6 September 2003: The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Mitigate the Effects of Drought in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (UNCCD) took place at the Palacio de Convenciones in Havana, Cuba.

The meeting commenced on 25 August and concluded on 6 September 2003. The COP was attended by 12 Heads of State and Government, approximately 170 Parties, five observer States, 33 UN agencies and intergovernmental organizations, as well as 147 non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Parties convened in informal consultations and plenary sessions of the Committee of the Whole (COW), Committee on Science and Technology (CST), and the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC). The COP also included two open dialogue sessions with NGOs and governments, and a High Level Special Segment that adopted the “Havana Declaration of Heads of State.”

Progress was made on a number of issues including: the designation of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) as a financial mechanism of the UNCCD; activities for the promotion and strengthening of relationships with other relevant conventions and international organizations, institutions and agencies; enhancing the effectiveness of the CST; and follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The COP adopted 31 decisions, of which eight were developed in the CST and six in the CRIC. For more information, see Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s coverage of the meeting: http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/desert/cop6/.