3 – 14 November 2008
Istanbul, Turkey
Turkish Local Organizing Committee Website for CRIC7/CST-S1
Video on Demand for the sessions

The seventh session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 7) was held in Istanbul, Turkey back-to-back with the first special Session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST-S1), from 3 to 14 November 2008.

The CRIC 7 and CST-S1 sessions laid the groundwork to implement the UNCCD 10-year Strategy, which was adopted by the Parties at COP8 in Madrid in September 2007 and which is to make the UNCCD a systemic and worldwide response to global environment issues affecting land and its ecosystems. The long hours that delegates put in is expected to pay off with adequate guidance from Parties on the occasion of the ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) next year.

This page provides a brief review of the proceedings and outcomes from Istanbul.

At the first special session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST-S1), committee members took significant actions to resolve the scientific problems within the Convention process. To address this, CST-S1 took the steps necessary to select a minimum number of indicators to measure the impact of the implementation of the Convention. The indicators are to create a common standard that will make analysis at the national, sub-regional, regional, and global levels feasible. This process should also increase the effectiveness of the implementation of the Convention.

Delegates confirmed that the participation of the national science and technology correspondents (STC) in the activities of the Committee would enhance its work. The Committee, in consultation with STCs, is now moving forward to select a minimum set of indicators to measure the impact of the implementation of the Convention. The set of indicators will be finalized during scientific consultative meetings to be held next year and submitted to COP9 for consideration.

The ninth session of the CST (CST9) will be held next year back-to-back with a Scientific Policy Dialogue and will be organized in a predominantly scientific and technical conference-style format to ensure peer scientific review.

At the seventh session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 7), which immediately followed the CST-S1, the delegates agreed on reporting principles that will measure progress in the implementation of the Convention. Through the analysis of performance and impact indicators, affected countries and development partners would understand “what works, what doesn’t” in implementing the Convention. Assessment of national capacity to implement the new reporting system will be conducted in all regions in order to design a comprehensive capacity-building approach.

The new reporting format will provide opportunities for affected country Parties to address their success and constraints in implementing the Convention in its 10-year strategic plan. For developed country Parties, future reporting should focus on providing information about how the Convention has been mainstreamed into their development cooperation strategies.

Another significant step was the concrete proposal to strengthen the involvement of integration civil society organizations in the review process.

Important deliberations were also taken with regard to the review and monitoring system, the subsidiary bodies and institutions assisting the process, as well as the format of future meetings of the Committee. The main institutional and procedural reforms required by the 10-year Strategy have been outlined in Istanbul, and they are expected to be completed and put into action at COP 9 in late 2009.

CRIC 7 and CST-S1 were the first all-Parties sessions since COP 8 in Madrid. The Strategy was the response to a change in the Convention’s environment. In response to the change, UNCCD institutions have been restructured for their institutional coherence; the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) has been strengthened; the review process of the implementation of the Convention with new and standardized reporting guidelines has been improved.