GENERAL

FCCC/SBSTA/1997/5

1 May 1997

Original: ENGLISH

SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE

Sixth session

Bonn, 28 July - 5 August 1997

Item 2 (a) of the provisional agenda

1. Arrangements have been made for the sixth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) to be held at the Hotel Maritim, Bonn, from

28 July to 5 August 1997. The session will be opened by the Chairman of the SBSTA at 10.00 a.m. on Monday, 28 July 1997.

2. The provisional agenda for the sixth session of the SBSTA, proposed after consultation with its Chairman, is as follows:

1. Opening of the session.

2. Organizational matters:

(a) Adoption of the agenda;

(b) Election of officers other than the Chairman;

(c) Organization of the work of the session;

(d) Preparation by the SBSTA for the third session of the

Conference of the Parties (COP 3).

GE.97-

3. Division of labour between the SBSTA and the

Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI).

4. Methodological issues.

5. Cooperation with relevant international organizations.

6. National communications:

(a) Communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention;

(b) Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention.

7. Development and transfer of technologies.

8. Activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase.

9. Methodological issues related to joint implementation.

10. Report on the session.

3. The sixth session of the SBSTA will be opened by the Chairman at 10.00 a.m. on Monday, 28 July 1997.

(a) Adoption of the agenda

4. The provisional agenda for the sixth session of the SBSTA is presented for adoption (see paragraph 2 above).

(b) Election of officers other than the Chairman

5. At the fifth session of the SBSTA, the Chairman informed the SBSTA that informal consultations with the representatives of regional groups were making good progress, but that it would not yet be possible to elect a Vice-Chairman and Rapporteur at that session.

6. On 7 March 1997, pursuant to the fifth session of the SBSTA, and during the

5th meeting of the AGBM at its sixth session, representatives of the African Group and the

Latin American and Caribbean Group announced that, after consultations between

their groups and having reached agreement on the present and forthcoming nominations,

they proposed Mr. Soobaraj Sok Appadu from Mauritius as Vice-Chairman and

Mr. Alvaro Jose Rodriguez Gómez from Colombia as Rapporteur. The Chairman of the SBSTA welcomed these announcements and stated that he would propose at the next session of the SBSTA that these candidates be elected by acclamation, as proposed.

(c) Organization of the work of the session

(i) Documentation

7. The provisional agenda has been drawn up taking account of the expected timely availability of documentation in the six languages of the United Nations. There are some exceptions as indicated below.

8. Document FCCC/SBI/1997/10, Programme Budget, may also be available late, but is expected to be available in all languages.

9. The following documents will be produced in English only and will be available

late in order to provide delegates with the most up to date information: FCCC/SBSTA/1997/INF.2, FCCC/SBI/1997/13, FCCC/SB/1997/4, FCCC/SB/1997/5, FCCC/SB/1997/6 and FCCC/SB/1997/INF.2.

10. A list of documents relating to the provisional agenda, as well as other documents available at the session, is contained in annex I below.

(ii) Schedule

11. The scheduling of meetings for the session will be based on the availability of facilities during normal working hours. Formal meetings with interpretation will be held in the morning, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and in the afternoon, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on

28 and 30 July, and in the afternoon only on 5 August. There will also be some facilities for informal meetings without interpretation. Delegations are urged to use these facilities fully by attending all meetings promptly at the scheduled time. A suggested approach to the organization of work is contained in annex II below. In the event that the items scheduled for a particular day are completed ahead of time, other items may be taken up.

(d) Preparation by the SBSTA for the third session of the

Conference of the Parties (COP 3)

12. In addition to presenting its advice on the division of labour at its sixth session, the SBSTA will need to prepare at its seventh session its recommendations to COP 3 on other matters before it, so that the COP can take adequate decisions. The SBSTA may wish to take a similar approach as the INC/FCCC at its eleventh session, in preparing for COP 1 (A/AC.237/91/Add.1).

13. At its second session, the COP decided to take up at its third session the question

of the division of labour between the SBI and the SBSTA. This will be done on the basis

of recommendations made to it by the Chairmen of the two subsidiary bodies

(see FCCC/CP/1996/15, section II F, para. 24). The SBSTA will have before it document FCCC/SB/1997/2 prepared by the Chairmen of the SBSTA and the SBI. The SBSTA may wish to set up an informal contact group with the SBI, which could prepare draft conclusions on their division of labour for adoption by the SBSTA and the SBI, including the recommendation of a draft decision for adoption by the COP at its third session.

14. At its fourth session, the SBSTA agreed to keep under review the progress of work on methodological issues and its financing and, in support of this review, requested that one of its officers, or a delegate designated by the Chairman, would convene informal open-ended consultations on these questions, in conjunction with its sessions. Subsequently, at its fifth session, an informal consultative group was convened under the co-Chairmanship of two delegates to consider methodological issues. The SBSTA requested the secretariat to develop a report on a future work programme, including short scoping papers, on the tasks mentioned in document FCCC/SBSTA/1996/20, using the format contained in annex II to the report of the SBSTA on the work of its fifth session (FCCC/SBSTA/1997/4). The SBSTA requested the secretariat to carry out this work in consultation with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other relevant organizations. Taking account of the information to be made available by the secretariat in document FCCC/SB/1997/INF.2, the consultative group will be reconvened to continue its consideration of these issues, and in particular, the implications for the budget. On the basis of the conclusions of this group, the SBSTA may wish to provide advice to the SBI regarding the Programme Budget of the Convention for the next Biennium 1998-1999 (FCCC/SBI/1997/10).

15. At its fourth session, the SBSTA took note of the preparations by the IPCC that were under way to develop a Third Assessment Report (TAR). At that session, the SBSTA invited Parties to submit comments on the planned structure and content of the TAR, by 30 May 1997, for compilation into a miscellaneous document. Accordingly, at its sixth session, the SBSTA will have before it document FCCC/SBSTA/1997/MISC.4, containing these submissions. The SBSTA may decide to bring these submissions to the attention of the IPCC, for its consideration.

16. The SBSTA may receive an update on the progress by the IPCC in preparing technical papers.

17. The SBSTA may also consider any other information from relevant international organizations which may be brought to its attention.

(a) Communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention

18. At its second session, by its decision 9/CP.2, the COP requested Annex I Parties to submit to the secretariat, in accordance with Article 12.1 and 12.2 of the Convention, a second national communication by 15 April 1997. For those Parties which were due to submit the first communication in 1996, an update of this communication is to be submitted by the same date. Second national communications by Parties with economies in transition should, in principle, be submitted not later than 15 April 1998. Annex I Parties were also requested to submit to the secretariat national inventory data on emissions by sources and removals by sinks, on an annual basis, by 15 April of each year, following the principles contained in decision 3/CP.1 (FCCC/CP/1996/15/Add.1). The secretariat will make an oral report on the progress achieved in the process of reviewing first communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention and on the status of submission of their second communications.

19. The SBSTA may take note of the above report, and may urge those Parties with a late communication and/or greenhouse gas inventory update to submit their communication and/or inventory update as soon as possible.

20. At the request of the SBSTA, at its fifth session (FCCC/SBSTA/1997/4), the secretariat has prepared a workplan, including a tentative schedule of the in-depth review (IDR) of second national communications of Parties included in Annex I to the Convention. The SBSTA may wish to consider this document (FCCC/SB/1997/5), and request Parties to discuss with the secretariat any changes they wish to make.

21. In the context of the sixth session of the SBI, an informal workshop will be held in the afternoon on Thursday, 31 July 1997 on Annex I communications. The secretariat is preparing an initial compilation and synthesis report on second national communications for the sessions of the subsidiary bodies scheduled to be held in Bonn in October 1997. The secretariat intends to present a preliminary overview of data which may include, to the extent available, trends in past greenhouse gas emissions and projections of future emissions (FCCC/SB/1997/6).

(b) Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention

22. At its second session, by its decision 10/CP.2 paragraph 1 (a), the COP requested the secretariat, in accordance with Article 8.2(c), to facilitate assistance to Parties, particularly developing country Parties, in the preparation of their initial communications, through the organization of workshops at the regional level; to provide a forum for the exchange of experiences in the development of emission factors and activity data for the preparation of the inventory, as well as, on request, for other elements of information in the initial communication; and to provide a report to the SBSTA and the SBI at each of their sessions (FCCC/CP/1996/15/Add.1).

23. The secretariat will provide a progress report on these issues (FCCC/SBI/1997/9).

24. At its fifth session, the SBSTA took note of activities undertaken by the secretariat to prepare reports on topics, such as adaptation technologies, the terms of transfer of technology and know-how and technology information centers. It urged the secretariat to accelerate these activities.

25. The SBSTA will have before it a progress report on these activities (FCCC/SB/1997/3), and an update to this report (FCCC/SB/1997/4). The SBSTA will also have available a technical paper (FCCC/TP/1997/1) on recent investment trends and financial flows and specific information, particularly related to multilateral financial institutions. This technical paper will be the first in a series of papers on terms of transfer following the proposal in document FCCC/SB/1997/1, paragraphs 34-40. The SBSTA may take note of the information in the documents for this session and provide further guidance to the secretariat.

26. At its fifth session, the SBSTA recalled the need as expressed in decision 7/CP.2 to evaluate the use of the roster of experts, taking into account the ongoing discussion on intergovernmental technical advisory panels (ITAPs). It requested the secretariat to prepare a report on its experience in using the roster, for the seventh session. Many Parties urged the SBSTA to set up ITAPs without delay. Some Parties stated that this consideration should await the completion of the evaluation report; no Party offered a suggestion for overcoming the institutional problems associated with ITAPs. The SBSTA concluded that it would evaluate this issue at its sixth session.

27. At its third session, the SBSTA requested the secretariat to prepare a list of methodological issues related to activities implemented jointly. The SBSTA considered this list at its fourth and fifth sessions.

28. At its fifth session, the SBSTA requested the secretariat to develop, in accordance with decision 5/CP.1, practical options with regard to the list of methodological issues contained in paragraph 47 (d) of its report on the work of that session (FCCC/SBSTA/1997/4) and to report on the progress made in this respect. The SBSTA invited interested Parties and organizations to provide support to the secretariat in this task.

29. The secretariat has started the process of developing practical options and will report on the progress made in this respect at the seventh session of SBSTA.

30. The SBSTA will have before it, for information, document FCCC/SBSTA/1997/INF.2 providing an update on activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase. The SBSTA may take note of that information.

31. At the fifth session of the SBSTA, a number of Parties proposed that the agenda for its sixth session should include a separate item on methodological issues related to crediting under prospective joint implementation among interested Parties, and, therefore, outside the pilot phase of activities implemented jointly. Parties may wish to come prepared with possible suggestions about approaches to this issue.

32. The relatively short duration of the session, as well as the nature and timing of the discussion, may mean that a complete text of the report on the work of the session might not be available at the end of the session. The SBSTA may wish to adopt decisions or texts of substantive conclusions under the relevant items and sub-items of the agenda and, as at previous sessions, authorize the Rapporteur, if one is elected, to complete the report after the session, under the guidance of the Chairman and with the assistance of the secretariat, or, in the absence of the Rapporteur, authorize the Chairman to this end. While every effort will be made to have conclusions available in all languages at the session, this will only be possible if sufficient time is available for translation.

FCCC/SBSTA/1997/5 Provisional agenda and annotations.

FCCC/SBSTA/1997/MISC.4 Cooperation with relevant international organizations: Structure and content of the

Third Assessment Report by the IPCC.

Comments by Parties.

FCCC/SBSTA/1997/INF.2 Activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase.

FCCC/SB/1997/2 Division of labour between the SBI and the SBSTA: Note by the Chairmen.

FCCC/SB/1997/3 Development and transfer of technologies: Progress report.

FCCC/SB/1997/4 Development and transfer of technologies:

Update to progress report.

FCCC/SB/1997/5 Communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention.

FCCC/SB/1997/6 Communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention: Inventory and projection data.

FCCC/SB/1997/INF.2 Programme of work on methodologies.

FCCC/TP/1997/1 Development and transfer of technologies: Terms of transfer of technology and know-how. Trends and basic data on financial flows to developing countries.

FCCC/SBSTA/1997/4 Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on the work of its fifth session, Bonn, 25-28 February 1997.

FCCC/SBSTA/1996/20 Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and

Technological Advice on the work of its fourth

session, Geneva, 16-18 December 1996.

FCCC/SBI/1997/9 Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention: Secretariat activities to facilitate the provision of financial and technical support. Progress report.

FCCC/SBI/1997/10 Programme Budget of the Convention for the

Biennium 1998-1999.

FCCC/SBI/1997/13 Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention: Information on the submissions of initial national communications.

FCCC/SB/1997/1 Progress report on technology and technology transfer.

FCCC/CP/1995/7 and Add.1 Report of the Conference of the Parties

on its first session, held at Berlin from

28 March to 7 April 1995.

FCCC/CP/1996/15 and Add.1 Report of the Conference of the Parties

on its second session, held at Geneva from

8 to 19 July 1996.

A/AC.237/91/Add.1 Report of the intergovernmental negotiating

committee for a Framework Convention

on Climate Change on the work of its

eleventh session held at New York from

6 to 17 February 1995.

Part two: Recommendations to the

Conference of the Parties and other decisions

and conclusions of the committee.

OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR SCIENTIFIC AND