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SUMMARY OF THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE:: 8 - 19 JULY 1996

The Second Conference of the Parties (COP-2) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) met in Geneva from 8-19 July 1996. More than 1500 participants from governments, intergovernmental organizations and NGOs took part in the meetings. While many of the more contentious issues, such as treatment of the IPCC Second Assessment Report (SAR), were left unresolved COP-2 did produce some important political statements. The COP concluded by noting the “Geneva Declaration,” which endorses the IPCC conclusions and calls for legally binding objectives and significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The Conference also saw a significant shift in position by the US, which for the first time supported a legally binding agreement to fulfill the Berlin Mandate. However, even as Parties prepared to strengthen commitments, COP-2 highlighted the sharpest differences yet between delegations. The strong declarations of support for the SAR were far from unanimous, suggesting the need for substantial work in future sessions of the COP’s subsidiary bodies before COP-3 in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997.