The Conference of the Parties (COP), by decision 6/CP.18, paragraph 16, invited Parties to submit to the secretariat annually, and no later than 10 weeks prior to a session of the COP, their views and recommendations, in writing, on the elements to be taken into account in developing guidance to the operating entities of the financial mechanism of the Convention. The COP requested the secretariat to compile the submissions received into a miscellaneous document for consideration by Parties in developing guidance to the operating entities of the financial mechanism of the Convention. The secretariat has received five such submissions from Parties as at 16 September 2013. 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