United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 5

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

 

Article 21

Financial mechanisms

1. The Conference of the Parties shall promote the availability of
financial mechanisms and shall encourage such mechanisms to seek to maximize
the availability of funding for affected developing country Parties,
particularly those in Africa, to implement the Convention. To this end, the
Conference of the Parties shall consider for adoption inter alia approaches
and policies that:

(a) facilitate the provision of necessary funding at the national,
subregional, regional and global levels for activities pursuant to relevant
provisions of the Convention;

(b) promote multiple-source funding approaches, mechanisms and
arrangements and their assessment, consistent with article 20;

(c) provide on a regular basis, to interested Parties and relevant
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, information on available
sources of funds and on funding patterns in order to facilitate coordination
among them;

(d) facilitate the establishment, as appropriate, of mechanisms, such
as national desertification funds, including those involving the participation
of non-governmental organizations, to channel financial resources rapidly and
efficiently to the local level in affected developing country Parties; and

(e) strengthen existing funds and financial mechanisms at the
subregional and regional levels, particularly in Africa, to support more
effectively the implementation of the Convention.

2. The Conference of the Parties shall also encourage the provision,
through various mechanisms within the United Nations System and through
multilateral financial institutions, of support at the national, subregional
and regional levels to activities that enable developing country Parties to
meet their obligations under the Convention.

3. Affected developing country Parties shall utilize, and where
necessary, establish and/or strengthen, national coordinating mechanisms,
integrated in national development programmes, that would ensure the efficient
use of all available financial resources. They shall also utilize
participatory processes involving non-governmental organizations, local groups
and the private sector, in raising funds, in elaborating as well as
implementing programmes and in assuring access to funding by groups at the
local level. These actions can be enhanced by improved coordination and
flexible programming on the part of those providing assistance.

4. In order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of existing
financial mechanisms, a Global Mechanism to promote actions leading to the
mobilization and channelling of substantial financial resources, including for
the transfer of technology, on a grant basis, and/or on concessional or other
terms, to affected developing country Parties, is hereby established. This
Global Mechanism shall function under the authority and guidance of the
Conference of the Parties and be accountable to it.

5. The Conference of the Parties shall identify, at its first
ordinary session, an organization to house the Global Mechanism. The
Conference of the Parties and the organization it has identified shall agree
upon modalities for this Global Mechanism to ensure inter alia that such
Mechanism:

(a) identifies and draws up an inventory of relevant bilateral and
multilateral cooperation programmes that are available to implement the
Convention;

(b) provides advice, on request, to Parties on innovative methods of
financing and sources of financial assistance and on improving the
coordination of cooperation activities at the national level;

(c) provides interested Parties and relevant intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations with information on available sources of funds
and on funding patterns in order to facilitate coordination among them; and

(d) reports to the Conference of the Parties, beginning at its second
ordinary session, on its activities.

6. The Conference of the Parties shall, at its first session, make
appropriate arrangements with the organization it has identified to house the
Global Mechanism for the administrative operations of such Mechanism, drawing
to the extent possible on existing budgetary and human resources.

7. The Conference of the Parties shall, at its third ordinary
session, review the policies, operational modalities and activities of the
Global Mechanism accountable to it pursuant to paragraph 4, taking into
account the provisions of article 7. On the basis of this review, it shall
consider and take appropriate action.

PART IV

INSTITUTIONS

Article 22

Conference of the Parties

1. A Conference of the Parties is hereby established.

2. The Conference of the Parties is the supreme body of the
Convention. It shall make, within its mandate, the decisions necessary to
promote its effective implementation. In particular, it shall:

(a) regularly review the implementation of the Convention and the
functioning of its institutional arrangements in the light of the experience
gained at the national, subregional, regional and international levels and on
the basis of the evolution of scientific and technological knowledge;

(b) promote and facilitate the exchange of information on measures
adopted by the Parties, and determine the form and timetable for transmitting
the information to be submitted pursuant to article 26, review the reports and
make recommendations on them;

(c) establish such subsidiary bodies as are deemed necessary for the
implementation of the Convention;

(d) review reports submitted by its subsidiary bodies and provide
guidance to them;

(e) agree upon and adopt, by consensus, rules of procedure and
financial rules for itself and any subsidiary bodies;

(f) adopt amendments to the Convention pursuant to articles 30 and 31;

(g) approve a programme and budget for its activities, including those
of its subsidiary bodies, and undertake necessary arrangements for their
financing;

(h) as appropriate, seek the cooperation of, and utilize the services
of and information provided by, competent bodies or agencies, whether national
or international, intergovernmental or non-governmental;

(i) promote and strengthen the relationship with other relevant
conventions while avoiding duplication of effort; and

(j) exercise such other functions as may be necessary for the
achievement of the objective of the Convention.

3. The Conference of the Parties shall, at its first session, adopt
its own rules of procedure, by consensus, which shall include decision-making
procedures for matters not already covered by decision-making procedures
stipulated in the Convention. Such procedures may include specified
majorities required for the adoption of particular decisions.

4. The first session of the Conference of the Parties shall be
convened by the interim secretariat referred to in article 35 and shall take
place not later than one year after the date of entry into force of the
Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the Conference of the Parties, the
second, third and fourth ordinary sessions shall be held yearly, and
thereafter, ordinary sessions shall be held every two years.

5. Extraordinary sessions of the Conference of the Parties shall be
held at such other times as may be decided either by the Conference of the
Parties in ordinary session or at the written request of any Party, provided
that, within three months of the request being communicated to the Parties by
the Permanent Secretariat, it is supported by at least one third of the
Parties.

6. At each ordinary session, the Conference of the Parties shall
elect a Bureau. The structure and functions of the Bureau shall be determined
in the rules of procedure. In appointing the Bureau, due regard shall be paid
to the need to ensure equitable geographical distribution and adequate
representation of affected country Parties, particularly those in Africa.

7. The United Nations, its specialized agencies and any State member
thereof or observers thereto not Party to the Convention, may be represented
at sessions of the Conference of the Parties as observers. Any body or
agency, whether national or international, governmental or non-governmental,
which is qualified in matters covered by the Convention, and which has
informed the Permanent Secretariat of its wish to be represented at a session
of the Conference of the Parties as an observer, may be so admitted unless at
least one
third of the Parties present object. The admission and participation of
observers shall be subject to the rules of procedure adopted by the Conference
of the Parties.

8. The Conference of the Parties may request competent national and
International Organizations which have relevant expertise to provide it
with information relevant to article 16, paragraph (g), article 17, paragraph
1 (c) and article 18, paragraph 2(b).

 

Conclusion

Notes

See Also

References and Further Reading

About the Author/s and Reviewer/s

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