Activities

The small intersessional working group has prepared successive iterations of the draft glossary of terms. It was also mandated to recommend where further guidance would be useful as well as possible options for further steps towards the consistent interpretation of terminology.

The first draft of the revised glossary and related explanations prepared by the SIWG on 15 February 2014 was open for comments by Parties and others by 15 April 2014.

The second draft of the glossary and related explanations prepared by the SIWG during its first meeting  was made available on 15 June 2014, as requested in decision BC-11/1, and communicated to all Parties.

The second draft glossary of terms as set out in document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.9/INF/20  was considered by the OEWG-9 . In its decision OEWG-9/8, the OEWG invited parties and others to submit comments by 31 October 2014 on the definitions and explanations mentioned in the meeting report of the ninth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group and on the options for further steps towards the consistent interpretation of terminology, including possible voluntary and legally binding options. Comments received are posted in the table below.

A third version of the draft glossary of terms as set out in document UNEP/CHW/CLI_SIWG.2/2  as well as the comments received from parties and others in response to decision OEWG-9/8, as set out in document UNEP/CHW/CLI_SIWG.2/INF/2/Rev.1 were considered by the SIWG during its second meeting (25-26 January 2015, Konstanz). Following its meeting, the SIWG decided to forward the outcome of its work, namely a fourth draft glossary dated 26 January 2015, to the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and to invite parties and others to submit comments thereon by 15 March 2015. During its meeting, the SIWG also finalized recommendations for the consideration of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties on options for further steps towards the consistent interpretation of terminology, including possible voluntary and legally binding options.

The twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties considered the fourth draft glossary of terms and the options for further steps towards the consistent interpretation of terminology, including possible voluntary and legally binding options, submitted by the SIWG. In its Decision BC-12/1, the Conference of the Parties, among other things:

1. Invited the small intersessional working group on legal clarity to continue its work, including, subject to the availability of resources, through a face-to-face meeting, and to prepare a revised version of the draft glossary including explanations, taking into account the comments received from parties and observers,as well as the outcomes of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and to submit it to the Secretariat five months before the tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group;
2. Requested the Secretariat to submit the revised version of the draft glossary including explanations to the Open-ended Working Group for consideration at its tenth meeting; and 
3. Invited the Open-ended Working Group at its tenth meeting:
   1. To finalize the draft glossary and related explanations as a useful piece of guidance;
   2. To prepare a draft decision on these matters for consideration and possible adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting.

During its tenth meeting, the Open-ended Working Group finalized the glossary of terms elaborated by the SIWG and, in its decision OEWG-10/8, recommended its adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting. The glossary of terms, as finalized by the Open-ended Working Group, was adopted by the Conference of the Parties in its decision BC-13/2.