Report of the Bureau of the 4th COP and the Bureau of the 10th MOP

Distr.
GENERAL

UNEP/OzL.Conv.4/Bur.2/3
UNEP/OzL.Pro.10/Bur.2/3
27 November 1999

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
 
 

BUREAU OF THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE  CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE  VIENNA CONVENTION FOR THE  PROTECTION OF THE OZONE  LAYER

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

Second meeting
Beijing, 27 November 1999

Introduction

1. The second meeting of the Joint Bureau of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Tenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was held in Beijing at the Beijing International Convention Centre on 27 November 1999.

I. OPENING OF THE MEETING

2. The meeting was opened at 10.20 a.m. on Saturday, 27 November 1999 by Mr. Vassily N. Tselikov (Russian Federation), President of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and of the Tenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

3. It was attended by the following members of the Bureau, who had been elected to their respective posts by the Conference of the Parties at its fourth meeting, held in San José, Costa Rica on 25 and 27 November 1996, and by the Tenth Meeting of the Parties, held in Cairo on 23 and 24 November 1998, or nominated by their Governments in accordance with rule 24 of the rules of procedure.

President: Mr. Vassily N. Tselikov (Russian Federation)

Vice-Presidents: Mr. Fabio Fajardo Moros (Cuba) - Vienna Convention

Mr. Jukka Uosukainen (Finland) - Vienna Convention

Ms. Bernardina de Stavrópulos (Panama) - Montreal Protocol

Ms. Marianne Birkholtz (South Africa) - Montreal Protocol

Mr. Rasmus Rasmusson (Sweden) - Montreal Protocol

Rapporteur: Mr. Tu'u'u Ietitaia Taule'alo (Samoa)

4. The meeting was also attended by Mr. K.M. Sarma (Executive Secretary), Mr. Nelson Sabogal (Programme Officer/Scientist), Mr. Omar El-Arini, Chief Officer of the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, Mr. Ted Kapiga, Chief, Trust Funds Section, United Nations Office at Nairobi, and Ms. Ruth Batten, Administrative Officer, Ozone Secretariat.

5. The Bureau adopted the following provisional agenda contained in document UNEP/OzL.Conv.4/Bur.2/1 and UNEP/OzL.Pro.10/Bur.2/1:

1. Opening of the meeting.

2. Adoption of the agenda.

3. Update on the actions taken on the decisions adopted at the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention, held in San José on 25 and 27 November 1996.

4. Update on the actions taken on the decisions of the Tenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, held in Cairo from 23 to 24 November 1998.

5. Review of the working documents prepared for the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, to be held in Beijing from 29 November to 3 December 1999.

6. Other matters.

7. Adoption of the report.

8. Closure of the meeting.

III. UPDATE ON THE ACTIONS TAKEN ON THE DECISIONS ADOPTED AT THE
FOURTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE
VIENNA CONVENTION, HELD IN SAN JOSÉ ON 25 AND 27 NOVEMBER 1996

and

IV. UPDATE ON THE ACTIONS TAKEN ON THE DECISIONS OF THE
TENTH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL,
HELD IN CAIRO FROM 23 TO 24 NOVEMBER 1998

6. Mr. Nelson Sabogal (Programme Officer/Scientist) of the Ozone Secretariat welcomed the members of the Bureau on behalf of the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Mr. Klaus Töpfer, and the Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat, Mr. K.M. Sarma, and proposed that items 3 and 4 above be considered together. The Bureau agreed to that proposal.

7. The Secretariat introduced the note contained in document UNEP/OzL.Conv.4/Bur.2/2 and UNEP/OzL.Pro.10/Bur.2/2, which gave a brief summary of the action the Secretariat had taken to implement the decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer at its fourth meeting and by the Tenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

8. With regard to decision IV/1, the Secretariat reported the status of ratification as at 15 November 1999 as follows: Vienna Convention-173 Parties, Montreal Protocol-172, London Amendment-136, Copenhagen Amendment-101, Montreal Amendment-29. In addition, the following countries had ratified the Montreal Amendment: Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, Hungary, Jordan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago and Tunisia.

9. The Secretariat also recalled that, in accordance with article 3, paragraph 1, of the Montreal Amendment, the Amendment was to enter into force on the ninetieth day following the deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification. That condition had now been fulfilled and the Amendment had entered into force on 10 November 1999.

10. With regard to decision IV/2, the Secretariat explained that no action was required on the decision.

11. Reporting on decision IV/3, the Secretariat said that it had interacted with Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Czech Republic, India, Kenya, New Zealand and Paraguay, in order to maintain and further develop the monitoring and archiving of measurements of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone, including vertical profiles and other trace species and aerosols, and to pursue the development and implementation of new observational capacities, such as aircraft and satellite-based measurements.

12. It had also interacted with, inter alia, the following organizations: International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC), International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America (NASA), European Commission, Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

13. A letter had been sent to all Parties to the Vienna Convention on 5 March 1999 requesting information on the activities carried out by the countries in the regions to implement decisions IV/3 and IV/4 of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention. The Secretariat had also requested information through the Energy and OzonAction Programme of the Technology, Industry and Economics Division of UNEP and the UNEP regional offices for Africa, Asia and Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and West Asia.

14. In response to that request, the UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) and the Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) had interacted with the countries in their regions, 22 of them had sent reports on the activities carried out in implementation of decisions IV/3 and IV/4. Seventeen countries had reported directly to the Secretariat, while 52 Parties had presented their national reports to the Ozone Research Managers at their fourth meeting, held in Geneva from 28 to 30 April 1999.

15. The Secretariat pointed out that the national reports and the reports on decisions IV/3 and IV/4 were contained in the WMO/UNEP report of the fourth meeting of the Ozone Research Managers, WMO Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project, Report No. 45. That report was being distributed to all Parties and relevant institutions.

16. Furthermore, in consultation with NASA, the European Commission, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and others, the Secretariat had reviewed the reports calling for increased research in stratospheric ozone and ultraviolet radiation.

17. The Secretariat also reported that the Montreal Protocol's Scientific Assessment Panel, together with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and in close coordination with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), had produced the IPCC Special Report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere. The special report and the summary for policy makers had been circulated to all Parties, with the latter being transmitted in all six official languages of the United Nations.

18. The Secretariat reported on the activities carried out by WMO on the Global Ozone Observing System (GO₃OS) and the monitoring of UV-B.

19. With regard to decision IV/4, the Secretariat said, that to date, the only project approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to support the monitoring of ozone and UV-B radiation and related research in developing countries was the 1993 project for Southern Cone ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse-gas monitoring. On 24 February 1999, the Secretariat had written to the GEF secretariat requesting information on activities of projects supported by GEF in order to implement that decision. In response, the GEF secretariat had stated that there had been no requests yet for GEF support in response to decision IV/4.

20. The Secretariat also reported that Mr. Vassily Tselikov, as the erstwhile acting President of the Bureau of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention, had sent a letter to the GEF secretariat expressing concern over the lack of support for the monitoring of
ozone and UV-B radiation and related research in developing countries. Mr. Mohammed T. El-Ashry, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of GEF had replied that the eligibility of project proposals for
financing was determined by the GEF operational strategy which had been approved by the GEF Council in October 1995. That strategy had set forth 10 operational principles, two of which were the following. For the purpose of financing activities in the focal area of ozone layer depletion, GEF operational policies would be consistent with those of the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments. In addition the GEF Council had approved in 1997 the principles for GEF financing of targeted research on a proposal prepared by the GEF Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel. Mr. El-Ashry had also said that the GEF Secretariat doubted whether activities supporting the monitoring of ozone and UV radiation and related research in developing countries would be consistent with the GEF operational strategy or the GEF principles for the financing of targeted research. Furthermore, GEF had not received any requests from developing countries to finance such activities. He had said in conclusion that in response to recent decisions of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, WMO was currently working on a proposal to facilitate access for local scientists to global networks monitoring atmospheric change. In his view this could also facilitate participation in international efforts to measure changes in atmospheric ozone concentration. It was learnt, in addition, that Canada and Finland were looking to improve the observation capabilities in South America.

21. In reply to a query from one Bureau member concerning the lack of funds and possible avenues for increasing the budget for the implementation of the Vienna Convention, the Secretariat said that contributions amounting to $ 500,000 had been received in the past from Canada, Switzerland and the United States of America, with respect to the WMO Trust Fund for the Global Ozone Observing System (GO₃OS).

22. With regard to decision IV/5, the Secretariat reported that contributions to the Trust Fund for the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer for the period 1996-1998 were as follows:

24. Reporting on decision IV/6, the Secretariat explained that there would be five decisions to be considered at the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention, which would be held in conjunction with the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol which would consider 24 decisions in Beijing, from 29 November to 3 December 1999 at the Beijing International Convention Centre.

25. The Secretariat said that the status of implementation of the decisions of the Tenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol was contained in the annex to the report of the Executive Director to the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties, document UNEP/OzL.Pro.11/2. The present report related to new developments in the specific decisions since July 1999.

26. With regard to decision X/1, the Secretariat also said that it had reminded all Parties to ratify the Amendments not yet ratified by them. It had also requested all non-Parties to the Montreal Protocol to ratify the Vienna Convention, the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments expeditiously.

27. With regard to decision X/2, the Secretariat reported that, as at 30 September 1999, 150 Parties had reported data for 1997 and 104 Parties for 1998.

28. With regard to decision X/8, the Secretariat said that it had received a request from the Netherlands on the chemical 6-bromo-2-methoxy-naphtalene, or BMN, CAS No. 5111-65-9, and had sent the information to the Scientific Assessment Panel and the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel for them to carry out further assessments on BMN and to determine its ozone-depleting potential (ODP). Furthermore, the Scientific Assessment Panel had informed the Secretariat that a meaningful determination of ODP for a compound with significant ODP required laboratory studies and modelling analyses that generally cost in excess of $100,000.

29. With regard to decision X/13, the Secretariat said that the task force of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel had finalized the report entitled ?Supplement to the April 1999 TEAP replenishment report, August 1999" which had been distributed it in September 1999 to all Parties by the Secretariat. The Ad-Hoc Group on Replenishment had met once again in Washington DC, on 30 September and 1 October 1999, to discuss the supplementary report and to negotiate the 2000-2002 replenishment. Further discussions would continue in the technical segment of the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

30. With regard to decision X/14, the Secretariat said that, as at 30 September 1999, no Party had reported on the use of controlled substances as process agents, the level of emissions from those uses and the containment technologies used by them to minimize emissions of controlled substance. One non-Article 5 Party (France) had reported data for inclusion in tables A and B of decision X/14.

31. With regard to decision X/16, the Secretariat said that the report of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel would be presented to the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

32. With regard to decision X/17, Mr. Omar El-Arini, Chief Officer of the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol reported that at its Twenty-seventh and Twenty-ninth Meetings, the Executive Committee had approved agreements with China and India respectively for the closure of their entire production by 2010. For the implementation of these agreements the Executive Committee had approved $150 million for China and $82 million for India, to be paid in annual instalments during the same period.

33. With regard to decision X/30, the Secretariat said that the status of contributions to the Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer for 1998 was as follows:
 

Year	1998
Amount due	3,679,702
Amount received by 31 December 1998	1,514,880

34. The updated status of contributions for 1998 and 1999 was presented at the second joint meeting of the Bureau by Mr. T. Kapiga of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. He noted that the amount of unpaid contributions for 1999 and prior years had totalled $4,742,596 as at 19 November 1999. The collections during 1999 for previous years and for 1999 had totalled $3,421,423.

V. REVIEW OF THE WORKING DOCUMENTS PREPARED FOR THE
FIFTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO
THE VIENNA CONVENTION AND THE ELEVENTH MEETING OF
THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL, TO BE HELD
IN BEIJING FROM 29 NOVEMBER TO 3 DECEMBER 1999

35. The representative of the Secretariat drew the attention of the Bureau to the documents which were before the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and explained that the preparatory meetings would be held from 29 November to 1 December 1999 as a technical segment of the main meetings. The meetings on 2 and 3 December would be designated the ministerial segment, with an agenda comprising presentations by the panels and implementing agencies, statements by the Chairs of the Executive Committee and the Implementation Committee as well as statements by ministers. In contrast to past practice, there would only be one report covering all the proceedings of the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties.

VI. OTHER MATTERS

36. No other matters were raised for discussion at the meeting.

VII. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT

37. The Bureau agreed to adopt the report on the understanding that the Secretariat would be entrusted with its finalization, working in conjunction with the Rapporteur.

VIII. CLOSURE OF THE MEETING

38. The outgoing Bureau members expressed their satisfaction at the manner in which the proceedings of the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol had been conducted and thanked the Secretariat for its cooperation.

39. Finally, the Bureau paid tribute to Mr. K.M. Sarma for his outstanding contribution over the years to the work of both the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol.

40. The meeting rose at 12.30 p.m. on Saturday, 27 November 1999.

Annex

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

CUBA

Dr. Fabio Fajardo Moros
Ministerio de Ciencia
Tecnología y Medio Ambiente
Capitolio Nacional, Prado y San José
Habana 10 200
Cuba
Tel: (537) 570-621
Fax: (537) 570-600/240-852
Email: fabio@ceniai.inf.cu

FINLAND

Mr. Jukka Uosukainen
Deputy Director
International Affairs
Ministry for the Environment
P.O. Box 380
FIN-00131 Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (358-9) 1991-9705
Fax: (358-9) 1991-9602
Email: jukka.uosukainen@vyh.fi

PANAMA

Ms. Bernardina de Stavrópulos
Jefe de Departamento
Control de Desechos Peligrosos
Comisión Gubernamental del Ozono
Ministerio de Salud
Calle Gorgas, Edificio 2-65
Ancon, Panama
Tel: (507) 262-2492/0050
Fax: (507) 262-6995
Email: despel@singo.net

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Mr. Vassily N. Tselikov
Executive Director
Centre for Preparation and Implementation of International Projects
on Technical Assistance (CPPI)
13-2, Sr. Pereyaslavskaya Str. 129041
Moscow, Russian Federation
Tel/Fax: (70-95) 280-5788/971-0423
Email: vassily@odsgef.msk.ru

SAMOA

Dr. Tu'u'u Ietitaia Taule'alo
Director
Lands, Surveys & Environment Department
Government of Samoa
P.O. Private Bag, Apia
Samoa
Tel: (685) 25019
Fax: (685) 32176
Email: tuuu.ieti@samoa.net

SOUTH AFRICA

Ms. Marianne Birkholtz
Directorate: Environment and Marine
Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
0001 Pretoria
South Africa
Tel: (+27 12) 351 1472
Fax: (+27 12) 351 1651
EMail: pollution@foreign.gov.za

SWEDEN

H.E. Mr. Rasmus Rasmusson
Ambassador
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
SE-103 33 Stockholm
Sweden
Tel: (46-8) 405-5570
Fax: (46-8) 723-1176
Email: rasmus.rasmusson@foreign.ministry.se

MULTILATERAL FUND
SECRETARIAT

Dr. Omar El-Arini
Chief Officer
Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol
1800 McGill College Avenue
27th Floor, Montreal Trust Building
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3A 3J6
Tel: (1 514) 282-1122
Fax: (1 514) 282-0068
Email: oelarini@unmfs.org

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE
AT NAIROBI

Mr. Theodor Kapiga
Chief
Trust Fund Section
Budget & Funds Management Service
UNON
P.O. Box 67578
Nairobi
Kenya
Tel: (254-2) 623661
Fax: (254-2) 623755
Email: theodor.kapiga@unon.org

OZONE SECRETARIAT

Mr. K.M. Sarma
Executive Secretary
UNEP/Ozone Secretariat
P.O. Box 30552
Nairobi
Kenya
Tel: (254-2) 623885
Fax: (254-2) 623601/623913
Email: madhava.sarma@unep.org
 
 

Mr. Nelson Sabogal
Programme Officer/Scientist
UNEP/Ozone Secretariat
P.O. Box 30552
Nairobi
Kenya
Tel: (254-2) 623856
Fax: (254-2) 623601/623913
Email: nelson.sabogal@unep.org

Ms. Ruth Batten
Administrative Officer
UNEP/Ozone Secretariat
P.O. Box 30552
Nairobi
Kenya
Tel: (254-2) 624032
Fax: (254-2) 623601/623913
Email: ruth.batten@unep.org
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