1.Expresses its appreciation to Canada as the host country for its enhanced support to the Secretariat and welcomes its contribution of CAD 1,576,652, for the year 2015 and CAD 1,584,692 for the year 2016, from the host country Canada and the Province of Quebec to the rental and associated costs of the Secretariat, of which 83.5 per cent has been allocated per annum to offset contributions from the Parties to the Convention for the biennium 2015-2016;

2.Approves a core (BY) programme budget of $14,472,500 for the year 2015 and of $14,153,800 for the year 2016 for the purposes listed in the tables 1a and 1b below;

3.Regrets that the in-depth Functional Review of the Secretariat, as set out in decision XI/31, paragraph 25, was not completed in time to be considered by the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties as originally envisaged and requests the Executive Secretary to complete the Functional Review in consultation with the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme;

4.Requests the Executive Secretary to notify the Parties when each of steps 1, 2, and 3 as set out in the annex to document UNEP/CBD/COP/12/28, is completed and consult the Bureau on the progress of the Functional Review;

5.Also requests the Executive Secretary to submit the final report of the in-depth Functional Review of the Secretariat, including individual post analysis, in time for discussion at the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, with a view to preparing a decision for the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

6.Takes note of the indicative staffing table 2 of the Secretariat of the biennium 2015-2016 used for costing purposes to set the overall budget;

7.Authorizes, on an exceptional basis and within the United Nations rules and regulations and without prejudice to the decision of the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties on the in-depth Functional Review and the classification of staff positions, the Executive Secretary to adjust the staffing levels, numbers and structure of the Secretariat in the light of the continuing outputs of the Functional Review, provided that the overall cost of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity remains within that of the indicative staffing table, and to report on the adjustments made at the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

8.Also authorizes the Executive Secretary to fill the post of the Deputy Executive Secretary as soon as possible noting that the terms of reference of this post may have to be reviewed during the Functional Review;

9.Adopts the scale of assessments for the apportionment of expenses for 2015 and 2016 as contained in the table 6 below;

10.Decides, in the light of the recommendation of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) in its report ¹⁶⁶ on the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, to increase the working capital reserve to a level of 7.5 per cent of the core programme budget (BY) expenditure, including programme support costs, and to do so from the existing BY fund balance;

11.Also decides, on an exceptional basis, that the increased working capital reserve of the programme budget BY should also be available to act as the working capital reserve for the Nagoya Protocol BYP ¹⁶⁷ Trust Fund until that working capital reserve of the BYP trust fund has been built up in accordance with paragraphs 7 and 8 of decision NP-1/13 or by 31 December 2016, at the latest;

12.Further decides that this exceptional arrangement on the working capital reserve will not have an impact on the contributions of Parties to the core budget (BY) for the biennium 2015-2016 and that any funds borrowed from the BY Trust Fund shall be repaid as the BYP working capital reserve is built, and within the first biennium;

13.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;

14.Also authorizes the Executive Secretary to transfer resources among the programmes between each of the main appropriation lines set out in table 1a 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;

15.Decides to share the costs for Secretariat services between those that are common to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on an 85:15 ratio for the biennium 2015-2016, while noting that the proportionate division between the Convention and its two Protocols will need to be reconsidered for the 2017-2018 budget following discussions on the implementation of the Functional Review of the Secretariat;

16.Invites all Parties to the Convention to note that contributions to the core programme budget (BY) are due on 1 January of the year in which these contributions have been budgeted for, and to pay them promptly, and urges Parties in a position to do so, to pay by 1 December of the year 2014 for the calendar year 2015 and by 1 October 2015 for the calendar year 2016, the contributions set out in table 6 (scale of assessment) below and in this regard requests 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;

17.Notes with concern that a number of Parties have not paid their contributions to the core budget (BY Trust Fund) for 2014 and prior years, including those 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, arrears estimated at $476,384 will be outstanding at the end of 2014 and will have to be deducted from the fund balance to cover doubtful debt and so cannot be used for the benefit of all Parties;

18.Urges Parties that have still not paid their contributions to the core budget (BY Trust Fund) for 2013 and prior years to do so without delay or conditionalities and requests the Executive Secretary to publish and regularly update information on the status of contributions to the Convention’s Trust Funds (BY, BE, BZ and VB);

19.Confirms that, with regard to contributions due from 1 January 2005 onwards, Parties whose contributions are in arrears for two (2) or more years will not be eligible to become a member of the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties; this will only apply in the case of Parties that are not least developed countries or small island developing States;

20.Authorizes the Executive Secretary to enter into arrangements with any Party whose contributions are in arrears for two or more years to mutually agree on a “schedule of payments” for such a Party to clear all outstanding arrears within six years depending on the financial circumstances of the Party in arrears and pay future contributions by the due date, and report on the implementation of any such arrangement to the next meeting of the Bureau and to the Conference of the Parties;

21.Decides that a Party with an agreed arrangement in accordance with paragraph 20 above and that is fully respecting the provisions of that arrangement will not be subject to the provisions of paragraph 19 above;

22.Requests the Executive Secretary and invites the President of the Conference of the Parties, through a jointly signed letter, to notify Parties whose contributions are in arrears inviting them to take timely action and thank those Parties that have responded in a positive manner in paying their outstanding contributions;

23.Expresses its agreement with the funding estimates for:

24.Accepts the request from the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in its decision BS-VII/7, that in view of decision XII/27 of the Conference of the Parties to hold the ordinary meetings of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity concurrently with the meetings of the Parties of its Protocols, and taking into account advice to be provided by the Executive Secretary and the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, decides to merge the BI special voluntary Trust Fund, which facilitates participation of the Parties in the meetings related to the Cartagena Protocol, with the BZ Voluntary Trust Fund, which facilitates participation of Parties in the meetings related to the Convention;

25.Decides that the merged BZ and BI Trust Fund should also be available to facilitate participation of Parties in meetings related to the Nagoya Protocol and requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to seek the approval of the United Nations Environment Assembly to change the name of the merged fund to the 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 and its Protocols;

26.Requests the Executive Secretary to ensure transparency when reporting on expenditure for the Convention and its Protocols under the merged Trust Fund;

27.Notes that the trust funds (BY, BE, BZ, VB) for the Convention should be extended for a period of two years beginning 1 January 2016 and ending 31 December 2017 and requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to seek the approval of the United Nations Environment Assembly for their extension;

28.Reaffirms the importance of full and active 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 the meetings of the Convention and its Protocols and in this context requests the Executive Secretary to take into account the relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties and the meetings of the Parties to its Protocols on Concurrent Meetings and Improving the Efficiencies of the Structures and Processes of the Convention and its Protocols; ¹⁶⁸

29.Notes with concern that participation of developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States as well as Parties with economies in transition, in meetings of the Convention and its Protocols has been adversely affected by the lack of predictable and sustainable funding and, in this regard, calls upon developed country Parties and others in a position to do so to substantially increase their contributions to the BZ Trust Fund and to guarantee that their pledges are honoured well in advance of meetings to allow for the full and effective participation;

30.Requests the Secretariat to remind Parties of the need to contribute to the Special Voluntary Trust Fund (BZ) at least six months prior to the ordinary meetings of the Convention and its Protocols;

31.Urges all Parties and States not Party to the Convention as well as governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and others to contribute to the appropriate trust funds listed in paragraph 23 above;

32.Stresses the importance of the relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties and the meetings of the Parties to its Protocols on Concurrent Meetings and Improving the Efficiencies of the Structures and Processes of the Convention and its Protocols; ¹⁶⁹

33.Requests the Executive Secretary to provide information on efficiencies and savings resulting from the further integration of the work of the Secretariat of the Convention and its Protocols;

34.Also requests the Executive Secretary to prepare and submit a budget for the programme of work for the biennium 2017-2018 for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting, based on two alternatives:

35.Further requests the Executive Secretary to report to the Conference of the Parties on income and budget performance, unspent balances and the status of surplus and carry-overs as well as any adjustments made to the budget for the biennium 2015-2016;

36.Notes the ongoing debate in the United Nations Environment Assembly on the relationship between the United Nations Environment Programme and the Conventions for which the Executive Director provides the functions of the Secretariat and decides to consider the implications for the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols at the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

37.Expresses its appreciation to the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for the support provided to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols.