UNCCD COP8 Held in Spain

The eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP8) was held in Madrid, Spain, from September 3 to 14, 2007. Representatives of over 100 nations, international environmental organizations and other organizations such as environmental NGOs participated. From Japan, officials of Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated, led by H.E. Ambassador Yoshikawa to Spain. This session of the COP discussed and adopted several decisions, such as "the 10-year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention," but one decision of "programmes and budget for 2008-2009" could not be reached to be adopted. The extradordinary meeting, therefore, will be held to discuss and adopt it by the end of this year. At the beginning of the COP8, it was informed that the Bureau endorsed the UN Secretary-General's proposal of Luc Gnacadja (Benin) being the new Executive Secretary from October 1, 2007, following the resignation of Hama Arba Diallo due to his election as a member of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso on June 19, 2007.

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