Distr.

GENERAL

FCCC/SBSTA/1995/1 ⁽¹⁾

16 August 1995

Original: ENGLISH

SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR SCIENTIFIC

AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE

First session

Geneva, 28-30 August 1995

Item 1 of the provisional agenda

1. The Conference of the Parties at its first session (COP 1), by its decision 6/CP.1 (see FCCC/CP/1995/7/Add.1), requested the Convention secretariat to make arrangements for sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), on the basis of annexes II and III to that decision. In the context of the schedule of sessions of Convention bodies established by the Bureau of the COP and after consultation with the Chairman and the officers of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, arrangements have been made for the first session of that body to be held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, from 28 to 30 August 1995. The session will be opened by the Chairman of the SBSTA at 10 a.m. on 28 August 1995 in Conference Room XIX.

2. The provisional agenda for the first session of the SBSTA, proposed after consultation with the Chairman and officers of the subsidiary body, is as follows:

1. Organizational matters:

(a) Adoption of the agenda;

(b) Organization of work of the session.

2. Elaboration and scheduling of the programme of work, 1996-1997.

3. Other matters arising from decisions of the Conference of the Parties (COP):

(a) Communications from Annex I Parties: progress report on in-depth reviews.

4. Report on the session.

(a) Adoption of the agenda

3. The provisional agenda for the first session of the SBSTA is presented for adoption.

(b) Organization of work of the session

(i) Documentation

4. The following is the list of documents relating to the provisional agenda:

FCCC/CP/1995/7 Report of the Conference of the Parties on its first

and Add.1 session, held at Berlin from 28 March to 7 April 1995

FCCC/SBSTA/1995/1 Provisional agenda and annotations

FCCC/SBSTA/1995/2 Proposed programme of work

FCCC/SB/1995/Misc.1 Compilation of views of Parties on activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase

5. The following documents are also relevant to the work of both the SBSTA and the SBI:

FCCC/SB/1995/1 Progress report on the in-depth reviews of national communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention

FCCC/SB/1995/Inf.1 Division of labour between the subsidiary bodies established by the Convention

FCCC/SB/1995/Misc.2 Compilation of views of Parties on communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention

6. Other documents may be made available prior to or during the session.

(ii) Schedule of meetings

7. The scheduling of meetings for the session will be based on the availability of facilities during working hours, when services are available for two concurrent meetings with interpretation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will also be some facilities for informal meetings without interpretation. Delegations are urged to use the services fully by starting all meetings promptly at the scheduled time. A tentative schedule of meetings will be proposed by the Chairman on the first day of the meeting.

(iii) Allocation of tasks

8. It is proposed that all items be dealt with by the subsidiary body as a whole in plenary. If necessary, consultation groups could be established to elaborate on specific issues.

9. The Conference of the Parties at its first session (COP 1), by its decision 6/CP.1, characterized the role of the SBSTA as the link between scientific, technical and technological assessments and the information provided by competent international bodies, and the policy oriented needs of the COP. The COP in that same decision requested the SBSTA to undertake functions given in annex I, section A, of the decision. Those tasks requiring action between the first and second sessions of the COP were listed in annex II, section A, of the decision. In addition there are a number of tasks arising from decisions 2/CP.1, 3/CP.1, 4/CP.1, 5/CP.1, 8/CP.1 and 13/CP.1, as well as paragraph 47 of the report of COP 1 (FCCC/CP/1995/7).

10. The SBSTA will have before it a proposed programme of work (FCCC/SBSTA/1995/2) drawn up by the secretariat, elaborating on the following matters arising from the decisions of COP 1 on which the SBSTA is expected to develop recommendations:

(a) Scientific assessments (Article 9 of the Convention and decision 6/CP.1

(annex I, paras. A1 and A5) on the roles of the subsidiary bodies);

(b) National communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention (Article 9 of the Convention and decisions 2/CP.1 on review of first communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention, 3/CP.1 on preparation and submission of national communications from the Parties included in Annex I to the Convention, 4/CP.1 on methodological issues and 6/CP.1 (annex I, paras. A2 and A5) on the roles of the subsidiary bodies);

(c) Methodologies (Decisions 4/CP.1 on methodological issues and 6/CP.1, para. 3 and annex I para. A5);

(d) First communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (Article 9 of the Convention and decision 8/CP.1 on communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention);

(e) Activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase (Decision 5/CP.1 on activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase);

(f) Transfer of technology (Article 9 of the Convention and decisions 6/CP.1 (annex I, para. A3) on the roles of the subsidiary bodies and 13/CP.1 on the transfer of technology);

(g) Allocation and control of international bunker fuels (Decisions 4/CP.1 on methodological issues and 6/CP.1 (annex I, para. A5) on the roles of the subsidiary bodies);

(h) Possible contributions to the "Berlin Mandate" process, if requested

(Article 9.2 (e) of the Convention and decisions 1/CP.1 on the Berlin Mandate and 6/CP.1 (annex I, para. A5 (c)) on the roles of the subsidiary bodies);

(i) Cooperation with competent international bodies, including the IPCC (Decisions 4/CP.1 on methodological issues, 5/CP.1 on activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase, 6/CP.1 (annex I, paras. A1, A3, A4 and A5) on the roles of the subsidiary bodies and 13/CP.1 on transfer of technology);

(j) Proposals on longer-term activities and organizational arrangements, including any adjustments to the functions and/or allocation of work, and the scheduling and periodicity of sessions;

(k) Workshop on non-governmental inputs (Decision 6/CP.1, annex III);

(l) Report on the work of the SBSTA to COP 2.

11. The SBSTA will also have to decide on the establishment of intergovernmental technical advisory panels on technologies, including on related economic aspects, and on methodologies (Decision 6/CP.1, annex II, para. 5).

12. The SBSTA is invited to adopt an agreed programme of work for 1996-1997. Since many of the above tasks are described in general terms only, the SBSTA may wish to discuss each in terms of its definition and scope and the approach to carrying out each task. Relative priorities, within the context of the proposed calendar of sessions, are also key issues.

13. Details of the SBSTA sessions scheduled for the period 1996-1997 can be found in the programme of work (FCCC/SBSTA/1995/2).

(a) Communications from Annex I Parties: progress report on in-depth reviews

14. This will be a standing item on the agendas of both the SBSTA and the SBI. On the basis of decision 6/CP.1, the consideration of this matter by the SBSTA is expected to focus on scientific and technical aspects, whereas the SBI will attend to policy aspects. Issues for initial consideration by the SBSTA may include statistical adjustments and the preparation of the next compilation and synthesis of communications from Annex I Parties.

15. The in-depth reviews of communications from Annex I Parties are currently under way in accordance with decision 2/CP.1. The meeting will have before it a brief progress report on the in-depth reviews undertaken to date (FCCC/SB/1995/1). Only a short discussion of this report is foreseen at this stage, with fuller discussion of the item during future sessions of the SBSTA as more in-depth review reports become available and there is a better sense of the scientific and technical issues warranting consideration.

16. In view of the brevity of the session, it is proposed that the preparation of the report on the session be undertaken after the session by the Rapporteur, with the guidance of the Chairman and the assistance of the secretariat. The report would incorporate any decisions or conclusions adopted at the session on the preceding items.

1. Re-issued for technical reasons.

GE.95-