The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

29th Meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee -- Agenda papers

1. In the past, the Ramsar Bureau budget was made up of the budget approved by the the COP, which included only the contributions provided by Parties in the form of annual dues, plus other non-earmarked income, such as interest earned from bank deposits and the Swiss income tax rebate. Thus, each year the Standing Committee has approved a Bureau budget which differed from the COP-approved budget by including these additional items of income (and thus additional expenditure).

2. For the current triennium, the budget adopted by COP8 includes all the foreseen income for each year. Consequently, as long as there is no additional non-earmarked income (or core budget income) that should be expended, the Bureau budget will the one approved by the COP (see attachment), and there is no need for further approval by the Standing Committee.

Annex I

Core budget 2003-2005
(Swiss francs)

INCOME

The forecast income for 2003-2005 represents a 4% increase per year, based on the forecast income for 2002. The annual 4% increase is composed of 1.5% to cover inflation and 2.5% real growth (see actual figures at the bottom of the Expenditure chart in the next page).

* Items 1 and 2 of the income are calculated by applying the UN scale of assessments to the proposed expenditure (see next page), minus item 3 and 4 of the income. Nevertheless, in accord with Resolution VII.28, the minimum to be paid by a Party is one thousand Swiss francs per year. At the time of COP8, for 68 developing countries and countries with economies in transition, this is more than their percentage of contribution according to the UN scale. This creates the difference of income versus expenditure shown here. This additional amount, or portion thereof which is actually collected, shall be transferred to budget line 9 of the core budget (COP-related costs incurred by the Bureau), as per paragraph 11 of Resolution VIII.27.

Notes on income

1. Annual contributions from Contracting Parties (see Annex II with the list of contributions for 2003).
2. Voluntary contribution by the United States of America, equivalent to 22% of the total amount to be paid by Contracting Parties.
3. The Swiss Government, in addition to paying its annual dues, donates to the Ramsar core budget the income tax paid by the non-Swiss staff employed by the Ramsar Bureau.
4. Interest earned on deposits of cash not immediately needed for disbursement.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 31 January 2003, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.