| Late '60s and early '70s | Drought in sub-Saharan Africa - Over 200,000 people and millions of animals die |
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| September 1973 | Inter-State Permanent Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) established by 9 Sahelian countries |
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| August - September 1977 | United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD) held in Nairobi, Kenya - Desertification addressed as a worldwide problem for the first time and a Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (PACD) adopted |
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| June 1992 | United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - The Earth Summit and Agenda 21 call on the UN General Assembly to set up an inter-governmental committee to prepare for a legally binding instrument that addresses the problem of desertification |
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| June 17, 1994 | United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) adopted in Paris, France - June 17 becomes the world day to combat desertification |
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| December 1996 | The UNCCD enters into force, 90 days after the 50th ratification is received |
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| October 1997 | COP 1 in Rome, Italy - Rules governing the COP and its subsidiary bodies established, the functions of the Global Mechanism set forth and the permanent secretariat designated |
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| December 1998 | COP 2 in Senegal, Dakar - Consultations on the medium-term strategies of the secretariat. Declaration of the first round table of Members of Parliaments on desertification |
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| January 1999 | Permanent secretariat of the UNCCD established in Bonn, Germany |
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| November 1999 | COP 3 in Recife, Brazil - First review of policies, operational modalities and activities of the Global Mechanism. Consultations on the "Recife Initiative" to enhance the implementation of the obligations of the UNCCD. |
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| December 2000 | COP 4 in Bonn, Germany - Implementation annex for Central and Eastern Europe (Annex V) and the "Recife Initiative" adopted. An ad-hoc working group (AHWG) starts an in-depth review of reports on the implementation of the Convention |
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| March - April 2001 | Intersessional meeting of the AHWG in Bonn, Germany -A comprehensive report, including conclusions and recommendations on further steps in the implementation of the Convention, is adopted and submitted to COP 5 |
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| October 2001 | COP 5 in Geneva, Switzerland - A Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) established as subsidiary body of the COP. Reform of the CST, the scientific subsidiary body of the COP, is adopted and a Group of Experts is established |
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| August - September 2002 | World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg, South Africa - Governments call on the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to become a financial mechanism of the UNCCD |
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| October 2002 | Second Assembly of the GEF in Beijing, China, adopts a decision to designate land degradation as its fifth focal area and to establish the GEF as a financial mechanism of the UNCCD |
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| November 2002 | First meeting of the Group of Experts in Hamburg, Germany |
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| November 2002 | CRIC 1 in Rome, Italy - Innovative solutions to combat desertification are identified and shared. A report is adopted and will be submitted to COP 6 |
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| August - September 2003 | COP 6 in Havana, Cuba - The Global Environment Facility (GEF) designated as a financial mechanism of the Convention; CRIC 2 recommendations on ways to improve the implementation of the Convention endorsed |
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| May 2005 | CRIC 3 in Bonn, Germany. New ways mapped to mainstream desertification |
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| 2006 | International Year of Deserts and Desertification |
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| February and September 2007 | CRIC5 is held in Buenos Aires, Argentina and COP8 is held in Madrid, Spain. Country Parties adopt the ten-year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention (2008–2018)
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| November 2008 | CRIC7 is held in Istanbul, Turkey
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