The Conference of the Parties, by its decision 9/CP.15, encouraged the secretariat and the sponsoring agencies of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) to implement the framework for the preparation of guidance materials, standards and reporting guidelines for terrestrial observing systems for climate, as a joint terrestrial framework mechanism between relevant agencies of the United Nations and the International Organization for Standardization. At its thirtieth session, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) invited the GTOS secretariat and the GTOS sponsoring agencies to elaborate a work plan for developing observational standards and protocols for the 13 terrestrial essential climate variables assessed. It further invited the GTOS secretariat to report on the results of the implementation of the above-mentioned framework and its elaboration of the work plan at SBSTA 33 (FCCC/SBSTA/2009/3, para. 61). In response to this invitation, the secretariat of the GTOS has submitted a report on these matters. A condensed version of this report is reproduced in this document. The full report is available at and . In accordance with the procedure for miscellaneous documents, this submission is attached and reproduced in the language in which it was received and without formal editing