CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Distr. GENERAL
UNEP/CBD/COP/3/31
22 September 1996
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH [ADVANCE COPY]
CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Third meeting
Buenos Aires, Argentina
4 to 15 November 1996
Item 19 of the provisional agenda
1. In its decision II/18, the Conference of the Parties (COP) adopted the medium-term programme of work of the COP for 1996-1997, as set out in the annex to that decision. It also decided to review the medium-term programme of work at its third meeting in light of the progress achieved in implementing the Convention.
2. A review of the medium-term programme of work involves reviewing both the provisional agenda for the fourth meeting of the COP and the provisional agenda of the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), as requested by the second meeting of the SBSTTA.
3. The provisional agenda of the fourth meeting of the COP will contain standing issues and those set out in paragraph 7 of the annex to decision II/18, as well as issues arising directly from the decisions of the present meeting and the second meeting of the COP. A draft provisional agenda for the fourth meeting of the COP is included in Annex I of the present document.
4. The draft provisional agenda of the third meeting of the SBSTTA is included in Annex II of the present document. As requested in decision II/1, paragraph 6, this is based on the priorities set in the programme of work of the COP for 1996 and 1997, as contained in decision II/18, and on specific requests contained in other decisions of the second meeting of the COP. The COP may wish to be mindful of recommendation II/12 of the SBSTTA, which considered that the draft provisional agenda for the third meeting of the SBSTTA contained too many items for each to be given the necessary consideration to allow the SBSTTA to advise the COP adequately, and requested the COP at its third meeting to provide guidance on the setting of priorities within those items on the draft provisional agenda for which it required advice.
5. The COP may also wish to be mindful of the fact that implementing the medium-term programme of work for 1996 has entailed the Secretariat organising 14 international meetings, and preparing background papers on 59 different substantive issues amounting to over a thousand pages of documentation as well as making available an additional 60 information documents, comprising as many pages again. A further 16 international meetings called for in the medium-term programme of work are anticipated for 1997. In light of this, and of recommendation II/12 of the SBSTTA, the COP may wish to consider whether the work-programme would be more effectively implemented were it to become focused on fewer issues.
OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES
1. Opening of the meeting.
2. Organisational matters:
2.1 election of officers;
2.2 adoption of the agenda;
2.3 organisation of work.
3. Pending issues arising from the work of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
4. Consideration of the report and recommendations of the second meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, and instructions by the Conference of the Parties to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice.
5. Reports by Parties on the implementation of the Convention.
6. Report on assessment and review of the operation of the clearinghouse mechanism.
7. Financial resources and mechanism:
7.1 report on the activities of the Global Environment Facility;
7.2 report of the Executive Secretary on financial resources and mechanisms;
7.3 review of the effectiveness of the financial mechanism.
8. Review of medium-term programme of work (1995-1997):
8.1 to review the operations of the Conference of the Parties and subsidiary organs;
8.2 to undertake an overall review and consider a longerterm programme of work.
9. Models and mechanisms for links between in-situ and ex-situ conservation:
9.1 to consider ways in which in-situ and ex-situ conservation may be effectively linked.
10. Measures for implementing the Convention:
10.1 to provide information and share experiences on the implementation of Article 13;
10.2 to provide information and share experiences on the implementation of Article 14;
10.3 consideration of biological diversity under threat.
11. Consideration of matters related to benefitsharing:
11.1 to consider measures to promote and advance the distribution of benefits from biotechnology in accordance with Article 19;
11.2 [to be considered in the light of the outcome of item 13 (Issues related to technology) on the provisional agenda of the third meeting of the COP].
12. Technical and scientific co-operation.
13. Terrestrial biological diversity.
13.1 to assess the status and trends of the biological diversity of inland water ecosystems and to identify options for conservation and sustainable use.
14. Results of the special session of the General Assembly to review the implementation of Agenda 21.
15. Issues related to biosafety.
16. The relationship of the Convention with the Commission on Sustainable Development and biological diversity-related conventions, other international agreements, institutions and processes of relevance.
17. Administrative matters:
17.1 report of the Executive Secretary on the administration of the Convention;
17.2 budget of the Trust Fund for the Convention on Biological Diversity.
18. Report on the credentials of representatives to the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
19. Venue and date of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
20. Other matters.
21. Adoption of the report.
22. Closure of the meeting.
SUBSIDIARY BODY ON SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE
1. Opening of the meeting.
2. Organisational matters:
2.1 election of officers;
2.2 adoption of the agenda;
2.3 organisation of work.
3. Assessment of the status and trends of the biological diversity of inland water ecosystems and identification of options for conservation and sustainable use.
4. Other matters on which advice from the SBSTTA is required by the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties:
4.1 Implementation of Article 7 on indicators and monitoring:
4.1.1 advice to the Parties on addressing issues of monitoring and assessment, including an elaboration of assessment methodologies for meeting the requirements of the Convention, taking into account both the contents of those national reports already prepared and reports to other conventions and international processes;
4.1.2 options for capacity-building in developing countries in the application of guidelines and indicators for subsequent national reports;
4.1.3 current approaches to indicator development and recommendations for a preliminary core set of indicators of biological diversity, particularly those related to threats.
4.2 Impact assessments:
4.2.1 what kind of scientific and technical information should be collected for the impact- assessment of projects and what ways and means should be used to share this information to promote minimisation of adverse impacts in accordance with
Article 14?
4.3 Promotion of international technical and scientific cooperation:
4.3.1 the provision of advice on the scientific, technical and technological aspects of international cooperation in the area of the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components, in accordance with Article 18.
4.4 Alternative mechanisms for linking in-situ and ex-situ conservation techniques:
4.4.1 identifying alternative models and mechanisms for linkages between in-situ and
ex-situ conservation.
4.5 Considering the knowledge, innovations and practises of indigenous and local communities.
4.6 Review of the implementation of the pilot phase of the clearing-house mechanism.
4.7 Coastal and marine biological diversity:
4.7.1 Scientific, technical and technological aspects of the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine biological diversity.
4.8 Terrestrial biological diversity:
4.8.1 ways and means of cooperating with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa on matters relating to biological diversity and drylands, with a view to identifying common priorities;
4.8.2 the examination of specific issues related to biological diversity and sustainable mountain development arising out of the implementation of chapter 13 of Agenda 21;
4.8.3 ways and means of cooperating with the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests on matters relating to biological diversity and forests, with a view to developing common priorities.
4.9 Agricultural biological diversity:
4.9.1 gap analysis of the activities and instruments related to agricultural biological diversity in order to promote the conservation and sustainable us of biological diversity in the agricultural sector.
5. Overall assessment of the SBSTTA's work and of the effectiveness of its advice (1995-1997), in the light of possible future work of the SBSTTA:
5.1 review of the operations of the SBSTTA in light of the Conference of the Parties' review of its medium-term programme of work;
5.2 review of the operations of the SBSTTA in light of the Conference of the Parties' review of a longer-term work programme.
6. Draft provisional agenda of the fourth meeting of the SBSTTA.
7. Date and venue of the fourth meeting of the SBSTTA.
8. Other matters.
9. Adoption of the report.
10. Closure of the meeting.