Recalling decision XXIX/24 on financial reports and budgets for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,

Taking note of the financial report for the Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer for the fiscal year 2017,^[1]

Recognizing the voluntary contributions of parties as an essential complement for the effective implementation of the Montreal Protocol,

Welcoming the Secretariat’s continued efforts to improve the management of the finances of the Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol,

Noting with appreciation the commitment by the host Government to contribute towards the Thirty-First Meeting of the Parties, which enabled, inter alia, stability in the 2019 budget,

1. To approve the revised budget for 2018 in the amount of $5,326,722 and the 2019 budget in the amount of $5,326,722, and to take note of the indicative budget for 2020, as set out in annex IV to the report of the Thirtieth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol,^[2] to be considered further by the Thirty-First Meeting of the Parties;
2. To authorize the Executive Secretary, on an exceptional basis, to draw upon the available cash balance for 2019 for specified activities, listed in annex IV to the report of the Thirtieth Meeting of the Parties, in an amount up to $616,058, provided that the cash balance is not reduced below the working capital reserve;
3. To approve the contributions to be paid by the parties of $5,326,722 for 2019 and to take note of the contributions of $5,326,722 for 2020, as set out in annex IV to the report of the Thirtieth Meeting of the Parties;
4. That the contributions of individual parties for 2019 and the indicative contributions for 2020 shall be as listed in annex V to the report of the Thirtieth Meeting of the Parties;
5. To reaffirm that a working capital reserve shall be maintained at a level of 15 per cent of the annual budget in order to meet the final expenditures under the Trust Fund, with the understanding that the working capital reserve shall be set aside from the existing cash balance;
6. To encourage parties and other stakeholders to contribute financially and by other means to assist the members of the three assessment panels and their subsidiary bodies with a view to ensuring their continued participation in assessment activities under the Montreal Protocol;
7. To express its appreciation for the fact that a number of parties have paid their contributions for 2018 and prior years, and to urge those parties that have not done so to pay both their outstanding contributions and their future contributions promptly and in full;
8. To request the Executive Secretary to enter into discussions with any party whose contributions are outstanding for two or more years with a view to finding a way forward, and to report to the Thirty-First Meeting of the Parties on the outcome of those discussions to enable further consideration by the parties of how to address the matter;
9. Also to request the Executive Secretary to continue working on the format for the presentation of future budgets, taking into consideration the benefits of enhanced transparency of existing budget formats, considering other examples, including multilateral environmental agreements, to provide additional information such as fact sheets or annotated budget tables on budget lines and activities;
10. Further to request the Executive Secretary to continue to provide regular information on earmarked contributions and include that information, where relevant, in the budget proposals of the Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol to enhance transparency with regard to the actual income and expenses of the Trust Fund;
11. To request the Secretariat to ensure the full utilization of the programme support cost budget allocation available to it in 2019 and later years and, where possible, to offset those allocations against the administrative components of the approved budget;
12. Also to request the Secretariat to indicate in future financial reports of the Trust Fund the amount of the cash balance and the status of contributions to the Trust Fund;
13. To request the Executive Secretary to prepare budgets and work programmes for the years 2020 and 2021, presenting two budget scenarios and work programmes based on the projected needs:
    1. A zero-nominal-growth scenario;
    2. A scenario based on further recommended adjustments to the above-mentioned scenario and the added costs or savings related thereto;
14. To stress the need to ensure that the budget proposals are realistic and represent the agreed priorities of all parties to help ensure a sustainable and stable fund and cash balance, including contributions;