Distr.

GENERAL

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/3/12

29 July 1997

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

SUBSIDIARY BODY ON SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE

Third meeting

Montreal, 1-5 September 1997

Item 11 of the provisional agenda

DATE AND VENUE OF THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODY ON

SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE

Note by the Executive Secretary

1.	Rule 3 of the rules of procedure for meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, as contained in annex III to document UNEP/CBD/COP/1/17, states: "The meetings of the Conference of the Parties shall take place at the seat of the Secretariat, unless the Conference of the Parties decides otherwise or other appropriate arrangements are made by the Secretariat in consultation with the Parties". Rule 4, paragraph 2, states: "At each ordinary meeting, the Conference of the Parties shall decide on the date and duration of the next ordinary meeting". According to rule 26, paragraph 5, the rules of procedure for meetings of the Conference of the Parties shall apply mutatis mutandis to the proceedings of the subsidiary bodies established under the Convention, unless otherwise decided by the Conference of the Parties.

2.	Since the modus operandi of SBSTTA is being considered under item 9 of the provisional agenda of this meeting and will be the subject of further review by the Conference of the Parties at its fourth meeting, SBSTTA may wish to consider the frequency of its meetings and, accordingly, to recommend dates for its fourth meeting.

3.	To assist SBSTTA in the consideration of this issue, the secretariat has prepared a list of dates and venues of relevant meetings, which is contained in document UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/3/Inf.19.

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