STATES PARTIES TO LAW OF SEA APPROVE BUDGET FOR INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL
Press Release
SEA/1512
STATES PARTIES TO LAW OF SEA APPROVE BUDGET FOR INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL
19960308 The Meeting of States Parties of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea this morning approved a budget of $6,170,900 for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and its Registry, or administrative organ, for an initial period of 1 August 1996 to 31 December 1997.Also under the terms of the decision adopted today, the Meeting of States Parties approved the utilization of a $409,100 contingency fund in the event that the Registrar considers it essential prior to the election of a President of the Tribunal.
The budget for the initial period will be financed by all States parties to the Convention as of 1 August, according to today's decision. States that become parties thereafter, and during that budget period, will contribute on a pro-rata basis for the remainder of the initial period.
The Meeting of States Parties also approved administrative arrangements for the hiring of staff during the initial period, the designation of an Acting Registrar pending the election by the Tribunal of a Registrar and the recruitment of General Service staff under United Nations Staff Rules, pending the adoption of such rules by the Tribunal.
By today's decision, contributions by States parties will be based upon the scale of assessments for the regular budget of the United Nations, applicable at the time of the adoption of the budget for the corresponding financial year, adjusted to take into account participation in the Convention. Those contributions will be provisionally applied pending the adoption of a scale of assessments by the Meeting of States Parties.
The Secretary General of the United Nations will determine assessed contributions and advise States no later than 15 March, on the basis of a list of States parties and States likely to be States Parties by 1 August. States parties will be requested to pay no less than 15 per cent of their assessed contributions within 30 days in order to meet start-up costs.
The provisional scale of assessments will be revised on 1 July on the basis of participation in the Convention as at 1 August, according to the decision. The Secretary-General will advise States of revised assessments by 15 July. All contributions will be collected and managed by the Registry, except for such services as the Secretary-General of the United Nations might provide.
Also by its decision, the Meeting called on the Secretary-General, through the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, of the Office of Legal Affairs, to continue assistance in establishing the Tribunal. Annexed to the decision is an indicative scale of assessments and contributions to the Tribunal budget.
The Meeting today also took note of the report of its credentials committee.
The representatives of Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Indonesia, United States, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Tunisia and Philippines addressed the Meeting this morning.
The Meeting of States Parties is expected to convene again at 3 p.m. today to discuss draft protocols on privileges and immunities for the Tribunal.
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