Conference of the Parties of United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification (COP 9)
The Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP 9) has been in session from
September 21 to October 2, 2009 at Buenos Aires Hilton
Hotel.
By Argentine Government and United Nations request, Indexport Messe Frankfurt has been in charge of the
organization and assembly of this ninth session period. Previously, the organizer had been summoned for carrying out other two events: in 2004, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 10) and in 2007, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CRIC 5).
COP 9 logistics has been carried out under the strict guidelines of United Nations and the Argentine Environment and Sustainable Growth Department. For the organization of said convention, a total of ARS 13,621,399 has been invested.
Indexport Messe Frankfurt, taking advantage of its experience, summoned the most competent suppliers and professionals to guarantee the success in the starting and development of the
convention.
During the assembly, 500 people worked to equip the Hilton Hotel with the highest safety and quality standards for the development of conference typical activities.
90 people were specifically assigned for technological equipment installation that implied using 1.5 km. of optical fiber and 20 km. of UTP Cat5. Besides, 400 telephone lines with exclusive access to own telephone exchange independent of the hotel one were installed; two Internet accesses (A 20 Mbit safety access and a 15 Mbit safety access); conference own WIFI access in all conference affected building areas and in the simultaneous stands tents; a computer network with 350 connecting points and Video Streaming for UNCCD own webcast.al equipment installaningefety and wthe organization and assembly of this ninth
Furthermore, in 5,000 square meters, 120 offices were assembled, with video signal distribution in the
15 session rooms, both in real time and in floor language and English. The rooms were equipped with digital microphones; two of them had simultaneous interpretation booths into 6 languages and other two simultaneous interpretation booths into 3 languages.
With the aim of offering maximum safety, a network of 20 IP cameras with online monitoring and real time recording; 7 X-ray inspection systems, 14 portico metal detector systems and 14 handheld metal detector systems have been installed.
During the twelve days of the ninth sessions, 300 people worked on them and
128 media were registered with the aim of acquainting themselves with the actions to be taken in order to measure and avoid desertification and soil deterioration. More than
2,000 participants from 193 countries took part in the convention, among them there were government employees, scientifics and representatives of non-government organizations. Besides, in the simultaneous exhibition there were
28 exhibitors.
COP 9 gave the opportunity to study in depth urgent points of the United Nations agenda such as the reciprocal relationship between climate change and desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD), DLDD world trends and the relationship between DLDD and migration, food safety and poverty. It has been also a space to think about the proposed actions to control and assess DLDD changes and ended with the debate on indicators to be used for assessing the convention impact on the land.
Several organisms of United Nations and international and national organizations began to estimate greenhouse effect gas emissions (GEI) generated from their meetings and office running and take measures to control and compensate them.
In this regard, the UNCCD Secretariat and the Argentine Environment and Sustainable Development Department took measures to make COP 9 ninth sessions neutral from the climate viewpoint by compensating greenhouse effect gas emissions and by basing their actions in voluntary carbon compensations.
The two parties agreed on compensating emissions caused by the participation of United Nations staff and country delegates by the implementation of two initiatives: the reforestation in Santiago del Estero with plating trees in degrading lands; it is estimated that this action will reduce greenhouse effect gases in 1,500 tons of CO2 in a 20-year period and the installation of 60 solar cookers in La Puna family homes for a 2-year period. This last action will avoid the indiscriminate tree burn and will reduce greenhouse effect gases in approximately 1,600 tons of CO2 in a 7-year period.
Conference of the Parties of United Nations Convention to