Facilitation Committee meets in New York

The 16^th session of the GM’s Facilitation Committee (FC), held in New York on 31 October 2006 and chaired by Mr. Warren Evans, Director, Environment Department of the World Bank, provided an opportunity for the GM and the UNCCD Secretariat to provide updates on recent developments.

 

The GM announced the launch of its new website and new visual identity, stressing the importance of outreach and communication in the GM’s work.

 

The GM presented its recent work on further developing and operationalizing its “Consolidated Strategy and Enhanced Approach”, adopted by the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP.7) in October 2005, as a direct response to the challenge of tapping the potential of the changing architecture in development finance.

 

The Committee discussed the GM’s approach to supporting countries in the mobilization of financial resources through national financing strategies, as a contribution to the implementation of National Action Programmes or other relevant development processes.

 

The ensuing discussion on the regional initiative, TerrAfrica, also brought home the paramount importance of the need for the GM’s approach to be fully in line with that of major partners such as the World Bank, IFAD and UNDP.

 

It was decided that the FC would present a joint submission of each of its members’ activities relating to the implementation of the UNCCD, to the next COP in October 2007.

 The meeting decided that the FC chairmanship, which rotates between IFAD, the World Bank and UNDP, should be extended from one to two year terms. The World Bank will therefore continue to chair sessions in 2007.

 

The next FC session will be held at the margins of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC), in March 2007.

 

The full report on FC16 will be posted here soon.