8. Mr. von Droste stated that three States Parties had ratified the Convention during 1989 and expressed the wish that further efforts be made to encourage the adherence of new States Parties. The Committee noted the work that the Secretariat had undertaken to coordinate efforts to conserve the world's natural heritage with those of other international funds and conventions, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-International) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Committee noted the development of the proposed draft convention on biological diversity, evolving within the scope of Unesco's activities as a member of the Ecosystem Conservation Group (UNEP, FAO, Unesco and IUCN), in order to report back to the Committee's future sessions on the implications for the World Heritage Convention. The Committee also noted the promotional activities briefly described by Mr. von Droste. The Committee noted the different types of international assistance projects approved and implemented during 1989, and took special note of the fact that the demand for assistance for training was growing at a faster rate than other types of international assistance provided from the World Heritage Fund. Several delegates congratulated the Secretariat on the work undertaken. The representative from Canada emphasized that other programmes of Unesco needed to have a better understanding of the work of the Convention and the decision­making role of the World Heritage Committee. IUCN informed the Committee of activities which it had undertaken to promote the Convention. For example, at the Fourth South Pacific Nature Conservation and Protected Areas Conference, held in Vanuatu in September 1989, IUCN had presented a report on the Convention and that as a result, several of the South Pacific countries such as Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea had shown their interest in joining the Convention.