FCCC/CP/1997/7 English I. OPENING OF THE SESSION (Agenda item 1) The third session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, convened pursuant to Article 7.4 of the Convention and decision 1/CP.2, was opened at the Kyoto International Conference Hall, Kyoto, Japan, on 1 December 1997, by the President of the Conference at its second session, Mr. Chen Chimutengwende, Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications of 2. A. Statement by the President of the Conference at its second session The President of the Conference at its second session welcomed all participants to the third session of the Conference of the Parties and thanked the Government of Japan for the excellent facilities it had provided. He said that, since the second session of the Conference, climate change had been the subject of growing worldwide attention and media coverage. The Convention process itself had also made considerable progress, mainly through the work of the subsidiary bodies. The Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate (AGBM), in particular, had arrived step by step at a consolidated negotiating text for a protocol or another legal instrument, prepared by the Chairman. The adoption of such a protocol or instrument reflecting the principles of equity, justice and fair play constituted the greatest challenge of the current session. 3. Global warming was already happening and the climate system might well be taking an irreversible path unless action was taken immediately. While climate change constituted a threat to each and every individual nation in the world, its impact was likely to be more severe in the developing countries that were least able to cope with the consequences. It was the responsibility of the industrialized nations that had indirectly placed burdens on the rest of the world to take the lead in meeting existing commitments, in reducing emissions and in alleviating human suffering caused by climate change. It was a question of survival for small island States and other low-lying areas of the world and for vulnerable communities in other poor countries. Developing countries were already making efforts domestically, with their limited resources, to attain sustainable economic development and it was not possible for those countries to take on new commitments under the new instrument. In the interests of equity, binding commitments for non-Annex I Parties could not even be envisaged until agreement had been reached on a fair system of apportionment of emission limits, a globally agreed reduction pathway and a projected sustainable future emission level on an equitable basis, and until there was reliable and predictable financial provision for the acquisition and adaptation of sound technologies, know-how and production systems in developing countries. 4. In conclusion, he reported to the Conference of the Parties on the outcome of the informal consultations which he had undertaken in the intersessional period on the draft rules of procedure and the composition of the Bureau. Thanking all those who had co-operated with him during his term of office, and extending his best wishes to the new President, he expressed the hope that the FCCC/CP/1997/7 B. Election of the President of the Conference at its third session (Agenda item 1 (b)) 5. At the 1st plenary meeting, on 1 December, on the proposal of the outgoing President, the Conference of the Parties elected by acclamation Mr. Hiroshi Ohki, Minister of State, Director-General of the Environment Agency, Minister in Charge of Global Environmental Problems of Japan, as its President. 6. C. Statement by the President On assuming office, the President welcomed all participants to the third session of the Conference of the Parties and paid tribute to the outgoing President and the Chairman of the AGBM for their important contributions to the Convention process. He also thanked the Executive Secretary and the secretariat for their work in preparing for the present session of the Conference. The most important task facing the Conference of the Parties was to establish a more concrete international framework for the protection of the global climate through the adoption of a protocol to the Convention or another form of legal instrument. Climate change was one of the most serious global environmental issues facing the world today and only a fully worldwide strategy could effectively address the problem. Such a strategy should be based on three principles: developed countries should take the lead now in committing themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels; developing countries should also take actions to address the issue of climate change in promoting their sustainable development, taking into account their common but differentiated responsibilities under the Convention and their respective capabilities; and developed countries should strengthen their partnership with developing countries through the provision of financial and technological support for mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions. 7. There were a large number of outstanding issues to be resolved and he called upon all Parties to work together in a spirit of cooperation and compromise, urging the developed countries with the greatest economic capacity in particular to demonstrate such spirit and leadership in action. In conclusion, he stressed the need to discuss future steps to be taken after the Kyoto Conference for the effective implementation of the protocol and other measures to attain the objective of the Convention. All the climate change problems could not be solved at Kyoto; there was still a long way to go and many more negotiations would have to follow. By reaching agreement at Kyoto, however, the international community could take a definite first step towards promoting climate protection policies for the twenty-first century. It was his earnest hope that, here in Kyoto, where some of the most important events in Japan's history had taken place, it would prove possible to reach another historic decision to protect the world's 8. FCCC/CP/1997/7 English D. Addresses of welcome (Agenda item 1 (d)) Mr. Keizo Obuchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, speaking on behalf of the Government of Japan, welcomed all participants to Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, for the third session of the Conference of the Parties. He said that the problem of global warming was rapidly becoming more acute, with severe consequences not only for future generations but also for the world's ecosystems. It was the present generation's historic responsibility to determine the future shape of the earth that it would hand over to future generations. The Kyoto Conference was a crucial opportunity to take a global decision on the extent to which greenhouse gas emissions could be limited in order to combat global warming after the year 2000. Agreement needed to be reached on legally-binding emission reduction targets for developed country Parties. At the same time, developing countries should be asked to make every effort, in their future development activities, to take into account the future of the whole world. To that end, appropriate assistance from developed countries was indispensable. In conclusion, he expressed his earnest hope that the Conference would be able to reach the final agreement the world was waiting for. 9. Mr. Teiichi Aramaki, Governor of the Prefecture of Kyoto, welcomed all participants to the third session of the Conference of the Parties, on behalf of all the residents of the Kyoto Prefecture. He said that global warming was one of the most serious environmental problems facing the world today, and that the third session of the Conference of the Parties might well be an important step in tackling global warming in the coming century through the united efforts of all the peoples of the world. For its part, the Kyoto Prefecture had prepared various action programmes to protect the environment, based on the active involvement of local people, business circles, administrative bodies and tourists, and the present Conference provided an opportunity to enhance the local population's awareness of global environmental issues and thus further promote such activities. In conclusion, he wished the Conference every success in arriving at a Kyoto Protocol that would prove to be a landmark in international cooperation for preserving the global environment. 10. Mr. Morikane Masumoto, Mayor of Kyoto, speaking on behalf of all the citizens of Kyoto, welcomed the participants in the Conference to the host city of Kyoto. With a history and tradition of more than 1,200 years, Kyoto was called "a place dear to the heart of every Japanese": The Mayor expressed his delight in the thought that all the participants would have an opportunity to experience the beautiful nature and culture of Kyoto, a world-famous ancient city. Recognizing that the earth was now suffering from damage that humankind alone had caused, the Mayor stressed that it was humankind's responsibility to save the suffering earth, restore the global environment and hand it over to future generations. Since July 1996, when the decision to hold the Conference in Kyoto was taken, the City of Kyoto had organized more than 120 events and projects to raise the citizens' awareness of the urgency of combatting global warming and of the significance of the present Conference. The City of Kyoto had also drawn up a Kyoto City Regional Promotion Plan to help stop global warming, with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions. FCCC/CP/1997/7 Page 8 conclusion, the Mayor expressed his earnest hope that the Conference would reach a successful agreement with the adoption of an effective Kyoto Protocol. E. Statement by the Executive Secretary 11. At the 1st plenary meeting, on 1 December, the Executive Secretary, welcoming all participants to the third session of the Conference of the Parties and thanking the Government of Japan and the Kyoto authorities for all they had done to help the secretariat to put the arrangements for the Conference in place, stressed the importance of the Conference arriving at a well-designed end product that could be successfully sold not only to legislators and tax payers, but also to investors, producers and consumers. The responsibility for investments and other actions that would lead to the limitation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions would fall primarily on non-governmental actors, in particular the business community. For the business community to be able to respond in a responsible manner, it was essential that the goals, and the rules of the game for achieving them, were clearly defined by Governments. The Conference must also direct its message to the citizens of the world in order to mobilize support for practical actions by communities and local governments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the message from Kyoto should clearly indicate that it was only through the example of enlightened leadership by the industrialized countries, and by the transnational corporations that were shaping the world economy, that a truly global coalition to combat climate change could be formed, in which all would participate according to their own capacities. He looked forward to a clear, binding and verifiable commitment by the industrialized countries to reduce their emissions below 1990 levels early in the next century, a commitment that would trigger the development and diffusion of new practices, new standards, new technologies and new consumption patterns. Such a result would start to steer the world economy towards a sustainable future. 12. F. Other statements At the 1st plenary meeting, on I December, general statements were made by the representatives of the United Republic of Tanzania (on behalf of the Group of 77 and China), Luxembourg (on behalf of the European Community and its member States), the Russian Federation and the United States of America. At the 2nd plenary meeting, on 1 December, general statements were made by the representatives of Egypt (on behalf of the African Group) and Samoa (on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States). At the 3rd plenary meeting, on 3 December, a general statement was made by the representative of Slovenia (on behalf of the Group of Central and Eastern European States). FCCC/CP/1997/7 English II. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS (Agenda item 2) A. Status of ratification of the Convention (Agenda item 2 (a)) 13. For its consideration of this sub-item at its 1st plenary meeting, on 1 December, the Conference of the Parties had before it an information document on the status of ratification of the Convention (FCCC/CP/1997/INF.2). On the invitation of the President, the Conference of the Parties took note with satisfaction that, as of 1 December 1997, 167 States and one regional economic integration organization were Parties to the Convention, and took note of the information on the status of ratification contained in document FCCC/CP/1997/INF.2. 14. At the 4th plenary meeting, on 3 December, the representative of Croatia formally objected to the participation of the representative of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the third session of the Conference of the Parties, and to the inclusion of the name of Yugoslavia in the list of Parties in document FCCC/CP/1997/NF.2. He said that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was not a member State of the United Nations and thus, in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention, was not entitled to become a Party to the Convention. He therefore requested the presidency to ensure that the representative of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia did not participate in the meetings of the Conference of the Parties. 15. The Executive Secretary explained that the list of Parties in document FCCC/CP/1997/INF.2 was based on information received from the Secretary-General of the United Nations as Depositary of the Convention. On 10 September 1997 the secretariat had received a communication from the Chief of the Treaty Section advising it of the deposit of an instrument of ratification by Yugoslavia on 3 September 1997. On 24 November 1997 the secretariat had received a copy of a depositary notification from the Legal Office of the United Nations, which conveyed the same information to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of all Parties and which stated that, in accordance with Article 23.2, Yugoslavia would become a Party to the Convention on 2 December 1997. He informed the Conference of the Parties that he would seek the advice of the Depositary of the Convention on the issue raised. 16. The representatives of Mauritania, Morocco (speaking as Chairman of the Islamic Conference), Luxembourg (speaking on behalf of the European Community and its member States), Pakistan and the United States of America, all supported the request made by the representative of Croatia. The representatives of Georgia and of the Russian Federation, on the other hand, expressed their support for participation by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 17. At the same meeting, the presiding Vice-President requested the representative of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to refrain from participating in the proceedings of the Conference pending receipt of legal advice from the Depositary. 18. At the 5th plenary meeting, on 5 December, the Executive Secretary informed the |