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FUNCTIONS:

Norway, supported by others, wanted a prioritization of tasks required of the subsidiary body. New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Spain and India expressed concern that the body provide scientific and technical advice rather than dealing with finance or policy matters. It was agreed that the SBSTTA should provide scientific and technical advice, including on policy issues related to scientific and technical programmes and international cooperation in research, but not other policy issues. It should also have no direct relationship to the financial mechanism.

The final report of Working Group I (UNEP/CBD/IC/2/ L.3) states that the SBSTTA should draw its future work from the report of the Mexico meeting (UNEP/CBD/IC /2/11) and the Agenda for Scientific and Technological Research (UNEP/CBD/IC/2/Inf.2), and both documents will be forwarded to the COP. In addition, the Committee should submit a set of priority tasks for the SBSTTA to the COP, consisting of Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Convention.