Highlights for Wednesday, 5 July 2006

OEWG-26 continued on Wednesday with parties meeting in morning and afternoon plenary sessions to conclude substantive discussions of the outstanding agenda items. The issues addressed included: Canada’s proposal for an adjustment of the Montreal Protocol; the draft disclosure of interest guidelines for bodies such as the TEAP and its TOCs; and the timing of meetings in 2007. The morning plenary session finished early so as to allow for five contact groups to meet. These contact groups addressed: the draft terms of reference for case studies on the environmentally sound destruction of ODS; stockpiles of ODS in the context of non-compliance; difficulties faced by some Article 5 parties in phasing out CFC-based MDIs; the draft disclosure of interest guidelines; and Canada’s proposal for an adjustment to the Montreal Protocol. By the close of Wednesday afternoon’s plenary session, delegates had completed substantive discussion of all items on the OEWG-26 agenda and Co-Chair Land indicated that they would reconvene at 5.00pm on Thursday for the closing plenary.