Decision COP II/17

1.Takes note of the note prepared by the Secretariat on form and intervals of national reports by Parties, document UNEP/CBD/COP/2/14;

2.Endorses recommendation I/5 on "Scientific and Technical Information to be contained in the national reports", adopted by the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice;

3.Decides that the first national reports by Parties will focus in so far as possible on the measures taken for the implementation of Article 6 of the Convention, "General Measures for Conservation and Sustainable Use", as well as the information available in national country studies on biological diversity, using as a guide the annex to this decision;

4.Decides that the first national reports will be due at the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 1997;

5.Decides that, at its fourth meeting in 1997, the Conference of the Parties will determine the intervals and form of subsequent national reports. This determination will be based on the experience of Parties in preparing their first national reports and taking into account the state of implementation of the Convention;

6.Decides that Parties shall submit their national reports in one of the working languages of the Conference of the Parties and, for the benefit of others, encourages Parties to also make available their reports electronically and, where possible, on the Internet;

7.Decides that national reports submitted by Parties will not be distributed as official documents of the Conference of the Parties, but will be made available to Parties, upon request, and in the language of submission;

8.Requests that the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice instruct any technical panels that it may establish on topical issues to comment on the feasibility and practicalities of developing technical guidelines for national reporting on the subject matter being considered by the panels, and report to the meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 1997;

9.Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare a report based on the synthesis of information contained in national reports and other relevant information and containing also suggested next steps, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties; 

10.Requests also the Executive Secretary to make available to Parties, through the clearing-house mechanism for technical and scientific cooperation, relevant information contained in national reports submitted by Parties in accordance with Article 26 of the Convention;

11.Urges all Parties to submit their first national reports to the Secretariat no later than 30 June 1997 to allow consideration of this item by the Conference of the Parties at its fourth meeting; 

12.Urges the financial mechanism under the Convention to make available financial resources to developing country Parties to assist in the preparation of their national reports;