Submission
Samoa, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) welcomes this opportunity to submit its views and suggestions for specific actions towards strengthening cooperation between the UNFCCC and other relevant intergovernmental bodies, in particular the CBD and the CCD. AOSIS would like to recall its earlier submission on this issue, contained in FCCC/SBSTA/2001/MISC.8/Add.2. In that submission AOSIS listed a number of concrete proposals for specific areas in which further cooperation is needed. These include, in no particular order of priority: a) The implementation of Joint Implementation and the Clean Development Mechanism; b) The implementation of Article 3.3 and 3.4 activities; c) The links between adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change and the response measures taken under the CCD and the CBD; d) The development and transfer of technologies; e) Capacity building in non-Annex I Parties; and f) The co-ordination of Enabling Activities. In the discussion on cooperation with other international organizations, AOSIS would like to draw attention to issues of particular concern to Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These include the impact of climate change on coral reefs, wetlands, especially sea grass and mangrove ecosystems, and the need to adapt to these impacts. The vulnerability of SIDS, resulting from their high dependence on these ecosystems, requires an urgent response, which would benefit from a coordination of the efforts undertaken under the various conventions. There is also a concern in AOSIS regarding the administrative burden of seeking to access funds under the various enabling activities of the conventions. AOSIS is very interested in the various initiatives to address the cooperation and coordination between international organizations that are ongoing. It welcomes the formation of the joint liaison group of the secretariats of the UNFCCC, CCD and CBD. AOSIS requests this group to report back to the subsidiary bodies at their 16th sessions on potential areas of cooperation and any potential conflicts between these conventions that it has identified. AOSIS is also closely following the work of the Ad Hoc Technical Experts Group on Biological Diversity and Climate Change, established under the CBD, the first meeting of which took place in Helsinki from 21-25 January 2002. Finally, AOSIS sees a link between these initiatives and the Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Ministers on International Environmental Governance, and looks forward to discussing the outcome of these initiatives at the WSSD. AOSIS would, however, like to stress that each of these processes should be conducted in a transparent manner and that their results should be mutually reinforcing. The range of initiatives addressing interlinkages between different conventions is a clear sign of the importance of this issue. AOSIS, however, strongly feels that the discussion of links between different conventions should not be confined to a series of isolated processes. It is essential that the objectives of the CBD for example are fully taken into account in the decisions under a number of items on the UNFCCC agenda, and vice versa. This is particularly important in the case of the current discussions on the development of definitions and modalities for including afforestation and reforestation project activities under the clean development mechanism in the first commitment period. AOSIS wishes to reemphasize its previous submission on the organization of a workshop, terms of reference and an agenda for work relating to afforestation and reforestation activities under the CDM, contained in FCCC/SBSTA/2002/MISC.1. Furthermore, AOSIS stresses the important role of Parties in improving coordination and cooperation between different conventions at the national level. We do, however, wish to reaffirm the importance of adequate support, through capacity building initiatives at the national and regional level and the provision of sufficient resources through bilateral and multilateral initiatives in order to assist SIDS in this work, for national and regional co-ordination as well as for public education and awareness. Finally, AOSIS supports the organization of a joint FCCC/CDB/CCD workshop, the possibility of which is being examined by the joint liaison group. This workshop should be held before the 18th session of the subsidiary bodies, and the report of the workshop should be made available at that session. The purpose of this workshop and the output that we seek should be to elaborate a joint work plan for further coordination and cooperation between these three instruments, based on the issues identified above. It will be important to ensure that the necessary expertise is made available at the workshop, and that organizations involved in cross-cutting issues of relevance to all three conventions are represented at the workshop, including the financial mechanism. This is matter of particular importance for SIDS, and AOSIS invites the Secretariat to give consideration to inviting regional and inter-regional experts from SIDS, their organizations and the international community. In this regard it will be important to ensure adequate support and representation of SIDS, their representatives and experts dealing with all three conventions, ranging from national focal points, national co-ordinators of regional projects (for example CPACC, PICCAP) and NGOs.
