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THINGS TO LOOK FOR BEFORE CSD-3

CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES FOR THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE: The first session of the COP of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Berlin from 28 March - 7 April 1995. From 28 March - 4 April 1995, delegates will continue negotiations on issues that were not resolved at INC-11. The ministerial segment will be held from 5-7 April 1995.

THIRD SESSION OF THE CSD: The third session of the CSD will meet from 11-28 April 1995, at UN Headquarters in New York. Focus will be on the following cross-sectoral components of Agenda 21: Chapters 3 (poverty); 5 (demographics); 8 (integrating environment and development in decision-making);16 (biotechnology); 22-32 (major groups); and 40 (information). Financial resources and mechanisms (Chapter 33) and the chapters on transfer of environmentally sound technology, cooperation and capacity building (34), science (35) and education (36) will also be discussed. The sectoral cluster for this session includes: Chapters 10 (land management); 11 (forests); 12 (desertification and drought); 13 (mountains); 14 (sustainable agriculture); 15 (biological diversity); and the Forest Principles.

According to CSD Chair Klaus Töpfer's briefing on 10 March 1995, the Prime Minister of Norway and the Presidents of the Philippines and the Czech Republic have been invited to speak at the opening session on 11 April. The new Bureau will also be elected that morning. In the afternoon, there will be the presentation of the results of the ad hoc working group on finance, followed by a panel discussion, which will hopefully include three finance ministers, an NGO representative, a CEO of an international company and an official of the Bretton Woods system. On 12 April, there will be a presentation of the work of the ad hoc working group on sectoral issues, followed by another panel discussion. Members of the panel will include the Chairs of the FAO Committees on Forests and Agriculture, the commissioner of the EU responsible for agriculture, the president of the Farmers Association and another NGO representative. On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, the CSD will discuss trade and environment and changing consumption patterns.

On Monday, 17 April, discussion will focus on education, science, transfer of technology and capacity building. On 18-19 April, there will be exchanges of national experiences. There will also be presentations on local experiences, including officials from at least eight cities. There will then be four days of negotiations (20-25 April) before the High-Level Segment starts on Wednesday, 26 April. During the High-Level Segment there will be two panel discussions: employment and sustainable development on 26 April and mass media and sustainable development on 27 April. [Return to start of article]