Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my pleasure and honour to make this contribution on behalf of the Group of 77 and China in the briefing by the Chair of Inter-sessional Intergovernmental Working Group (IIWG) about their work so far.

I would like to take this opportunity to convey our thanks to the IIWG for their work on a draft ‘Ten-year Strategic Plan and Framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention’.

We see that the draft ‘Ten-year Strategic Plan and Framework’ contained in document ICCD/CRIC-5)/INF.6 is a working draft, prepared by a team of consultants. We would have welcomed the presentation of views of IIWG members on this working draft of consultants.

It would be pertinent, at this point, to recall General Assembly resolution A/Res/61/202, particularly its OP-6, in which we had “Welcomed the establishment of the ad hoc intergovernmental inter-sessional working group with the mandate to review the report of the Joint Inspection Unit in full and, building on the results of that review and other inputs, to develop a draft ten-year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention, for submission to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention at its eighth session”.

In this regard, it would also be appropriate to recall COP-7 decision 3, which was adopted in response to the presentation of JIU report at COP-7 pursuant to decision 23/COP-6.

We would like to emphasize and invite the attention of IIWG to its mandate as per above-referred resolution and decision.

The formulation of draft Strategic Plan without undertaking a full review of JIU report and informing the Parties about its results, does not appear to be the logical sequence of work mandated to the IIWG. Therefore, we expect that IIWG will be informing us about this aspect of their work also.

With regard to draft ‘Ten-year Strategic Plan and Framework’, we would like to stress that Strategic Plan should address the key issues highlighted by JIU report in its recommendations. We have noted with concern that current Strategic Plan makes no reference to the JIU report and its recommendations, particularly with regard to adequate financing for the activities of UNCCD, strengthening the Secretariat to perform its mandate, the role and mandate of Global Mechanism to mobilize resources. It is, therefore, imperative to ensure that Strategic Plan reflects the key recommendations of JIU report and address the problems identified therein.

We expect that fundamental principles and objectives of UNCCD will be the basis of Strategic Plan, and G-77 will discourage any effort to undermine the principles or to renegotiate the Convention.

The draft Strategic Plan is unclear in many aspects and some sections need to be developed. It lacks action-oriented policy options as well as method and means of implementation.

With regard to the process of work of IIW, we hope that consultation process among all members of IIWG will be conducted in a transparent, participatory and inclusive manner.

The Group of 77 and China would request the Secretariat to circulate our views and comments in original, among all the members of the Working Group, which we had already submitted in spring last year but perhaps all members could not receive it. We shall be submitting our additional inputs to the Chairman of IIWG in due course of time.

We hope that our views will be duly reflected in the work of IIWG, and will enable us to actively participate in the discussions during COP-8.

I thank you.