RESOLUTION 1.6

FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

The Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area,

Recalling Article IX, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the text of the Agreement, stating that Parties shall determine the scale of contributions to the budget and that the Meeting of the Parties shall adopt a budget by consensus;

Appreciating the voluntary contributions of the Principality of Monaco during the period of the functioning of the Interim Secretariat;

Recognising the importance of all Range States being able to participate in the implementation of the Agreement and related activities;

1. Confirms that all Parties shall contribute to the budget adopted at the scale agreed upon by the Meeting of the Parties;

2. Agrees that, thanks to substantive budgetary savings due the hosting by the Principality of Monaco of the Permanent Secretariat, a budget line for conservation measures is created;

3. Adopts the budget for 2002 - 2004 attached as annex 1 to the present Resolution;

4. Agrees to the scale of contributions of Parties to the Agreement, and a standard fixed contribution as listed in annex 2 to the present Resolution, and to the application of that scale, pro rata to new Parties as described in annex 3, paragraph 6;

5. Decides, in order to ensure immediately a minimum Agreement implementation, to pay for 2002 a contribution calculated according to annex 2 and to rely on the agreed scale as of 2003, unless circumstances require measures adopted for 2002 to be applied again;

6. Invites the Secretariat as far as possible to use ordinary contributions from any new Parties or voluntary contributions towards the conservation actions listed in Annex I of the present resolution, according to the priorities approved by the Bureau;

7. Requests all Parties to pay their contributions as promptly as possible but in any case no later than the end of June of the year to which they relate;

8. Invites States not Parties to the Agreement, governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental Organisations and other sources to consider contributing to the implementation of the Agreement on a voluntary basis;

9. Approves, without prejudice to the decisions related to the financial exercises 2002 and 2003 as stated in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the present Resolution, the terms of reference for the administration of the Agreement budget as set out in annex 3 to the present Resolution for the period 2002–2004 and the guidelines for the acceptance of financial voluntary contributions as in annex 4.