UNEP/MC/COP.3/20 - Programme of work and budget for the biennium 2020–2021

Note by the secretariat I. Introduction 1. The period 2020–2021 marks the second biennium of work for the secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. In its decision MC-2/12, the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention, recalling decision MC-1/15, requested the Executive Secretary to prepare a budget for the biennium 2020–2021, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its third meeting, in 2019, explaining the key principles, assumptions and programmatic strategy on which the budget is based and presenting expenditures for that biennium in a programmatic format and broken down by budget activities, with each activity to be supported by a budget activity fact sheet. The Conference of the Parties also requested the Executive Secretary, in preparing the budget and programme of work for the biennium 2020–2021, to present two scenarios, one maintaining the operational budget at the 2019 level in nominal terms and one reflecting required changes to that scenario to meet the projected needs and costs or savings related to it. 2. Accordingly, the present note describes the proposed programme of work and budget for the biennium 20202021. Section II on implementation gives an overview of the proposal, followed by a presentation of the programme budget for the two requested scenarios, setting out the differences between the Executive Secretary’s scenario and the zero nominal growth scenario. Section III presents the relevant suggested action by the Conference of the Parties. Annex I to the present note sets out a draft decision on the programme of work and budget for the biennium 2020–2021 and annex II provides a list of proposed activities included in the programme of work for the biennium 20202021.