15 April 1998

ENGLISH ONLY

UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE

Eighth session

Bonn, 2-12 June 1998

Item 7 of the provisional agenda

1. At its seventh session, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), urged Parties to provide comments on (an) international technology information centre(s), including possible functions of such (a) centre(s) as well as institutional and financial arrangements, by 30 March 1998, to be compiled into a miscellaneous document (FCCC/SBSTA/1997/14, para. 24 (e)).

2. The secretariat has received two such submissions.⁽¹⁾ In accordance with the procedure for miscellaneous documents, these submissions are attached and reproduced in the language in which they were received and without formal editing.

FCCC/SBSTA/1998/MISC.4

GE.98-

Paper No. Page

1. Republic of Uzbekistan 3

(Submission received 27 March 1998)

COMMENTARY OF REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN ON

INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, INCLUDING ITS POSSIBLE

FUNCTIONS, AND ALSO INSTITUTIONAL AND

FINANCIAL MECHANISMS

2. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4

(on behalf of the European Community and its

member States)

(Submission received 30 March 1998)

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTRES: EU VIEWS

CENTRE, INCLUDING ITS POSSIBLE FUNCTIONS, AND ALSO

The ordinary step in the direction of climate stabilisation was made since adoption of Kyoto Protocol. From an assessment of the vulnerability of economy and environment in each country and development of the strategies of reacting on the climate change, the Convention Parties are passing to real actions, directed to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. As priority tasks in the realisation of the basic aim of Convention, is the question of transfer of technologies and as its consequence the foundation of centres of the technological information on climate change.

Uzbekistan considers, that the foundation of unified international centre of the technological information on climate change largely would promote to solution of the problem of development of national measures of a mitigation and adaptation in the developing countries and search of the partners on activity implemented jointly. Taking into account the perspectivity of international trade of emissions and probability to organize this trade through the system of transfer of technologies, one of tasks of international information centre could be foundation of database on trade of emissions (potential sellers, buyers).

The international centre of the technological information on climate change can be established on the basis of information exchange System on technologies connected with greenhouse gas emissions (GREENTIE), Sittard, Netherlands.

It is necessary to enter into function of international centre by the technological information on climate change the foundation of database on modern technologies directed on mitigation and adaptation on climate change on various sectors recommended by IPCC and also rendering of consulting services in a choice of technologies, possible partners on activities implemented jointly, and also international trade by emission.

The EU would like once again to thank the Secretariat for document FCCC/SBSTA/1997/10 and refers the Secretariat to the statement made by Luxembourg, on behalf of the European Community and its Member States, at the 7^th session of SBSTA.

With regard to national or regional technology transfer centres, the report proposes a variety of possible options. It would take a long time for any new international Centre to become effective. Therefore, the EU believes that, in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness, it would be better to adapt the role and/or improve the effectiveness of existing centres than to create new ones. Several such centres exist. As a first step, it would be useful to explore gaps in the coverage of existing centres, particularly in relation to the Technology Needs Survey. The Secretariat might also ask existing centres or initiatives to study developing country national communications and otherwise make contact with relevant government departments and/or power utilities. These centres or groups should then consider how they might best adapt their activities to assist policy makers in relevant sectors abate their country's emissions and report back to CoP5.

Other areas which it would be interesting to explore are the better use of existing signposting activities, such as databases and workshops. There is much existing information on new and existing technologies, practices and processes which would lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but this is not sufficiently exploited. Such information exists both at the international level (e.g. CADDETT for energy efficiency technologies and demonstrators, CC:INFO and GREENTIE for climate change technologies), and at the national level. Many Annex II Parties have national, bilateral or multilateral activities aimed at promoting environmentally sound technologies, practices and processes nationally and internationally. The difficult issue is how to ensure access to such information. For example, it would be interesting to explore greater use of the GREENTIE database, both by evaluating how much use is made of it by developing country members (to explore how to increase and improve such use) and by opening up GREENTIE to other developing countries.

The EU believes that we also need more detailed information on costings.

1. In order to make these submissions available on electronic systems, including the World Wide Web, these contributions have been electronically scanned and/or retyped. The secretariat has made every effort to ensure the correct reproduction of the texts as submitted.