FCCC/CP/1997/7 English of the President, further decided that, of the issues reported to be outstanding by the Chairman of the AGBM (see paragraph 55 below), those relating to the methodologies to be used to estimate emissions by sources and removals by sinks in the new instrument, and preparations for the first meeting of the Parties to the Protocol, should be considered by the Committee of the Whole in connection with agenda item 5, and the issue relating to elements of the Brazilian proposal contained in document FCCC/AGBM/1997/MISC.1/Add.3 should be taken up by the plenary of the Conference under agenda item 3 (f). After an extensive discussion, the President indicated that he would undertake consultations on the question of how to deal with the issue relating to the future development of the commitments of all Parties. 31. With regard to agenda item 6, the President recalled that the purpose of the high-level segment, as defined by the SBI at its sixth session, was to promote decision-making (FCCC/SBI/1997/16, para. 34 (g)). It would mark the conclusion of the work of the sessional Committee of the Whole, and the handover of the negotiating process to ministers and other heads of delegation and their senior advisers for the final days of work before the adoption of a new instrument. The high-level segment would be marked by a series of intensive informal consultations as well as a general debate in the plenary. 32. On the proposal of the President, the Conference of the Parties decided that, during the general debate, the time limit for statements should be set at five minutes for statements by representatives of Parties and at four minutes for all other statements. It also decided that the list of speakers should be officially closed at 18.00 hours on Wednesday, 3 December. 33. At the same meeting, the Executive Secretary, referring to the report on the status of contributions to the core budget for the biennium 1996-1997 (FCCC/CP/1997/INF.4), appealed to all Parties that had not yet paid their 1996 or 1997 contributions to the core budget to do so as soon as possible, and expressed his appreciation to those Parties that had paid their contributions promptly and, in particular, to those Parties that had pledged additional amounts to the Trust Fund for Participation. The President endorsed the statement made by the Executive Secretary and added his full support to his plea for Parties with contributions still in arrears to remit their payments as soon as possible. At the 4th and 5th plenary meetings, on 3 and 5 December, the Executive Secretary gave further information on the receipt of contributions to the core budget. 34. At its 5th plenary meeting, on 5 December, the Conference of the Parties, having heard an interim report by the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole (see paragraph 77 below), requested the Committee of the Whole to complete its work by the end of Monday, 8 December. At the same meeting, it was agreed that there would be no need to take up agenda item 7, “Other matters". FCCC/CP/1997/7 G. Calendar of meetings of Convention bodies 1998-1999 (Agenda item 2 (g)) 35. At its 5th plenary meeting, on 5 December, the Conference of the Parties, on the proposal of the President, adopted the following calendar of meetings of Convention bodies in 1998-1999: H. Date and venue of the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties 36. At the 5th plenary meeting, on 5 December, the President recalled that, in the absence of any offer from a Party to host the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties, the SBI, at its 7th session, had recommended a draft decision for adoption by the Conference of the Parties at the present session, which provided for the fourth session to be held in Bonn in November 1998 (see FCCC/SBI/1997/21, annex I, 7). The representative of Argentina conveyed his Government's invitation to the Conference of the Parties to hold its fourth session in Buenos Aires. 37. At the same meeting, the Conference of the Parties, having considered a proposal by the President (FCCC/CP/1997/L.2), adopted by acclamation decision 5/CP.3 on the date and venue of the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties. For the text of this decision, see Part Two, section I, of this report. 38. The President, on behalf of the Conference of the Parties, extended his sincere thanks to the Government of Argentina for its generous offer to host the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties. Such an offer truly underlined the commitment of the Government of Argentina to the Convention and the Convention process. The Executive Secretary expressed his appreciation to the Government of Argentina for its generous offer and said that he and his colleagues in the secretariat were looking forward to working closely with the Argentine authorities in the preparations for the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties. 39. I. Adoption of the report on credentials At its 12th plenary meeting, on 11 December, the Conference of the Parties took note of the report of the Bureau on the credentials of the representatives of Parties to the third session of the Conference of the Parties (FCCC/CP/1997/6), as orally amended by the Executive Secretary. 40. J. Attendance FCCC/CP/1997/7 The third session of the Conference of the Parties was attended by representatives of the following 158 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: 41. The session was also attended by observers from the following States not parties to the Convention: Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Holy See, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Palau and Turkey. 42. The following United Nations offices and programmes were represented: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Food Programme (WFP) United Nations University, Institute of Advanced Studies United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD). 43. The following specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system were represented: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) World Health Organization (WHO) World Bank World Bank/International Finance Corporation (IFC) Global Environment Facility of the World Bank/UNDP/UNEP (GEF) World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 44. International Maritime Organization (IMO) FCCC/CP/1997/7 English United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) World Trade Organization (WTO) For a list of the intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations attending the Conference, see annex II below. K. Documentation 45. The documents before the Conference of the Parties at its third session are listed in annex III below. |