ENB:09:07

SECRETARIAT ACTIVITIES

At the conclusion of the first session of the ICCBD, the Secretariat was instructed to be guided in its work by the contents of the unadopted working group reports. These include:

• Preparation of a report on the progress of country studies and the preparation of national biodiversity strategies;

• Preparation of formats for data entries in order to facilitate information;

• Institution of regional training programmes on the use of data exchange formats; and

• Mobilization of funds for workshops on regional approaches;

• Preparation of a document describing various methodologies that could be used to estimate the financial resources needed to fund multilateral biodiversity assistance;

• Examination of the relationship between incremental costs to the volume of resources available, the possibility of studying the financial benefits that developed countries derived from the use of biodiversity and that might be made available to developing countries in the form of international cooperation, and the provision of advice to countries intending to prepare biodiversity studies;

• Invitation to international financial institutions to attend a meeting of the ICCBD to begin to address issues of mutual concern in relation to the implementation of the Committee, including criteria for funding eligibility and modalities for exchange of information between the COP, the financial mechanism under the Convention and other finance institutions and organizations;

• Redrafting of the rules of procedure for the COP based on the comments in Working Group II;

• Drafting the financial rules governing the funding of the Secretariat for consideration at the next session;

• Drawing up a preliminary indicative list of incremental costs, and to look at current or planned projects, in collaboration with FAO, UNESCO, the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the Secretariat for the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the GEF to see how the issue was dealt with and what elements were financed as incremental costs;

• Examination of the methodologies that could be used to define and understand the meaning of the term "full incremental costs";

• Identification of existing clearing-house mechanisms and existing mechanisms for information exchange and reporting on their expertise;

• Cataloging of existing databases of relevance to the Convention and identifying their gaps and linkages;

• Examination of the range of appropriate models for technology transfer; and

• Examination of and reporting on existing examples and possible models for national legislation for regulating access to genetic resources (with due attention to its possibly conflictual nature).

THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY

PROPOSED WORK PROGRAMME: This session of the ICCBD has an extremely ambitious agenda. Discussions within and between the Extended Bureau, the Regional Groups, the Secretariat and delegates are likely to lead to an early proposal that matters under agenda item 4.1, which includes those things stipulated by the Convention for action by the first COP, be prioritized at this meeting. This will ensure adequate preparation of issues that require decisions at the first COP, scheduled for the end of November 1994. It is likely that several items in 4.2 and 4.3 will not be addressed at this meeting. It is also likely that there will be several night meetings during the session.

PLENARY: The morning plenary session is scheduled to begin with opening remarks by ICCBD Chair, Amb. Vincente S nchez (Chile) and the Executive Director. This will be followed by adoption of the agenda; organization of work; adoption of the report of the ICCBD on the work of its first session, including the reports of the Working Groups; and rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties. If this work is completed the plenary will then break and the two Working Groups will meet.

WORKING GROUP I: It is expected that Working Group I will begin by addressing Agenda Item 4.1.5, Clearing-House Mechanism for Technical and Scientific Cooperation, (UNEP/CBD/IC/2/7). This debate is likely to continue on Tuesday morning.

WORKING GROUP II: Working Group II may begin by addressing Agenda item 4.1.3, Financial Rules Governing the Funding of the Secretariat of the Convention, (UNEP/ CBD/IC/2/5).

 [Return to start of article]