Negotiating Bloc
African Group
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Daily report for 14 August 2017
23rd Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority
Highlights and images for 8 August 2017
23rd Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority
On Tuesday morning, the Assembly and Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) held their opening plenaries back to back, addressing their respective administrative matters. The Assembly also considered requests for observer status. The Legal and Technical Commission resumed its work in the afternoon.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 23rd Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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L-R: Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; Christine Griffiths, ISA Secretariat; Khurshed Alam, Assembly President for the 22nd Session; and Chris Brown, ISA Secretariat
Assembly delegates observing a moment of silence
Khurshed Alam, Assembly President for the 22nd Session
Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General
Khurshed Alam, outgoing Assembly President congratulates Eugénio João Muianga, incoming Assembly President
Sheila Sealy Monteith, Jamaica
Gaia Puleston, Australia
Khurshed Alam, Assembly President for the 22nd Session
Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Poland
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group
Graham Leung, Nauru
Dakuku Peterside, Nigeria
Kenneth Wong, Canada
Jean-Michel Despax, France
Duncan Laki Muhumuza, Uganda
Robert Ward, International Hydrographic Organization
Participants at the opening Council plenary
Carlos Alberto Michaelsen Den Hartog, Brazil
Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Poland, Council President for the 22nd Session
Ariel Fernández, Argentina, Council President for the 23rd Session
Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General, welcoming delegates from Tonga
L-R: Thembile Joyini, South Africa; Duncan Currie, Greenpeace; and Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria
Delegates from China
Summary report 8–18 August 2017
23rd Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority
Highlights and images for 21 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Friday, 21 July, plenary resumed at 3:45 pm. Chair Duarte offered draft recommendations arising from informal bilateral consultations, clarifying that: the elements of the draft text of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) do not reflect consensus; section A includes non-exclusive elements that generated convergence among most delegations; section B highlights some of the main issues on which there is divergence of views; and both sections are for reference purposes because they do not reflect all options discussed and are without prejudice to states’ positions during the negotiations. In addition, the draft included: a recommendation to the UN General Assembly to take a decision, as soon as possible, on the convening of an intergovernmental conference (IGC), under the auspices of the UN, to consider the PrepCom recommendations on the elements and to elaborate the text of an ILBI under the Convention; and an indication that the titles of the two sections be removed (namely, “elements of an ILBI draft text” and “elements requiring most attention towards further progress in the development of an ILBI draft text”) . Plenary was immediately suspended to allow for regional consultations.
7:25 pm: regional consultations are still ongoing
8:59 pm: plenary resumes
9:10 pm: plenary adopts recommendations to UN General Assembly
10:01 pm: Chair Duarte gaveled the meeting to a close
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of PrepCom 4 will be available on Monday, 24 July 2017, online at: http://enb.iisd.org/oceans/bbnj/prepcom4/
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Dais applaudes the conclusion of PrepCom 4
Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, gaveled the meeting to a close at 10:01 pm
L-R: Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, in discussion with John Brincat, EU
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
Delegates waiting for the resumption of PrepCom 4
Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea (right), in a conversation with delegates from Cameroon
L-R: Elizabeth Rodríguez Santiago, American Society of International Law, confers with Stella Bartolini Cavicchi, World Ocean Council
Delegates from Iceland reviewing draft text
Delegates from the African Group reviewing draft text
Delegates from Norway and Iceland consulting
Delegates from the African Group consulting
Delegates from Canada consulting
L-R: Zentaro Naganuma, Japan, with Ma Xinmin, China
L-R: Evan Bloom, US, with Zentaro Naganuma, Japan
L-R: Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS, with Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, International Seabed Authority (ISA)
L-R: Alain Tellier, Canada, with
Ma Xinmin, China
L-R: Zentaro Naganuma, Japan, with Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway
L-R: Alain Tellier, Canada, confers with Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, with Matthías Pálsson, Iceland
L-R Maxim Musikhin, Russian Federation and Larisa Chernysheva, Russian Federation, in conversation with Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil (right), in discussions with Evan Bloom, US
Duncan Currie, Greenpeace (center), with delegates from the Russian Federation
L-R: Tallash Kantai, IISD Reporting Services, in conversation with Matthías Pálsson, Iceland
L-R: Tidiani Couma, Joëlle Casanova, and Florian Botto, Monaco
Delegates from China
Delegates from the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS)
Delegates from Latin America and the Caribbean
Delegates from the African Group
Participants from the High Seas Alliance
Highlights and images for 19 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Wednesday, 19 July, delegates met in plenary in the morning and in the early afternoon to continue consideration of a revised Chair’s text containing draft recommendations to the UN General Assembly, focusing on the following draft elements of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI): environmental impact assessments, capacity building and technology transfer (CB&TT), institutional arrangements, and final clauses. Plenary also considered: a chapeau to the draft elements of the ILBI; and a procedural recommendation calling on the UN General Assembly to convene an intergovernmental conference as soon as possible, with a possible starting date of 2018.
In the afternoon, Chair Duarte held informal closed consultations on: the ILBI relationships with other legal instruments and relevant bodies; international cooperation; access to marine genetic resources (MGRs), types of benefits to be shared, IPRs and monitoring of MGR utilization; relationships between on area-based management tools and measures under other instruments, and adjacency; strategic environmental assessments; terms for technology transfer, and funding for CB&TT; institutional arrangements; financing; responsibility and liability; and a procedural recommendation to the General Assembly.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
Wini Broadbelt, EU
Lizanne Aching, Trinidad and Tobago
Larisa Chernysheva, Russian Federation
Jung-Eun Kim, Republic of Korea
Alice Revell, New Zealand
Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Zakieh Taghizadeh, Iran
Audrey Naana Abayena, Ghana
Diedre Mills, Jamaica, on behalf of CARICOM
María Alejandrina Sande, Uruguay, making an intervention
Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica
Jean Kenfack, Cameroon
Teresa Cruz Sardiñas, Cuba
Michael Googan, Australia
Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh, on behalf of the Least Developed
Countries (LDCs)
Alejandro Alday, Mexico
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group
Leonito Bacalando Jr., Federated States of Micronesia
Ma Xinmin, China
Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador, on behalf of the G-77/China
Ariel Cayanan, the Philippines
Matthías Pálsson, Iceland
John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo
Evan Bloom, US
View of the informal consultations
L-R: Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, in a conversation with Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation
L-R: Hiba Obaid Darwish Alsheihi, Hiba AlSaleh, and Hassina Ali, United Arab Emirates
Delegates from the Philippines
Highlights and images for 18 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Tuesday, 18 July, delegates met in plenary throughout the day to continue consideration of a revised Chair’s text containing draft recommendations to the UN General Assembly. Discussions focused on the following draft elements of a new international legally binding instrument: general elements, including use of terms, scope of application, objectives and relationships with other instruments; general principles and approaches; marine genetic resources; area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; and environmental impact assessments.
Chair Duarte proposed concluding consideration of the revised Chair’s draft on Wednesday morning; holding informal consultations with interested delegations on Wednesday afternoon on difficult points on a non-objection basis; and if no reformulation is possible, developing another section in the draft recommendations to deal with non-consensus points.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
View of PrepCom 4 participants
Zakieh Taghizadeh, Iran
Alice Revell, New Zealand
Jean Kenfack, Cameroon
María Claudia Vélez Crismatt, Colombia
Paulo José Chiarelli, Brazil
Metod Špacek, EU
Teresa Cruz Sardiñas, Cuba
Michael Googan, Australia
John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo
Larisa Chernysheva, Russian Federation
Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia
Ma Xinmin, China
Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS)
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group
Rena Lee, Singapore
Evan Bloom, US
L-R: René Lefeber, Tom Diederen, and Wini Broadbelt, the Netherlands
Alistair Graham, Australia, in a conversation with delegates from China
Zentaro Naganuma, Japan, confers with Diedre Mills, Jamaica
L-R: Evan Bloom, US, in a discussion with Zentaro Naganuma, Japan
Joan Yang, Nauru (second from right) in a discussion with delegates from Canada and Switzerland
Delegates from the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) consulting
Delegates from the African Group in informal consultations
Publications at PrepCom 4
Highlights and images for 13 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Thursday, 13 July, the informal working group on capacity building and technology transfer continued discussions in the morning, focusing on: objectives, principles, modalities, clearinghouse mechanism, funding, monitoring and review, and definitions.
The informal working group on crosscutting issues, facilitated by Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, focused on: institutional arrangements, including a decision-making forum, a scientific/technical body, a clearinghouse, a financial mechanism, dispute settlement, responsibility and liability, and review; and the preamble of an international legally binding instrument.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Rena Lee, Singapore, Facilitator of the informal working group on capacity building and transfer of marine technology; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Vita Onwuasoanya, UNDOALOS
Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Sabita Nakarmi, Nepal
Faiyaz Murshid Kazi, Bangladesh
Marc Richir, EU
Carlos García Reyes, Guatemala
Saifu George, Sierra Leone
Jorge Dotta, Uruguay
Vladimir Ryabinin, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States
Riena Dwi Astuty, Indonesia
Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway
Ismail Raushan, Maldives, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Dhisadee Chamlongrasdr, Thailand
James Ndirangu Waweru, Kenya
Rogelio Villanueva Jr., the Philippines
Mohamed Atlassi, Morocco
Audrey Naana Abayena, Ghana
Tatiana Shuvalova, Russian Federation
Luke Tang, Singapore
Jean Kenfack, Cameroon
Tevita Suka Mangisi, Tonga
Alain Tellier, Canada
Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico
Zentaro Naganuma, Japan
Estrella Tulay, the Philippines
Landisang Kotaro, Palau
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, facilitating the informal working group on crosscutting issues
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS; and Michele Ameri, UNDOALOS
Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland
Zakieh Taghizadeh, Iran
Metod Špaček, EU
Duncan Currie, Greenpeace
Evan Bloom, US
Oleg Rykov, Russian Federation
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group
Aboubacar Oulare, Guinea
Florian Botto, Monaco
L-R: Zentaro Naganuma, Japan, in a conversation with Matthías Pálsson, Iceland
Delegates from the Caribbean Community
Delegates from Germany
Highlights and images for 12 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Wednesday, 12 July, the informal working group on area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), continued discussions on the designation process, as well as on implementation, relationships to existing instruments, and monitoring and review.
The informal working group on environmental impact assessments (EIAs), facilitated by René Lefeber (the Netherlands), then addressed: obligations, guiding principles and approaches, criteria and thresholds, process, content of EIA reports, relationships to existing instruments, clearinghouse mechanisms, capacity building and technology transfer, and monitoring and review. The informal working group on capacity building and technology transfer, facilitated by Rena Lee (Singapore), started discussion of objectives, and guiding principles and approaches.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on ABMTs, including MPAs; Valentina Germani, UNDOALOS; and Carlos Fuentes, UNDOALOS
Siai Taylor, Cook Islands
Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway
Ma Xinmin, China
Riena Dwi Astuty, Indonesia
Michael Googan, Australia
Blaise Kuemlangan, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
Rena Lee, Singapore
Evan Bloom, US
Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on ABMTs, including MPAs
Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador, on behalf of the G-77/China
Veronica Frank, Greenpeace
Zentaro Naganuma, Japan
Arnór Snæbjörnsson, Iceland
Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States
Leonito Bacalando Jr., Federated States of Micronesia
John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo
Kate Neilson, New Zealand
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; René Lefeber, the Netherlands, Facilitator of the informal working group on environmental impact assessments; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; René Lefeber, the Netherlands, Facilitator of the informal working group on environmental impact assessments; Michael Schewchuk, UNDOALOS; and Yoshinobu Takei, UNDOALOS
Wini Broadbelt, EU
Lizanne Aching, Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of the Caribbean Community
Babajide Alo, Nigeria
Oleg Rykov, Russian Federation
Cymie Payne, IUCN
Cheikhy Sidi, Mauritania
Clarissa Jacqueline Caancan, the Philippines
Duncan Currie, Greenpeace
Penny Race, New Zealand
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Rena Lee, Singapore, Facilitator of the informal working group on capacity building and transfer of marine technology; and Vita Onwuasoanya, UNDOALOS
Kathleen Siala Taituave, Samoa
Da Hee Song, Republic of Korea
Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico
Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group
L-R: Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, consulting with Thembile Joyini, South Africa
L-R: Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation, in a conversation with Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway, and Evan Bloom, US
Delegates from Fiji and Samoa
Delegates from the Philippines
Highlights and images for 10 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Monday, 10 July, the fourth session of the Preparatory Committee on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) opened with the plenary addressing administrative matters and hearing general statements. In the afternoon, the informal working group on marine genetic resources (MGRs), facilitated by Janine Coye-Felson (Belize), convened to discuss scope, guiding principles and approaches, access and benefit-sharing.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil
Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, giving his opening address to PrepCom4
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
Alice Revell, New Zealand
Jane Chigiyal, Federated States of Micronesia
Horacio Sevilla-Borja, Ecuador, on behalf of the G-77/China
Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group
John Brincat, EU
Marlene Moses, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States
Teodoro Locsin Jr., the Philippines
Ma Xinmin, China
Ismail Raushan, Maldives, on behalf of Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico
Evan Bloom, US, making an intervention
Faiyaz Murshid Kazi, Bangladesh
Matthías Pálsson, Iceland
Michael Googan, Australia
Cristóbal Hernández Castillo, Chile
Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Rishy Bukoree, Mauritius
Alain Tellier, Canada
Florian Botto, Monaco
Carlos García Reyes, Guatemala
Kathryn Garforth, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Louise Kantrow, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Ariel Hernán Troisi, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) -UNESCO
Kristina Gjerde, IUCN
Stefan Micallef, International Maritime Organization
Takehiro Nakamura, UN Environment
Peggy Kalas, High Seas Alliance
Gustavo Arévalo Castro, Comisión Permanente del Pacifico Sur (CPPS)
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on marine genetic resources; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
James Ndirangu Waweru, Kenya
Konrad Marciniak, EU
Rogelio Villanueva Jr., the Philippines
Delegates from the Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru consulting
L-R: Ma Xinmin, China, in a conversation with Evan Bloom, US
Delegates from the African Group
Summary report 10–21 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee