Economic and Social Council

 Distr. GENERAL
22 August 1995
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

                                               
Commission on Sustainable Development
Intergovernmental Panel on Forests
First session
11-15 September 1995
Item 2 of the provisional agenda


     ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS


                       Provisional agenda

1.  Election of officers.

2.  Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.

3.  Programme of work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests.

4.  Dates and venues of future meetings.

5.  Other matters.


                           Annotations

Item 1.  Election of officers

    Rule 23 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the
Economic and Social Council (E/5975/Rev.1) provides that, unless the
Commission decides otherwise, its subsidiary organs shall elect their own
officers.

    Rule 24 of the rules of procedure states that the rules of procedure of
the Commission shall apply to the proceedings of its subsidiary organs in so
far as they are practicable.

    Therefore, in accordance with rule 15 of the rules of procedure, at the
commencement of its 1st meeting, the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests shall
elect, from among the representatives of its members, such officers as may be
required.

Item 2.  Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters

    Rule 7 of the rules of procedure provides that the Intergovernmental
Panel on Forests shall, at the beginning of each session after the election of
its officers, in accordance with rule 15, adopt the agenda for that session on
the basis of the provisional agenda.

Item 3.  Programme of work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests

    By its decision 1995/226, the Economic and Social Council, upon the
recommendation of the Commission on Sustainable Development, approved the
establishment of an open-ended ad hoc intergovernmental panel on forests to
pursue consensus and formulate coordinated proposals for action towards the
management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. 
In pursuing its mandate, the Panel is to focus on 11 issues clustered into
five interrelated categories.  The Panel is expected to present a progress
report to the Commission at its fourth session in 1996 and the final
conclusions and policy recommendations to the Commission at its fifth session
in 1997.

    At its third session, the Commission on Sustainable Development decided
that the Panel would consider the need for dividing its tasks among
appropriate subgroups and resolve pending issues, such as modalities of work,
at its first session.

    Documentation

    Report of the Secretary-General on the proposed programme of work and
    organizational modalities for the open-ended ad hoc Intergovernmental
    Panel on Forests of the Commission on Sustainable Development
    (E/CN.17/IPF/1995/2)

Item 4.  Dates and venues of future meetings

    In a note by the Secretariat containing the programme budget
implications of the decision of the Commission on Sustainable Development to
establish an open-ended ad hoc intergovernmental panel on forests
(E/1995/72/Add.1), approved by the Economic and Social Council in decision
1995/226, it is envisaged that the Panel would have one session in 1995, two
sessions in 1996, and one session in 1997, each of one week's duration.

Item 5.  Other matters


                              -----

Date last posted: 6 December 1999 16:48:34
Comments and suggestions: DESA/DSD