The United Nations Environment Assembly,
Having considered the report of the Executive Director on the management of trust funds and earmarked contributions,
1. Notes that, in line with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, agreements for which the United Nations Environment Programme carries out the functions of the secretariat must be based on the principle of cost recovery when it comes to administrative costs;
I (a) Management of multiple trust funds
2. Requests the Executive Director to prepare a report highlighting the challenges of managing multiple Trust Funds and to propose steps which could be taken to reduce the administrative burden of maintaining these Trust Funds;
I (b) Trust funds in support of the programme of work of the United Nations Environment Programme
3. Approves the extension of the following trust funds, subject to the Executive Director’s receiving requests to do so from the appropriate authorities:
A. General trust funds
(a) AML – General Trust Fund for the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(b) CLL – Trust Fund to Support the Activities of the Climate Technology Centre and Network, which was established in 2013 with an expiry date of 31 December 2019;
(c) CWL – General Trust Fund for the African Ministers’ Council on Water, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(d) MCL – General Trust Fund in Support of Activities on Mercury and its Compounds, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(e) SLP – Trust Fund to Support the Activities of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants, which is extended up to and including 16 February 2022;
(f) SML – General Trust Fund for the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management Quick Start Programme, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(g) WPL – General Trust Fund to Provide Support to the Global Environment Monitoring System/Water Programme Office and to Promote its Activities, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
B. Technical cooperation trust funds
(a) AFB – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for UNEP Activities as Multilateral Implementing Entity of the Adaptation Fund Board, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(b) BPL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Implementation of the Agreement with Belgium (financed by the Government of Belgium), which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(c) CFL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Implementation of the Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation between the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China and the United Nations Environment Programme, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(d) CIL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund to Support the Implementation of the Strategic Plan for Remediation Activities Following the Toxic Waste Incident in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(e) IAL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Ireland Aid Multilateral Environment Fund for Africa (financed by the Government of Ireland), which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(f) IEL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for Priority Projects to Improve the Environment in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (financed by the Republic of Korea), which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(g) IPL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund to Assist the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in Developing Countries (financed by the Government of Sweden), which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(h) MDL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for UNEP Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(i) REL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Promotion of Renewable Energy in the Mediterranean Region (financed by the Government of Italy), which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(j) SEL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Implementation of the Agreement with Sweden, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(k) SFL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Implementation of the Framework Agreement between Spain and UNEP, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(l) VML – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund to Assist Developing Countries to Take Action for the Protection of the Ozone Layer Under the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol (financed by the Government of Finland), which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
4. Notes and approves the closure of the following trust funds, subject to completion of their activities and clearance of all financial implications and obligations:
C. Technical cooperation trust funds
(a) GNL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund in Support of the Coordination Office of the Global Programme Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (Financed by the Government of the Netherlands);
(b) TOL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Provision of Junior Professional Officers (financed by the International Organization of la Francophonie);
II. Trust funds in support of regional seas programmes, conventions, protocols and special funds
5. Notes and approves the establishment of the following trust funds since the first session of the United Nations Environment Assembly:
(a) BBL – Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Nagoya Protocol, which was established in 2014 with an expiry date of 31 December 2017;
(b) BXL – Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support of Approved Activities; which was established in 2014 with an expiry date of 31 December 2017;
6. Approves the extension of the following trust funds, upon receiving requests to do so from the appropriate authorities;
A. General trust funds
(a) AVL – General Trust Fund for Voluntary Contribution in respect of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(b) AWL – General Trust Fund for the African-Eurasian Waterbirds Agreement, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(c) BAL – General Trust Fund for the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltics, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(d) BBL – Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Nagoya Protocol, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(e) BCL – Trust Fund for the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(f) BDL – Trust Fund to Assist Developing Countries and Other Countries in Need of Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(g) BEL – General Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support of Approved Activities under the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(h) BGL – General Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Biosafety Protocol, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(i) BHL – Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support of Approved Activities of the Biosafety Protocol, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(j) BTL – General Trust Fund for the Conservation of the European Bats Agreement, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(k) BXL – Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support of Approved Activities, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(l) BYL – General Trust Fund for the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(m) CAP – Trust Fund for the Core Budget of the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians and Related Protocols, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(n) CRL – Regional Trust Fund for the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(o) CTL – Trust Fund for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(p) EAL – Regional Seas Trust Fund for the Eastern African Region, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(q) ESL – Regional Seas Trust Fund for the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas of the East Asian Seas, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(r) MEL – Trust Fund for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(s) MPL – Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(t) MSL – Trust Fund for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(u) MVL – General Trust Fund for Voluntary Contributions in Support of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(v) PNL – General Trust Fund for the Protection, Management and Development of the Coastal and Marine Environment and the Resources of the Northwest Pacific Region, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(w) ROL – General Trust Fund for the Operational Budget of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(x) RVL – Special Trust Fund for the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(y) SOL – General Trust Fund for Financing Activities on Research and Systematic Observation for the Vienna Convention, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(z) SMU – Trust Fund to Support the Activities of the Secretariat of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(aa) VBL – Voluntary Trust Fund to Facilitate the Participation of Indigenous and Local Communities in the Work of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(bb) VCL – Trust Fund for the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(cc) WAL – Trust Fund for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas of West and Central African Region, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
7. Notes and approves the merger of the following trust funds upon requests to do so from the appropriate authorities: (a) BIL: Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Voluntary Contributions to Facilitate the Participation of Parties, in particular the Least Developed and the Small Island Developing States among them, and Parties with Economies in Transition (Biosafety Protocol); (b) BZL: General Trust Fund for Voluntary Contributions to Facilitate the Participation of Parties in the Process of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
8. Approves the extension of the merged trust fund, which has been renamed:
(a) BZL: Trust Fund for Facilitating Participation of the developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as Parties with economies in transition in meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019.