Financial and budgetary matters

Repealed

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Table of Contents

  1. Paragraph 1.
  2. Paragraph 2.
  3. Paragraph 3.
  4. Paragraph 4.
  5. Paragraph 5.
  6. Paragraph 6.
  7. Paragraph 7.
  8. Paragraph 8.
  9. Paragraph 9.
  10. Paragraph 10.
  11. Paragraph 11.
  12. Paragraph 12.
  13. Paragraph 13.
  14. Paragraph 14.
  15. Paragraph 15.
  16. Paragraph 16.
  17. Paragraph 17.
  18. Paragraph 18.
  19. Paragraph 19.
  20. Paragraph 20.
  21. Paragraph 21.
  22. Paragraph 22.
  23. Paragraph 23.
  25. Paragraph 25.
  26. Paragraph 26.
  27. Paragraph 27.
  28. Paragraph 28.
  29. Paragraph 29.
  30. Paragraph 30.
  31. Annex 1
  32. Annex 2
  33. Annex 3
  34. Annex 4

Financial and budgetary matters

1.RECALLING the budgetary provisions established by paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article 6 of the Convention on Wetlands;
2.ACKNOWLEDGING WITH APPRECIATION the prompt payment by the majority of Contracting Parties of their contributions to the core budget of the Convention, but NOTING WITH CONCERN that a number of Parties still have significant outstanding contributions (COP12 DOC.15 Rev1);
3.NOTING WITH GRATITUDE the additional voluntary financial contributions made by many Contracting Parties through their Ramsar Administrative Authorities and other agencies, including some development assistance agencies, and also the contributions made by non-governmental organizations and private companies for activities undertaken by the Secretariat, but NOTING WITH CONCERN the continuing decline in such voluntary contributions;
4.ACKNOWLEDGING WITH APPRECIATION the financial and administrative services provided to the Secretariat by IUCN, underpinned by the Services Agreement between Ramsar and IUCN revised in 2009;
5.NOTING that Contracting Parties have been kept informed of the financial situation of the Secretariat through the audited annual financial statements for the years from 2011 to 2014 and the reports of the Standing Committee meetings in 2012, 2013 and 2014; and
6.RECOGNIZING the need to continue to strengthen financial partnerships with relevant international organizations and other entities and to explore additional funding opportunities through their existing financial mechanisms;
The Conference of the Contracting Parties
7.ACKNOWLEDGES that since the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP11) in 2012 the Secretariat has managed the Convention’s funds prudently, efficiently and openly;
8.EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to the Contracting Parties that have served in the Subgroup on Finance of the Standing Committee during the past cycle, and in particular to Canada, which has acted as Chair of the Subgroup;
9.DECIDES that the Terms of Reference for the Financial Administration of the Convention contained in Annex 3 to Resolution 5.2 (1993) shall be applied in toto to the 2016-2018 cycle;
10.FURTHER DECIDES that the Subgroup on Finance, as established by Resolution VI.17, is to continue to operate under the aegis of the Standing Committee and with the roles and responsibilities specified in that Resolution;
11.NOTES that CHF 115,000 of 2013-2015 reserve funds was used to sponsor eligible COP12 delegates in order to ensure all parties could participate effectively; and FURTHER NOTES that this does not represent a precedent for the Convention and is seen as a one-time special exception to the normal practice given the global economic climate and the difficulty in securing voluntary funds from Contracting Parties and other external sources;
12.REQUESTS the Secretary General to continue efforts to solicit external funds to repay the funds used from the reserve under these extraordinary circumstances and to report back at future meetings of the Subgroup on Finance on progress in this regard; and FURTHER REQUESTS the Secretary General to ensure that COP13 delegate sponsoring is a priority for fund-raising to avoid this situation in the future;
13.NOTES that the 2016-2018 budget includes a core element funded by contributions from Contracting Parties, prepared on the basis that there are no fundamental changes to the operation of the Secretariat during 2016-2018, and a non-core unfunded element to be financed by voluntary contributions, and APPROVES the combined budget for the 2016-2018 cycle as attached in Annex 1 to enable the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Convention;
14.AUTHORIZES the Standing Committee, with the advice of its Subgroup on Finance, to revise core budgetary allocations between budget lines in the light of significant positive or negative changes during the cycle to costs, rates of inflation, interest and tax income projected in the budget, without increasing the contributions of Parties or increasing the charges paid to IUCN above the budgeted 13% maximum;
15.AUTHORIZES the Standing Committee, with the advice of its Subgroup on Finance, to revise non-core budgetary allocations and priorities depending upon the success of the Secretariat in securing voluntary funding for these activities;
16.DECIDES that the contribution of each Contracting Party to the core budget (other than those making only voluntary contributions) should be in accordance with the scale of assessments for the contributions of Member States to the United Nations budget as approved by the UN General Assembly, which for those only paying voluntary contributions is applied on an indicative basis, and except in the case of Contracting Parties which, in applying the UN scale, could make annual contributions to the Ramsar Convention core budget of less than CHF 1,000, in which case the annual contribution will be that amount;
17.URGES all Contracting Parties to pay their contributions promptly by 1 January of each year, or as soon thereafter as that country’s budget cycle will permit;
18.URGES Contracting Parties with outstanding contributions to make a renewed effort to settle them as expeditiously as possible to enhance the financial sustainability of the Convention through contributions by all Contracting Parties, and REQUESTS the Secretariat to contact Contracting Parties with outstanding contributions in excess of three years and work with them to identify appropriate options and actions for addressing the situation and initiating a plan for making payment of contributions, and to report back to each Standing Committee meeting and meeting of the Conference of the Parties on activities taken in this regard and results achieved;
19.NOTES with concern the continued decline in voluntary contributions from Contracting Parties and URGES Contracting Parties and others to seek to reverse this trend in order to fund the important non-core element of the 2016-2018 combined budget, and WELCOMES voluntary contributions from any donor for activities not mentioned in Annex 3, but which support the implementation of the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2016-2024;
20.REQUESTS that the Secretariat continue to develop new approaches and tools, including signature initiatives, as appropriate, to secure voluntary financial support for currently unfunded priority projects, as listed in Annex 3;
21.REAFFIRMS its conviction that the Convention’s Small Grants Fund is of great value in terms of the implementation of the Convention, and URGES Parties and others to find CHF 1,000,000 over the next triennium (Annex 3) to secure the efficient operation of this programme;
22.REQUESTS that the Standing Committee review the operation of the programme during the triennium and definitively conclude whether the Parties should continue or cease the Small Grants Fund for the consideration of the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties;
23.EXPRESSES GRATITUDE to the governments of Switzerland and the United States of America and to the Danone and MAVA Foundations for their voluntary contributions to non-core activities of the Convention; namely, the Swiss Grant for Africa, Wetlands for the Future, World Wetlands Day, and the Ramsar Culture Network, respectively;
24.REAFFIRMS the decision taken at COP11 (Resolution X1.2) that the Reserve Fund:
a.provides for unforeseen and unavoidable expenditures;
b.receives realized core budget surpluses (or is applied to deficits);
c.should not be lower than 6% of the annual core budget of the Convention and not greater than 15%;
d.should be administered by the Secretary General with the approval of the Subgroup on Finance as established by the Standing Committee;
25.REQUESTS the Secretariat to endeavour to maintain the Reserve Fund over the 2016-2018 triennium in accordance with this budget and to report annually to the Standing Committee on the status and propose to its Subgroup on Finance for its concurrence prior to any uses of the Fund;
26.APPROVES the staffing table for the Secretariat in terms of staff numbers and position (according to the IUCN Human Resources Function Group) for the triennium, as contained in Annex 4, and NOTES that any requested changes to staff numbers or function group of staff is to be discussed with the Executive Team for its concurrence;
27.REQUESTS that the Secretary General does not use consultants on a regular basis as a way of delivering core Secretariat functions and that all consultants are used for very short-term, fixed tasks deemed necessary to deliver on the implementation of the Convention, and FURTHER REQUESTS that anything beyond this normal practice be discussed with the Executive Team;
28.REQUESTS the Secretariat to utilize the UN Conference on Trade and Development’s list of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) when determining eligibility for sponsorship for delegate travel and to consider SIDS as eligible for support whether or not they are formally classified as such on economic grounds in the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list;
29.INSTRUCTS the Secretariat to ensure that COP13 is prepared in such a way as to enable negotiations on the draft resolutions to commence as early as possible and no later than the afternoon of the first day of COP; and
30.FURTHER INSTRUCTS the Secretariat to make all efforts to ensure that revised draft resolutions are translated into all official languages during COP13 to enable full and effective participation by all delegations.

Annex 1

Combined budget for 2016-2018

2016-2018 Combined budget201620172018
CHF 000'SCoreNon-coreCoreNon-coreCoreNon-core
INCOME      
Parties’ Contributions3,779 3,779 3,779 
Voluntary contributions1,065 1,065 1,065 
Income Tax225 225 225 
Income Interest12 12 12 
TOTAL INCOME5,081 5,081 5,081 
       
EXPENDITURES      
A. Secretariat Senior Management798 798 798 
B. Partnership Coordinator250 250 250 
C. Regional Advice and Support1,342 1,342 1,342 
D. Support to Regional Initiatives120 120 120 
E. Scientific and Technical Services212 212 212 
F. Communications569 569 569 
G. Administration/RSIS/Web896 896 896 
H. Operating Costs95 95 95 
I. Standing Committee Services150 150 150 
J. IUCN Administrative Service Charges (maximum)540 540 540 
K. Provisions, Legal110 110 110 
       
1. Ramsar Advisory Missions 200 200 200
2. STRP 2016-2018 Programme 100 100 100
3. RSIS, IM and IT (Website) 58 58 59
4. Pre-COP13 Regional Meetings 217 217 216
5. COP13 (2018) Sponsorship (eligible delegates) 200 200 200
6. Arabic Language Translation 83 83 84
7. Small Grants Funds 333 333 334
8. Regional Initiative Networks and Centres 50 50 50
9. Ramsar CEPA Programme (2016-2021) 100 100 100
10. On-line system for National Reports 58 58 59
       
TOTAL EXPENDITURES5,0811,3995,0811,3995,0811,402
       
TOTAL SALARY COSTS – staff salaries and related costs3,429 3,429 3,429 
 67% 67% 67% 
TOTAL TRAVEL COSTS155 155 155 
 3% 3% 3% 

Annex 2

Illustrative core-budget contributions by Contracting Party for 2016-2018

Illustration based on:   
Membership as at 1 January 20152016 Core Contribution2017 Core Contribution2018 Core Contribution
UN Scale of Assessments 2015*CHFCHFCHF
Albania1,0001,0001,000
Algeria6,6866,6866,686
Andorra1,0001,0001,000
Antigua & Barbuda1,0001,0001,000
Argentina21,08221,08221,082
Armenia1,0001,0001,000
Australia101,215101,215101,215
Austria38,94438,94438,944
Azerbaijan1,9521,9521,952
Bahamas1,0001,0001,000
Bahrain1,9031,9031,903
Bangladesh1,0001,0001,000
Barbados1,0001,0001,000
Belarus2,7332,7332,733
Belgium48,70448,70448,704
Belize1,0001,0001,000
Benin1,0001,0001,000
Bhutan1,0001,0001,000
Bolivia1,0001,0001,000
Bosnia and Herzegovina1,0001,0001,000
Botswana1,0001,0001,000
Brazil143,184143,184143,184
Bulgaria2,2942,2942,294
Burkina Faso1,0001,0001,000
Burundi1,0001,0001,000
Cambodia1,0001,0001,000
Cameroon1,0001,0001,000
Canada145,624145,624145,624
Cape Verde1,0001,0001,000
Central African Republic1,0001,0001,000
Chad1,0001,0001,000
Chile16,30016,30016,300
China251,231251,231251,231
Colombia12,64012,64012,640
Comoros1,0001,0001,000
Congo1,0001,0001,000
Costa Rica1,8541,8541,854
Côte d'Ivoire1,0001,0001,000
Croatia6,1496,1496,149
Cuba3,3673,3673,367
Cyprus2,2942,2942,294
Czech Republic18,83718,83718,837
Democratic Republic of Congo1,0001,0001,000
Denmark32,94132,94132,941
Djibouti1,0001,0001,000
Dominican Republic2,1962,1962,196
Ecuador2,1472,1472,147
Egypt6,5396,5396,539
El Salvador1,0001,0001,000
Equatorial Guinea1,0001,0001,000
Estonia1,9521,9521,952
Fiji1,0001,0001,000
Finland25,32825,32825,328
France272,947272,947272,947
Gabon1,0001,0001,000
Gambia1,0001,0001,000
Georgia1,0001,0001,000
Germany348,492348,492348,492
Ghana1,0001,0001,000
Greece31,13531,13531,135
Grenada1,0001,0001,000
Guatemala1,3181,3181,318
Guinea1,0001,0001,000
Guinea-Bissau1,0001,0001,000
Honduras1,0001,0001,000
Hungary12,98112,98112,981
Iceland1,3181,3181,318
India32,50232,50232,502
Indonesia16,88516,88516,885
Iran, Islamic Republic of17,37317,37317,373
Iraq3,3193,3193,319
Ireland20,39920,39920,399
Israel19,32519,32519,325
Italy217,069217,069217,069
Jamaica1,0001,0001,000
Japan528,668528,668528,668
Jordan1,0741,0741,074
Kazakhstan5,9055,9055,905
Kenya1,0001,0001,000
Kiribati1,0001,0001,000
Kyrgyz Republic1,0001,0001,000
Lao Peoples Republic1,0001,0001,000
Latvia2,2942,2942,294
Lebanon2,0502,0502,050
Lesotho1,0001,0001,000
Liberia1,0001,0001,000
Libya6,9306,9306,930
Liechtenstein1,0001,0001,000
Lithuania3,5633,5633,563
Luxembourg3,9533,9533,953
Madagascar1,0001,0001,000
Malawi1,0001,0001,000
Malaysia13,71313,71313,713
Mali1,0001,0001,000
Malta1,0001,0001,000
Marshall Islands1,0001,0001,000
Mauritania1,0001,0001,000
Mauritius1,0001,0001,000
Mexico89,89389,89389,893
Monaco1,0001,0001,000
Mongolia1,0001,0001,000
Montenegro1,0001,0001,000
Morocco3,0263,0263,026
Mozambique1,0001,0001,000
Myanmar1,0001,0001,000
Namibia1,0001,0001,000
Nepal1,0001,0001,000
Netherlands80,71880,71880,718
New Zealand12,34712,34712,347
Nicaragua1,0001,0001,000
Niger1,0001,0001,000
Nigeria4,3924,3924,392
Norway41,53041,53041,530
Oman, Sultanate of4,9784,9784,978
Pakistan4,1484,1484,148
Palau1,0001,0001,000
Panama1,2691,2691,269
Papua New Guinea1,0001,0001,000
Paraguay1,0001,0001,000
Peru5,7105,7105,710
Philippines7,5157,5157,515
Poland44,94644,94644,946
Portugal23,13223,13223,132
Republic of Korea97,31097,31097,310
Republic of Moldova1,0001,0001,000
Romania11,02911,02911,029
Russian Federation118,978118,978118,978
Rwanda1,0001,0001,000
Saint Lucia1,0001,0001,000
Samoa1,0001,0001,000
Sao Tome and Principe1,0001,0001,000
Senegal1,0001,0001,000
Serbia1,9521,9521,952
Seychelles1,0001,0001,000
Sierra Leone1,0001,0001,000
Slovakia8,3458,3458,345
Slovenia4,8804,8804,880
South Africa18,15418,15418,154
South Sudan, Republic of1,0001,0001,000
Spain145,087145,087145,087
Sri Lanka1,2201,2201,220
Sudan1,0001,0001,000
Suriname1,0001,0001,000
Swaziland, Kingdom of1,0001,0001,000
Sweden46,85046,85046,850
Switzerland51,09551,09551,095
Syrian Arab Republic1,7571,7571,757
Tajikistan1,0001,0001,000
Thailand11,66411,66411,664
The FYR of Macedonia1,0001,0001,000
Togo1,0001,0001,000
Trinidad and Tobago2,1472,1472,147
Tunisia1,7571,7571,757
Turkey64,80964,80964,809
Turkme nistan1,0001,0001,000
Uganda1,0001,0001,000
Ukraine4,8314,8314,831
United Arab Emirates29,03729,03729,037
United Kingdom252,743252,743252,743
United Republic of Tanzania1,0001,0001,000
Uruguay2,5382,5382,538
Uzbekistan1,0001,0001,000
Venezuela30,59930,59930,599
Viet Nam2,0502,0502,050
Yemen1,0001,0001,000
Zambia1,0001,0001,000
Zimbabwe1,0001,0001,000
Total3,778,7443,778,7443,778,744
Other contributions   
United States of America**1,065,7991,065,7991,065,799
    
Grand Total4,844,5434,844,5434,844,543
*Revised UN Scale will be applied, when released.**As previously, 22% of total contributions from Parties.

Annex 3

Analysis of 2016-2018 budgeted non-core items, in order of priority

No.Non-core funds 2016 - 20183 Year funding requirement (CHF)
1Ramsar Advisory Missions for Parties requiring assistance600,000
2STRP 2016-2018 programme of work support300,000
3RSIS, IM/IT (Website) Continuing Development175,000
4Pre-COP13 regional meetings (delegates support and meeting costs for preparatory meetings)650,000
5COP13 (2018) sponsorship to eligible delegates600,000
6Arabic language introduction and translation support250,000
7Small Grants Funds for protection and wise use of wetlands1,000,000
8Regional Initiative Networks and Centres support (priority activities).150,000
9Ramsar CEPA Programme (2016-2021), exclusion of World Wetlands Day300,000
10On-line system for National Reports, reporting and indicators development175,000
 TOTAL4,200,000

Annex 4

Approved Secretariat staff (core) for 2016-2018

Team2015201620172018
ASMGTS, M2, P1S, M2, P1S, M2, P1S, M2, P1
BPARTM1M1M1M1
CREGSM1 (4), P1, Interns (4)M1 (4), P1, Interns (4)M1 (4), P1, Interns (4)M1 (4), P1, Interns (4)
ESTRPP1P1P1P1
FCOMMM1, P2, P1M1, P2, P1M1, P2, P1M1, P2, P1
GADMIP2, P1 (2), A3 (3)P2, P1 (2), A3 (3)P2, P1 (2), A3 (3)P2, P1 (2), A3 (3)
**2015 staff numbers and position (according to the IUCN Human Resources Function Group) shown for reference.****Team refer to the categorization of Expenditures as listed in Annex 1: Secretariat Senior Management (ASMGT); Partnership Coordinator (BPART); Regional Advice and Support (CREGS); Scientific and Technical Services (ESTRP); Communications (FCOMM); Administration/RSIS/Web (GADMI).