INC9 REPORT.pdf - Rotterdam Convention

UNEP/FAO/PIC/INC.9/21
small informal group to meet with the Secretariat to address and clarify those and any other elements of
concern regarding the budget as well as the possibility of establishing a budget committee.
37. The representative of the secretariat reported back to the Committee on the deliberations of the
informal budget group. The Committee requested the secretariat to prepare three additional documents
during the current session of the Committee to facilitate discussions. Those were a model format for the
budget that included figures on amounts spent and projected expenditures to provide an actual financial
status at future sessions of the Committee, an update of the table of pledges and contributions in annex I of
document UNEP/FAO/PIC/INC.9/4 and a paper providing clarification on the main cost elements
contributing to the increase in budget from 2003 to 2004.
38. Introducing the documents, the representative of the secretariat noted that the update of the table of
pledges included those made at the current session as well as interest incomes. The budget showed a surplus
of $127,000 for 2001 and $515,000 for 2002. He clarified that the largest portion of the increase in the
budget from 2003 to 2004 was for holding five workshops to facilitate implementation and ratification, as
well as for assistance to countries in related projects and query response. He also introduced the model
format prepared for the budget.
39. The Committee decided to:
(a) Note the 2004 budget contained in annex IV to the present report and to revisit that budget
at the tenth session of the Committee;
(b) Adopt the format for the budget as given in annex V to the present report, noting that it
could be modified by the Committee if necessary;
and
(c)
Establish an open-ended budget working group early at the tenth session of the Committee;
(d) Request the Executive Director of UNEP to consider using a portion of the 13 per cent
administrative fee to provide additional support to the secretariat for administrative and financial matters.
40. The Committee requested the secretariat to provide narrative text in future budgets indicating the
reasons for any significant increases or decreases.
41. The Committee requested the secretariat to prepare a document on workshops indicating when and
where they had been held, where they were projected, the target audiences and costing involved for future
sessions of the Committee.
42. The Committee authorized the Secretariat to arrange workshops in 2003, subject to the availability
of additional resources, to support implementation and ratification of the Convention.
43. The representative of China offered to host a workshop for the Asia region. The representative of
Switzerland welcomed the proposal from China and offered to contribute to holding that workshop.
IV. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERIM PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT PROCEDURE
A. Status of implementation of the interim prior informed consent procedure
44. Under agenda item 4 (a), the Committee had before it the documentation prepared on the subject
(see annex I), comprising a note and an information paper by the secretariat on the status of the
implementation of the interim prior informed consent procedure (UNEP/FAO/PIC/INC.9/5, as corrected by
UNEP/FAO/PIC/INC.9.20 and UNEP/FAO/PIC/INF.9/INF/7).
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