The United Nations Environment Assembly,
Having considered the report of the Executive Director on the management of trust funds and
earmarked contributions,1
Recalling the requests made to the Executive Director in Governing Council decision 27/14
and United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 2/23 to prepare a report highlighting the
challenges of managing multiple trust funds and to propose steps which could be taken to reduce the
administrative burden of maintaining those trust funds,
Noting the need to accelerate the closure of inactive trust funds in order to use the
outstanding balances in support of the unanimously agreed programme of work and as a first step in
the implementation of paragraph 2 of United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 2/23,
1. Notes that, in line with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, agreements for
which the United Nations Environment Programme carries out the functions of the secretariat must
be based on the principle of cost recovery when it comes to administrative costs;
I
Trust funds in support of the programme of work of the United Nations
Environment Programme
2. Notes and approves the establishment of the following trust funds in accordance with Governing
Council decision 19/25 of 7 February 1997:
(a) GCF – General Trust Fund to Support the Activities of the Green Climate Fund
Operating under the Accreditation Master Agreement;
(b) GCL – General Trust Fund to Support the Activities of the Green Climate Fund operating
under the Framework Readiness and Preparatory Support Grant Agreement;
3. Approves the extension of the following trust funds subject to the Executive Director’s receiving
requests to do so from the appropriate authorities:
(a) ECL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund financed by the European Commission to
support cooperation between the European Commission and the United Nations Environment
Programme on Strengthening International Environmental Governance under a 2011 Strategic
Cooperation Agreement and the 2014 Programme Cooperation Agreement with an expiry date of
31 December 2021;
(b) ESS – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for the Implementation by the United Nations
Environment Programme of Ecosystem-based Adaptation, which is extended up to and including 31
December 2020 (financed by the Government of Germany and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations);
4. Requests the Executive Director, in consultation with the relevant parties and/or donors, as
appropriate and in accordance with the terms of the respective agreement/fund, to decide on
reassigning the balances in inactive trust funds when the activities for which they have been
established have ended, with a view to supporting the implementation of appropriate subprogrammes
of the agreed programme of work before the end of 2019;
5. Notes and approves, if necessary, the shortest possible no-cost technical extension of the relevant
trust funds and their closure, subject to the completion of their activities and clearance of all
financial implications and obligations:
(a) AHL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund to Assist the Implementation of Agenda 21 in
Europe and to Strengthen the Pan-European Environmental Cooperation (financed by the
Government of the Netherlands);
(b) BKL – General Trust Fund for the Clean-up of Environmental Hotspots following the
Kosovo Conflicts and Preparation of Guidelines on Assessment and Remedial Measures for
Post-conflict Environmental Damages;
(c) BLL – General Trust Fund in Support of the UNEP/Habitat Balkans Task Force on
Environment and Human Settlements;
(d) DUL – General Trust Fund to Support the Activities of the Dams and Development
Unit to Coordinate Follow-up to the World Commission on Dams;
(e) EML – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund for Activities in Developing Countries on
Environmental Awareness and Machinery (financed by the Government of Germany);
(f) POL – General Trust Fund in Support of the Preparation and Negotiation of an
Internationally Legally Binding Instrument for International Action on Persistent Organic Pollutants,
and Related Information Exchange;
(g) PPL – General Trust Fund in Support of the Preparation and Negotiation of an
International Legally Binding Instrument for the Application of the Prior Informed Consent
Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals in International Trade;
II
Trust funds in support of regional seas programmes, conventions, protocols
and special funds
6. Notes and approves the establishment of the following trust funds since the second session of
the United Nations Environment Assembly:
A. Trust funds to be administered by the secretariat of the Minamata
Convention on Mercury
(a) MCC – General Trust Fund of the Minamata Convention on Mercury with an expiry date
of 31 December 2035;
(b) MCV – Special Trust Fund of the Minamata Convention on Mercury to enable support
for capacity-building and technical assistance activities of the secretariat in accordance with Article
14 with an expiry date of 31 December 2035;
(c) MCP – Specific International Programme Trust Fund of the Minamata Convention on
Mercury to enable support for capacity-building and technical assistance activities in accordance
with Article 13 with an expiry date of 31 December 2028;
7. Approves the extension of the following trust funds, upon receiving a request to do so from
the appropriate authorities:
B. Trust funds administered by the secretariat of the Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
(a) MSL – Trust Fund for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2020;
(b) MVL – General Trust Fund for Voluntary Contributions in Support of the Convention on
the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, which is extended up to and including
31 December 2020;
(c) BAL – General Trust Fund for the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North
East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2020;
(d) QVL – General Trust Fund in respect of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small
Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas, which is extended up to and
including 31 December 2020;
(e) BTL – General Trust Fund for the Conservation of Populations of European Bats, which
is extended up to and including 31 December 2018;
(f) QFL – General Trust Fund in respect of the Agreement on the Conservation of
Populations of European Bats, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2018;
C. Trust fund administered by the secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity
BZL – General Trust Fund for Voluntary Contributions to Facilitate the Participation of
Parties in the Process of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is extended up to and
including 31 December 2021;
D. Trust funds administered by the Coordinating Unit for the Mediterranean
Action Plan2
(a) CAL – Support of the Mediterranean Action Plan (financed by the Government of
Greece), which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(b) MEL – Trust Fund for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution, which is
extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
(c) QML – Support of the Mediterranean Action Plan, which is extended up to and including
31 December 2019;
E. Trust fund administered by the secretariat of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
QTL – Support of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
F. Trust funds administered by the Ozone Secretariat
(a) MPL – Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2025;
(b) QOL – Support of the Activities of the Ozone Secretariat, which is extended up to and
including 31 December 2025;
(c) SOL – General Trust Fund for Financing Activities on Research and Systematic
Observation for the Vienna Convention, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2026;
(d) VCL – Trust Fund for the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer,
which is extended up to and including 31 December 2025;
G. Trust funds administered by the secretariat of the East Asian Seas Action
Plan
(a) ESL – Regional Trust Fund for the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Protection
and Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas of East Asian Seas, which is
extended up to and including 31 December 2018;
(b) QEL – Support of the Eastern Asian Seas Action Plan, which is extended up to and
including 31 December 2018;

2 The extension is subject to the final approval by the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine
Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean at their twentieth ordinary meeting, held in Tirana from 17 to
20 December 2017.
H. Trust funds administered by the secretariat of the Convention for
Cooperation in the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine
and Coastal Environment of the Atlantic Coast of the West, Central and
Southern Africa Region
QAC – Support of the Convention for Cooperation in the Protection, Management and
Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Atlantic Coast of the West, Central and
Southern Africa Region, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
I. Trust funds administered by the secretariat of the Convention for the
Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal
Environment of the Eastern African Region
(a) EAL – Regional Seas Trust Fund for the Eastern African Region, which is extended up to
and including 31 December 2018;
(b) QAW – Support of the Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of
the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region, which is extended up to and
including 31 December 2018;
J. Trust funds administered by the secretariat of the Caribbean Environment
Programme and the Convention for the Protection and Development of the
Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region and its Protocols
QCL – Support of the Cartagena Convention Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment
Programme, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2019;
K. Trust funds administered by the Regional Coordinating Unit for the Action
Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and
Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region
QNL – Support of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan, which is extended up to and including
31 December 2019;
8. Notes and approves the change of name and extension of the following trust funds:
L. Trust funds administered by the secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity
9. As requested by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its 13th
meeting:
(a) BEL – General Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support of
Approved Activities under the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is extended up to and
including 31 December 2021, and henceforth named General Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary
Contributions in Support of Approved Activities under the Convention on Biological Diversity and
its Protocols;
(b) VBL – General Trust Fund for Voluntary Contributions to Facilitate the Participation of
Indigenous and Local Communities in the Work of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is
extended up to and including 31 December 2021 and henceforth named General Trust Fund for
Voluntary Contributions to Facilitate the Participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
in the Work of the Convention of Biological Diversity;
10. Notes and approves the merger of the following trust funds into the BEL Trust Fund and
their extension, as requested by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological
Diversity at its thirteenth meeting: 
(a) BHL – Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support
of Approved Activities of the Biosafety Protocol, which is extended up to and including
31 December 2021;
(b) BXL – Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Additional Voluntary Contributions in Support
of Approved Activities, which is extended up to and including 31 December 2021;
M. Reassignment of Trust Funds of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm
conventions
11. Requests the Executive Director in consultation with the heads of the secretariats of the
multilateral environmental agreements administered by the United Nations Environment Programme
to consult with parties and donors in accordance with the terms of the respective agreement or fund
to decide on reassigning the balances in the trust funds, referred to in paragraph 12 (a) and (b) below
that are no longer required for the initial purpose for which they were established in order to support
the appropriate activities of the programmes of work approved by the respective governing bodies:
(a) QRL – Support of the Basel Convention;
(b) RSL – Technical Cooperation Trust Fund to Support Implementation of the Rotterdam
and Stockholm Conventions in Developing Countries;
Notes and approves, if necessary, the shortest possible no-cost technical extension of those two trust funds and their
closure, subject to the completion of their activities and clearance of all financial implications and obligations.