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SB-18
Highlights,
Wednesday, June 11th
On Wednesday,
delegates continued to meet in a number of contact and informal
groups. Parties discussed Protocol Articles 5, 7, and 8, sinks
in the CDM, and "good practices" in policies and measures
(P&Ms), capacity building, the Special Climate Change Fund
(SCCF), the programme budget for the biennium 2004-2005, and
UNFCCC Article 4.8 and 4.9 (adverse effects). Informal consultations
were also held throughout the day, including on, the IPCC TAR
and the LDC Fund. |
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Co-Chair
Helen Plume (New Zealand) (center)
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Methodological
Issues: issues relating to Articles 5 (methodological issues),7
(communication of information) and 8 (review of information)
of the Kyoto Protocol
Delegates considered revised draft conclusions and
decisions. Regarding issues relating to the implementation
of Article 8, Parties agreed draft COP and COP/MOP decisions,
following minor editorial amendments and the addition, in
the annex on criteria for selecting lead reviewers, of a bracketed
paragraph on desirable language skills for lead reviewers.
CHINA and JAPAN agreed to discuss this issue informally, in
order to reach resolution before the SBSTA plenary on Thursday,
12 June. Parties also agreed draft COP and COP/MOP decisions
on technical guidance on methodologies for adjustments under
Article 5.2 (adjustments), and the Co-Chairs' draft conclusions.
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Delegates
prior to the convening of the contact group |
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Delegates
from Japan review the latest draft text |
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LULUCF
discussed proposals on several definitions
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Methodological
issues: land use, land-use change and forestry/clean development
mechanism.
Regarding
Sinks in the CDM, NEW ZEALAND introduced a document on definitions
for modalities and procedures for afforestation and reforestation
(A&R) projects, which combines Parties' submissions. BOLIVIA
said that countries, rather than the COP, should decide on
which carbon "pools" to include in A&R projects,
and that it was important to include geo-referencing in the
draft decision. The EU said that it preferred a combined approach
to account for carbon stock changes and some emissions sources.
COLOMBIA indicated that carbon pools should be accounted for
"within the project boundary." CHINA noted that
it needed skills to understand technical information associated
with the timing for baselines and actual emissions in projects.
On project monitoring, BOLIVIA questioned how to estimate
and control leakage, and URUGUAY noted that there is a need
to minimize negative leakage. Parties then considered appendices
to text on definitions and modalities for sinks in the CDM
in the first commitment period. Introducing draft Appendix
E on environmental and socioeconomic impacts of CDM projects,
the EU, NORWAY and SWITZERLAND said this was developed following
informal consultations, and aimed to help countries in preparing
CDM projects.
On future work, Co-Chair Karsten Sach urged Parties to hold
informal inter-sessional consultations and suggested convening
pre-sessional consultations to complete work for COP-9.
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Claudio
Forner, Secretariat, LULUCF Co-Chairs Karstan Sach (Germany)
and Thelma Krug (Brazil)
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Delegates
from the G77/China prior to the LULUCF meeting
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(On Left) Co-Chair Walid Al-Malik (UAE) |
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The
Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change
Following informal consultations in the afternoon,
Parties met informally in the evening to consider a revised
version of the Co-Chairs' draft conclusions. The draft conclusions
state that SBSTA will establish two new agenda items for regular
consideration on the scientific, technical and socioeconomic
aspects of adaptation and of mitigation. They also note that
SBSTA will explore, in the context of sustainable development,
the scientific, technical and socioeconomic aspects of cross-cutting
issues noted in the SBSTA-16 report.
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Asfaha
Beyene (Secretariat), Chair John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda)
and Joke
Waller-Hunter,
UNFCCC Executive Secretary
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The
Programme Budget Group
Delegates
in this contact group exchanged views on the UNFCCC conference
services contingency and the Chair's revised draft conclusions.
Stressing that adaptation is of greater concern to Central
American countries, HONDURAS noted its concern about the
amount of funding budgeted for CDM activities. Parties then
deliberated on the six options outlined in the draft conclusions,
unable to remove any of them. The UNFCCC Executive Secretary
noted that existing funds would only support activities
until February 2004.
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Joke Waller-Hunter,
UNFCCC Executive Secretary, with Eve Kolosa,
Secretariat
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The
delegate from the Russian Federation with Asfaha
Beyene (Secretariat) |
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A view of the Conference Room used by the Special Climate Change
Contact Group today |
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The
Special Climate Change Fund
The G-77/CHINA presented its amendments to the Co-Chairs' draft
conclusions, stating that the Group's overriding interest is
that a decision on the SCCF be taken at COP-9. Co-Chair Rawleston
Moore adjourned the meeting for an informal consultation on
this issue. Following consultations, Co-Chair Moore said that
the annex would be removed from the draft conclusions, and that
the G-77/China's paper would be listed in a MISC document. Delegates
could not agree to an EU proposal, supported by CANADA and NORWAY,
that the SBI invite the GEF to submit their views on complementarity
among the funds under the UNFCCC. Delegates agreed to delete
text regarding the further submission of views and the convening
of an inter-sessional informal consultation on the SCCF prior
to SBI-19.
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Nigeria, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China
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Delegate from Canada
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Delegate
from Norway |
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HOST
COUNTRY AGREEMENT SIGNING CEREMONY
Joke
Waller-Hunter, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, and Corrado Clini,
Director General, Italian Environment Ministry sign the Host Country
for COP-9, to be held in Milan, Italy during the first twelve
days of December this year. |
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Italy
Launches the COP-9 Website
The new website provides comprehensive information for participants
on how to get to the meeting, , how to find a hotel, use local
transportation and much more. (COP-9
will be held in the Fiera Milano venue in Milan, from December
1 - 12, 2003.) To
find out more, go to: http://www.minambiente.it/cop9
Information table for the launching of the COP-9 website
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Interface
of the COP-9 website. |
| Golden
Birthday Celebration |
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Kimo Goree, one of the founders of the ENB, celebrates his birthday
today
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The ENB team listens to Kimo's birthday speech. (Left to right:)
Hugh Wilkins (Canada); Juliet Jones (US); Leslie Paas (Canada);
Karen Alvarenga (Brazil); Lisa Shipper (Sweden); Angela Churie
(Kenya); David Fernau (South Africa); Fiona Kosa (Canada). |
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Kimo receives a cake from Juliet. John Ashe was also present
at the celebration.
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ENB team members light a candle for this special occasion. (Left
to right:) Leila Mead (US), Michael Lisowski (Canada) and Dagmar
Lohan (Germany). |
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We
won't disclose Kimo's age but we'll give you a few hints |
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