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THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY

MAIN COMMITTEE: The Main Committee is scheduled to meet this morning in a formal session at 11:00 to complete its work, provided there is agreement on finance and the entire Programme of Action has been translated into the six working languages and duplicated. If this is not the case, the Chair will be forced to make alternative plans.

BARBADOS DECLARATION: While most of the substantive points have been discussed at some point during the three days of debate on the Declaration, there is still confusion over what format the Declaration should take. Anxious to avoid what one delegate called "Second Committee gibberish," delegates still have to incorporate a declamatory style and develop a logical structure. Expect some serious "shaping-up" as delegates prepare the text for the eyes of Ministers and Heads of State and Government. The contact group may meet again this morning before the Barbados Declaration is discussed in an informal session of the Plenary at 6:00 pm.

PLENARY: NGOs are happy to have finally secured a two-hour slot at 10:00 am in Plenary to present their reports of the NGO Forum. The time slot was originally intended for the Barbados Declaration, which is still under negotiation. Following the NGO reports, the Plenary is expected to adopt the report of the Credentials Committee (A/CONF.167/7), reopen the general debate to hear a few more statements, and hear a presentation of a case study of the early warning capabilities of the Caribbean Meteorological Organization and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (A/CONF.167/CRP.7).

AOSIS SUMMIT MEETING: The Alliance of Small Island States will hold a Summit Meeting in Conference Room 1 this afternoon at 3:30. The meeting is open only to AOSIS members and observers. AOSIS called the meeting to take advantage of the presence of high level island officials and to discuss the future direction of AOSIS, follow-up to the Conference, and Agenda 21 implementation. AOSIS will issue a statement following the meeting, at approximately 6:30 this evening.

ON THE BEACH: If the corridors seem empty this afternoon, look on the beaches. Conference services and security have ruled that no other meeting may take place while the closed AOSIS summit meets from 3:30-6:00 pm.

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