(Agenda item 4 (b))

Conclusions

At its 6th meeting, on 29 October, having considered a proposal by the Chair, the SBSTA adopted the following conclusions:

(a) The SBSTA took note of the information on terms of service for lead reviewers and training of experts, contained in document FCCC/SBSTA/2002/INF.18;

(b) The SBSTA decided to recommend to the COP for adoption at its eighth session:

(i) A draft decision relating to reporting and review of information on assigned amounts and national registries, and to the expedited procedure for the review for reinstatement of eligibility to use mechanisms (FCCC/SBSTA/2002/L.15/Add.1);1

(ii) A draft decision relating to terms of service for lead reviewers (FCCC/SBSTA/2002/L.15/Add.2).2

(c) The SBSTA decided to consider, at its eighteenth session, criteria for selecting lead reviewers who will participate in expert review teams, using as input the list of criteria contained in annex I to this report. It also decided to consider, at the same session, criteria for selecting lead reviewers of the teams that will review information on assigned amounts and national registries, taking into account the provisions of the technical standards for national registries;

(d) The SBSTA requested the secretariat to organize a pilot training course on the review of greenhouse gas inventories, using traditional and e-learning methods. In selecting experts for the pilot training course, the secretariat should:

(i) Give priority to experts who have not yet participated in review activities during the trial period established in accordance with decision 6/CP.5;

(ii) Consider the experts’ involvement in the area of inventory estimation and inventory systems;

(e) The SBSTA requested the secretariat to prepare a report on the experience gained during the pilot training course and, based on this experience, to prepare a proposal, including potential financial implications, for the development of a training programme necessary to ensure the competence of experts participating in review teams. This proposal should also include options to provide specialized training for lead reviewers. The SBSTA decided to consider the report and the training proposal at its eighteenth session;

(f) The SBSTA also decided to consider, at its eighteenth session, ways to ensure and improve the competence, professionalism and performance of experts and lead reviewers participating in expert review teams and, inter alia, ways for these experts to manage potential conflicts in performing their tasks;

(g) The SBSTA requested the secretariat to undertake the case studies for simulating the calculation of adjustments under Article 5, paragraph 2, of the Kyoto Protocol, described in document FCCC/SBSTA/2002/INF.19. The results of these case studies should be published by 15 February 2003 and be used as input to the second workshop on adjustment, to be organized in 2003, subject to the availability of resources. The SBSTA recalled its conclusions at its sixteenth session, in which it:

(i) Invited Parties to submit, by 15 March 2003, their views on the draft technical guidance, taking into account the results of the case studies (see FCCC/SBSTA/2002/6, para. 24 (h));

(ii) Decided to consider, at its eighteenth session, the results of the workshop, with the aim of completing the technical guidance on methodologies for adjustments under Article 5, paragraph 2, of the Kyoto Protocol (see FCCC/SBSTA/2002/6, para. 24 (k));

(h) The SBSTA took note of the information contained in the submissions of Parties on the treatment of confidential information provided during the review under Article 8 of the Kyoto Protocol (FCCC/SBSTA/2002/MISC.16) and decided to defer consideration of this matter to its eighteenth session. It requested the secretariat to prepare a paper, including experiences with current review activities and a draft code of practice on the treatment of confidential information, for consideration at its eighteenth session;

(i) The SBSTA took note of the report on the intersessional consultations on registries, relating to general design requirements for the technical standards for data exchange between national registries, the clean development mechanism registry and the transaction log, and to possible future work to elaborate functional and technical specifications of these requirements (FCCC/SBSTA/2002/INF.20);

(j) The SBSTA decided to recommend a draft decision on technical standards for data exchange between registry systems (FCCC/SBSTA/2002/L.15/Add.3) for adoption by the COP at its eighth session.3

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1 For the text as adopted, see document FCCC/CP/2002/7/Add.3, decision 22/CP.8.
2 For the text as adopted, see document FCCC/CP/2002/7/Add.3, decision 23/CP.8.
3 For the text as adopted, see document FCCC/CP/2002/7/Add.3, decision 24/CP.8.