Organizing the management of global risks on a planetary scale also means reviving the major negotiating rounds now at a standstill. Our next meeting is in Buenos Aires. The international community must reach an understanding over terms for implementing the Kyoto Protocol. The industrialized countries have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. They must do so, above all, by making the necessary effort on a national level.
Flexibility mechanisms can be no more than an adjunct.
They must be verifiable and measurable, fair, and subject to control. The Second Conference of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is due to take place in Dakar in a few weeks' time. This is an important event and should serve as an occasion for further gains. In dealing with deforestation, we quickly need a global agreement that obliges States to safeguard their forest areas. Backed by a mechanism to help the poorest among them honor their commitments, this treaty should also lay down codes of conduct for lumber firms.