The first meeting of the Convention to Combat Desertification’s (CCD) Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC-1) convened from 11-22 November 2002 at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy.

The CRIC was established by the fifth Conference of the Parties (COP) in October 2001 to review and assess the implementation of the Convention. During the first week, delegates heard case study presentations from the five CCD regions, addressing seven thematic issues:
* participatory processes involving civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs);
* legislative and institutional frameworks or arrangements;
* linkages and synergies with other environmental conventions and, as appropriate, with national development strategies;
* measures for the rehabilitation of degraded land, drought and desertification monitoring and assessment;
* early warning systems for mitigating the effects of drought;
* access by affected country Parties, particularly affected developing country Parties, to appropriate technology, knowledge and know-how;
* and resource mobilization and coordination, both domestic and international, including conclusions of partnership agreements.
During the second week, CRIC-1 delegates engaged in an interactive dialogue on lessons learned and made recommendations for the Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean Regions, and the Northern Mediterranean and Central and Eastern European Regions and Other Affected Parties. A drafting group also negotiated “conclusions and concrete recommendations on further steps in the implementation of the CCD,” which will be forwarded to the sixth session of the COP, to be held from 1-12 September 2003 in Havana, Cuba. The Earth Negotiation Bulletin’s summary and analysis, and digital coverage of CRIC-1 can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/desert/cric1/