had recognized that the private sector had an important role in partnership with the Government in achieving sustainable development in areas such as education, human resource development and development of infrastructure. No efforts on the national front, however, could attain success without being buttressed at the regional and international levels.

The Caribbean Sea had a unique biodiversity and was a highly fragile ecosystem, she said. It was due to the importance of the Sea for the economic well-being and sustenance of present and future generations, and as their cultural heritage, that the Caribbean Heads of Government had endorsed the proposal to recognize the Caribbean Sea as a special area in the context of sustainable development. She looked forward to the continued work of the Committee on Sustainable Development, particularly with the cooperation of developed partners, to arrive at a consensus that reflected the unique nature, fragility and importance of the Caribbean Sea.

JONGSOO YOON (Republic of Korea) said that biotechnology was indeed a double- edged sword. On the one hand, it offered new opportunities for development and the alleviation of poverty. On the other hand, it posed potentially lethal risks for the global environment and human health. The task at hand was to make an effort to maximize biotechnology’s promises while minimizing its hazards. Given the upward trend in the volume of trade in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), there was an urgent need to address growing concerns about their potential risks. In that context, it was regrettable to note that a consensus was not reached last February on adoption of the biosafety protocol. He hoped that the CoP, to be resumed in January, would make substantial progress on that crucial issue.

Desertification ultimately affected everyone, in developed and developing countries alike. Yet nowhere were the symptoms of that global scourge felt more acutely than in Africa, where already millions had been forced to abandon their villages just to ensure their very survival. It was encouraging to note that several developing countries had formulated their own national action programmes to reverse, or at least minimize, the impact of desertification. It was the duty, however, of industrialized countries to lend a hand in the struggle against that common enemy. The international community must make concrete gestures that matched the efforts of developing countries, particularly in Africa. In that connection, he attached great importance to the efficient operation of the Global Mechanism.

CHRISTIAAN C. BADENHORST (South Africa) said that the Convention to Combat Desertification was of major significance to South Africa and to the African continent as a whole. Africa contained the world’s largest expanse of drylands, covering roughly 65 per cent of the continent’s total land area. Almost 50 per cent of South Africa was arid or semi-arid and was threatened by desertification. Recurrent droughts were a permanent fact of life throughout the drylands of Africa and had seriously affected agriculture, causing poverty and malnutrition. It was essential that governments, particularly developed country partners, fulfilled their voluntary contributions to the Global Mechanism in order to facilitate effective implementation of the Convention. The Mechanism should increase its support for enabling activities under the Convention, such as the conclusion of partnership arrangements and the elaboration of national reports.

Poverty had been and remained a major cause and consequence of environmental degradation and resource depletion, he said. Thus, the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, as well as the equitable distribution of benefits derived from biological resources, still demanded attention. South Africa continued to support the conclusion of a balanced biosafety protocol that would adequately protect developing countries against harmful exports of GMOs, without unnecessarily restricting biotechnology developments and trade in those products. He called on all States participating in the negotiations to continue their efforts to bring that process to a satisfactory and final conclusion at the resumed CoP session in January 2000.

KAREN JORGENSEN, Officer-in-Charge, Sustainable Energy and Environment Division, Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP, said that, more than any other convention, the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) provided a framework for sustainable development. It promoted poverty eradication, food security, sustainable livelihoods and good governance. The UNDP’s Office to Combat Desertification and Drought and UNDP’s country offices provided support for the implementation of the Convention to affected developing countries that requested it. Through the United Nations Resident Coordinator function, UNDP would seek to enhance its support to resource-mobilization efforts.

Successful implementation of the CCD depended heavily on the role that non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations could play in building the capacity of local communities to ensure that projects reflected the needs and opportunities of local people. As the CCD had now entered into full implementation, funding needs for supporting efforts of the affected countries had increased. However, contributions to UNDP’s Trust Fund to Combat Desertification and Drought had not increased sufficiently to meet the need. She appealed for continued and increased support to the Trust Fund.

In the area of biodiversity, UNDP activities had focused on helping countries meet their obligations to prepare national biodiversity strategies and action plans, she said. The UNDP had also worked closely with the United Nations Foundation for International Partnerships in the formulation of its biodiversity programme strategy. That strategy would focus on World Heritage sites and coral reefs. As for climate change, UNDP had focused on national communications and initial regional activities for implementing Framework Convention on Climate Change commitments. Other activities included initiating capacity-building and development of options for the Clean Development Mechanism, and reconciling development and climate change mitigation objectives.

D. C. C. DON NANJIRA, representing the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said the climate agenda contained a number of items which were of priority importance to the WMO. First was the need to review and upgrade climate-observing systems and projects under the Convention on Climate Change. The WMO supported such reviews and participated actively in the work of the Inter-Agency Committee on Climate Change. Second was the need to enhance the work of the scientific community in climate research, particularly on the El Niño phenomenon. Third was the need to improve inter-agency cooperation on the development of appropriate options and response actions to climate change and variability, and of efforts to combat environmental problems. Also important was the need for intensified cooperation of the WMO with relevant United Nations system and other organizations, on further analyses of the El Niño/La Niña phenomena and related events, and on the development and implementation of collaborative projects in various economic sectors affected by climate, such as agriculture, freshwater resources, energy and human health.

The WMO would continue to contribute to the protection of the environment and promotion of the socio-economic development of its member states, he said. That would be achieved through such activities as sustained and collaborative implementation with the United Nations system and other partner organizations of the climate agenda, and other related activities, projects and agreements necessary for sustainable development. It would also be done through enhanced capacity- building through education and training for developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other needy areas in the field of meteorology. Further, the WMO would contribute through increased efforts to promote technical cooperation and resource mobilization for sustainable development, especially for the most vulnerable States.

JAMAL NASSIR SULTAN AL-BADER (Qatar) said that his country was convinced of the need to protect the environment in the broadest sense possible. Major issues and large areas of the world were at stake. The process required that states enter into and abide by stable agreements. What was done by states to reverse the impact of environmental degradation depended on the resources at their disposal. The international community must promote environmental protection and see to it that environmental destruction be halted. It must stop and think about the limited progress made thus far to protect the environment and combat desertification. He called on the international community to provide the financial resources necessary to enable developing countries to confront environmental problems. Qatar was convinced that through the United Nations, efforts must be made to redress ecological imbalances and provide the resources to combat poverty and hunger.

Qatar continued to support both public- and private-sector initiatives for environmental protection, he said. A national organization, the Friends of the Environment, was moving forward with an information drive aimed at making Qatar’s people, particularly its youth, more aware of the issue. In the context of the fight against drought and desertification, Qatar had just deposited its instrument of ratification to the Convention on Desertification. It was one of the countries hardest hit by drought and desertification, and looked forward to active participation in international meetings on the question. It hoped that the CoP would lead to recommendations for helping developing countries, particularly least developed countries (LDCs), to cope with desertification and drought.

MONIKA RUHL BURZI (Switzerland) said that the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from fossil-energy use, and deforestation had caused global climate changes. Those changes were a danger to ecosystems and human society. In order to meet that danger, 175 countries had ratified the Convention on Climate Change. Little progress had been achieved since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, however, and swift implementation of the Protocol was necessary. Switzerland was actively participating in CoP 5 in Bonn. The review of the implementation of the Convention was of special importance.

Turning to the CBD, she stressed the need to ensure that the international traffic in Modified Living Organisms (MLOs) be conducted in a safe manner. Switzerland wished for a quick settlement of the negotiations of the remaining differences for adoption of the protocol. It hoped that solutions would be reached that were acceptable both to developing countries and industrialized countries. Switzerland had actively participated in drawing up the Framework Convention, and intended to participate actively in the next CoP. Discussion of early warning systems was especially important. There was a need to determine clearly the group of primary beneficiaries, and the information they needed, as well as to clarify responsibilities.

VERA WEILL-HALLE, Director of the North American Liaison Offices of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said that IFAD’s role in implementing the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) extended beyond its own grant and loan portfolios. It also served as the institution selected by the CoP to house the Convention’s Global Mechanism, which became operational a year ago. The Mechanism was charged with bringing about a more efficient and effective use of existing resources and mobilizing additional resources for the fight against desertification. It had made strides in that effort through a variety of steps. First, the Mechanism was assisting in developing action programmes. It was developing projects and securing the funding that would move those plans off the drawing board and into action. The Mechanism had also been supporting the development and financing of enabling activities, which enhanced capacity in planning and implementing action programmes. Finally, it was pursuing strategic initiatives to mobilize additional resources for the Convention.

While progress so far in tackling desertification was heartening, she said, the international community could not become complacent. There were still key areas that remained to be addressed. The potential of biotechnology for hunger and poverty alleviation in drylands remained unexamined. Modalities for favourable access and transfer of technology had to be developed. Further, while IFAD and the Global Mechanism had made progress in exploring linkages between the CCD, the Convention on Climate Change and debt-relief initiatives, more remained to be done. Perhaps most important was the fulfillment of donor financial commitments. Only then would those in affected developing countries have the necessary resources to tackle desertification head-on.

CATHERINE WONG (Singapore) said that her country, as a small island State with no natural resources, was acutely aware of the fact that its environmental well- being was intertwined with the state of the world environment and the importance of international cooperation. The country was therefore committed to playing a proactive role in supporting both regional and global initiatives to protect the environment. Problems related to drought and water scarcity, experienced by countries affected by desertification, were of concern to Singapore as well. The Singapore Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Development (STAPSD) had been devised to help developing countries through training in areas related to sustainable development, such as urban environmental management, solid waste management and water supply engineering.

She said that a desire to share its own development experiences, in the spirit of South-South cooperation, had led to the establishment of the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) in 1992, to provide technical assistance to developing countries in the form of human-resource training. A specially customized technical cooperation package for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) countries, the SIDS Technical Cooperation Programme (SIDSTEC), would offer 300 training places for SIDS countries over the next five years.

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