. /.  WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE  
ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO  WT/CTE/W/123 
8 July 1999 
 (99-2839) 
Committee on Trade and Environment Original:   English/ 
                 anglais/  inglés 
  
  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE SECRETARIAT OF THE UNITED NATIONS 
FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
 
 The attached paper1 is being circulated to the Members of the Committee on Trade and 
Environment as background to the presentation made by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at  the CTE Meeting held on 29-30 June 1999.   
 
 
Comité du commerce et de l'environnement 
 
 
COMMUNICATION DU SECRÉTARIAT DE LA CONVENTION-CADRE 
DES NATIONS UNIES SUR LES CHANGEMENTS CLIMATIQUES 
 
 
 Le document joint en annexe1 est distribué aux membres du Comité du commerce et de 
l'environnement comme document de référence pour  l'exposé présenté par le Secrétariat de la 
Convention-cadre des Nations Unies sur les changeme nts climatiques à la réuni on tenue par le Comité 
les 29 et 30 juin 1999. 
 
 
Comité de Comercio y Medio Ambiente 
 
 
COMUNICACIÓN DE LA SECRETARÍA DEL FORO 
INTERGUBERNAMENTAL SOBRE LOS BOSQUES 
 
 
 El documento adjunto1 se distribuye a los miembros del Comité de Comercio y Medio 
Ambiente como información genera l sobre la exposición hecha por la Secretaría de la Convención 
Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Clim ático en la reunión del Comité de Comercio y 
Medio Ambiente celebrada los días 29 y 30 de junio de 1999. 
                                                      
1English only/En anglais seulement/En inglés solamente. WT/CTE/W/123 
Page 2  
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE SECRETARIAT OF THE UNITED NATIONS 
FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
 
1. The ultimate objective of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change is to stabilize 
atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.  The Kyoto Protocol to the Convention is an 
important step in meeting the objective of the Convention.  The Kyoto Protocol commits 
industrialized countries to elaborate domestic polici es and measures to achieve their legally-binding 
targets for reduction of greenhouse gases.  The Protocol also recognizes economic instruments, including emission credits and emission trading - new market mechanisms - as a  means to achieve 
emission limitation.  The Protocol will build a co mprehensive compliance system to ensure the 
confidence and credibility of the Kyoto Protocol. 
2. Article 3.5 of the Convention states that measures taken to combat climate change, including 
unilateral ones, should not constitute a means of di scrimination on international trade.  The Kyoto 
Protocol reaffirms this principle.  No trade measu res are included in these agreements;  implications 
for the trade regime may arise from the national implementation of measures to meet commitments 
under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. 
3. Parties are in the process of developing prin ciples, modalities, rules and guidelines for the 
mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol.  The issue of the interaction between WTO rules and the 
Protocol's mechanisms has been raised in a techni cal workshop, but has not been the subject of the 
policy oriented work of the subsidiary bodies of the Convention. 
4. Ways to facilitate cooperation to enhance th e individual and combined effectiveness of 
policies and measures are being considered.  The m easures include promotion of energy efficiency, 
sustainable forest management, new and renewable forms of energy, progressive reduction or phasing 
out of market imperfections as well as measures to  reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, including in 
the transport and waste management sectors.   View s of Parties on "best practices" will be available 
later in the year. 
5. A joint working group has been established to  develop a comprehensive compliance system 
under the Kyoto Protocol.  The discussions in this  group have so far been on substantive rules, 
procedures for addressing compliance and the consequences of non-compliance.  The group has also considered that the objectives of a compliance system, consistent with the objectives of the 
Kyoto Protocol, could be to facilitate complianc e, prevent non-compliance or disputes from arising 
and promote compliance through cooperative means. 
6. Details of the above on-going work are expected  to emerge only during the course of this 
year, and more specifically in the year 2000. 
7. As a point of information, the UNFCCC has received 179 instruments of ratification or 
accession. 
__________