Decision COP IV/16

Recognizing the urgency of the effective and full implementation of the Convention,

Aware of the difficulties experienced in the operations of the Convention and in achieving its full and effective implementation,

Recalling the primacy of the role of the Conference of the Parties as provided for in Article 23, paragraph 4, of the Convention,

Conscious of the need to achieve the full participation of Parties in the implementation of the Convention and emphasising the need for open and transparent preparations for the Conference of the Parties,

Underscoring the need for the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to focus on scientific, technical and technological aspects of the Convention in accordance with its Article 25,

1. Decides that the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties will take place in the second quarter of 2000 for a period of two weeks;

2. Decides also to hold an open-ended meeting to consider possible arrangements to improve preparations for and conduct of the meetings of the Conference of the Parties, taking into account proposals made at the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, including a preparatory discussion of the item on access to genetic resources on the agenda of the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. This meeting will be of three days duration and is to be held in conjunction with one of the meetings planned for 1999;

3. Requests the Executive Secretary to analyse for the meeting described in paragraph 2 of the present decision the development and experience of other conventions and agreements and their potential relevance to the work of the Convention;

4. Decides to consider at its fifth meeting the results of the meeting described in paragraph 2 of the present decision and the experience gained from the changes in the functioning of the Convention included in the present decision, with a view to taking a decision on the need for further measures to improve preparations for and conduct of meetings of the Conference of Parties;

5. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to necessary voluntary contributions, to organize regional/subregional meetings to consider ways and means of implementing the Convention and the decisions of the Conference of the Parties;

6. Requests the Executive Secretary when preparing the provisional annotated agenda to clearly indicate whether matters are for information or for consideration and when preparing the supporting documentation to include suggestion of elements for draft decisions as appropriate;

7. Invites Parties to forward any proposed decisions to the Executive Secretary in sufficient time to enable him/her to circulate those draft decisions to all Parties at least three weeks before the commencement of meetings of the Conference of the Parties;

8. Requests the Executive Secretary to distribute the provisional annotated agenda for ordinary meetings of the Conference of the Parties as well as the principal documents for the meeting, in the official languages of the United Nations, as early as possible and in reasonable time for any regional preparatory meetings organized by the Executive Secretary and, in any event, preferably six months before the opening of its ordinary meetings;

9. Invites Parties to notify the Executive Secretary of any additional items they wish to add to the provisional agenda at least six weeks before the opening of the meeting;

10. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare, in time for the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties, a handbook that relates the decisions of the Conference of the Parties, and other material relevant to the operation of the Convention, as well as to the text of the Convention;

12. Decides that the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice shall hold two meetings, each of five days duration, before next ordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

13. Decides that, while the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice should consider the financial implications of its proposals, its recommendations will only include advice to the Conference of the Parties regarding financial matters, including guidance to the financial mechanism, when the Conference of the Parties has so requested;

14. Decides also that in future requests to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, the Conference of the Parties will make clear whether it expects to receive information for noting, recommendations for approval, or advice for decisions by the Conference of Parties, and that, likewise, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, when submitting recommendations to the Conference of the Parties, should indicate clearly whether it expects the Conference of the Parties to note, approve or decide on the matter in question;

15. Requests its Bureau to liaise on a regular basis with the bureaux of its subsidiary bodies, in particular the Bureau of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, and, to this end, requests the Executive Secretary to organize wherever possible back-to-back meetings of the bureaux of the Conference of the Parties and the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice;

16. Adopts the programme of work for the period from the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties until the seventh meeting of the Conference as contained in annex II to the present decision;

17. Recognizes that it may be necessary for the Executive Secretary, with the guidance of the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, to adjust further the servicing of the programme of work in light of the resources available to the Secretariat;

18. Decides to review the programme of work at each ordinary meeting of the Conference, in the light of developments in the implementation of the Convention;

19. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare the provisional agenda of the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in agreement with the President within the framework of the programme of work contained in annex II to the present decision;

20. Requests the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and other subsidiary bodies to prepare proposals for their programmes of work based on the priorities set out in annex II to the present decision, with a view to streamlining and focusing the agendas of their meetings;