History of Joint Managerial Functions for the Secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions

By paragraph 2 of section IV of decisions BC-IX/10RC-4/11 and SC-4/34 on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the "synergies decisions", the respective conferences of the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions invited the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in consultation with the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to establish joint management involving the Executive Secretaries of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions for joint services and joint activities through, for example, a system of rotating management or the assignment of individual joint services to a particular convention.

In response to this invitation the UNEP Executive Director, in consultation with the FAO Director General, established an informal joint management group comprising the Executive Secretaries of the three conventions. In addition, in June 2009, the Executive Director appointed an interim head of the joint services from among existing secretariat staff members, reporting to the joint management group.

By paragraph 3 of section IV of the synergies decisions, the respective conferences of the parties to the three conventions also invited the Executive Director of UNEP, in consultation with the Director General of FAO, to explore and assess the feasibility and cost implications of establishing joint coordination or a joint head of the secretariats of the three conventions. A study on the feasibility and cost implications of establishing joint coordination or a joint head was prepared for consideration by the simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the conferences of the parties in February 2010.

The synergies decisions further provided a mechanism and timetable for reviewing the arrangements adopted pursuant to these decisions, including those pertaining to joint managerial functions, would be determined at the 2010 extraordinary meetings of the conferences of the parties to the three conventions.

At their simultaneous extraordinary meetings in February 2010, the conferences of the parties to the three conventions took note of the study on the feasibility and cost implications of establishing joint coordination or a joint head and, by decisions BC.Ex-1/1RC.Ex-1/1 and SC.Ex-1/1 on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the "omnibus decisions", decided to establish a joint head function subject to review in the context of the review arrangements to determine if the function should continue.

In the omnibus decisions, the respective conferences of the parties also requested the Executive Director of UNEP, after consulting their bureaux, to immediately proceed with the recruitment of a joint head of the Basel, Stockholm and UNEP part of the Rotterdam Convention Secretariats for a period of two years, noting that the continuation of this position was subject to the outcome of the review of the synergies arrangements. The Executive Director of UNEP was further requested to develop, in consultation with the Director of the FAO, a proposal for a modification of the organization of the Basel, Stockholm and UNEP part of the Rotterdam Convention Secretariats, including the possible continuation of the position of joint-head that is cost-neutral with respect to the adopted operating budgets of the three conventions.

In March 2011, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed Mr. Jim Willis Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. Mr. Willis, a US national, took up his position on 18 April 2011.

The 2011 meetings of the conferences of the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions respectively considered information on the selection and appointment process of the Executive Secretary as well as on the Executive Secretary’s proposal for the modification of the organization of the secretariats (April 2011). By decisions BC-10/29RC-5/12 and SC-5/27 on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the conferences of the parties respectively requested the Executive Secretary, by 31 December 2011 and in consultation with the parties to the conventions through their bureaux, to prepare a proposal for the organization of the secretariats of the three conventions, including staffing levels, numbers and structure, to be implemented by 31 December 2012. In response to this request, the Executive Secretary made available, on 21 December 2011, his proposal. The proposal, which included a shift from a programmatic structure to a matrix structure, was implemented in the secretariats as of 18 February 2012.

In these same decisions, the respective conferences of the parties decided that the meetings of the conferences of the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions should be held in a coordinated manner, and requested the Executive Secretary to schedule them in a way that facilitates their coordination. In response to this request, the Executive Secretary developed a proposal, which was discussed by the Presidents of the conferences of the parties at their joint meeting on 9 May 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland, and forwarded to the three bureaux, which approved it in June 2012. Further information on the organization of the 2013 meetings of the conferences of the parties is available on the “Background” page of the 2013 COPs &ExCOPs.

By that same decisions BC-10/29RC-5/12 and SC-5/27, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in consultation with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Executive Secretary and taking into account the reports on the review referred to in section VI of decisions BC-10/29RC-5/12 and SC-5/27, were requested to develop, for consideration by the conferences of the parties to the three conventions in 2013, a full proposal for the organization of the secretariats of the Basel Convention, the Stockholm Convention and UNEP part of the Rotterdam Convention, including the possible continuation of the Executive Secretary, that is cost-neutral in respect of the adopted operating budgets of the three conventions. The proposal, comments from parties and observers, the Executive Secretary’s response to the comments submitted, as well as background documents are available on this webpage.

At the 2013 meetings of the conferences of the parties, the Executive Secretary reported (see document UNEP/FAO/CHW/RC/POPS/EXCOPS.2/2/Add.2) that the Executive Director had reviewed the interim organization of the Secretariat and saw no need at the present time to modify the interim organizational structure of the Secretariat put in place in accordance with the Executive Secretary’s proposal. The Executive Director proposed that the conferences of the parties adopt the structure proposed by the Executive Secretary in December 2011.

The 2013 meetings of the conferences of the parties (BC.Ex-2/1RC.Ex-2/1 and SC.Ex-2/1) endorsed the new matrix-based organization of the secretariats set out in annex II to the above mentioned omnibus decisions. The conferences of the parties also invited the Executive Director, to undertake a review of the approach and organization and to advise them of any follow-up action necessary at their meetings in 2017.

The endorsed organizational structure of the Secretariat consists of four branches covering administrative services, convention operations, technical assistance and scientific support. It includes the following management positions: an Executive Secretary at the D-2 level; a Deputy Executive Secretary at the D-1 level; and four Branch Chiefs at the P-5 level. As at July 2013, the Deputy Executive Secretary and three of the four Branch Chiefs have been appointed.