UNEP/MC/COP.3/INF/23/Rev.1 - Venue and date of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

Note by the secretariat 1. At its second meeting, the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury adopted decision MC-2/5 on the venue and date of the third meeting and subsequent meetings of the Conference of the Parties. In paragraph 2 of the decision, the Conference of the Parties invited parties to submit offers to host its fourth ordinary meeting in time for the third ordinary meeting, and to proceed in a similar manner for subsequent ordinary meetings. 2. In the same decision, the Conference of the Parties also requested the Executive Secretary to submit, in advance of each ordinary meeting, an assessment of the offers received pursuant to paragraph 2 of the decision, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties. Part of such assessment, the one referring to the additional costs that the host Government would bear, is set out in the annex to the present note. In preparing such part of the assessment of the two offers received, the secretariat considered the additional costs of travel by secretariat, United Nations security and conference servicing staff. The document shows as well the travel costs of an estimated 105 sponsored party-delegates. According to the Financial Rules for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, its subsidiary bodies and the secretariat, the special trust fund for the Convention supports, among others, the participation of representatives of developing-country parties and parties with economies in transition in the meetings of the COP. The assessment also includes the estimated additional costs that would be incurred should the parties decide to include a high-level segment in the programme, as reflected in the meeting documents on the programme of work and budget for the biennium 2020-2021. 3. There are other aspects –besides the costs– that Parties need to consider when assessing the offers. Prospective hosts refer to these aspects and provide details and clarifications as necessary in the presentation of their offers, both, in written form (e.g. as captured in documents UNEP/MC/COP.3/INF/20/Rev.1 and UNEP/MC/COP.3/INF/20/INF/22) and through presentations, which may include videos, at the COP. It is difficult for the Secretariat to assess such aspects as they may imply appreciations which the Secretariat is not in a position to make.