ENB:09:28
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ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
The Plenary opened with the appointment of the President, Sen. Dr. Ivy L. Dumont, the Bahamas Minister of Health and Environment. She reported on Sunday’s informal consultations on Rule 21 (size and composition of the Bureau). A president, eight vice-presidents, and a rapporteur are to be elected from parties present at each meeting to serve as the Bureau until the next ordinary meeting. The selection will be made with regard to equitable geographic representation and with adequate representation of SIDS. The Bureau consisted of: Guinea and Mauritius (Africa); the Czech Republic and Estonia (Eastern Europe); Peru (GRULAC); Canada and Denmark (WEOG); and Malaysia and China (Asia). Mr. Viet Koester (Denmark) was elected Chair of the Committee of the Whole.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA: The provisional agenda for the COP is contained in UNEP/CBD/COP/1/1. Brazil requested that biosafety, access to genetic resources and indigenous knowledge be included in the provisional agenda. Spain called for discussions on the location of the Secretariat. Switzerland supported Spain’s request, but noted that at ICCBD-2 the European Union had recommended that discussion of the secretariat location be deferred until COP-II. Germany, on behalf of the EU, supported Brazil’s request to discuss biosafety and Spain’s proposal to discuss the secretariat. The Chair agreed to add the location issue to the provisional agenda, which was adopted, as orally amended. Delegates then adopted the organization of work as outlined in document UNEP/CBD/COP/1/1/Add.2.
ADOPTION OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE: The second ICCBD recommended for consideration and adoption by the COP, the draft rules of procedure contained in document UNEP/CBD/COP/1/2, despite bracketed text in the following areas: Rule 4, paragraph 1 on periodicity of meetings of the COP; Rule 21 on the Bureau of the COP; and Rule 40, paragraph 1 on voting. The President said that after informal consultations held on Sunday, agreement was reached on the size and composition of the Bureau (Rule 21). The informal consultations also agreed to bracket Rule 4, paragraph 1 (Date of Meetings) and Rule 40 (Voting). Despite Japan’s objections to Rule 52 (Working Languages), the Committee adopted the draft rules with the oral amendment to Rule 21 and the brackets around Rules 4 and 40.
REPORT OF THE ICCBD: Amb. Vincente Sanchez (ICCBD Chair) introduced the report of ICCBD-II (UNEP/CBD/COP/1/4) and said that the Convention’s swift entry into force had focused the ICCBD’s deliberations on issues for the first COP including: periodicity of meetings; financial issues; selection of a competent organization to host the secretariat; a clearing-house mechanism; policy, strategy and eligibility for financial resources; institutional structures for a financial mechanism, and the list of developed country Parties and other Parties which voluntarily assume developed country obligations; the SBSTTA; and input to the CSD.