Distr.

GENERAL

FCCC/SBI/1997/17/Add.1

15 October 1997

Original: ENGLISH

SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Seventh session

Bonn, 20-29 October 1997

Item 2 (a) of the provisional agenda

The following notes supplement the information contained in the annotations to the provisional agenda for the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) at its seventh session (see document FCCC/SBI/1997/17). It refers to items 7 and 9 of the provisional agenda.

(a) Conference of the Parties at its third session

At its seventh session, the SBI may wish to consider, under this sub-item, information pertaining to the organization of the third session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 3) and take action thereon as needed.

(b) Arrangements for hosting the session

Discussions between the Executive Secretary and the Government of Japan on arrangements for holding the session in Kyoto, Japan from 1-10 December 1997, are well advanced. Arrangements have been made to use the Kyoto International Conference Hall during this period, to make the facility suitable for holding a United Nations conference therein and to house and equip the offices of the secretariat.

GE.97-

The Government of Japan has informed the Executive Secretary that it is not in a position to enter into a formal "host country agreement". (Such an agreement was signed with the host Government of the first session of the COP.) The Government of Japan has proposed an alternative whereby the arrangements for hosting COP 3 would be finalized through an "exchange of letters". According to this procedure, the Executive Secretary would elaborate a list of requirements in a letter, to which the Government of Japan would reply that it has "no objections". This form of understanding has been successfully applied to other United Nations conferences held in Japan.

Further information about the contents of the "exchange of letters" will be provided by the Executive Secretary orally during the discussion of this sub-item.

(c) Organization of COP 3

Proposals for the organization of the work of the session, including the schedule of meetings, order of business, allocation of items and arrangements for a high-level segment of the session, attended by ministers and other heads of delegations, are contained in the annotations to the provisional agenda (document FCCC/CP/1997/1). Delegations may wish to take these proposals into account in preparing for COP 3.

(d) Conference of the Parties at its fourth session

The SBI may wish to note that no offers to host the fourth session of the COP (COP 4) were received by the secretariat by 30 September 1997, as envisaged in its conclusion at its sixth session (see document FCCC/SBI/1997/16, para. 37 and annex V). The SBI may wish to recommend a decision for adoption at COP 3 that provides for COP 4 to be convened in Bonn in November 1998.

At its sixth session, the SBI had before it a note from the secretariat on the continuing review of administrative arrangements for the Convention ( FCCC/SBI/1997/INF.2). Within this note, it was indicated that the Executive Secretary would report to the seventh session of the SBI on the results of further discussions on this issue with the United Nations. Since that time, there have been no substantial developments in these talks. Furthermore, it has been agreed by those involved in this review, namely the Department of Administration and Management, the United Nations Office at Geneva and the Convention secretariat, that these discussions will continue into 1998. The outcomes of this review, including updated agreements on the delegation of authority, division of tasks and overhead funds remitted to the Convention, will be communicated to both the General Assembly and the COP during the course of 1998. In the meantime, administrative arrangements will continue on the basis reported to the sixth session of the SBI.

Pursuant to the above, the Executive Secretary would like to call the Parties' attention to the fact that the document FCCC/SBI/1997/INF.8, mentioned in paragraph 37 of the provisional agenda and annotations for the seventh session of the SBI (FCCC/SBI/1997/17), has not been prepared.

The SBI may wish to take note of the information above and that contained in document FCCC/SBI/1997/INF.2, and to request the Executive Secretary to continue his efforts in relation to this issue and to keep the SBI informed of significant developments. It may also wish to request COP 3 to do the same.