III

Calendar No. 513

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 239

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding conditions for continued United

States participation under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 11, 1994

Mr. PELL, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, reported the following

original resolution; which was placed on the calendar

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding conditions for

continued United States participation under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

1 Resolved,

2 SECTION 1. UNITED STATES PARTICIPATION UNDER THE

3 CONVENTION.

4 It is the sense of the Senate that, in formulating

5 United States participation under the Convention on Bio6 logical Diversity, the President should ensure that—

7 (1) any proposal for funding of United States

8 participation under the Convention includes specific
2

•SRES 239 PCS

1 offsets within the United States budget to ensure

2 the United States budgetary deficit is not increased;

3 (2) a restructured Global Environmental Facil4 ity is the financing mechanism referred to in the

5 Convention;

6 (3) further decisions under the Convention pro7 vide adequate and effective protections for intellec8 tual property and are not weaker than those pro9 vided under the General Agreement on Tariffs and

10 Trade, under United States laws, or under the laws

11 of other developed countries;

12 (4) the United States has received a vote in all

13 institutions, organizations, and mechanisms created

14 under the Convention that is commensurate with the

15 level of United States assessed contributions under

16 the Convention;

17 (5) the biological safety protocol is submitted to

18 the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification;

19 and

20 (6) United States contributions under the Con21 vention are solely dependent upon appropriations by

22 the United States Congress and is not bound by as23 sessments of organizations created under the Con24 vention.
3

•SRES 239 PCS

1 SEC. 2. PRESIDENTIAL REPORT.

2 It is the sense of the Senate that the President should

3 provide a report one year after the date of entry into force

4 of the Convention, and every year thereafter, to the Speak5 er of the House of Representatives and to the Chairman

6 of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate out7 lining the status of United States participation under the

8 Convention and specifically explaining the status of the

9 following:

10 (1) The costs of United States participation

11 under the Convention during the preceding one year

12 period, and the total amount of projected expendi13 tures under the Convention for the subsequent five

14 year period.

15 (2) The financing mechanism and whether it in16 cludes a restructured Global Environment Facility.

17 (3) Whether decisions under the Convention

18 provide adequate and effective protections for intel19 lectual property and, specifically, whether those pro20 tections provided under the Convention are weaker

21 than those protections—

22 (A) provided under United States laws,

23 (B) provided in other developed countries,

24 or

25 (C) provided under the Uruguay Round of

26 the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
4

•SRES 239 PCS

1 (4) Whether the United States has received a

2 vote in all aspects of the furtherance of goals under

3 the Convention that is commensurate with the level

4 of United States assessed contributions under the

5 Convention.

6 (5) The biological safety protocol and whether

7 it was adopted in consultation with the United

8 States Senate and the United States biotechnology

9 industry.

10 SEC. 3. DEFINITION.

11 As used in this resolution, the term ‘‘Convention’’

12 means the Convention on Biological Diversity, signed in

13 New York on June 4, 1993.

Calendar No. 513

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 239

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding condiunder the Convention on Biological Diversity. tions for continued United States participation

JULY 11, 1994

Placed on the calendar