ENB @ SB-16


	Daily Coverage:

Wednesday 5 Jun

Thursday 6 Jun

Friday 7 Jun


	Friday 14 Jun

Sixteenth Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies

Bonn, Germany | 5-14 June 2002

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SB-16 opened on Wednesday, 5 June, in Bonn, Germany. In the morning and afternoon, participants met in Plenary in the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) to hear opening statements and a presentation by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Discussions addressed organizational matters regarding the adoption of the agenda, the IPCC Third Assessment Report (TAR), guidelines on reporting and review of greenhouse gas inventories from Annex I Parties, guidelines under Articles 5 (methodological issues), 7 (communication of information) and 8 (review of information), and the uniform reporting format for activities implemented jointly (AIJ). In the evening, delegates met in contact groups to discuss Articles 5,7 and 8 and AIJ.

OPENING PLENARY: SBSTA Chair Halldor Thorgeirsson (Iceland) welcomed delegates and observers and noted that the focus of work has shifted from negotiations on the Protocol to issues of implementation. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Joke Waller-Hunter updated participants on the status of ratification and said that a total of 74 Parties have now ratified, representing 35.8% of industrialized countries' total greenhouse gas emissions.

Halldór Thorgeirsson, SBSTA Chair

Listen to Chair Thorgeirsson

Listen to Executive Secretary Joke Waller-Hunter

IPCC THIRD ASSESSMENT REPORT (TAR): Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chair of the IPCC, invited Parties to make full use of the information contained in the TAR, and noted that work on the fourth assessment report will begin in 2003 and end in 2007. In the ensuing discussion, many Parties emphasized the need for a work plan. SAUDI ARABIA said such a plan should not be developed until climate change impacts on developing countries are elaborated and scientific uncertainties are minimized.

Joke Waller-Hunter (left) with Dennis Tirpak

Spain, on behalf of the EU, drew attention to their recent ratifications of the Protocol, and encouraged other Parties to follow suit.

Listen to the RealAudio

CONTACT GROUPS
AIJ: The contact group on the uniform reporting format (URF) for AIJ under the pilot phase was chaired by Mamadou Honadia (Burkina Faso) and Sushma Gera (Canada). The group considered the draft revised URF and changes to the draft that had been proposed during the recent AIJ workshop.

Luis Herrera Marcano, Venezuela

Venezuela for G-77/CHINA, said that the recent focus on the Protocol has meant that some UNFCCC issues have been neglected, particularly those relevant to developing countries.

Listen to Venezuela

ARTICLES 5, 7 AND 8: The Secretariat provided an overview of the issues to be covered by SB-16 in relation to Articles 5, 7 and 8, namely: pending parts of the guidelines under Articles 7 and 8, including reporting and review of assigned amounts and national registries and review for the reinstatement of eligibility to use the mechanisms; adjustments under Article 5.2; demonstrable progress; and treatment of confidential data.

Croatia, on behalf of the CG-11, congratulated the Executive Secretary on her appointment and expressed support for the SBSTA Chair.

Visnja Grgasovic, Croatia

Listen to Croatia

Japan noted that it ratified the Kyoto Protocol Tuesday, and expressed the hope that the Protocol would enter into force promptly and that other countries would join the international effort to reduce GHGs.

Members of the Japanese delegation

Listen to the RealAudio

THINGS TO LOOK FOR ON THURSDAY, 6 JUNE
SBSTA: SBSTA will meet at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm to discuss LULUCF, technology transfer, policies and measures, cooperation with relevant international organizations, UNFCCC Article 6, issues relating to hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons, and other matters.

INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS: Informal consultations are scheduled to be held throughout the day. See the television monitors for further information.

Kai-Uwe Barani Schmidt, Climate Change Secretariat

Burkina Faso congratulated the Chair of SBSTA on his election and assured him of the full support of African Group

Listen to the RealAudio

The Russian Federation stated that consultations on ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, conducted on 11 April, would be reconvened in June following further study of the Protocol, and should be complete by the end of the year.