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Besides its substantive provisions, the Convention provides
mechanisms for the further development of the Convention and
the monitoring of its implementation through institutional
arrangements. Three institutions are established by the Convention:
the Conference of the Parties (COP), the Subsidiary
Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA)
and the Secretariat.
Conference of the Parties
Ordinary meetings of the Conference of the Parties are usually
held every two years, but extraordinary meetings can be also
convened if deemed necessary. The Conference of the Parties
is the governing body of the Convention and shall keep under
review the implementation. It can consider and adopt any amendments,
annexes and protocols to the Convention. Additional important
functions of the COP include adoption of the budget, the consideration
of national reports, and the development of guidance to the
Global Environment Facility.
The United Nations, its specialized agencies and the International
Atomic Energy Agency, as well as any State not being Party,
may be represented as observers at COP meetings. Other governmental
and non-governmental bodies and agencies, which have informed
the Secretariat of their wish to be represented, may be admitted
as observers unless at least one third of the Parties present
object. Such observers do not have the right to vote.
At its first meeting the COP set out the rules of procedure
for its meetings, among others on the conduct of debate, voting,
agenda, representation of Parties and credentials, and the
officers of the meetings.
The Parties shall make every effort to reach consensus on
all substantial matters. Only if agreement is impossible can
decision (except on strategic issues related to the financial
mechanism) be made by two-thirds majority vote.
The COP is also entitled to establish additional subsidiary
bodies that support the implementation of the Convention.
Such long term operating bodies are:
Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Groups on:
- Access and Benefit-sharing,
- Article 8 (j) and Related Provisions,
- Protected Areas,
- Review of Implementation of the Convention,
while others are established for limited duration:
Ad Hoc Technical Expert Groups on:
- Gaps and Inconsistencies in the International Regulatory
Frameworks on Invasive Alien Species,
- Marine and Coastal Biodiversity,
- Biodiversity and Climate Change,
- the Review of Implementation of the Programme of Work
on Forest Biodiversity, etc.
Until now seven ordinary COPs were held, the last in February
2004 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The first extraordinary meeting
of the COP (ExCOP) was held in Cartagena, Colombia, in February
1999, to consider and adopt the first protocol to the Convention.
The extraordinary meeting was suspended, and resumed in January
2000 in Montreal, where it completed its work and adopted
the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological
Advice
The Subsidiary Body on Technical and Technological Advice
(SBSTTA) is an open-ended intergovernmental scientific advisory
body, to provide the COP with advice and recommendations.
In between COP meetings, two SBSTTA meetings are held, which
address all the issues on the upcoming COP meeting agenda.
It submits its advice to the COP on the specific topics in
the form of SBSTTA recommendations. The COP considers these
recommendations before adopting its decisions, and sometimes
explicitly endorses them in whole or in part. Thus virtually
all COP decisions are prepared by SBSTTA negotiations, and
usually further expert meetings and working group meetings
precede SBSTAA meetings.
Secretariat
The principal functions of the Secretariat are to prepare
for and service meetings of the COP and other subsidiary bodies
of the Convention and to coordinate with other relevant international
bodies. It prepares background documentation and collects
the national reports from the Parties. The host institution
of the Secretariat is UNEP, the Secretariat is located in
Montreal, Canada.
The Executive Secretary of the Convention is currently Mr.
Hamdallah Zedan.
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