
 |
Twenty-Fourth sessions of the
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA)
and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) of the UNFCCC
and First session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further
Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG)
and related meetings
|
 |
|
Highlights for
Thursday, 25 May 2006

|
|
On
Thursday, SBI reconvened in plenary, concluding its work and
adopting the report of the session. SBSTA met and adopted
conclusions and draft decisions on many items, including several
methodological issues, research and systematic observation, and
reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries.
Informal consultations on the five-year programme of work on
adaptation continued late into the night and the issue will be taken
up by the SBSTA plenary on Friday. The AWG plenary reconvened at
midnight, and the AWG concluded its first session by agreeing on the
outline for a future work programme.
More information
|
|
ADMINISTRATIVE,
FINANCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL MATTERS: Delegates
adopted SBI conclusions prepared by SBI Chair Becker
on Budget performance for the biennium 2006-2007 and
on Implementation of the Headquarters Agreement.
Above photos L-R: The dais during the morning
session of SBI with Richard Kinley,
Officer-In-Charge, UNFCCC Secretariat, Feng Gao,
Deputy Executive Secretary for SBI, UNFCCC
Secretariat, and SBI Chair Thomas Becker
(Denmark).
|
UNFCCC
ARTICLE 4.8 & 4.9: On matters relating to the
least developed countries (LDCs), Samuel
Adejuwon
(Nigeria), who co-facilitated the informal
consultations, reported agreement on the LDC Expert
Group’s work programme, and delegates adopted the
conclusions.
Above photos L-R: Samuel
Adejuwon (Nigeria); SBI
Chair Becker conferring with Richard Kinley,
UNFCCC Secretariat and Leslie Manley (South Africa).
|
|
CAPACITY
BUILDING
(CONVENTION):
Contact group Co-Chair Crispin D’Auvergne (
Saint Lucia
) summarized discussions.
Above
photos L-R: SBI Chair Becker exchanging views with a
delegate from the Russian Federation; Co-Chair
D’Auvergne (
Saint Lucia
).
|
|
FINANCIAL
MECHANISM (CONVENTION):
On
the Special Climate Change Fund, contact group chair Bubu
Jallow (Gambia) reported progress on understanding
what a staged approach to support various economic
development issues could mean, noting that the SB 22
text would be the basis of deliberations at SB 25.
Above
photos L-R:
Bubu
Jallow (Gambia); SBI
Chair Becker in
discussions with the EU, Canada and Japan.
|
|
|
FINANCIAL
MECHANISM (PROTOCOL): Adaptation Fund:
Following a contact group meeting in which delegates
were unable to reach consensus on language on
institutions that may manage the Fund, discussion
continued in plenary. The
Philippines
, for the G-77/CHINA, proposed that reference to
institutions include “all those contained in the
annex,” while the EU,
Canada
, and
Norway
said they could not support inclusion of the word
“all.” Following informal consultations, delegates
agreed on the text contained in the draft conclusions
proposed by the SBI Chair, which states that “the
SBI invited relevant international institutions,
including, among others, those contained in the
annex…without prejudice to any institution,” and
adopted the conclusions.
Above photos L-R: Delegates from
G77/China in informal consultation during a session of the SBI on
the Adaptation Fund.; delegates from the EU
consulting regarding text contained in the draft
conclusions.
|
|
|
|
The G-77/China, the EU,
Norway
and
Switzerland
then made statements on the aforementioned text.
Following a procedural debate on how to reference
these statements, it was agreed that each statement
would be recorded in the Report of the session.
Above
photos L-R: Bernarditas
Mueller (the Philippines) and José Romero
(Switzerland).
|
|

|

|
|
Above
photos L-R: Aysar Ahmed Al-Tayeb (Saudi Arabia)
making an intervention; Chinese delegates reading the
the draft text. |
|
SBSTA:
|
|
|
|
AGENDA/MAURITIUS
STRATEGY:
SBSTA Chair Kishan
Kumarsingh
(Trinidad and Tobago) reported no progress on informal
consultations on addition of the Mauritius Strategy on
SIDS to the SBSTA agenda, and suggested including the
agenda item.
Tuvalu
stated that only two countries had opposed
consideration of this agenda item, and expressed
extreme disappointment on this issue. The
US
and Australia
reiterated their opposition to creating a new agenda
item, and parties adopted the provisional agenda.
Above
photos L-R: The dais during SBSTA chaired
by
Kishan Kumarsingh. |
|
|
Above
photos L-R: Ian Fry (Tuvalu); Peter
Roberts (Australia) making an intervention. |
AWG: |

|

|
|
The
AWG plenary convened at shortly before midnight after
informal consultations that had extended throughout
Thursday in a small group setting, with several
delegates and AWG Chair Michael Zammit Cutajar working
on a text on planning of future work distributed in
the morning.
Above
photos L-R: AWG Chair Michael Zammit Cutajar
(Malta); Swiss delegates consulting with AWG Chair Zammit
Cutajar |
|
|
Above
photos L-R: EU delegates in a consultation huddle;
delegates getting the draft text.
|
AWG Information Session
with the NGOs:
|
|
|
Chair
Michael Zammit Cutajar met with NGOs to brief
them on progress during AWG negotiations, outlining
discussions and positions behind the working text. He
described negotiations as "tough".
Above
photos L-R: AWG Chair Michael Zammit Cutajar
with Barbara Black, UNFCCC Secretariat reading
the ENB; view of the information session for the
NGOs. |
|
|
Above
photos L-R: Bill Hare (Greenpeace International);
participants from Business NGOs.
|
|
|
Above
photos L-R: Jennifer Morgan, WWF, asked about
the programme of work for 2007, and whether there
would be only two sessions; participants from Japanese
NGOs.
|
Daily web coverage:
15
May
-
16
May -
17
May
-
18
May
-
19
May
-
20
May
-
22
May
-
23
May
-
24
May
- 25 May
- 26 May