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LOCATION OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARIAT

As with the Biodiversity Convention, delegates have had difficulty deciding the location of the Permanent Secretariat. Practical, financial and political considerations have all come into play as delegates listened to the offers from Canada (Toronto), Germany (Bonn), Switzerland (Geneva) and Uruguay (Montevideo). While some delegates' initial preferences resulted from a fairly deliberative process, others came to INC-11 without clear positions. There was also concern that postponing the decision until COP-1, would leave no choice but to place the Secretariat in Bonn. Others felt that postponing the decision until after COP-1 would call the scheduling and location of COP-2 into question. The Bureau's suggestion that the four potential host countries consult and reach an agreement among themselves, may be the solution, but in the end could be at a high cost to the victor.