Distr. GENERAL
CONVENTION ON					
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY	
								UNEP/CBD/COP/3/17
								15 September 1996
						
								ORIGINAL: ENGLISH											      [ADVANCE COPY]
									     
CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE
     CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Third meeting
Buenos Aires, Argentina
4 to 15 November 1996
Item 10.1 of the provisional agenda



COMMUNICATION OF THE SECRETARIAT OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON FORESTS ON PROGRESS ON ISSUES RELEVANT TO FORESTS AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Note by the Executive Secretary



1.	In paragraph 4 of decision II/9, the Conference of the Parties invited the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Panel 
on Forests to communicate progress on issues relevant to forests and biological diversity to 
the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

2.	The second and third sessions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests were held in 
Geneva from 18 to 22 March 1996 and from 9 to 20 September 1996, respectively.

3.	The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties will have before
 it the communication of the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests containing 
the report of the third session of the Panel. 

 [The communication of the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests
 will be distributed following the finalisation of the report of the third 
session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests]