Decision 73/53

Following the informal discussions and consideration of proposed wording for a decision on the matter, the Executive Committee decided:

1. To approve UNEP’s Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) budget for 2015, contained in Annex XVI to the present report, in the amount of US $9,459,000, plus agency support costs of 8 per cent, amounting to US $756,720, on the understanding that, for the implementation of agreed activities, the expenditure of CAP funds and the responsibilities and placement of staff would remain as submitted, and that, were any changes to be proposed, UNEP would report them to the Executive Committee as soon as possible for its consideration and a decision thereon;
2. To request UNEP to report to the 74^th meeting actions taken to implement the recommendations 1, 3, 4, and 7 listed below, taken from the May 2014 report of the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services on the audit of the UNEP OzonAction Branch, in accordance with all relevant Executive Committee decisions relating to the operation of UNEP as an implementing agency of the Multilateral Fund:
   1. Recommendation 1: UNEP should review the existing organizational arrangements to ensure that they provide for a clear accountability and efficient and effective delivery of the OzonAction Branch programme of work in accordance with the decisions of the Executive Committee;
   2. Recommendation 3: UNEP should put in place a mechanism to ensure that funds are used as approved by the Executive Committee, variances are disclosed in a timely basis, and unspent balances are returned to the Executive Committee in a timely manner;
   3. Recommendation 4: UNEP should define a mechanism to ensure that projects are financially closed no more than 18 months after the date of operational completion, and that unutilized balances are returned to the Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol in a timely manner;
   4. Recommendation 7: UNEP should ensure that the OzonAction Branch does not enter into contractual agreements which duplicate the services of the Compliance Assistance Project;
3. To further request UNEP, in future submissions of the CAP budget, to continue:
   1. Providing detailed information on the activities for which the global funds would be used;
   2. Extending the prioritization of funding between CAP budget lines so as to accommodate changing priorities, and to provide details, pursuant to decisions 47/24 and 50/26, on the reallocations made; and
   3. Reporting on the current post levels of staff and informing the Executive Committee of any changes thereto, particularly with respect to any increased budget allocations.