United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - Secretariat

To the uninitiated, intergovernmental negotiations can be frustrating and hard to follow. This glossary of acronyms and jargon may help.

The Players

Ad hoc Group on Article 13 (AG13) - A subsidiary body (committee) created by COP-1 to explore how to help governments overcome difficulties they may experience in meeting their commitments.

Ad hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate (AGBM) - A subsidiary body created by COP-1 to conduct talks on a "protocol or another legal instrument" containing additional commitments for developed countries; the AGBM completes its work on 31 October 1997.

Annex I Parties - The industrialized countries listed in this annex to the Convention must adopt measures aimed at returning their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000 as per Article 4.2(a) and (b). They include the 24 original OECD members, 11 former members of the Soviet bloc, and the European Union.

Annex II Parties - The rich countries listed in this annex to the Convention have a special obligation to help developing countries with financial and technological resources. They include the 24 original OECD members plus the European Union.

AOSIS - The Alliance of Small Island States is an ad hoc coalition of low-lying and island countries. These countries are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise and share common positions on climate change, including the proposed "AOSIS protocol". Members include American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Grenada, Guam, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Nauru, Netherlands Antilles, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, US Virgin Islands, and Vanuatu.

Bureau - Responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the Convention process. Its 10 members are drawn from national delegations and represent all four regional groups; they are the COP President, six Vice Presidents, the Chairs of SBI and SBSTA, and a rapporteur. In addition, each subsidiary body also has its own bureau.

Chair (or chairman etc.) - Elected by the Parties to chair the Committee of the Whole or one of the subsidiary bodies. Responsible for facilitating progress towards an agreement.

Committee of the Whole - Often created by a COP to facilitate the process of negotiating text. When the Committee finishes its work it turns the text over to the COP which finalizes and then formally adopts it during a plenary session.

Conference of the Parties (COP) - The COP is the supreme body of the Convention. It currently meets once a year to review the Convention's progress. The word "conference" is not used here in the sense of "meeting" but rather of a decision-making body, which explains the seemingly redundant expression "first session of the Conference of the Parties".

European Union (EU) - As a regional economic integration organization, the European Union can be and is a Party to the Convention; however, it does not have a separate vote from its members. Because it signed the Convention when it was known as the EEC, it retains this name for all formal Convention-related purposes.

economies in transition (EIT) - Those Central and East European countries and former members of the Soviet Union that are in transition to a market economy.

friends of the chair - Experienced delegates chosen by the chair (taking into account the need for a political balance among various interests) for carrying out specific tasks.

Group of 77 and China - The G-77 was founded in 1967 under the auspices of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It seeks to harmonize the negotiating positions of its 132 developing-country members.

Global Environment Facility (GEF) - The multi-billion-dollar GEF was established by the World Bank, the UN Development Programme, and the UN Environment Programme in 1990. It operates the Convention's "financial mechanism" on an interim basis and funds developing country projects that have global climate change benefits.

Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) - The INC met during five sessions between February 1991 and May 1992 to draft the Convention; in met six more times to prepare for COP-1 before completing its work in February 1995.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Environment Programme. It conducts rigorous surveys of the world-wide technical and scientific literature and publishes assessment reports that are widely recognized as the most credible existing sources of information on climate change. The IPCC also works on methodologies and responds to specific requests from the Convention's subsidiary bodies.

JUSSCANNZ - The non-EU developed countries, including Japan, the US, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand.

national delegation - One or more officials who are empowered to represent and negotiate on behalf of their government.

non-governmental organizations (NGOs) - Many NGOs attend the climate talks as observers in order to interact with delegates and the press. NGOs include environmental groups, business groups, and city and local governments.

non-Party - A state that has not ratified the Convention may attend talks as an observer.

observer - The COP and its subsidiary bodies normally permit accredited observers to attend their sessions. Observers include the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the International Atomic Energy Agency, non-Party states, and other qualified governmental or non-government organizations.

OECD - The original 24 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are members of the WEOG (Western Europe and Others) regional group and include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the US. The more recent OECD members - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, and Poland - are not members of WEOG.

Party - A state (or regional economic integration organization) that ratifies or accedes to the Convention becomes a Party 90 days later and thus legally bound by its provisions.

President - Elected by the Parties to preside over the COP, the President is often a senior official of ministerial rank from the state hosting the meeting.

regional groups - The four regional groups meet privately to discuss issues and nominate bureau members and other officials. They are Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG).

secretariat - Staffed by international civil servants and responsible for servicing the COP and ensuring its smooth operation, the secretariat makes arrangements for meetings, compiles and prepares reports, and coordinates with other relevant international bodies. The Climate Change secretariat is administratively linked to the United Nations.

subsidiary body - A committee that assists the Conference of the Parties. Two permanent ones are defined by the Convention: the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice. COP-1 also established two other bodies: the Ad hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate and the Ad hoc Group on Article 13. Additional subsidiary bodies may be established as needed (and ad hoc bodies may be dissolved).

Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) - Makes recommendations on policy and implementation issues to the COP and, if requested, to other Bodies.

Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) - Serves as the link between the information and assessments provided by expert sources (such as the IPCC) on the one hand, and the policy-oriented needs of the COP on the other.

WEOG - See OECD.

The action (meetings, documents, process)

agenda - A programme of work that the delegates adopt and are guided by; the annotated agenda contains a more detailed explanation of each agenda item.

amendment - The COP can change the existing Convention text through consensus or, if consensus cannot be reached, by a three-quarters majority vote by all Parties present and voting.

Berlin Mandate - Decision 1 of COP-1, which concluded that the developed country commitment to take measures aimed at returning greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000 is inadequate. Talks to strengthen this commitment were launched within the Ad hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate.

consensus - The chairman may adopt decisions without a vote when there is a consensus amongst the vast majority of Parties.

COP sessions - The first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-1) was held in Berlin from 28 March to 7 April 1995, the second (COP-2) in Geneva from 8 - 19 July 1996, the third (COP-3) will be held in Kyoto from 1 -10 December 1997, and the fourth (COP-4) is expected in November 1998.

declaration - A non-binding political statement made by ministers attending a major meeting (e.g. the Geneva Ministerial Declaration from COP-2).

decision - Unlike a resolution, a decision is a formal agreement and leads to binding actions. It becomes part of the agreed body of decisions that direct the work of the COP.

documents - Official documents are available to everyone and feature the logos of the United Nations and the Climate Change Convention and a reference number, such as FCCC/CP/1997/1. (See also L docs, Misc. docs, and nonpapers.)

drafting groups - To facilitate negotiations, the President or the Chair may establish a smaller drafting group to meet separately and prepare a draft text. Observers generally may not attend.

entry into force - Protocols and amendments are not legally binding until they have been ratified by an agreed number of countries; the Climate Change Convention required 50 and enters into force for each new Party 90 days after it ratifies.

informals - An open-ended meeting, often held outside of regular session hours. Observers generally may not attend.

informal informals - Generally held by small groups. Observers are not invited.

L. docs - In-session documents that are for limited distribution and include such ephemeral items as draft resolutions.

meeting - Each session of the COP is divided into a number of meetings. Each meeting is generally scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Meetings sometimes start late due to regional meetings, the canvassing of delegates' views by the Bureau, and other behind-the-scenes discussions that facilitate the formal discussion.)

misc. docs - Miscellaneous documents are issued on plain paper with no UN masthead; they are usually of a transient nature, such as views or comments submitted as received from a delegation without formal editing.

nongroups - The Chair can accelerate the launching of a new temporary working body by creating a nongroup.

nonpapers - Issued informally and usually offset without an official document symbol (although they may have an identifying number).

plenary - A meeting of the entire COP where all formal decisions are taken.

pre-session documents - The secretariat circulates a set of officials documents in advance of a meeting in all six UN languages.

protocol - The Berlin Mandate calls for the negotiation of a protocol "or another legal instrument" to add new, specific commitments to the Convention. Unlike an amendment to the existing Convention text, a protocol is a separate and additional agreement, although it is linked to the original Convention. There is currently no agreement on voting procedures for a protocol should consensus not be possible, but voting is rarely used in environmental treaties.

ratification - After signing the Convention, a country's parliament or other designated body submits its instrument of ratification to the depositary (the UN Secretary-General) to start the 90-day countdown to becoming a Party.

recommendation - Weaker than a decision or a resolution and not binding on Parties.

reservation - A Party may accept a decision of the COP while noting its reservations and concerns for the record. However, no reservations may be made to the Convention itself.

resolution - Unlike decisions, resolutions do not generally become part of the formal body of decisions that guide the work of the COP. They are directives that guide, opinions rather than permanent legal acts.

rules of procedure - The rules that govern voting, elections, the accreditation of observers, and so forth. The ROP were not adopted at COP-1 and all expect one (on voting) are currently being "applied".

Second Assessment Report (SAR) - Also known as Climate Change 1995, the IPCC's SAR was written and reviewed by some 2,000 scientists and experts world-wide. It concluded that "the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate" and confirmed the availability of "no-regrets" options and other cost-effective strategies for combating climate change.

session - The COP currently holds one session a year, while the subsidiary bodies may hold several. Each session is divided into a series of meetings, so that the opening morning of COP-3 will be the first meeting of the third session of the Conference of the Parties.

signature - A designated official (usually the head of state or minister of foreign affairs) indicates his or her country's agreement with the adopted text of a Convention and its intention to ratify and become a Party.

square brackets - Used during negotiations to indicate that a section of text is being discussed but has not yet been agreed.

Third Assessment Report (TAR) - The IPCC's Third Assessment Report is expected to be finalized in late 2000 and published in early 2001.

working group - The COP or the Committee of the Whole may establish an open-ended meeting wherein Parties can negotiate before forwarding agreed text to the plenary for formal adoption.

The issues

Activities implemented jointly (AIJ) - Under a pilot phase that ends by 1999, AIJ activities can be carried out through partnerships between an investor from a developed country and a counterpart in a host country. The purpose is to involve private-sector money in the transfer of technology and know-how. See also Joint Implementation.

Article 4.1 - Contains general commitments for all Parties - developing and developed.

Article 4.2 - Contains specific commitments for developed country (Annex I) Parties only, notably to take measures aimed at returning greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.

banking and borrowing - The proposal that a country that reduces emissions faster than required be allowed to make "extra" emissions in the future, while a country that fails to achieve its target must later reduce its emissions even further than would normally be required.

budgets - Some countries have proposed that the timetable for emissions reductions adopted in Kyoto be expressed in multi-year periods rather than as annual ones.

Coordinated policies and measures - Some countries have proposed that policies and measures under the Kyoto agreement be coordinated amongst all Annex I countries to reduce trade distortions and other imbalances.

differentiation - Some countries have proposed that the targets adopted in Kyoto should not be uniform but rather that an overall Annex I target should be shared amongst countries depending on national circumstances.

emissions trading - Some countries have proposed that emissions trading be allowed among Parties with emissions commitments In order to improve the overall flexibility and economic efficiency of making emissions cuts.

financial mechanism - As defined by the Convention its role is to transfer funds and technology to developing countries on a grant or consessional basis, under the guidance of the COP. The Global Environmental Facility is "operating" the mechanism on an interim basis.

flexibility - Some countries have proposed that the Kyoto agreement include mechanisms for increasing Parties' flexibility in meeting their emission reduction targets, e.g. emissions trading, joint implementation, and banking and borrowing. See "coordinated" above.

greenhouse gases (GHGs) - The major GHGs responsible for causing climate change are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂0).

in-depth review (IDR) - The first submissions of national communications by developed countries were subjected to a series of in-depth reviews generally involving country visits by international teams of experts.

Joint implementation (JI) - A controversial concept whereby a developed country would receive some type of credit for emissions reductions it helps to finance in a developing country. Some aspects of this approach are being tested as Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ).

national communications - A central requirement of the Convention is that each Party must inform the others about its national climate change activities. Developed countries are starting to submit their second reports and developing countries are starting to submit their first.

policies and measures (P&Ms) - Countries must decide what policies and measures to adopt in order to achieve any agreed targets and timetables for emissions reductions. Some believe that national P&Ms should be internationally coordinated while others call for flexibility.

QELROs - Quantified Emissions Limitation and Reduction Objectives are targets and timetables.

targets and timetables - How much of each gas must be reduced by when.