The eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 8) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) opened at the Palacio de Congresos in Madrid, Spain, on Monday, 3 September 2007. Following a welcoming ceremony under the aegis of the Crown Prince and Princess of Spain, the first plenary meeting of the two-week session heard opening statements from representatives of regional groups, UN agencies and organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

COP 7 President Mwiraria declared open COP 8. Delegates elected Minister David Narbona as COP 8 President by acclamation. President Narbona then invited delegates to elect nine vice-presidents and a chair of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST). Delegates elected William Dar (The Philippines) as CST Chair. The COP elected Sem Shikongo (Namibia), Siddarth Behura (India), Khaled al-Sharaa (Syria), Jiri Hlavacek (Czech Republic), Yurie Kolmaz (Ukraine), and Mary Rowen (US).

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your show of trust and faith in me by electing me as Chair of the UNCCD Committee on Science and Technology. The Philippine government acknowledges greatly this honor.
We all know that we are at a critical juncture for the future of the UNCCD, including for the CST. A major review has taken place. Many bodies provided very thoughtful and analytical inputs to the review. As a result, a new strategic plan drafted by IIWG is on the table for review at this Conference of Parties.
I will not dwell on the formalities of the process here. Instead, I would like to highlight a few key issues that I think most of us are aware of. They deserve our full attention and energy if we are to transform CST into a more effective, results-driven body.
Above all, we need a more science-driven, rather than process-driven CST. But the science must be demand-driven, based on open and transparent consultations with as wide a range of stakeholders as possible. And I call this Science with a human face. This is in keeping with the participatory, people-centered vision of the UNCCD.
We need to translate the counsel that our stakeholders give us into clear workplans. We need to produce concrete, valuable results such as top-quality reports and analyses on major desertification issues, and assistance to other UNCCD bodies on scientific matters.
We also need to take a look at our CST and ask whether we have the quality, capacities, structure and support needed to achieve our task. We can learn from the scientific advisory models of our sister Conventions, while not forgetting the uniquely pro-poor and pro-development aspects of our own CCD. We can debate about the particular types of reform, but we must not shy away from reform itself.
Let us take this fresh opportunity to breathe new intellectual life into our CST by opening our doors to the best brains we can find anywhere in the world, and to those at the grass roots and on the front lines of sustainable dryland development. Let us hear more dialogue, and fewer speeches; more products, not just processes.
Let us begin with a vision of a CST that is globally recognized and respected for its quality of scientific advice. Then, we must develop a road map to reach that vision.
I look forward to working together with you on that vision and road map. As we move along that road, our journey will be made easier by the knowledge that we are helping hundreds of millions of dryland poor by enhancing the role of science in the UNCCD.”

<Read More>