Annotated Provisional Agenda - Twelfth Meeting Of The Parties

Distr.
GENERAL

UNEP/OzL.Pro/12/1
21 August 2000

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

TWELFTH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON
SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE
THE OZONE LAYER

Ouagadougou, 11-14 December 2000

ANNOTATED PROVISIONAL AGENDA

I. Preparatory Segment (11-12 December)

1. Opening of the meeting:

    1. Statement by a representative of the Government of Burkina Faso;
    2. Statement by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

2. Organizational matters:

    1. Adoption of the agenda;
    2. Organization of work.

3. Discussion on the issues and on draft decisions:

    1. Proposed adjustment to the Montreal Protocol relating to the controlled substance in Annex E;
    2. The need for further adjustments to the phase-out schedule for hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5;
    3. Selection of:
      1. Members of the Implementation Committee;
      2. Members of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund; and
      3. Co-Chairs of the Open-ended Working Group for future years;
    1. Reporting of data;
    2. Ratification of the Convention, Protocol and its amendments;
    3. Assessment by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel of a long-term strategy for the collection, storage, disposal and destruction of ozone-depleting substances and equipment containing such substances;
    4. Essential-use-exemption applications;
    5. Measures to make halons available for essential/critical uses in Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5;
    6. Prevention of illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances and products containing ozone-depleting substances;
    7. New ozone-depleting substances - information on hexachlorobutadiene.
    8. Request by Kyrgyzstan to be classified as a Party operating under Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol.
    9. Other matters

4. Compliance issues considered by the Implementation Committee.

5. Financial statement and budget for the trust fund for the Montreal Protocol.

II. High-level Segment (13-14 December)

  1. Opening of the High-level Segment:
    1. Welcome by the representative of the Government of Burkina Faso;
    2. Statement by the Executive Director;
    3. Statement by the President of the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

2. Organizational matters:

    1. Elections of officers of the Twelfth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol;
    2. Adoption of the agenda;
    3. Organization of work;
    4. Credentials of representatives.

3. Summary presentations by the Assessment Panels.

4. Presentations by the representatives of United Nations agencies and the Global Environment Facility.

5. Presentation by the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

6. Presentation by the President of the Implementation Committee.

7. Statements by heads of delegations.

8. Report of the Co-Chairs of the Preparatory Segment and consideration of the recommended decisions.

9. Date and venue of the Thirteenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

10. Other matters.

11. Adoption of the report of the Twelfth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

12. Closure of the meeting.

ANNOTATIONS

I. Preparatory Segment

Item 1

The meeting will be opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, 11 December 2000, at the Ouagadougou International Conference Centre. Registration of participants will start at 9 a.m. the same day. Participants are encouraged to register early through the internet.

Item 2 (a)

The above provisional agenda will be before the Parties for adoption. The Co-Chairs of the twentieth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group, Mr. John W. Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda) and Mr. Milton Catelin (Australia) will co-chair the Preparatory Segment.

Item 2 (b)

The Parties may wish to carry out their work in plenary and draw up a specific timetable for the work under the agenda.

Item 3 (a), (b) and (f) to (j)

The Parties may wish to address these issues as a continuation of the discussions at the twentieth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. With respect to agenda item 3 (b), the European Community had introduced a proposal for an adjustment to the Montreal Protocol relating to controls on HCFC consumption in developing countries. An alternative proposal was however put forward by some Parties to the effect that the Parties had considered the matter and decided that there was no need for any adjustment. The report of the Executive Director of UNEP (UNEP.OzL.Pro.12/2) also contains some relevant information to guide the discussion. The draft decisions reflecting the discussions already held on some issues will be placed before the meeting by the Secretariat as document UNEP/OzL.Pro.12/8.

Item 3 (k)

Kyrgyzstan has requested to be classified as a Party operating under Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol for two reasons:

  1. The difficult economic situation that has necessitated the United Nations to classify it as a developing country;
  2. Its per capita gross domestic product was $340.6 in 1998, but estimated at $248.3 in 1999.

The meeting may discuss this request.

Item 3 (c)

(i) Membership of the Implementation Committee.

In accordance with the non-compliance procedure (1998), the Implementation Committee consists of 10 Parties elected for two years on the basis of equitable geographical distribution. Outgoing Parties may be re-elected for one consecutive term. In decision XI/8, the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties confirmed the positions of Mali, Poland, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as members of the Committee for one further year and selected Argentina, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt and United States of America as members of the Committee for a two-year period. The Twelfth Meeting of the Parties may wish to select new members of the Implementation Committee for a two-year period to replace Mali, Poland, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

(ii) Membership of the Executive Committee.

In decision XI/9, the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties endorsed the selection of Australia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States of America as members of the Executive Committee representing Parties not operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol and the selection of Bahamas, Brazil, China, Dominican Republic, India, Tunisia and Uganda as members representing Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5, for one year. It also noted the selection of India as Chair and Germany - nominated by non-Article 5 Parties - as Vice-Chair. The Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund was advised accordingly at its thirtieth meeting held in March 2000. In accordance with the terms of reference of the Executive Committee approved by the Fourth Meeting of the Parties, the Executive Committee consists of 14 members, seven from the group of Parties operating under Article 5, paragraph 1, and seven from the group of Parties not so operating. Each group elects its Executive Committee members and the members of the Executive Committee have to be formally endorsed by the Meeting of the Parties. The Chair and the Vice-Chair have to be selected from the 14 Executive Committee members. The office of Chair is subject to rotation, on an annual basis effective 1 January of the year in which the term of office relates, between the Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 and the Parties not so operating.

The group of Parties not operating under Article 5, paragraph 1, may wish to select the members representing them in the Executive Committee for the next year and also the Chair of the Committee for the next year. The group of Parties operating under Article 5, paragraph 1, may also select their seven representatives in the Committee and the Vice-chair for the next year. The Twelfth Meeting of the Parties may wish to endorse the selected representatives and take note of the selected Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee.

(iii) Co-Chairs of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

In accordance with decision XI/10 of the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties, Mr. John W. Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda and Mr. Milton Catelin of Australia have served as Co-Chairs of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol for 2000. The Twelfth Meeting may wish to consider the chairmanship of the Open-ended Working Group in 2001.

Item 4

The budget of the Montreal Protocol trust fund and the statement of accounts for 1999 will be circulated as documents UNEP/Ozl.Pro.12/5 and UNEP/Ozl.Pro.12/6 respectively.

II. High-level Segment

Item 2 (a)

Rule 21, paragraph 1, of the rules of procedure of the meetings of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol states that:

"At the commencement of the first session of each ordinary meeting, a President, three Vice-Presidents and a Rapporteur are to be elected from among the representatives of the Parties present at the meeting. They will serve as the officers of the meeting. In electing its officers, the Meeting of the Parties shall have due regard to the principle of equitable geographical representation. The offices of President and Rapporteur of the Meeting of the Parties shall normally be subject to rotation among the five groups of States referred to in section I, paragraph 1, of General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972, by which the United Nations Environment Programme was established".

On the basis of rotation according to English alphabetical order among the five groups of States referred to in General Assembly resolution 2997(XXVII), a Party from the Western European and Others Group may be elected to preside over the Twelfth Meeting of the Parties and a Party from the Latin American and Caribbean Group elected as Rapporteur, unless the Meeting decides otherwise. Three Vice-Presidents may be elected from the African, Asian and Eastern European Group, respectively.

Item 2 (b)

The above provisional agenda for the High-level Segment will be before the Parties for adoption.

Item 2 (c)

The Parties may wish to carry out their work in plenary session and draw up a specific timetable for the work under the agenda.

Item 2 (d)

In accordance with rule 18 of the rules of procedure for Meetings of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, the credentials of representatives shall be submitted to the Executive Secretary of the meeting, if possible not later than twenty-four hours after the opening of the meeting. In accordance with rule 19, the officers of the meeting shall examine the credentials and submit their report to the meeting.

Item 3

The Co-Chairs of the Scientific, Environmental Effects and Technology and Economic Assessment Panels will make a summary presentation of any major new development.

Item 4

The Chairman of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the representatives of the Implementing Agencies of the Multilateral Fund will present their reports to the Parties under this item.

Item 5

The report of the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund will be circulated as document UNEP/OzL.Pro.12/7, and presented to the meeting under this item.

Item 6

The report of the President of the Implementation Committee under the Non-Compliance Procedure for the Montreal Protocol will be delivered at the meeting. The report of the Secretariat on production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances reported by the Parties for 1997 will be circulated as document UNEP/OzL.Pro.12/4.

Item 7

Under this item, the heads of delegations will deliver their statements ( each of about five minutes' duration) in the order to be decided on by the President of the Bureau.

Item 8

It is expected that, in their report to the High-level Segment, the Co-Chairs of the Preparatory Segment will present decisions and recommendations on, inter alia, ratification of the Convention, the Protocol and its Amendments; reporting of data; membership of the Implementation Committee; membership of the Executive Committee; Co-Chairs of the Open-ended Working Group; proposed adjustment to the Montreal Protocol relating to the controlled substance in Annex E; the need for further adjustments to the phase-out schedule for HCFCs for Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5, and the alternative proposal that the Parties had considered the matter and decided that there was no need for any adjustment; assessment by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel of a long-term strategy for the collection, storage, disposal and destruction of ozone-depleting substances and equipment containing ozone-depleting substances; measures to make halons available for essential/critical uses in Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5; essential-use exemptions for ozone-depleting substances; prevention of illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances and products containing ozone-depleting substances; new ozone-depleting substances; and any other issues.

Item 9

The Parties will decide on the dates and venue of the Thirteenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

Item 10

The Parties may wish to raise other matters for discussion.

Item 11

The draft report of the Twelfth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol will be presented for adoption at the conclusion of the meeting.

Item 12

The meeting is expected to close on the evening of 14 December 2000.