You are viewing our old site. See the new one here

ENB:12:25 [Next] . [Previous] . [Contents]

CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES

The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-1) took place in Berlin from 28 March - 7 April 1995. In this historic city that was once the symbol of the Cold War's division between East and West, delegates from 117 Parties and 53 observer States found that although the Berlin Wall has fallen, the walls that divide the Parties to the Convention still stand. After hours of negotiations and consultations, delegates with vastly different priorities and concerns came to agreement on what many believed to be the central issue before COP-1 — adequacy of commitments. The result was a mandate to launch a process toward appropriate action for the period beyond the year 2000, including the strengthening of the commitments of developed countries.

Delegates also reached agreement on a number of other important decisions, including the establishment of a pilot phase for implementation of joint projects, agreement that the Permanent Secretariat will be located in Bonn, Germany, and decisions on the budget for the Secretariat, financial procedures and the establishment of the subsidiary bodies. Delegates, however, did not reach consensus on the rules of procedure. This critical issue, including a decision on the voting rules and the composition of the Bureau, was deferred until COP-2.