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Distr.
GENERAL

UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/Add.1
5 June 1996
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH GROUP ON BIOSAFETY
First meeting
Aarhus, 22-26 July 1996



ANNOTATIONS TO THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA


Item 1. Opening of the meeting

1. The Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety was established by decision II/5 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (see UNEP/CBD/COP/2/19, pp. 46-48). It will hold its first meeting from 22 to 26 July 1996 in Aarhus, Denmark.

2. H.E. Mr. Sarwono Kusumaatmadja (Indonesia), President of the Conference of the Parties at its second meeting will open the meeting at 10 a.m. on Monday, 22 July 1996.


Item 2. Election of officers

3. At its opening session, the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group will elect its Bureau.

4. On the basis of the model of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Biosafety, held in Madrid from 24 to 28 July 1995, the Working Group may wish to consider electing a Bureau composed of one Chairperson, three Vice-Chairpersons and one Rapporteur, with due regard to the principle of equitable geographical representation as provided for in rule 21 of the rules of procedure for meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.


Item 3. Organization of work

5. The Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group may wish to agree on the organization of its work with a view of fulfilling the mandate entrusted to it within the time-frame agreed upon by the Conference of the Parties.

6. The terms of reference for the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group are set out in the annex to decision II/5. Paragraph 2 (a) of this annex requires the Working Group to "elaborate, as a priority, the modalities and elements of a protocol based on appropriate elements from Sections I, II and III, paragraph 18 (a), of Annex I of the report of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Biosafety" (UNEP/CBD/COP/2/7) and endorsed by the Conference of the Parties in its decision II/5. Paragraph 2 (b) requires the Working Group to "consider the inclusion of the elements from Section III, paragraph 18 (b), and other elements, as appropriate".

7. Further, paragraph 3 of the terms of reference requires that:

"The development of the draft protocol shall, as a priority:

"(a) Elaborate the key concepts and terms that are to be addressed in the process;

"(b) Include consideration of the form and scope of advance informed agreement procedures;

"(c) Identify relevant categories of LMOs resulting from modern biotechnology."

8. When considering the conduct of its deliberations, the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group may wish to consider organizing its work in the following sequence:


(a) Elaboration of the modalities and elements of a protocol based on appropriate elements from sections I and II and section III, paragraph 18 (a), of the report of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Biosafety;

(b) Elaboration of the key concepts and terms that are to be addressed in the process;

(c) Consideration of the form and scope of advance informed agreement procedures;

(d) Identification of the relevant categories of LMOs resulting from modern biotechnology;

(e) Paragraph 18 (b) of annex I of the report of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Biosafety; and

(f) Other elements, as appropriate.

9. Depending on the rate of progress on issues, the Working Group may decide to continue its work in the same format, or it may find it appropriate to organize the remaining work on the basis of two subcommittees with agendas designed to keep related topics, and the national expertise required to address them, within the same subcommittee.


Item 4. Elaboration of a Protocol on Biosafety in accordance with decision II/5 of the Conference of the Parties

10. At its second meeting, the Conference of the Parties agreed to seek solution to the concerns related to biosafety "through a negotiation process to develop in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms, a protocol on biosafety, specifically focusing on transboundary movement, of any living modified organism resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, setting out for consideration, in particular, appropriate procedure for advance informed agreement" (UNEP/CBD/COP/2/19, annex II, decision II/5, para. 3). To this end, the Conference of the Parties decided to establish an Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group under the Conference of the Parties.

11. The terms of reference of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group established pursuant to decision II/5 will be available at the meeting as document UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/2.

12. With a view to assisting the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group in its deliberations under this item, the Secretariat has prepared a note on the elaboration of the terms of reference for the Group (UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/3).

13. The reports of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Biosafety (UNEP/CBD/COP/2/7) and of the Global Consultation of Government-designated Experts on International Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology, held in Cairo, from 11 to 14 December 1995 (UNEP/Global Consultation/Biosafety/4) will also be available at the meeting.


Item 5. Bureau for future meetings

14. The Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety may wish to propose for consideration at the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties a composition of its Bureau for its future meetings.


Item 6. Dates and venues of meetings of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety for 1997 and 1998

15. In adopting the terms of reference of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group, the Conference of the Parties agreed that it should endeavour to complete its work in 1998 (decision II/5, annex, para. 10).

16. To facilitate the preparation of future meetings, the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group may wish to agree on the dates and venues of its meetings in 1997 and 1998. For cost-effectiveness, meetings of two weeks duration in 1997 and 1998 may be envisaged. The following dates are suggested: from 14 to 26 July 1997 and from 13 to 25 July 1998.


Item 7. Adoption of the report

17. The Working Group will consider and adopt its report. The report will be presented by the Chairperson of the Group to the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties in accordance with paragraph 10 of the annex to decision II/5.


Item 8. Closure of the meeting

18. The meeting will be closed on Friday, 26 July 1996.


Annex

LIST OF DOCUMENTS FOR THE FIRST MEETING OF THE
OPEN-ENDED AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON BIOSAFETY



Symbol Title

1. UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/1 Draft provisional agenda

2. UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/1/Add.1 Annotations to the provisional agenda

3. UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/2 Terms of reference of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety

4. UNEP/CBD/BSWG/1/3 Elaboration of the terms of reference for the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety

5. UNEP/CBD/COP/2/7 Report of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Biosafety

6. UNEP/Global Consultation/Biosafety/4 Report of the Global Consultation of Government-designated Experts on International Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology




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