Distr.
GENERAL
FCCC/SBI/1997/12
5 June 1997
Original: ENGLISH
SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR IMPLEMENTATION
Sixth session
Bonn, 28 July - 5 August 1997
Item 6 of the provisional agenda
1. In its Report on Conference Servicing of the Conference of the Parties and its Subsidiary Bodies, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) raised the question of the volume of documentation and recommended that, in line with economy measures being taken in the United Nations Secretariat, the
Conference of the Parties (COP) should be requested to review the
number of documents it produces and the manner in which they are to
be produced (A/50/7/Add.15, para.
7).(1) The COP addressed this
question, at its second session, in July 1996, and endorsed the
ACABQ's recommendation to limit, to the extent possible, the number
and length of the documents produced by the secretariat (decision
17/CP.2, para.2).
2. At its fifth session, held from 25 to 28 February 1997, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) recalled decision 17/CP.2 and noted that the Executive Secretary required more time to prepare recommendations on this matter and would submit them to the
SBI at its sixth session (FCCC/SBI/1997/6). The SBI also requested
the Executive Secretary to explore with the United Nations office at
Geneva (UNOG), the possibility that, when justified by exceptional
circumstances, certain documents may be distributed in each language,
as they become available.
GE.97-
3. An excess volume of documentation is a relative concept, and a
new and growing work programme can be expected to increase the number
of documents it produces, if it is to carry out its mandate in the
most efficient manner. Simply limiting the absolute volume of
documentation may not be appropriate at the present phase of the
Convention process.
4. Nonetheless, there are areas where positive changes can be
made. First, problems in document preparation arise from limitations
on the capacity of the secretariat to prepare and ensure the quality
of documents, and to provide the infrastructure for processing
documents, such as, editing, formatting and advance distribution.
Second, there is a problem for delegations to absorb the documents
that they request. Typically, the first problem shows up in lateness
of documents, which aggravates the second.
5. Strains on these pressure points could be reduced by less demand for documents by Convention bodies and more concise documents produced by the secretariat. Additional relief could also be obtained if the Convention bodies spread out their demands over a wider
time-frame.
6. Two further constraints are to be found in the handling of
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
documentation by UNOG - limited translation capacity, and the policy
of releasing documents only when the six language versions are
available.
7. The translation bottle-neck could be loosened by producing technical materials, such as tabular annexes and technical reports, in the original language only. Regarding simultaneous language distribution, the secretariat has been reminded by UNOG that the provision of conference services to Convention bodies is subject to the rules of the
General Assembly (A/C.5/50/58, para.
10)(2), in which the flexibility
envisaged in the SBI's request to the Executive Secretary is not
foreseen.
8. The SBI may wish to take note of the action being taken by the secretariat and give guidance thereon. It may also consider the proposals below for action by the Parties, in particular the procedure suggested in paragraph 12, and recommend action by the COP.
9. The secretariat is pursuing the following measures regarding
documentation. It aims:
(a) To establish volume targets for documents through its internal planning process;
(b) To revise editorial guidelines to ensure clear and concise documents, backed up by training for staff in their use;
(c) To separate presentation of tabular and technical material, without translation;
(d) To establish a series of technical reports, which would
supplement the official documentation prepared in response to the
agendas of Convention bodies. These reports would not receive general
distribution, but be made available to national focal points and, on
request, to other users in the original language only. Technical
reports that merited a wider dissemination could be translated as
publications of the secretariat, if funds were
available;
(e) To disseminate documents efficiently, both on paper and
electronically, including informal distribution of the original text
in advance of the official distribution by UNOG.
10. Improvements in the documentation process are a priority in
the secretariat's management agenda. Ideas to this end are generated,
and their implementation is kept under review by a task force on
documentation, led by the Intergovernmental and Information Support
(IIS) programme.
11. The secretariat proposes that its actions in this area be
complemented by action by Parties:
(a) To limit the volume of their submissions for circulation to
Convention bodies, even though these are not translated;
(b) To focus the content of submissions on material pertinent to
the forthcoming sessions of the subsidiary bodies and avoid
reproduction of previously presented statements;
(c) To limit their requests for numbers of hard copies of
documents;
(d) To limit requests by Convention bodies for documents that need
to be translated; and
(e) To schedule the delivery of documents over time in a manner
that corresponds to the capacity of the Convention bodies to consider
them.
12. In order to keep points (d) and (e), referred to above, to the fore, it is proposed that a procedure could be instituted in the work of the COP and its subsidiary bodies, whereby before the adoption of the conclusions of each session, the presiding officer would consult the Executive Secretary regarding the feasibility of producing the documentation within the
time-frame envisaged in those conclusions. Should any problems of
timely delivery be foreseen, the presiding officer would propose to
the Convention body that it adjust its demand for documentation in
consequence, by reducing the demand, or allowing more time for
delivery.
13. The SBI is invited to consider the above proposals and to
recommend their adoption by the COP.
1. ACABQ Report on Conference Servicing of the Conference of the Parties and its Subsidiary Bodies,
12 April 1996.
2. Report of the Secretary-General on the Programme Budget for the Biennium 1996-1997.