At the Thirty-second Meeting, there was an exchange of views on the significance and consequences of adopting the “Draft framework on the objective, priorities, problems and modalities for strategic planning of the Multilateral Fund in the compliance period”. There was general agreement that the framework could not be used as a basis for action until certain points were elaborated further. It was also evident to the members that, in order to achieve the desired result, the steps required to make the framework a solid basis for formulating implementable strategic planning should be taken as soon as possible. The Executive Committee therefore decided:
(a) to adopt the “Draft framework on the objective, priorities, problems and modalities for strategic planning of the Multilateral Fund in the compliance period”, annexed to the report of the second informal meeting on strategic planning of the Multilateral Fund in the compliance period (UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/32/43), as the basis for future work in strategic planning;
(b) to invite members of the Executive Committee to submit their ideas to the Secretariat for onward distribution to all members of the Executive Committee;
(c) to invite members of the Executive Committee to exchange ideas on the issue;
(d) to request the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund to prepare an issue paper on this subject for submission to the Thirty-third Meeting of the Executive Committee;
(e) To hold a discussion on the issue at the Thirty-third Meeting of the Executive Committee.
(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/32/44, Decision 32/75, paras. 92 and 93).
(Supporting document: UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/32/43).
The Executive Committee at its Thirty-third Meeting had a wide-ranging discussion on the issues raised in the document and reached a consensus on the need for a country-driven approach, allowing countries to retain the flexibility to determine the type of approach that would best enable Article 5 countries to meet their obligations under the Montreal Protocol. Representatives of several Article 5 countries emphasized the need for additional funding for capacity-building and institutional strengthening that would enable National Ozone Units to compile accurate data and to effect a smooth transition towards a country-driven approach. Several other representatives emphasized that additional funding for such activities would need to be based on the understanding that Article 5 countries made a commitment to reduce national aggregate ODS consumption permanently. As some Article 5 country representatives stressed the need to consider the implications of this, it was understood that there would need to be further discussion of the issue before any use of such a concept. In discussing modalities for the new strategy, several representatives weighed its implications in relation to the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders, the issue of fixed shares for Implementing Agencies, the balance between investment and non-investment projects, and the need for clear administrative procedures. It was also noted that country programme updates and/or refrigerant management plans and their updates, could assist countries when preparing their national compliance strategies. It was noted that some representatives emphasized the importance of exchange of information between the Implementation Committee and the Executive Committee, which could be carried out by having the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the respective Committees attend each other’s meetings. The Executive Committee therefore decided:
(a) to adopt as the basis for future work in strategic planning the framework on the objectives, priorities, problems and modalities for strategic planning of the Multilateral Fund in the compliance period (Annex I.5);
(b) to request the Secretariat to prepare specific proposals for changes in procedures, implementation mechanisms, and modalities made necessary by paragraph (a) above on the understanding that it might not be possible or necessary to cover all topics at once and that consequently several papers might be needed for consideration at different future meetings of the Executive Committee;
(c) to note that updates to country programmes and refrigerant management plans would provide Article 5 countries with a mechanism for national phase-out strategies and to encourage Article 5 countries to take advantage of that opportunity.
(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/33/32, Decision 33/54, paras 82-87).
(Supporting document: UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/33/30).
The Thirty-fourth Meeting of the Executive Committee decided to take up the matter of extension of Decision 33/2, as outlined in paragraph 7 of document UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/34/19, to other sectors in the context of its discussions on strategic planning under agenda item 7.
(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/34/58, Decision 34/17, para. 36).
(Supporting document: UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/34/19).