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appendix1

SCAR Bulletin 149, April 2003

Appendix 1

Reports of the Delgate Committees

The following two reports summarize the major discussions held by the two Delegate Committees during XXVII SCAR. The detailed points that emerged in relation to the implementation of the SCAR review, and the structure and organization of the SSGs and their subsidiary Action and Expert Groups, have been amalgamated into the text of a revised version of the implementation document. This document will be distributed separately and its provisions are expected to form the basis of the revised "SCAR Rules of Procedure" and "Rules of Procedure for SCAR Subsidiary Groups" that will be appended to the revised "SCAR Constitution".

Report of the Delegate Committee on Scientific Affairs

The meeting of the Committee was chaired by C G Rapley.
The Committee focused its discussions on the various tasks that needed to be done during the next two years to ensure the completion of the implementation process at the SCAR Science Meeting of XXVIII SCAR in Bremen, Germany, 25-31 July 2004.

The following principal tasks were identified:

1. To provide Chief Officers of the SSGs with the format for the reports of their activities in the previous 2 years that will be produced in Bremen. Draft guidelines should be prepared for review by the Executive Committee at its meeting in 2003.
2. The need to establish a Programme Committee for the Bremen Science Meeting, particularly for the Symposium. Membership of the Committee should include representatives of the SSGs, SCAR Executive, Secretariat, Local Organizing Committee, and be chaired by the President of SCAR.
3. Deadlines for various activities, particularly the submission of SSG reports, should be established in relation to the agreed dates for the Science Meeting and Delegate Meeting for XXVIII SCAR.

The Chief Officers present at the Committee Meeting summarized various issues on which they sought guidance.

The Committee recommended that the informal group that had proposed the new programme on Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE) should be formally constituted as a Scientific Programme Planning Group (SPPG). The SPPG should develop the proposed programme in close consultation with the SSGs and present a formal proposal to the SCAR Executive Committee at its meeting in Brest, France, during July 2003.

Report of the Delegate Committee on Standing Committees

The meeting of the Committee was chaired by R H Rutford.
The Delegate Committee considered the three Standing Committees that had been proposed following the review of SCAR. The Terms of Reference, etc, that were described in the document on implementing the SCAR Review, were discussed.

It was agreed that the descriptions for the Standing Committee on Finance did not need extensive modification but some minor changes were suggested concerning membership.

There was discussion concerning the Standing Committee on Data. It was agreed that this Standing Committee would not be necessary at the present time and that SCAR's needs for advice on data matters could best be served by the existing SCAR-COMNAP Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM). It was proposed that the SCAR Executive should review the SCAR membership of JCADM and make recommendations on data management to the Delegates Meeting at XXVIII SCAR.

The Terms of Reference for the Standing Committee for the Antarctic Treaty System were discussed at length and a number of changes were proposed.

There was some discussion about the formation of an "outreach" committee, as was indicated in the review document. It was generally agreed that the term "outreach" had different meanings for members of the Committee but there was also a general understanding that the term implied increasing the "awareness" and "visibility" of SCAR, both in the wider science community and to the public at large.