Press conference on behalf the COP16/CP-MOP 11/NP-MOP 5.
1. The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, at its fifteenth meeting and the respective meetings of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization requested the Executive Secretary to prepare an integrated programme of work and budget for the period 2025- 2026, to be submitted to the Conference of the Parties at its sixteenth meeting and to the respective meetings of the Parties to the Protocols (decisions 15/34, para. 36, CP-10/14 and NP-4/12).
2. The programme of work and budget should set out the objectives, tasks to be completed by the Secretariat, and results expected in 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 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 the following two alternatives, taking into account the list of work addressed to the Executive Secretary in draft recommendations and decisions and its implications where applicable, and as appropriate, in order to inform Parties and without prejudice to decisions of the Conference of the Parties:
(a) Maintaining the programme budget (General Trust Fund for the Convention, General Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Cartagena Protocol and General Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Nagoya Protocol) at the total 2023–2024 level in real terms
minus the amount of the unspent balances used for the biennium 2023–2024;
(b) Maintaining the programme budget (General Trust Fund for the Convention, General
Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Cartagena Protocol and General Trust Fund for
the Core Programme Budget for the Nagoya Protocol) at the total 2023–2024 level in nominal terms
minus the amount of the unspent balances used for the biennium 2023–2024.
3. The present document describes the resource requirements for the Secretariat to undertake the
programme of work for the biennium 2025–2026. The information it contains represents the
Secretariat’s proposal which is considered to be the minimum resources to address immediate
business risks in sustaining the Secretariat’s critical operation. The present document also presents
the Zero-Real Growth and Zero-Nominal Growth scenarios for the integrated programme of work
and budget for the period 2025–2026, each one net of the amount of the unspent balances used for
the biennium 2023–2024. The Zero-Real Growth shows a four per cent increase in nominal terms
over the current biennium.
4. In decision 15/4, the Conference of the Parties adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global
Biodiversity Framework (the Framework). In the same decision, the Conference of the Parties
decided that the Framework should be used as a strategic plan for the implementation of the
Convention and its Protocols, its bodies and its Secretariat over the period 2022–2030 (para. 8) and
that, in that regard, the Framework should be used to better align and direct the work of the various
bodies of the Convention and its Protocols, its Secretariat and its budget according to the goals and
targets of the Framework.
5. In its decision 15/34, the Conference of the Parties requested the Executive Secretary to
undertake an external in-depth functional review of the structure of the Secretariat, and of the
implementation of the programme of work of the Secretariat, taking into account the results-based
budgeting framework and the preliminary risk assessment included in document
CBD/COP/15/7/Add.1, the recommendations of the audit report of the Office of Internal Oversight
Services and the risks identified, with a view to updating its structure and the grading of posts in the
light of the Framework and a focus on implementation by Parties, to be submitted for consideration
and action by the Conference of the Parties at the present meeting. Pursuant to this request, a
document was provided, which contains a scoping report prepared by external consultants to assist
in the launch of the functional review.
1 The scoping report includes some initial observations
regarding immediate business risks of the Secretariat that would require immediate attention at the
present meeting (see the sect. VII of the scoping report).
6. The present document should be read in conjunction with document CBD/COP/16/3, which
will provide a report on administrative and budgetary matters as requested by the Parties in
paragraphs 38 of decision 15/34, including such information as income and budget performance,
unspent balances, status on surplus and carry-overs, as well as any adjustments made to the budget
for the biennium 2023–2024.
7. The draft decision for consideration by the Conference of the Parties are presented in
section V
II. Summary of the budget proposal
A. Core budget
8. This section provides an overview of all the post and non-post resources requested for the core
budget based on the Secretariat’s best estimate.
9. The total resources required for the biennium 2025–2026 amount to $45,803,062, reflecting a
net increase of $4,156,962 (or 10 per cent) compared with the approved core budget for the biennium 2023–2024 less the amount of unspent balances. Resource changes are mainly due to the additional
posts needed to support the Parties towards the implementation of the Framework. This includes six
new posts to respond to the increased number of activities requested of the Secretariat and the
regularization of two posts currently supported through voluntary contributions, phased in over time.
10. The provision for the existing 82 posts was calculated based on 2023–2024 actual staff costs
with increases in keeping with United Nations salary scales and increments for Professional and
General Service staff. The provision for the proposed eight new posts was calculated using United
Nations common standard salary costs for 2025.
11. The proposal is based on the cost sharing ratio between the Convention and the Cartagena and
Nagoya Protocols in a prorated ratio of 72 to 15 to 13, respectively, in keeping with the integration
of the processes and Secretariat functions carried out under the functional review in 2016 and
assessed in accordance with the United Nations scale of assessments. Considering the small number
of Parties (Bangladesh, Equatorial Guinea and Ireland) that ratified the Nagoya Protocol in 2023–
2024, it is proposed to maintain the current cost-sharing ratio for the next biennium.
12. Table 3 provides an overview of the financial resources by components.
13. The Secretariat, in line with the United Nations Secretariat financial regulations and rules,
applies a 13 per cent programme support cost on core and voluntary extrabudgetary funding, to cover
incremental costs associated with providing administrative backstopping support for the Secretariat,
of which one-third is charged by the United Nations Environment Programme for its services in
accordance with an agreed cost-sharing framework. The balance (two thirds) is used to cover the
costs of the Secretariat’s own support component provided by the Administration Section, described
below under section D on administrative support.
14. Table 4 provides an overview of the staffing resources requested under each scenario by level
compared with the authorized staffing table for the biennium 2023–2024.
15. The distribution of resources is reflected in table 5
B. Extrabudgetary resources
16. The Secretariat continues to rely on voluntary contributions which are vital for the delivery of
its mandates. The Secretariat will describe the resource requirements from the Special Voluntary
Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support of Approved Activities under the
Convention for the period 2025–2026 in document CBD/COP/16/4/Add.1 and in line with paragraph
34 of decision 15/34. The document will present the administrative and financial implications of each
agenda item that will be reviewed by the Conference of the Parties at its sixteenth meeting.
17. The present section contains information about the Special Voluntary Trust Fund for
Facilitating the Participation of Parties and the Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Facilitating the
Participation of Indigenous and Local Communities for voluntary contributions.
Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Facilitating the Participation of Parties
18. Tables 6 to 8 reflect the resource requirements, including the programme support costs of
13 per cent, from the Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Facilitating the Participation of Parties in the
Convention Process for the 2025–2026 biennium. The resources will cover the participation of the
developing parties in the twenty-seventh and twenty-eight meetings of the Subsidiary Body on
Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, the sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on
Implementation, the thirteenth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Intersessional Working Group on
Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention, the seventeenth meeting of the Conference
of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the twelfth meeting of the Conference
of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties
to the Cartagena Protocol and the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya
Protocol. The Secretariat has prepared the following two options for each of the three sets of
meetings, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties and by the meetings of the Parties to the
Protocols:
19. With regard to the Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Facilitating the Participation of
Indigenous and Local Communities, the Secretariat estimated that an amount of $491,765, including
programme support costs, would be required for the period of 2025–2026 to ensure the participation
of indigenous peoples and local communities in the twenty-seventh and twenty-eight meetings of the
Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, the sixth meeting of the
Subsidiary Body on Implementation, the thirteenth meeting of the Open-ended Intersessional
Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention, the seventeenth meeting
of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the twelfth meeting
of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the
meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and the sixth meeting of the Conference of
the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to
the Nagoya Protocol. The estimated resource requirements are reflected in table 9 below.
20. The Government of Canada and the Province of Quebec will contribute 2,234,451 Canadian
dollars and 2,255,959 Canadian dollars, respectively, in 2025 and 2026 to cover the rent of the
premises and other associated costs, in accordance with the grant agreement signed with the
Secretariat in September 2019. In calculating the amount to be paid by Canada in the budget towards
the rental and associated costs of the Secretariat, an exchange rate of 1.352 Canadian dollars to the
United States dollar has been used, representing the average rate of exchange applied by the United
Nations for the Canadian dollar to the United States dollar, based on the period from January 2023
to mid-July 2024.
III. Budget proposal by components
21. This section provides details on the budgeting of resources based on the Secretariat’s estimate
to undertake the programme of work for the 2025–2026 biennium. The budget is presented under
four distinct components: (a) governing and subsidiary Bodies; (b) executive direction and
management; (c) delivery of work programme, which covers the substantive work of the Secretariat,
and (d) administrative support.
22. The resources required for the Secretariat’s planned and scheduled meetings, such as the
Conference of the Parties, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice,
the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, the Ad Hoc Open-ended Intersessional Working Group on
Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention, other expert meetings, informal advisory
meetings, and bureau meetings are presented in section A below. Similarly, the resources required
for management and coordination are presented in section B, while the resources required for
substantive units and divisions are contained in section C, and lastly the administrative support are
contained in section D.
A. Governing and subsidiary bodies
Resource requirements (core budget): $5,997,487
23. An amount of $2,523,623 is required to cover the costs associated with, inter alia,
interpretation, translation, report writing and support staff costs for the seventeenth meeting of the
Conference of the Parties as well as the twelfth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and
the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol. This figure does not include the cost of the
venue, or other costs associated with holding the meeting which would need to be borne by the host
country or provided through extra-budgetary resources.
24. In addition, resources are also required for the Secretariat’s regular intersessional meetings of
the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, the Subsidiary Body on
Implementation, the Ad Hoc Open-ended Intersessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related
Provisions of the Convention and other expert meetings, informal advisory meetings, including
Bureau meetings in the biennium 2025–2026.
25. As such, it is anticipated that the twenty-seventh meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific,
Technical and Technological Advice (5 days) will be held back-to-back with the thirteenth meeting
of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Intersessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of
the Convention (4 days) in 2025, for a total cost of $1,076,324. Similarly, it is anticipated that the
twenty-eighth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (6
days) will be held back-to-back with the sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (5
days) in 2026 for a total cost of $1,579,220. The conference venue of the International Civil Aviation
Organization will not be available in 2025 and 2026, and the Secretariat secured venues in Bangkok
to host the intersessional meetings. These cost estimates include, inter alia, costs for simultaneous
interpretation, translation of documents, report writing, venue and staff travel. Considering the
increase of the meetings in size and length, provision for temporary support staff (registration,
document translation, editorial services) is included in the budget provision for the intersessional
meetings and meetings of the Conference of the Parties.
26. In accordance with previous practice and based on incurred expenditures in previous
bienniums, it is estimated that an amount of $480,000 will be required to cover the costs of the
following expert meetings scheduled for 2025 and 2026, as follows: (a) one meeting of the Informal
Advisory Committee to the Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House ($30,000); (b) one meeting
of the Informal Advisory Committee to the Clearing-house Mechanism ($40,000); (c) one meeting
of the Informal Advisory Committee to the Biosafety Clearing-House ($40,000); (d) one meeting of
the Compliance Committee under the Nagoya Protocol ($30,000); (e) one meeting of the Informal
Advisory Committee on Capacity-building for the Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol ($30,000);
(f) two meetings of the Compliance Committee under the Cartagena Protocol ($45,000 each) and (g)
two meetings of the Liaison Group for the Cartagena Protocol ($30,000 each) will take place in 2025
and 2026; (h) an Ad Hoc Scientific and Technical Advisory Group for the Preparation of the Global
Report on Collective Progress in the Implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework will be convened in 2025 and (i) an Advisory Committee on Resource Mobilization will
be held in 2025. These allocations are of course subject to changes depending on the programme of
work agreed by the Conference of the Parties.
27. The zero nominal growth scenario does not include the Ad Hoc Scientific and Technical
Advisory Group for the Preparation of the Global Report on Collective Progress in the
Implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Advisory
Committee on Resource Mobilization meetings.
28. It may be noted that many of these in-person meetings are complemented by virtual
discussions, such as regular information exchange by e-mail and through online discussion forums
in support of the work of the informal advisory committees for the clearing-houses. However, in-person meetings remain necessary for decision-making.
29. Provision of $338,320 is also made to cover the costs for meetings of the Bureau of the
Conference of the Parties and the Bureau of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and
Technological Advice in 2025 and 2026. It is expected that four meetings of each Bureau will be
convened during the next biennium.
30. The zero nominal growth scenario provides provision for four meetings of the Bureau of the
Conference of the Parties and two meetings of the Bureau of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific,
Technical and Technological Advice.
31. These non-post resources totalling $5,997,487 will provide for, inter alia, rental of premises,
interpretation, report writing, translation and other conference services-related costs to support the work of the Conference of the Parties, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the
Parties to the Protocols, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and
the Subsidiary Body on Implementation. It should be noted that the meetings will be serviced by
relevant staff of the Secretariat and, as such, the post-related costs are included under the relevant
divisions and units of the Secretariat.
32. The zero nominal growth and the zero real growth scenarios do not include provisions for
temporary staff (registration, document translation, editorial services) to support the intersessional
meetings and meetings of the Conference of the Parties.
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