Distr. GENERAL

CONVENTION ON

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

UNEP/CBD/COP/3/32

22 September1996

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 20.1 of the provisional agenda

ADMINISTRATION OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Report of the Executive Secretary

1. INTRODUCTION

1. In adopting decision I/9 on its medium-term programme of work, the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) decided to include on its agenda a standing item on the administration of the Convention. This was also reaffirmed in decision II/18. Accordingly, this report has been prepared to assist the third meeting of the COP in its consideration of this matter. It reports on the implementation of decision II/19, on the administration of the Convention, and on the activities carried out by the Secretariat between the second meeting of the COP in November 1995 and the present meeting.

2. By its decision II/19, the COP decided to accept the offer of the Government of Canada, contained in document UNEP/CBD/COP/2/Rev.1, to host in Montreal the Secretariat of the Convention. The COP requested the Executive Secretary without delay to discuss and agree with Canada the practical arrangements for the transfer and hosting of the Secretariat in Montreal and requested the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to negotiate and finalize the headquarters agreement with the Government of Canada. It also requested the Executive Secretary to report on the implementation of this decision to the third meeting of the COP.

2. EVOLUTION OF THE CONVENTION

3. The Convention on Biological Diversity is emerging as an important policy guidance body which is using the ecosystem approach, strengthening its internal capacity to use the knowledge and expertise available worldwide, setting up reporting mechanisms and seeking to ensure that the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity are mainstreamed into current economic activities. At 24 September 1996, the Convention has been ratified by 158 States and one regional economic integration organization (see Annex I).

4. The Convention is entering its second phase under which emphasis is shifting towards national implementation. This transition is illustrated by the practical nature of the decisions made by the second meeting of the COP held in Jakarta (Indonesia) in November 1995 and their emphasis on policy guidance.

5. The meeting adopted the Jakarta Mandate on marine and coastal biological diversity which proposes a framework programme for global action. The Parties also established a pilot phase for the implementation of the clearing-house mechanism under the Convention to promote technical and scientific cooperation. The adoption by the COP of the main proposals of the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), held in Paris (France) in September 1995, demonstrated the relevance and effectiveness of the current organs of the Convention. The second meeting of the SBSTTA was held in Montreal from 2 to 6 September 1996 and its recommendations have been submitted to the COP for consideration at the third meeting.

6. The Convention is evolving as a policy guidance body which seeks to promote action through existing institutions. This is illustrated by the focus of the decisions on framework programmes and guidance statements. The ability of the COP to monitor the implementation of the Convention will be enhanced through its analysis of national reports to be submitted by Parties by June 1997 and the periodic production of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO).

7. The Convention is also advancing discussions on the risks associated with biotechnology through negotiations under the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety, established by the second meeting of the COP in its decision II/5. The first meeting of the Working Group was held from 22 to 26 July 1996 in Aarhus, Denmark. The Government of Denmark, in particular, provided substantial financial support to enable developing countries and countries with economies in transition to attend the meeting.

3. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARIAT

3.1 Staffing

3.1.1 Interim Secretariat

8. As provided in Article 40 of the Convention, the Executive Director of UNEP was designated to provide the Interim Secretariat of the Convention. In September 1993 appointments were made to the Interim Secretariat. The professional staff of the Interim Secretariat was comprised of an Executive Secretary, a senior Professional at P-5 level specializing in life sciences, four Professionals at P-4 level specializing in biotechnology, law, economics, and financial instruments, and a communications specialist at P-2 level. A Fund Manager/Administration Officer was assigned by UNEP to assist the Interim Secretariat. The Interim Secretariat prepared and serviced the first and second meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Convention on Biological Diversity (ICCBD-1, October 1993 and ICCBD-2, July 1994) and the first meeting of the COP (November-December 1994). Staff from UNEP, UNESCO and FAO also assisted the Interim Secretariat at these meetings.

9. The terms of these appointments were varied. The Executive Secretary had a fixed-term contract for two years (September 1993 to September 1995) and the life sciences, biotechnology, economics and financial instruments specialists had fixed-term contracts until 31 December 1994, limited to service with the Convention. The specialist in law was already employed by UNEP and was seconded to the Convention.

10. The first meeting of the COP, in its decision I/4, designated UNEP to carry out the functions of the Secretariat of the Convention while ensuring its autonomy to discharge the functions referred to in Article 24. The COP also decided that the functions of the Secretariat should be carried out by the Secretariat that was provided for under Article 40 of the Convention, until such time as the staff of the Secretariat had been appointed. The COP further requested the Executive Director of UNEP to select the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat for the Convention in consultation with the Bureau of the COP.

11. In decision I/6 the first meeting of the COP set a budget for 1995 and an indicative budget for 1996. In doing so it established thirteen professional positions within the Secretariat: Executive Secretary, two Principal Officers D-1 (Intergovernmental Processes and Cooperative Arrangements, and Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters), seven Programme Officers P-4 (Fund Management/Administration, Financial Instruments, Lawyer, Clearing-House Mechanism, and three officers for Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters), and two positions of Programme Officer P-2 (Information and Communication, respectively). The COP noted that it expected that UNEP would make a secondment to the Programme Officer - Fund Management/Administration position, and that FAO and UNESCO would each make a secondment to one of the Programme Officer - Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters positions.

12. In January 1995 the Professionals whose fixed-term contracts had expired at the end of 1994 (life sciences, biotechnology, economics and financial instruments) were informed by UNEP that their contracts had been extended for six months until June 1995. In light of decision I/6, the life sciences position was downgraded to P-4. The economics position had not been confirmed by decision I/6 and the post-holder subsequently left the Secretariat on expiry of the renewed contract in June 1995. Also in January 1995 a Professional who had been assisting the Secretariat since May 1994 with the preparation and servicing of the ICCBD2 and COP1 meetings received a fixed-term contract at P-5 level for six months (January to July 1995) acting against the position of Principal Officer for intergovernmental processes and cooperative arrangements.

13. In July 1995 the contracts of the three Professionals (life sciences, biotechnology and financial instruments) were extended for a further three months until the end of September 1995. The contract for the Acting Principal Officer position was renewed for six months, until the end of 1995. These temporary arrangements allowed preparations for the first meeting of the SBSTTA to continue. At the same time the former Executive Secretary left to take the accrued leave due under the contract to expire in September 1995.

14. The Executive Secretary was selected by the Executive Director of UNEP and assumed his duties with effect from 1 September 1995. In agreement with UNEP, the contracts of the three Professionals were extended for a further three months, to 31 December 1995, in order to allow preparations for the second meeting of the COP to continue. The process of recruitment of the permanent staff was begun in September 1995, when arrangements were made to classify and advertise the positions agreed under decision I/6 . Advance announcements of the permanent positions were distributed at the second meeting of the COP. The interim professional staff were invited to apply for the permanent positions. The deadline for applications was 15 January 1996.

15. As noted in the previous report (UNEP/CBD/COP/2/15, paragraphs 8 and 9), the composition of the Secretariat at the time of the first meeting of the SBSTTA and the second meeting of the COP was:

• (a) An Executive Secretary;
  
• (b) A Professional on short-term assignment acting against the post of Principal Officer for intergovernmental processes and cooperative arrangements, whose contract would expire on
  31 December 1995;
  
• (c) Three Professionals specializing in life sciences, biotechnology and financial instruments, whose contracts would expire on 31 December 1995;
  
• (d) One Professional specializing in law, seconded by UNEP;
  
• (e) A Junior Professional Officer, provided by the Government of Italy since February 1994, assisting in issues related to biosafety;
  
• (f) A Professional specializing in information, on a short-term contract;
  
• (g) Four General Service staff and, for short periods, five additional staff.
  
  

16. In order to prepare for the meetings of the Panel of Experts on Biosafety, the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety, the first meeting of the SBSTTA, the regional preparatory meetings and the second meeting of the COP, the capacity of the Secretariat was supplemented by two short-term professionals and sixteen short-term consultants for a total of thirty person/months during 1995. For the first meeting of the SBSTTA and the second meeting of the COP, the Secretariat was assisted by staff provided by UNEP and UNDP.

17. Of the thirteen professional positions created under decision I/6, only one (that of the Executive Secretary) had been had been filled on a permanent basis by the time of the second meeting of the COP. As pointed out last year (UNEP/CBD/COP/2/15, paragraph 10), the recruitment process was affected inter alia by the financial difficulties resulting from late payment of contributions to the Trust Fund of the Convention. This restricted the ability to make the necessary financial commitments in the first half of 1995, although the fund balance at 31 December 1995 showed a net excess of income over expenditure of almost $3 millions (see Annex II).

3.1.2 Transitional arrangements

18. In decision II/19, the COP accepted the offer of the Government of Canada to host the Secretariat of the Convention in Montreal and requested the Executive Secretary without delay to discuss and agree with Canada the practical arrangements for the transfer and hosting of the Secretariat in Montreal. In light of the extensive programme of work to be undertaken by the Secretariat in 1996, it was felt that there were two options for the timing of the relocation of the Secretariat. The first was to relocate the Secretariat only after the third meeting of the COP. The second option was to relocate the Secretariat immediately after the second meeting of the COP.

19. As reported more fully below, it was decided to relocate the Secretariat from Geneva to Montreal early in 1996. One of the reasons for taking this option was the desire to avoid potential problems associated with having to recruit staff to serve on the permanent Secretariat in Geneva for a year, and subsequently relocating permanent staff members (and families) from Geneva to Montreal at the end of 1996.

20. To manage the transition between the interim and the permanent phases of the Secretariat, a number of transitional arrangements were put in place immediately after the second meeting of the COP. These included: retaining a number of consultants who had been working for the Secretariat on the preparations for the first meeting of the SBSTTA and the second meeting of the COP; retaining some general staff in Geneva until March 1996; and retaining the Senior Secretary to the Executive Secretary until December 1996 to provide transitional liaison functions for the Secretariat in Geneva. Four general staff from Geneva assisted in the transfer of the Secretariat to Montreal for the period January to March 1996. At the same time a preliminary team was put together in Montreal to enable the Secretariat to start functioning as soon as possible. The Montreal team included staff seconded by Canada.

3.1.3 Permanent staffing arrangements

21. The recruitment process at the permanent Secretariat has been guided by the need to build the requisite in-house capacity to implement the work programme, while ensuring that the pace of recruitment does not exceed the absorptive capacity of the management system. In addition, measures will be put in place to increase the ability of the Secretariat to draw on the best available scientific, technical and technological information while reducing the costs of doing so. For example, the Secretariat will seek to work more closely with universities and research institutions worldwide.

22. The first group of staff recruited under the permanent phase joined the Secretariat in early May and the rest will be recruited on a step-by-step basis. At 15 September 1996, of the twenty permanent professional positions provided for under decision II/20, the following had been filled, in addition to that of Executive Secretary:

(a) Principal Officer for intergovernmental processes and cooperative affairs;


(b) Programme Officer for financial resources and instruments;


(c) Associate Programme Officer for database management and information.

23. The posts of Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary and Programme Officer for conservation ecology have been filled on a short-term basis. It is expected that the positions of Principal Officer for scientific, technical and technological affairs and of Programme Officer for reports will shortly be filled on a short-term basis.

24. In order to undertake its work programme for 1996, including the preparations for the Open-ended Ad-hoc Working Group of Experts on Biosafety, the second meeting of the SBSTTA, four regional preparatory meetings for the COP and the third meeting of the COP, the Secretariat has supplemented its resources by the use of fourteen short-term professionals and consultants to carry out the tasks and duties required to support these meetings. This has been necessary to enable the work assigned to the Secretariat by the COP to be carried out in a timely fashion.

25. The Secretariat has benefitted from the secondment of four Professionals by the Province of Quebec. A short-term secondment provided by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, United Kingdom is similarly greatly appreciated. Discussions with UNESCO have continued during the year on the planned secondment of a Professional specializing in marine ecology. In September 1996 UNESCO submitted a list of three names for consideration.

26. Discussions are underway to effect the secondment of a Professional by FAO. In response to the terms of reference formulated by FAO, the Secretariat has provided FAO with a detailed description of the requirements of the Secretariat in light of the work programme of the COP. Discussions are underway to agree the joint selection of the secondee as envisaged by the second meeting of the COP. The secondee is expected to take up his or her position at the Secretariat as soon as the two institutions agree on the terms of secondment. Discussions are also underway with other international institutions on additional secondments.

27. Canada has seconded a senior human resources specialist to assist the Secretariat with the recruitment of staff.

3.2 Finance and administration system

28. One of the most urgent tasks to be performed by the Secretariat is the creation of the finance and administration system to be used in Montreal. In Geneva, the Secretariat relied on the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) and the UNEP Regional Office for Europe. Such support is not available in Montreal and the Secretariat needs to develop its own capacity to perform these functions. The Executive Director of UNEP has seconded the Chief of Fund Management at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi to the Secretariat until mid-October to establish the financial and administration system. A new Fund Manager and Administration Officer has been recruited and is expected to join the Secretariat in early October.

29. A development that has had unexpected implications for the functioning of the Secretariat in Montreal concerns the establishment, on 1 January 1996, of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). This has resulted in some services, previously provided by UNEP and available to the Secretariat under the terms of the offer of UNEP to provide the Secretariat of the Convention (UNEP/CBD/COP/1/9, Annex 1), now falling under the responsibility of UNON. Of particular relevance to the operations of the Secretariat are the personnel recruitment and conference servicing responsibilities which have been transferred to UNON.

30. These difficulties have been compounded further by the time difference between Montreal and Nairobi. With relocation, it is now possible to speak on the telephone to staff at UNEP headquarters only before 10:00 a.m. Montreal time, from Monday to Thursday. Even having rearranged the Secretariat's

working hours in Montreal so as to start at 8:00 a.m., there are still only eight hours of overlap a week. This represents a considerable impediment to the operations of the Secretariat, which is compounded by the difficulties experienced in establishing telephone connections with Nairobi at this time of day.

31. The system being set up in Montreal will reflect the need to create a dynamic and efficient Secretariat that can respond effectively and in a timely manner to the decisions of the COP. It is evident that many of the decisions of the COP require the Secretariat to respond rapidly and effectively to emerging issues related to biological diversity. The challenge is going to be to develop a modus operandi for the Secretariat which is consistent with the expectations of the COP.

32. The United Nations has approved the opening of an account for the Secretariat in Montreal. The account (No. 1001486-01) is with the Royal Bank of Canada (360 St. Jacques Street West, Montreal QC, H2Y 1P6) under the name of United Nations Environment Programme-Biological Diversity Office.

4. LOCATION OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARIAT

4.1 Logistical arrangements

33. Following the decision of the COP to locate the permanent Secretariat of the Convention in Montreal, a number of activities were initiated to ensure that the decision was implemented without delay. As noted above, the options available to the Secretariat were to plan the relocation for the period immediately following the third meeting of the COP, or to move immediately following the second meeting.

34. It was decided to take the latter option provided that the temporary facilities offered by Canada were available no later than January 21, 1996. These dates were provided to Canada and they determined the work plan for the identification and selection of the facilities for temporary and permanent locations of the Secretariat. This was carried out by the Secretariat with the assistance of the Montreal International Conference Centre Corporation (MICCC). Members of the Secretariat visited Montreal twice (in December 1995 and January 1996) to make plans for the relocation of the Secretariat and the final decision was made on January 14, 1996. The Secretariat was relocated to Montreal on January 22, 1996.

35. The choice of the offices for the Secretariat was made through an open bidding process which has been fully documented. From an initial invitation to bid made to nine firms, three submitted bids while others declined because of inadequate space. Following a comparative analysis using a wide range of criteria, one of the offices (located at the World Trade Centre) was selected by the Executive Secretary and the necessary documents were forwarded to UNEP for approval. The documents were reviewed by the Contracts Committee of UNEP and a recommendation was forwarded to the Executive Director who then signed the lease. The permanent premises of the Secretariat were established at the World Trade Centre in August 1996.

36. The temporary accomodation at the World Trade Centre consisted of six offices. The ten staff of the Secretariat operated under conditions where space was at a premium, and professionals assisting the secretariat under short-term consultancy contracts were encouraged to work from their home bases under teleworking arrangements.

37. Considerable staff time prior to August was devoted to discussing and supervising the design and construction of the permanent offices. In light of the increase in Secretariat staff agreed at the second meeting of the COP (decision I/6 provides for 22 staff, while decision II/20 provides for 31) the offer of Canada to provide the Secretariat free rent for a five year period (UNEP/CBD/COP/2/2/Rev.1, page 5) was readjusted, in the light of the increased total floor space involved, to a commitment to provide rent-free accommodation for three years.

38. The Secretariat has greatly benefited from extensive advice and information provided by UNEP, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other organizations based in Montreal. In addition, advice has also been sought from other biodiversity-related conventions with which the Secretariat has established working relationships.

4.2 Inauguration of the Secretariat

39. The Secretariat was officially inaugurated on 6 May 1996 at a ceremony attended inter alia by the Prime Minister of Canada, the Premier of Quebec, the Mayor of Montreal, the President of the second meeting of the COP and the Executive Director of UNEP. The event was attended by the Bureaux of the COP and the SBSTTA.

4.3 Headquarters agreement

40. The Executive Director of UNEP has set up a team to assist her in preparing an initial negotiating position for the headquarters agreement as requested by the COP. The Government of Canada and the Government of the Province of Quebec have provided a draft agreement and memorandum of understanding respectively for the consideration of UNEP. These documents, as well as a draft prepared by the Secretariat, have been used in an initial negotiating text prepared by UNEP and currently under discussion.

41. Negotiations are continuing on details relating to the legal capacity of the Secretariat in Canada, the legal nature of the relationship between the Secretariat and the United Nations, the taxation of Canadian nationals, and privileges and immunities of Secretariat officials. The headquarters agreement will inter alia define the position of international staff of the Secretariat and their families with respect to tax matters in Canada, access to education and health care services and, in the case of spouses, access to the labour market. The conclusion of the negotiations on the headquarters agreement will therefore increase the ability of the Secretariat to attract and recruit experienced international staff. Pending the signing of the headquarters agreement, the Province of Quebec has extended courtesy privileges to international staff.

42. The Assistant Executive Director of UNEP reported at the second meeting of the SBSTTA that the headquarters agreement would be signed at the end of September 1996.

5. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORK PROGRAMME

5.1 Scope of work for 1996

43. Following the second meeting of the COP, the Secretariat identified over eighty activities and tasks to be fulfilled in 1996 arising from its mandate under Article 24 and from the decisions of the second meeting. Among these were the implementation of a number of issues of critical importance for the future of the Convention. These included: establishing the permanent Secretariat; relocating the Secretariat to Montreal; elaborating the Jakarta Mandate on Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity; establishing the pilot phase of the clearing-house mechanism; and organizing inter-governmental meetings. In addition, during the past year the Secretariat has engaged in a process of strengthening cooperation with biodiversity-related conventions and has begun to ways to promote the participation of the private sector in the implementation of the Convention.

5.2 The Jakarta Mandate

44. The COP at its second meeting agreed on decision II/10, the Jakarta Mandate, which proposes a framework programme for global action on marine and coastal biological diversity. The mandate proposes concrete measures for the Parties and also invites major international bodies to improve their existing activities and develop new actions towards the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity. Decision II/10 also asked the Executive Secretary to solicit input from all Parties and, as appropriate, from other countries and relevant bodies to assist in the establishment of a roster of experts on marine and coastal biological diversity. By September 17, 1996 a total of 56 countries and several organizations had submitted the names of 671 experts. The first meeting of Experts on Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity drawn from the roster will be held early in 1997 in Indonesia.

5.3 Biosafety

45. By its decision II/5, the COP established an Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group of Experts on Biosafety and requested the Executive Secretary to make arrangements for the Working Group to meet at least once before the third meeting of the COP. At the invitation of the Government of Denmark, the first meeting of the Working Group was held in Aarhus, Denmark, from 22 to 26 July 1996. The meeting was attended by representatives of 91 States and of one regional economic integration organization, as well as by a number of United Nations bodies and specialised agencies, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and representatives of the private sector

46. The Working Group recommended holding two further meetings in 1997, both of five days' duration and requested the Secretariat to prepare the basic document for consideration at the first meeting in 1997 containing the views of Governments and the European Community on the contents of the future protocol. The meeting also agreed that the Secretariat should compile: a background document on existing international agreements; a bibliography of relevant literature regarding both positive and negative potential socio-economic effects of biotechnology; definitions already contained in binding international agreements of the terms proposed for definition in the protocol. This last compilation should be distributed to Governments by 1 October 1996.

47. In light of the recommendation of the COP that the Working Group endeavour to complete its work in 1998, and of an assessment of the level of support the Working Group will require from the Secretariat, it is proposed that a separate section within the Secretariat be established to service the Working Group.

5.4 Clearing-house Mechanism

48. In decision I/3, the COP established a clearing-house mechanism to promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation in accordance with Article 18, paragraph 3 of the Convention. At its second meeting, the COP agreed on a pilot phase for 1996­1997. In accordance with the guidelines provided, the Secretariat has consulted with active partners who have indicated their interest in assisting with the start-up of the pilot phase. These active partners include the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), the Commission of the European Communities, and the focal points in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Germany. Efforts are being made to expand the number and distribution of active partners.

49. As a result of these discussions, an operational framework has been agreed upon for implementing the pilot phase of the clearing-house mechanism by means of a decentralised structure. The first product of the pilot phase has been the clearing-house mechanism's World Wide Web homepage, which is located at URL: <http://www.biodiv.org/>. The Government of Germany has assisted the Secretariat in the design of a symbol for the mechanism which was made available and adopted as needed by active partners.

5.5 Financial resources and mechanism

50. The work of the Secretariat on this issue is well documented in decision II/6. The Secretariat has transmitted the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the COP and the Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to Parties for comment. The comments will be incorporated into the MoU and used as the basis for further discussions with the Secretariat of the GEF.

51. The Secretariat participated in the meeting of the GEF Council held in early April in Washington and communicated the guidance provided by the COP to the GEF Council (decision II/6). The Council stressed the importance of cultivating good relations between the secretariats of the GEF and the Convention. A series of measures aimed at confidence-building has been initiated. The first was a consultative meeting held in Germany from 2 to 4 July 1996. A consultative meeting on the draft Memorandum of Understanding was held in Montreal from 31 August to 1 September 1996. The Secretariat will also participate in the October 1996 GEF Council meeting.

52. The Secretariat has also participated in monthly meetings of the GEF Taskforce on Enabling Activities and bimonthly meetings of the GEF Operational Committee (GEFOP). Draft documentation has also been exchanged between the two secretariats to enable each to comment on and review relevant documents prior to finalization. Support for the clearing-house mechanism by the interim financial mechanism has been developed through collaboration by both Secretariats.

53. The Secretariat is developing guidelines for the review of the financial mechanism on the basis of comments from Parties. It is exploring ways to identify further financial resources for activities in support of the objectives of the Convention and is preparing a study on the characteristics of activities related to biological diversity and their financial requirements.

5.6 Meetings attended by the Secretariat

54. Members of the Secretariat have attended a number of important international meetings during the course of the year. These include:

1. The second session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests, Geneva (March);
2. The sixth meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention, Brisbane, Australia (March);
3. The OECD International Conference on Biodiversity Incentives, Cairns, Australia (March );
4. The annual meeting of the Darwin Initiative, London, UK (March);
5. The meeting of the Council of the Global Environment Facility, Washington, USA (April);
6. The fourth FAO International Technical Conference on the Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Leipzig, Germany (June);
7. The second Expert Meeting of the Swiss-Peruvian Initiative on Forests, Geneva, (June);
8. The Operation Activities Segment of ECOSOC, United Nations Headquarters (July);
9. The eighth meeting of the Interagency Committee on Sustainable Development; United Nations Headquarters (July);
10. The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Geneva (July);
11. The Norway/UN Conference on Alien Species, Trondheim, Norway (July);
12. The International Workshop on Biodiversity Information, London, UK (July);
13. The interagency consultation on indigenous peoples, Geneva, (July);
    The fourteenth session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Geneva (July);
14. The third session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests, Geneva (September).

In addition a large number of workshops and round-table discussions have been attended.

5.7 Promotion of the Convention

55. To mark the 1995 International Day of Biological Diversity (December 29), the Secretariat released a Braille edition of the Convention on Biological Diversity in English, French and Spanish. The publication was made possible with support from the private sector.

56. Preparations for the Global Biodiversity Outlook have started with the elaboration of a funding proposal to be submitted to potential donors for voluntary contributions and discussions with potential publishers. It is intended to publish the first issue of the GBO in late 1997

57. To promote the Convention, the Secretariat has published A Call to Action: Decisions and Ministerial Statement from the Second Meeting of the Conference of the Parties. The Secretariat also produced the statement of the COP on "Biological Diversity and Forests" in booklet form in English and French for distribution at the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and subsequent international distribution.

58. The President of the COP presented the Statement from the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to the International Technical Conference on the Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Leipzig, June).

59. The Chairmen of the SBSTTA for 1995 and 1996 have promoted the work of the SBSTTA at several international meetings and workshops.

60. Documentation prepared by the Secretariat for the second meeting of the SBSTTA and the present meeting of the COP has been made available on the World Wide Web. Consultants assisted in training Secretariat staff in the creation and maintenance of the Secretariat's home page with the aim of establishing in-house capacity to post documentation on the World Wide Web.

5.8 Preparation of documents

61. The preparation of documents for meetings held under the Convention is a major activity of the Secretariat. For meetings held in 1996, the Secretariat prepared a total of 59 pre-session documents, and distributed a further 58 documents for information. Comparable figures for previous years are: 1995, 30 pre-session and 23 information documents; 1994, 39 pre-session and 14 information documents; 1993, 7 pre-session documents.

6. COOPERATION WITH OTHER CONVENTIONS, PROCESSES AND INSTITUTIONS

62. Contacts have been made with a number of conventions and institutions to explore ways of fostering cooperation. Memoranda of cooperation have been signed with the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention). A teleconference among the three secretariats and the Secretariat of the Convention was held on 7 May 1996 to discuss ways of putting the provisions of the memoranda into effect. Discussions are underway for similar agreements with the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

63. The Executive Secretary considers that the Convention should concentrate in the first instance on establishing cooperative relationships with global biodiversity-related conventions and institutions, before addressing the possibilities of cooperation with regional conventions and institutions.

64. The Executive Secretary and the Director General of FAO have agreed to formulate and sign a framework memorandum on long-term cooperation in the implementation of the Convention.

65. Pursuant to decision II/9, the Secretariat prepared two background papers on traditional forest-related knowledge as a contribution to the reports of Secretary-General on this topic to the second and third sessions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests.

66. In July 1996, the Executive Secretary made a presentation to the Operational Activities Segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations on the achievements of and decisions made at the second meeting of the COP.

67. The Secretariat has made other organizations aware of decisions of the COP which are of relevance to them and several have responded with expressions of interest in cooperation with the Convention.

68. Participation in international meetings involves demands on staff time and on the financial resources of the Secretariat, which to date have not been adequately allowed for in the budget allocation for the Secretariat.

69. In accordance with the guidance provided by the COP, the Secretariat has continued to promote consultation and cooperation with relevant private sector organizations. This represents a growing aspect of the work of the Secretariat. In-kind contributions have included the submission of background documents and assistance with the preparation of lists of terminologies related to biosafety. Private sector support for the preparation of meetings and with publications has also been received.

7. ORGANISATION OF MEETINGS BY THE SECRETARIAT

70. The Bureaux of the SBSTTA and the COP both met in Montreal in May and in September.

71. The first meeting of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety was held in Aarhus, Denmark from 22 to 26 July 1996. The report of the meeting is contained in UNEP/CBD/COP/3/26.

72. The second meeting of the SBSTTA was held in Montreal, Canada from 2 to 6 September 1996. The report of the meeting is contained in UNEP/CBD/COP/3/3. Prior to the meeting of the SBSTTA organized an informal consultation on the draft Memorandum of Understanding between the COP and the Council of the GEF.

73. The first meeting of Experts on Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity, initially planned for early May 1996, was postponed to allow for the creation of the roster of experts. The meeting will now be held early in 1997 in Indonesia.

74. As provided for in decision II/22, the Secretariat has organized four regional meetings to prepare for the third meeting of the COP .

75. Arrangements for the third meeting of the COP have included the preparation and signature of the host country agreement with the Government of Argentina, and visits to the facilities in Argentina by representatives from UNON, UNEP and the Secretariat in June and in August 1996. The latter visit included discussion of the final details of the organization of the meeting. The host country agreement was signed by the Executive Director of UNEP on behalf of the Convention. The Director of the UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean was designated by the Executive Director of UNEP as the focal point for the negotiations.

76. For each substantive item on the agendas of these meetings, background papers and reports were prepared. Advance documents were made available through the Convention's World Wide Web site. The Secretariat acknowledges the contributions made by governments, organizations and institutions in the preparation of the background documents for the meetings.

8. DIPLOMATIC ARRANGEMENTS AND CONSULTATIONS

77. A number of Governments who previously covered the Convention through their missions in Geneva have designated their missions in Canada or in New York to cover the Convention. An updated list, illustrating the current distribution of designated missions, is contained in Annex X. Briefings were given to representatives of diplomatic missions in Geneva (January and July), Nairobi (March) and Montreal (June).

9. MOBILIZING KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE

78. The Secretariat has received numerous submissions on issues relating to the implementation of the Convention. These have come from Governments, from international institutions, from non-governmental organizations and from the private sector, and have been submitted in response to decisions of the COP or requests from the Executive Secretary, or are unsolicited. The material submitted has been rich and useful, and it is clear to the Secretariat that such submissions represent a substantial investment of time and effort on the part of the Governments and organizations involved. The Secretariat hopes that relevant submissions on all aspects of the Convention will continue to be made available to it from a wide range of stakeholders.

79. The Secretariat has been fortunate in being able to draw upon networks of institutions and individuals with expertise and commitment to the issues embodied in the Convention. Much of the substantive discussion and preparation of background documents has occurred through such knowledge networks. Through the use of telecommunications, decentralized network of collaborating institutions and individuals can be established to provide the intellectual underpinning for the Secretariat's work. Such arrangements represent flexible, low-cost and rapid solutions to the demands of complex work programmes and the Executive Secretary plans to further explore the potential of such decentralized collaborative networks, including through secondments, sabbaticals and task-based consultancies.

80. The Secretariat has identified the need to strengthen the existing links and potential for interchange with intergovernmental institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The proposed structure of the Secretariat reflects the desire to give attention to collaboration with these sectors.

81. The need to build up and maintain a working reference library in the Secretariat's offices, and to develop systems for the classification and retrieval of information, including submissions received and references, has been identified and is reflected in the proposed staffing and administrative arrangements for the Secretariat. Such resources would be closely linked to the operations of the clearing-house mechanism.

10. TRUST FUND OF THE CONVENTION

10.1 Payment of contributions to the Trust Fund

82. One of the most urgent concerns of the Secretariat is that of payments to the Trust Fund of the Convention. Annex IV provides the status of contributions registered by the Secretariat as of 31 August 1996. Paragraph 9 of the financial rules for the administration of the Trust for the Convention on Biological Diversity provides that the Executive Secretary may commit resources against the Trust Fund only if such commitments are covered by contributions already received.

83. Contributions to the Trust Fund are paid only on an annual basis. Although the financial rules state that contributions are due annually on 1 January, payments are not being deposited at the beginning of the year. This situation, coupled with the fact that the Executive Director of UNEP has been instructed by the Governing Council to reduce the cash balances that can be carried over from one year to the next, has meant that UNEP has less flexibility to provide cash advances to convention secretariats.

84. In light of this situation, early payment of contributions to the Trust Fund is absolutely necessary to enable the Secretariat to implement the decisions of the COP. In the absence of the flexibility deriving from the timely payment of contributions, the Secretariat will continue to experience difficulties in functioning properly in the first six months of each year. A possible remedy might be the establishment of a working capital reserve fund and this idea has been explored in the proposed budget for the Trust Fund for 1997.

85. The current practice of establishing an annual budget for the Trust Fund, as opposed to a multi-year budget, also results in a situation whereby UNEP is unable to offer contracts of more than one year to Secretariat staff. This may result in difficulties in attracting experienced international staff to Montreal.

10.2 Voluntary and in-kind contributions

86. The Secretariat will be seeking voluntary and in-kind contributions to support its activities. A number of decisions of the COP such as the convening of meetings (including the third meeting of the COP) are funded through voluntary contributions. Other activities such as the publication of the GBO will depend on the availability of voluntary contributions. Such contributions may also include intellectual and material inputs into papers prepared to promote the objectives of the Convention. The Secretariat has received valuable assistance from the Earth Negotiations Bulletin with the posting of electronic copies of documents on the World Wide Web and from the Government of Germany with activities under the pilot phase of the clearing-house mechanism.

11. LESSONS LEARNED IN 1996

87. Considerable progress has been made towards the establishment of the permanent Secretariat in Montreal. This is despite the fact that several factors have influenced the ability of the Secretariat to perform its functions, as mandated under Article 24. Valuable lessons for the future may be drawn from consideration of these factors.

88. The past year has been characterized by the convergence of four sets of issues: those arising from the relocation; those arising from the recruitment of the permanent staff; the growth in the size and complexity of the work programme; and the increase in the number of Parties.

89. The first two sets of issues contain important implications for its future smooth operations and ability to deliver the services Parties expect.

90. The limitations of the Secretariat's administrative infrastructure have been revealed. Services formerly provided by UNOG or the UNEP Regional Office for Europe now have to be performed in-house, or provided from Nairobi. In an under-staffed Secretariat professional staff with little training in UN procedures have been called upon to perform administrative duties. The current Fund Management and Administration section, as approved in decision II/20, comprises only three people: a Fund Management/Administration Officer, an Administrative Assistant and a Clerk. Parties may wish to take this into account when considering the proposed budget for 1997.

91. The difficulties of communication between Montreal and Nairobi have affected the ability of UNEP to support the Secretariat in the way originally envisaged, and this has had an impact on the capacity of the Secretariat to discharge its functions efficiently.

92. Most of the substantive decisions of the COP require the Secretariat to initiate and guide knowledge-intensive processes and in order to fulfill these decisions, the Executive Secretary needs to identify and retain professionals with expertise and specialized knowledge. Many tasks have to be started at short notice and will need to be completed by or reported back to the next meeting.

93. The duration of contracts is contingent upon the budget. The setting of annual budgets will act as a deterrent to attracting high quality staff to the Secretariat. The COP may wish to consider additional ways by which the Secretariat can mobilize the necessary expertise.

94. Prompt payment of contributions to the Trust Fund is essential to the efficient administration of the Convention. Late payment of contributions seriously affects administration in the first half of the year. This is particularly the case now that the flexibility previously allowed to UNEP to advance funds has been curtailed. The COP will recall that major activities are envisaged for the first half of 1997.

95. In summary, the administrative and financial arrangements for the Secretariat must be such as to allow it to perform the functions attributed to it under Article 24 and under decisions of the COP in as timely and efficient a manner as possible.

----ANNEX I

Status of Ratification of the Convention of Biological Diversity
at 24 September 1996

1. Mauritius (4.9.92)
2. Seychelles (22.9.92)
3. Marshall Islands (8.10.92)
4. Maldives (9.11.92)
5. Monaco (20.11.92)
6. Canada (4.12.92)
7. China (5.1.93)
8. St. Kitts & Nevis (7.1.93)
9. Ecuador (23.2.93)
10. Fiji (25.2.93)
11. Antigua & Barbuda (9.3.93)
12. Mexico (11.3.93)
13. Papua New Guinea (16.3.93)
14.Vanuatu (25.3.93)
15. Cook Islands (20.4.93)
16. Guinea (7.5.93)
17. Armenia (14.5.93)
18. Japan1 (28.5.93)
19. Zambia (28.5.93)
20. Peru (7.6.93)
21. Australia (18.6.93)
22. Norway (9.7.93)
23. Tunisia (15.7.93)
24. Saint Lucia2 (28.7.93)
25. Bahamas (2.9.93)
26. Burkina Faso (2.9.93)
27. Belarus (8.9.93)
28. Uganda (8.9.93)
29. New Zealand (16.9.93)
30. Mongolia (30.9.93)
31. Philippines (8.10.93)
32. Uruguay (5.11.93)
33. Nauru (11.11.93)
34. Jordan (12.11.93)
35. Nepal (23.11.93)
36. Czech Republic3 (3.12.93)
37. Barbados (10.12.93)
38. Sweden (16.12.93)
39. European Comm.3 (21.12.93)
40. Denmark (21.12.93)
41. Germany (21.12.93)
42. Portugal (21.12.93)
43. Spain (21.12.93)
44. Belize (30.12.93)
45. Albania2 (5.1.94)

46. Malawi (2.2.94)
47. Samoa (9.2.94)
48. India (18.2.94)
49. Hungary (24.2.94)
50. Paraguay (24.2.94)
51. Brazil (28.2.94)
52. Cuba (8.3.94)
53. Sri Lanka (23.3.94)
54. Ethiopia (5.4.94)
55. Dominica2 (6.4.94)
56. Italy (15.4.94)
57. Bangladesh (3.5.94)
58. Luxembourg (9.5.94)
59. Egypt (2.6.94)
60. Georgia2 (2.6.94)
61. UK (3.6.94)
62. Chad (7.6.94)
63. The Gambia (10.6.94)
64. Micronesia (20.6.94)
65. Malaysia (24.6.94)
66. Benin (30.6.94)
67. France (1.7.94)
68. Netherlands1 (12.7.94)
69. Kenya (26.7.94)
70. Pakistan (26.7.94)
71. Estonia (27.7.94)
72. Finland1 (27.7.94)
73. Greece (4.8.94)
74. Grenada (11.8.94)
75. Kiribati2 (16.8.94)
76. Romania (17.8.94)
77. Austria (18.8.94)
78. Indonesia (23.8.94)
79. Slovakia3 (25.8.94)
80. Costa Rica (26.8.94)
81. Ghana (29.8.94)
82. Nigeria (29.8.94)
83. Guyana (29.8.94)
84. Djibouti (1.9.94)
85. Kazakhstan (6.9.94)
86. El Salvador (8.9.94)
87. Chile (9.9.94)
88. Iceland (12.9.94)
89. Venezuela (13.9.94)
90. Comoros (29.9.94)

91. Bolivia (3.10.94)
92. Rep. Of Korea (3.10.94)
93. Senegal (17.10.94)
94. Cameroon (19.10.94)
95. DP Rep Korea3 (26.10.94)
96. San Marino (28.10.94)
97. Swaziland (9.11.94)
98. Zimbabwe (11.11.94)
99. Viet Nam (16.11.94)
100. Switzerland (21.11.94)
101. Argentina (22.11.94)
102. Myanmar (25.11.94)
103. Colombia (28.11.94)
104. Cote d'Ivoire (29.11.94)
105. Zaire (3.12.94)
106. Equatorial Guinea2 (6.12.94)
107. Sierra Leone2 (12.12.94)
108. Lebanon (15.12.94)
109. Jamaica (6.1.95)
110. Lesotho (10.1.95)
111. Panama (17.1.95)
112. Ukraine (7.2.95)
113. Oman (8.2.95)
114. Cambodia2 (9.2.95)
115. Centr. African Rep. (15.3.95)
116. Mali (29.3.95)
117. Cape Verde (29.3.95)
118. Russian Federation (5.4.95)
119. Guatemala (10.7.95)
120. Uzbekistan2 (19.7.95)
121. Niger (25.7.95)
122. Honduras (31.7.95)
123. Israel (7.8.95)
124. Algeria (14.8.95)
125. Morocco (21.8.95)
126. Bhutan (25.8.95)
127. Mozambique (25.8.95)
128. Solomon Islands (3.10.95)
129. Togo1 (4.10.95)
130. Botswana (12.10.95)
131. Rep. of Moldova (20.10.95)
132. Guinea-Bissau (27.10.95)
133. Sudan (30.10.95)
134. South Africa (2.11.95)
135. Nicaragua (20.11.95)

136. Latvia (14.12.95)
137. Singapore (21.12.95)
138. Syrian Arabic Rep (4.1.96)
139. Suriname (12.1.96)
140. Poland (18.1.96)
141. Lithuania (1.2.96)
142. Yemen (21.2.96)
143. Niue2 (27.2.96)
144. Madagascar (4.3.96)
145. Rep. of Tanzania (8.3.96)
146. Eritrea2 (21.3.96)
147. Ireland (22.3.96)
148. Bulgaria (17.4.96)
149. Rwanda (29.5.96)
150. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (3.6.96)2 
151. Slovenia (9.7.96)
152. Cyprus (10.7.96)
153. Congo (1.8.96)
154. Trinidad and Tobago (1.8.96)
155. Iran (6.8.96)
156. Kyrgyzstan2 (6.8.96)
157. Mauritania (16.8.96)
158. Qatar (21.8.96)
159. Turkmenistan (18.9.86)2

1 Acceptance of the Convention
2 Accession to the Convention
3 Approval of the Convention

ANNEX III

Convention on Biological Diversity
Status of Contributions 1995-1996
as of 31 August 1996

1995

1996

PARTIES

AGREED *

PAYMENT

AGREED **

PAYMENT

BALANCE

CONTRIBUTION

PAYMENT

BALANCE

FOR

CONTRIBUTION

FOR

1995-1996

1995

1996

1996

1

Albania

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

2

Algeria

0

0

0

0

15,180

0

15,180

3

Antigua & Barbuda

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

4

Argentina

36,088

0

36,088

0

45,539

0

81,627

5

Armenia

6,015

0

6,015

0

5,218

0

11,233

6

Australia

109,860

109,860

0

0

140,411

140,411

0

7

Austria

63,905

0

63,905

63,905

82,065

0

82,065

8

Bahamas

1,504

1,504

0

0

1,897

1,897

0

9

Bangladesh

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

10

Barbados

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

11

Belarus

27,817

0

27,817

0

27,750

0

55,567

12

Belize

752

1,504

-752

0

949

0

197

13

Benin

479

479

0

0

690

0

690

14

Bhutan

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

15

Bolivia

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

16

Botswana

0

0

0

0

949

949

0

17

Brazil

121,795

121,795

0

0

153,693

0

153,693

18

Burkina Faso

479

479

0

0

690

0

690

19

Cambodia

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

20

Cameroon

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

21

Canada

230,810

230,810

0

0

294,342

294,342

0

22

Cape Verde

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

23

Central African Republic

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

24

Chad

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

25

Chile

6,015

0

6,015

0

7,590

0

13,605

26

China

54,131

54,131

0

0

69,731

0

69,731

27

Colombia

8,270

0

8,270

8,270

9,487

9,487

0

28

Comoros

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

29

Cook Islands

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

30

Costa Rica

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

31

Cote d'Ivoire

752

1,504

-752

0

949

0

197

32

Cuba

5,263

0

5,263

0

4,981

0

10,244

33

Czech Republic

24,058

24,058

0

0

24,667

24,667

0

34

Democ. Pop. Rep. of Korea

3,007

0

3,007

0

4,744

0

7,751

35

Denmark

52,628

52,628

0

0

68,071

68,071

0

36

Djibouti

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

37

Dominica

752

0

752

752

949

0

949

38

Ecuador

1,504

1,353

151

0

1,897

0

2,048

39

Egypt

5,263

5,263

0

0

6,641

6,641

0

40

El Salvador

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

41

Equatorial Guinea

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

42

Estonia

3,759

0

3,759

0

4,032

0

7,791

43

Ethiopia

479

479

0

0

690

0

690

44

European Community

119,675

119,675

0

0

172,400

0

172,400

45

Fiji

752

752

0

0

949

838

111

46

Finland

45,861

45,861

0

0

58,584

58,584

0

47

France

475,152

475,152

0

0

607,895

607,895

0

48

Gambia

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

49

Georgia

12,029

0

12,029

0

11,148

0

23,177

50

Germany

672,130

300,000

372,130

372,130

857,884

457,884

400,000

51

Ghana

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

52

Greece

27,817

0

27,817

27,817

36,052

67,183

-31,131

53

Grenada

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

54

Guatemala

0

0

0

0

1,897

0

1,897

55

Guinea

479

0

479

0

690

690

479

56

Guinea-Bissau

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

57

Guyana

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

58

Honduras

0

0

0

0

949

0

949

59

Hungary

11,277

11,277

0

0

13,282

13,282

0

60

Iceland

2,255

2,255

0

0

2,846

2,846

0

61

India

23,307

0

23,307

23,307

29,410

0

29,410

62

Indonesia

10,526

10,526

0

0

13,282

0

13,282

63

Israel

8,152

0

8,152

8,152

25,378

25,378

0

64

Italy

360,123

0

360,123

0

493,100

0

853,223

65

Jamaica

752

714

38

0

949

0

987

66

Japan

1,048,794

1,048,794

0

0

1,464,357

0

1,464,357

67

Jordan

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

68

Kazakhstan

19,547

0

19,547

0

18,974

0

38,521

69

Kenya

752

1,504

-752

0

949

0

197

70

Kiribati

479

479

0

0

690

690

0

71

Latvia

0

0

0

0

7,827

0

7,827

72

Lebanon

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

73

Lesotho

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

74

Lithuania

0

0

0

0

8,064

0

8,064

75

Luxembourg

5,263

5,263

0

0

6,641

6,641

0

76

Malawi

479

479

0

0

690

0

690

77

Malaysia

10,526

10,526

0

0

13,282

0

13,282

78

Maldives

479

479

0

0

690

0

690

79

Mali

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

80

Marshall Islands

752

0

752

752

949

0

949

81

Mauritius

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

82

Mexico

58,642

0

58,642

0

74,712

0

133,354

83

Micronesia (Federated States of)

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

84

Monaco

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

85

Mongolia

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

86

Morocco

0

0

0

0

2,846

2,846

0

87

Mozambique

0

0

0

0

690

690

0

88

Myanmar

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

89

Nauru

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

90

Nepal

479

479

0

0

690

690

0

91

Netherlands

118,788

118,788

0

0

150,610

150,610

0

92

New Zealand

18,044

18,044

0

0

22,769

22,769

0

93

Nicaragua

0

0

0

0

949

0

949

94

Niger

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

95

Nigeria

12,029

0

12,029

0

10,910

0

22,939

96

Norway

41,359

41,359

0

0

53,129

53,129

0

97

Oman

0

0

0

0

3,795

0

3,795

98

Pakistan

4,511

0

4,511

4,516

5,692

0

5,687

99

Panama

1,504

0

1,504

0

949

0

2,453

100

Papua New Guinea

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

101

Paraguay

752

0

752

752

949

949

0

102

Peru

4,511

0

4,511

0

5,692

0

10,203

103

Philippines

4,511

4,511

0

0

5,692

5,692

0

104

Poland

0

0

0

0

32,019

0

32,019

105

Portugal

18,044

0

18,044

0

26,090

0

44,134

106

Republic of Korea

60,146

60,146

0

0

77,558

77,558

0

107

Republic of Moldova

0

0

0

0

8,064

0

8,064

108

Romania

11,277

0

11,277

0

14,231

0

25,508

109

Russian Federation

5,000

5,000

0

0

422,183

0

422,183

110

Saint Kitts and Nevis

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

111

Saint Lucia

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

112

Samoa

479

479

0

0

690

0

690

113

San Marino

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

114

Senegal

752

0

752

752

949

154

795

115

Seychelles

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

116

Sierra Leone

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

117

Singapore

0

0

0

0

108,155

0

108,155

118

Slovakia

7,518

9,413

-1,895

0

7,827

5,932

0

119

Solomon Islands

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

120

South Africa

0

0

0

0

30,596

0

30,596

121

Spain

168,408

168,408

0

0

224,136

224,136

0

122

Sri Lanka

752

0

752

752

949

0

949

123

Sudan

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

124

Suriname

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

125

Swaziland

752

752

0

0

949

949

0

126

Sweden

91,722

91,722

0

0

116,456

116,456

0

127

Switzerland

90,971

90,971

0

0

114,796

114,796

0

128

Syrian Arabic Republic

0

0

0

0

4,744

0

4,744

129

Togo

0

0

0

0

690

0

690

130

Tunisia

2,255

2,255

0

0

2,846

2,846

0

131

Uganda

479

1,437

-958

0

690

0

-268

132

Ukraine

0

0

0

0

108,155

0

108,155

133

United Kingdom

396,211

396,211

0

0

504,247

128,454

375,793

134

Uruguay

3,007

0

3,007

0

3,795

0

6,802

135

Uzbekistan

0

0

0

0

13,045

0

13,045

136

Vanuatu

479

479

0

0

690

0

690

137

Venezuela

30,073

0

30,073

0

32,019

0

62,092

138

Viet Nam

752

752

0

0

949

0

949

139

Zaire

479

0

479

0

690

0

1,169

140

Zambia

479

0

479

479

690

0

690

141

Zimbabwe

752

0

752

0

949

0

1,701

TOTAL

4,800,267

3,661,317

1,138,950

512,336

7,058,468

2,703,675

4,981,407

* First meeting of the Conference of the Parties, UNEP/CBD/COP/1/17
** Second meeting of the Conference of the Parties, UNEP/CBD/COP/2/19

ANNEX IV

Trust Fund for the Convention on Biological Diversity

Additional Voluntary Contributions received in 1996
as of 31 August 1996

COUNTRY

AGREED

PAYMENT

BALANCE

CONTRIBUTION

1

Australia

1/

125,000

125,000

0

2

Canada

2/

800,000

800,000

0

3

Canada

3/

145,985

145,985

0

4

Canada, Quebec

4/

200,000

200,000

0

5

Denmark

8/

255,603

255,603

0

6

Denmark

9/

298,430

298,430

0

7

Denmark

10/

43,000

0

43,000

8

European Commission

5/

62,300

62,300

0

9

Sweden

6/

13,950

13,950

0

10

Sweden

7/

15,108

15,108

0

11

Switzerland

11/

16,667

0

16,667

TOTAL

1,976,043

1,916,376

59,667

1/

To finance position of Prog. Off. on Indigenous Knowledge

2/

Annual contribution to finance the Secretariat in Montreal 

3/

CAN $200,000 to finance relocation of the Secretariat in Montreal

4/

Annual contribution of the Province of Quebec. 

5/

Contribution to assist developing countries participation in COP2, Jakarta, received in 1996

6/

To assist developing countries's participation in SBSTTA1, Paris 

7/

SEK 100,000 to assist developing countries participation in COP2, Jakarta.

8/

To cover additional costs of Biosafety Meeting in Aarhus, 22-26 July 1996

9/

To finance participation of developing countries in Aarhus meeting.

10/

DK 250,000 to finance participation of countries with economies in transition in Aarhus meeting

11/

SF 20,000 to finance participation of developing countries in meetings of the Convention.

ANNEX V

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Staffing at 7 September 1996
(Positions created by decision II/20)

SECRETARIAT

Level

Incumbent

Observations

1

EXECUTIVE DIRECTION AND MANAGEMENT

1.1

Executive Secretary

D-2

Mr. C. Juma (Kenya)

Effective September 1995; fixed term appointment

1.2

Special Assistant

P-3

Ms. C. Bastien (Canada)

Effective February 1996; short-term contract; classification underway

1.3

Senior Secretary

G-6

Ms. W. Allen 

Serving as liaison in Geneva until 31.12.96

1.4

Fund Management/Admin. Officer

P-4

Ms. M. Strunck (France)

Anticipated October 1996, funded by UNEP.

1.5

Admin. Assistant, Administration

G-7

Ms. I. Tudor

Effective March 1996; temporary appointment to 31.12.96

1.6

Clerk/Messenger

G-2

Mr. M. Ghattas

Effective July 1996; temporary appointment to 31.12.96

2

INTERGOVERNMENTAL PROCESSES AND COOPERATIVE AFFAIRS

2.1

Principal Officer

D-1

Mr. C.G. Ducret (Switzerland)

Effective May 1996; fixed term appointment

2.2

PO, Financial Resources and Instruments

P-4

Mr. S. Johnston (Australia)

Effective May 1996; fixed term appointment

2.3

PO, Legal Advice and Support

P-4

Re-advertised

2.4

Associate Admin. Officer

P-2

Awaiting classification

2.5

Research Assistant

G-7

Ms. A. Albovias

Temporary appointment to 31.12.96

2.6

Secretary

G-4

Mr. D. Hamel

Temporary appointment to 31.12.96

3

SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL MATTERS

3.1

Principal Officer

D-1

Ms. A. Schenberg (Brazil)

Starting date to be determined; short-term contract; classification underway

3.2

SPO, Biotechnology

P-5

Awaiting re-classification

3.3

PO, Economist

P-4

Ms. C. Takasi (Japan)

Anticipated October 1996; short-term contract; classification underway

3.4

PO, Conservation Ecology

P-4

Ms. I. Pranoto (Indonesia)

Effective August 1996; short-term contract; classification underway

3.5

PO, Genetic Resources/Agrobiodiversity (FAO)

Secondment; negotiations underway

3.6

PO, Marine Ecology (UNESCO)

Secondment; shortlist submitted September 1996

3.7

PO, Indigenous Knowledge

P-3

Classification underway

3.8

Research Assistant

G-7

Ms. L. Rubello

Effective July 1996; temporary appointment to 31.12.96

3.9

Research Assistant

G-7

Local recruitment initiated

3.10

Secretary

G-4

Local recruitment initiated

SECRETARIAT

Level

Incumbent

Observations

4

IMPLEMENTATION AND COMMUNICATION

4.1

SPO, Implementation and Communications

P-5

Classification underway

4.2

PO, Clearing-house Mechanism

P-4

Re-advertised

4.3

PO, National Reports

P-3

Mr. A. Gross (UK)

Anticipated October 1996; short-term contract; classification underway 

4.4

Librarian/Documentalist

P-3

Classification pending

4.5

Associate Programme Officer (Database Management/Information)

P-2

Ms. B. Torres (Peru)

Effective August 1996; fixed term appointment

4.6

Associate Programme Officer (Communication) (UNEP)

P-2

4.7

Research Assistant

G-7

Ms. D. Miller

Effective May 1996; temporary appointment to 31.12.96

4.8

Secretary

G-4

Ms J. d'A. Byaje

Effective September 1996; temporary appointment to 31.12.96

4.9

Clerk, Library and Documentation

G-2

Local recruitment initiated

ANNEX VI

 List of meetings organized by the
 Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

 

Dates

 Meeting Title

Venue

17 January 1996

Briefing to diplomatic missions

Geneva

13 March 1996

Briefing to diplomatic missions

Nairobi

3-4 May 1996

SBSTTA Bureau Meeting

Montreal

4-5 May 1996

COP Bureau Meeting

Montreal

6 May 1996

Official opening of the Secretariat

Montreal

7 May 1996

Consultative Meeting of Biodiversity-related Conventions and Institutions

Montreal

26 June 1996

Briefing to diplomatic missions

Montreal

22-26 July 1996

Meeting of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on a Biosafety Protocol

Aarhus, Denmark

29 July 1996

Briefing to diplomatic missions

Geneva

1 September 1996

SBSTTA Bureau Meeting

Montreal

2-6 September 1996

Second Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice 

Montreal

30 September -2 October 1996

Economies in Transition Regional Meeting on Biological Diversity for the preparation of the third Conference of the Parties

Bratislava, Slovak Republic

9-10 October 1996

African Regional Meeting on Biological Diversity for the preparation of the third Conference of the Parties

Seychelles

17-18 October 1996

Asian Regional Meeting on Biological Diversity for the preparation of the third Conference of the Parties

Malaysia

24-25 October 1996

Latin American and the Caribbean Regional Meeting on Biological Diversity for the preparation of the third Conference of the Parties

St. Lucia

3 November 1996

 COP Bureau Meeting

Buenos Aires, Argentina

4-15 November 1996

Third Meeting of the COP

Buenos Aires, Argentina

16 November 1996

SBSTTA Bureau Meeting

Buenos Aires, Argentina

ANNEX VII 

Preliminary List of International and Regional Meetings
to be organized by the Secretariat in 1997

Meeting

location

date

Clearing-house mechanism workshop, Africa

to be decided

to be decided

Clearing-house mechanism workshop, Asia

to be decided

to be decided

Clearing-house mechanism workshop, Latin America and Caribbean

to be decided

to be decided

Clearing-house mechanism workshop, Economies in transition

to be decided

to be decided

Experts on Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity

Indonesia

February

Bureau, Working Group on Biosafety

Montreal

February

Bureau, SBSTTA

Montreal

February

Second meeting, Working Group on Biosafety

Montreal

May

Third meeting, SBSTTA

Montreal

June/July

Bureau, COP

Montreal

June/July

Regional preparatory meeting, Africa

to be decided

September

Regional preparatory meeting, Asia

to be decided

September

Regional preparatory meeting, Latin America and Caribbean

to be decided

September

Regional preparatory meeting, Economies in transition

to be decided

September

Third meeting, Working Group on Biosafety

Montreal

October

Fourth meeting, COP

Montreal

November

ANNEX VIII

Documents prepared by the Secretariat in 1996

I. Documents for the First Meeting of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety

Symbol Title

1. UNEP/CBD/WGPB.1/1 Draft Provisional Agenda

2. UNEP/CBD/WGPB.1/1/Add.1 Annotated Provisional Agenda

3. UNEP/CBD/WGPB.1/2 Terms of reference of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety
4. UNEP/CBD/WGPB.1/3 Elaboration of the Terms of Reference for the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety

5. UNEP/CBD/COP/2/7 Report of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Biosafety

6. UNEP/Global Consultation/Biosafety/4 Report of the Global Consultation of Government-designated Experts on International Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology

II. Documents for the second meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice

Symbol Title

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/1/Rev.1 Provisional agenda
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/1/Add.1/Rev.2 Annotated provisional agenda
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/2 Assessment of biological diversity and methodologies for future assessments
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/3 Identification, monitoring and assessments of components of biological diversity and processes which have adverse impacts.
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/4 Review and promotion of indicators of biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/5 Practical approaches for capacity building for taxonomy
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/6 Ways and means to promote and facilitate access to, and transfer and development of technology, including biotechnology
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/7 Knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/8 Capacity-building in biosafety for developing countries
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/9 Role of the clearing­house mechanism in facilitating and promoting technical and scientific co-operation in research and development
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/10 Agricultural biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/11 Biological diversity in forests
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/12 Future programme of work for terrestrial biological diversity in light of the outcome of the third session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/13 Economic valuation of biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/14 Report by the Executive Secretary on marine and coastal biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/16 Modus Operandi of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and T Technological Advice
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/17 Review of the medium­term programme of work of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, 1995-1997
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/18 Draft provisional agenda of the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/19 Date and venue of the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.1 Future programme of work for terrestrial biological diversity: relevant sections of the Report of the Third Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.2 Submissions received by the Secretariat concerning the transfer and development of technologies
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.3 Traditional forest-related knowledge and the Convention on Biological Diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.4 Submissions received by the Secretariat concerning the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.5 Submissions received by the Secretariat concerning forests and biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.6 An ecosystem approach to the management of northern coniferous forests
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.7 Submission by the Government of Finland on forests and biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.8 Submissions received by the Secretariat concerning knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.9 Submissions received by the Secretariat concerning identification, monitoring and assessment of biological diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.10 Status of ratifications of the Convention on Biological Diversity
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.11 National focal points for the clearing-house mechanism
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.12 Provisional agenda of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.13 Information for Participants
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.14 Dates and venues of related meetings in July 1997
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.15 FAO Global System for the Conservation and Utilisation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; report of the Fourth International Technical Conference on the Conservation on the Conservation and Utilisation of Plant Genetic resources for Food and Agriculture (Leipzig, Germany, 17-23 June 1996)
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.16 UNEP International Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology
UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/2/Inf.17 Biodiversity indicators: assessing the effectiveness of measures under the Convention on Biological Diversity
UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/4 Report of the first meeting of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety

Annex VIII (cont.)

III. List of documents for the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties

Symbol Title

• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/1 Provisional agenda
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/1/Add.1 Annotated provisional agenda
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/1/Add.2 Provisional organisation of work
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/2 Pending issues arising from the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/3 Report of the second meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/4 Report on the assessment and review of the operation of the clearing­house mechanism
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/5 Report of Global Environment Facility
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/6 Report of the Executive Secretary on financial resources and mechanism
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/7 Availability of additional financial resources and possible suggestions to funding institutions on how to make their activities more supportive of the Convention
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/8 Guidelines for the Conference of the Parties' review of the effectiveness of the financial mechanism
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/9 Designation of the institutional structure to operate the financial mechanism
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/10 Revised draft of Memorandum of Understanding between the Conference of the Parties and the Council of the Global Environment Facility
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/11 Implementation of Articles 6 and 8
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/12 Options for Implementing Article 7
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/13 Assessments of biological diversity and methodologies for future assessments
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/14 Consideration of agricultural biological diversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/15 Report on the Food Agriculture Organisation's Global System for the Conservation and Utilisation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/16 Forests and biological diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/17 Communication of the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests on progress on issues relevant to forests and biological diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/18 Future programme of work for terrestrial biological diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/19 Implementation of Article 8(j)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/20 Access to genetic resources
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/21 Promoting and facilitating access to and transfer and development of technology
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/22 Intellectual property rights
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/23 The Relationship between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/24 Implementation of Article 11
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/25 Submission to the special session of the General Assembly to review implementation of Agenda 21
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/26 Report of the first meeting of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/27 Report on the Elaboration of a Protocol on Biosafety
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/28 UNEP International Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/29 Cooperation with other biodiversity­related conventions and processes
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/30 Cooperation between the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat and the Convention on Biological Diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/31 Medium­term programme of work of the Conference of the Parties for 1996­1997
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/32 Report of the Executive Secretary on the administration of the Convention
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/33 Proposed budget of the trust for the Convention on Biological Diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/34 Date and venue of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/35 Relationship of the Convention with other conventions, institutions and processes: modalities for enhanced cooperation with relevant biodiversity-related bodies
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.1 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary concerning guidelines for the review of the effectiveness of the financial mechanism
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.2 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary concerning the "Draft Memorandum of Understanding Between the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Council of the Global Environment Facility Regarding the Institutional Structure Operating the Financial Mechanism of the Convention"
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.3 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary concerning knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.4 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary concerning ways and means to promote and facilitate access to and transfer and development of technology
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.5 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary concerning the possible influence that intellectual property rights may have on the implementation of the Convention
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.6 Agenda for the special session of the General Assembly and the proposed programme of preparatory work of the Commission on Sustainable Development
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.7 Integrating biological diversity into agricultural development
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.8 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary concerning biological diversity and forests
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.9 Environment and the TRIPs Agreement (Note by the Secretariat of the WTO)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.10 Factors affecting the transfer of environmentally sound technologies (Note by the Secretariat of the WTO)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.11 List of national focal points
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.12 Intellectual Property Rights Systems (submissions by the Government of Germany)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.13 Impact of IPR systems on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and on the equitable sharing of benefits from its use: a preliminary study
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.14 Annual Report of the Global Environment Facility
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.15 Quarterly Report of the Global Environment Facility
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.16 Draft revision of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.17 Report on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.18 Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.19 Access to microbial genetic resources
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.20 Biological Diversity and Intellectual Property Rights: issues and considerations (submission by the Government of Australia)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.21 Wetlands and biological diversity: cooperation between the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.22 Strategy and Activities in the Field of Coastal and Marine Biological Diversity in relation to decision II/10 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (submission by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.23 The role of knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles in the conservation of the world's biological diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.24 Compilation of international guidelines concerning indigenous and local communities
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.25 The Convention on Biological Diversity and TRIPs: relationships and synergies
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.26 Countries having submitted names for the roster of experts on marine and coastal biological diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.27 Status of ratifications of the Convention on Biological Diversity
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.28 Report of the preparatory meeting of the Eastern and Central European Group for the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.29 Report of the preparatory meeting of the African Group for the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.30 Report of the preparatory meeting of the Asian Group for the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.31 Report of the preparatory meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Group for the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.32 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary concerning the clearing-house mechanism
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.33 Traditional-forest related knowledge: Contribution by the Executive Secretary to the preparation of the Report of the Secretary General for Programme element I.3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.34 An ecosystem approach to the management of northern coniferous forests
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.35 Forests and biological diversity (submission by the Government of Finland)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.36 Submissions received by the Executive Secretary on incentive measures
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.37 Conclusions of the consultative meeting on the financial mechanism (Germany, 2-4 July 1996)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.38 Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat and the Bureau of the Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.39 Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.40 Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.41 Convention on Wetlands: Strategic Plan 1997-2002
• UNEP/CBD/COP/3/Inf.42 Report of the eighth meeting of the Inter-agency Committee on Sustainable Development

Two countries (Lesotho and Belarus) have indicating that they will not make nominations to the roster