A/RES/52/201 Page 2 Emphasizing that the Convention is an important instrument for achieving sustainable development, taking into account its three objectives, and for promoting the ecosystem approach embodied in the Convention and the decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, Encouraged by the work carried out to date under the Convention, Noting with satisfaction that most States and one regional economic integration organization have ratified or acceded to the Convention, Taking note with appreciation of the generous offer of the Government of Slovakia to host the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention at Bratislava from 4 to 15 May 1998, Recalling its invitation to the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity to report to the General Assembly on the results of future meetings of the Conference of the Parties, 1. Welcomes the results of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held at Buenos Aires from 4 to 15 November 1996, as reflected in the report of the meeting,4 submitted in accordance with resolution 51/182, and in that context reaffirms the need to take concrete action to fulfil the three objectives of the Convention; 2. Takes note of the decision of the Conference of the Parties on the conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biological diversity and the programme of work contained therein,5 and the development of a focused work programme for forest biological diversity;6 3. Also takes note of the ongoing work and the international cooperation to date towards fulfilling the objectives of the Convention, the decision of the Conference of the Parties and, inter alia, the initiative taken on holding workshops, including the workshop on traditional knowledge and biological diversity,7 and the important work being carried out by the subsidiary bodies of the Convention; 4. Further takes note of the work carried out at the third meeting of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety, held at the seat of the secretariat of the Convention at Montreal, Canada, from 13 to 17 October 1997, and reaffirms the importance of those negotiations for the development of a protocol on biosafety; 5. Encourages those States that have not yet ratified the Convention to do so as soon as possible; 6. Recognizes that States parties to the Convention have agreed to provide additional financial resources for the implementation of the Convention in accordance with article 20 of the Convention, and urges all funding institutions, including bilateral and multilateral donors as well as regional funding institutions and non-governmental organizations, to cooperate with the secretariat of the Convention in implementing the decision of the Conference of the Parties;8 4 See A/52/441. 5 Ibid., annex II, decision III/11. 6 Ibid., decision III/12. 7 Ibid., decision III/14. 8 Ibid., decision III/6. /...