Decision COP 15/1

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling its decision 14/37, in which it approved the budget for the biennium 2019-2020 and requested the Executive Secretary to prepare proposals for the budget for the biennium 2021-2022,

Also recalling its decision EM-2/1, in which it approved the extension of the budget for the biennium 2019-2020 and, on an exceptional basis, a core interim budget for 2021,

Considering the decision to hold the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in two parts, Part I from 11 to 15 October 2021 and Part II from 25 April to 8 May 2022,** due to the constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic situation, and that the consideration and adoption of a regular or full budget has been planned to take place during Part II of the meeting,

Noting, therefore, the need to make arrangements to allow for the continued functioning of the organs of the Convention, including its Secretariat and the meetings of the Conference of the Parties and its subsidiary bodies,

Taking note of the proposal of the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties that, on an exceptional basis, the Parties consider and approve an interim budget for 2022 through agreed modalities,

Having considered the note by the Executive Secretary,

Recalling the importance of early and easily understood information on financial and administrative matters, to enable Parties to benefit from and support an effective and efficient Secretariat,

Also recalling the need for inclusive decision-making at the meetings of the Conference of the Parties and of the Parties to its Protocols and, in particular, the provisions of paragraphs 35 to 44 of decision 14/37 on the Special Voluntary Trust Fund (BZ) for Facilitating the Participation of Parties in the Convention Processes,

Recognizing the exceptional nature of the circumstances arising from the pandemic and expressing solidarity with all Parties as they face the human and economic impacts of the ongoing pandemic,

1. Approves, on an exceptional and interim basis, a core programme budget for the Convention of 13,645,264 United States dollars for the year 2022, representing 74 per cent of the integrated interim budget of 18,439,546 United States dollars for the year 2022, for the purposes listed in tables 2a and 2b below;

2. Confirms the extension of parts of the 2019/2020 budget until after the end of the second part of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Part II) and the core budget for 2021, as set out in its decision EM 2/1 and contained in table 1 below;

3. Decides to share all costs for secretariat services among the Convention, the Cartagena Protocol and the Nagoya Protocol on the existing ratio of 74:15:11 for the year 2022;

4. Expresses its appreciation to the host country, Canada, for its renewed support to the Secretariat, and welcomes the contribution of 2,092,229 Canadian dollars for the year 2022 from the host country and the Province of Quebec for the rental and associated costs of the Secretariat in Montreal, to be allocated on the existing ratio of 74:15:11 and to offset contributions from the Parties to the Convention, the Cartagena Protocol and the Nagoya Protocol, respectively, for the year 2022;

5. Adopts the scale of assessments for the apportionment of expenses for 2022, in accordance with the current scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations, as contained in table 4 of the present decision, noting that a scale of assessments for the triennium 2022-2024 is expected to be approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 2021 and that the new scale of assessments will be applied, when released, to calculate the assessed contributions for 2022;

6. Also adopts the staffing table (table 3) of the Secretariat for the year 2022, to be used for costing purposes to set the overall budget;

7. Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to provide information relevant to a review of the post of Deputy Executive Secretary, for the Conference of the Parties at the second part of its fifteenth meeting, for consideration in the context of the overall staffing needs of the Secretariat;

8. Authorizes the Executive Secretary, on an exceptional basis, to upgrade to the P-4 level the position of Special Assistant in the Office of the Executive Secretary, in accordance with all relevant United Nations rules and regulations, and requests the Executive Secretary to provide the Conference of the Parties, at the second part of its fifteenth meeting, with information related to the legal basis, including the possible legal implications relating to the reclassification;

9. Also authorizes the Executive Secretary to enter into commitments up to the level of the approved budget, drawing on available cash resources, including unspent balances, contributions from previous financial periods and miscellaneous income, in accordance with the decisions of the Conference of the Parties and the financial rules and regulations of the United Nations Environment Programme, and requests the Executive Secretary to report on the details and rationale of any budget reallocations in line with paragraph 11 below;

10. Notes that the resumed sessions of the twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as the third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, will be held in January 2022, and, recognizing that all efforts will be made by Parties and others to complete outstanding work, decides, on an exceptional basis and as appropriate, to seek, in consultation with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, additional voluntary contributions to facilitate any additional focused and targeted work necessary to ensure the successful finalization and adoption of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the second part of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

11. Authorizes the Executive Secretary to transfer resources among the programmes between each of the main appropriation lines set out in table 2b below up to an aggregate of 15 per cent of the total programme budget, provided that a further limitation of up to a maximum of 25 per cent of each such appropriation line shall apply;

12. Invites all Parties to the Convention to note that contributions to the core programme budgets (BY, BG and BB) are due on 1 January of the year for which those contributions have been budgeted and to pay them promptly, and requests that Parties be notified of the amount of their contributions as early as possible in the year preceding the year in which the contributions are due;

13. Notes with concern that a number of Parties have not paid their contributions to the core budgets (BY, BG and BB trust funds) for 2020 and prior years, including Parties that have never paid their contributions, and also notes that, in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards adopted by the United Nations, an amount estimated at $582,370 for the Convention, outstanding at the end of 2020, must be deducted from the fund balance and therefore cannot be used for the benefit of all the Parties of the Convention;

14. Recalls, in this context, paragraph 27 of decision 14/37 and requests the Executive Secretary, without further delay, to request the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, in her capacity as Trustee, to communicate to the relevant Parties information on arrears in the contributions, using, as appropriate, available diplomatic channels;

15. Requests the Executive Secretary, in consultation with the Bureau, to continue to monitor the availability of voluntary contributions to the Special Voluntary Trust Fund (BZ) and, considering the need to address the specific challenges faced by developing countries related to the COVID-19 pandemic, to seek enhanced contributions of external funds to the BZ Trust Fund, with a view to enabling the full and effective participation of developing country Parties as well as countries with economies in transition in the resumed sessions of the twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, the third meeting of Subsidiary Body on Implementation, the third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and Part II of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, continuing to accord first priority to funding for least developed countries and small island developing States;

16. Also requests the Executive Secretary, in submitting the report requested in paragraph 37 of decision 14/37, to pay attention to the effect of the current pandemic;

17. Affirms that this decision is without prejudice to further decisions to be taken by the Conference of the Parties at Part II of its fifteenth meeting, and, as a result, requests the Executive Secretary to update the core and voluntary budgets for 2022 for the Convention and its Protocols in order to allow for early and effective implementation of the new post-2020 global biodiversity framework, possibly drawing upon available reserves to cover additional core costs where appropriate;

18. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare budget proposals for the period 2023-2024, pending a decision by the Conference of the Parties regarding the dates of its sixteenth meeting;

19. Also requests the Executive Secretary to prepare and submit an updated, detailed and integrated programme of work for the period 2023-2024, which sets out the objectives, tasks to be completed by the Secretariat, and results expected with regard to each budget item, for the Convention and its Protocols, for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meetings of the Parties to its Protocols at their next meetings, and a corresponding programme budget following the format of the proposed programme budget for the United Nations Environment Programme, including the supplementary information statement, for the biennium, with three alternatives: