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DESIGNATION OF A PERMANENT SECRETARIAT

A two-hour informal evening session, which was proposed last Friday, met Monday evening. The Chair re-presented his draft decision in the hope that it would move discussion forward. Some delegations stated that they could only contribute on the understanding that the G-77 and China draft decision (A/AC.241/WG.I(VII)/L.1) would be withdrawn and that the entire Chair’s draft would be bracketed. Some amendments to the text were made regarding the nature of the document to be transmitted to COP-1, but delegates hit a dead end when they got to the place in the text where the institution was to be named. Some felt all the institutions that have bid should be mentioned, but others wanted only one institution, stating that the arrangements of the CCD and Climate Change Convention should be similar because both have been under the aegis of the General Assembly. No agreement was reached and the relevant institutions were not asked to make contributions. Some delegates expressed frustration because they had hoped the organizations that were interested in hosting the Permanent Secretariat could clarify their bids. The Chair concluded that delegates should consult informally. The matter will be taken up in Working Group I later.