The Fortieth Meeting of the Executive Committee decided:
(a) to note the comments of the Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat (i.e., Decision VI/6 had provided for the Ozone Secretariat to fund the first such study and that a similar proposal would be considered at the next Meeting of the Parties); and
(b) to set aside US $500,000 from the funds returned by the Implementing Agencies at the 40th Meeting of the Executive Committee pending a decision by the 15th Meeting of the Parties on how to fund a study to evaluate the financial mechanism of the Multilateral Fund.
(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/40/50, Decision 40/56, para. 112).
The Fifteenth Meeting of the Parties decided:
1. to approve the terms of reference of the study on the management of the financial mechanism of the Montreal Protocol, contained in annex I.7 to the present report;
2. to set up a steering panel of six members to supervise the evaluation process and to select a consultant or consultants to carry out the study, to act as a point of contact for the consultant or consultants during the course of the study and to ensure that the terms of reference are implemented in the most appropriate manner possible;
3. to select the following six members to serve as the steering panel from among the Parties to the Montreal Protocol: Algeria, Colombia, France, Japan, Syrian Arab Republic and the United States of America. The appointed panel has equal representation of individuals selected by Parties operating under Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol and Parties not so operating;
4. to request the Ozone Secretariat to finalize the procedure for the selection of the qualified external and independent consultant or consultants. On the basis of submitted proposals, the Secretariat shall prepare a short list of qualified bidders and facilitate review of relevant proposals by the steering panel;
5. to instruct the steering panel to organize its meetings with the assistance of the Ozone Secretariat with dates and venues selected, as far as possible, to coincide with other ozone meetings, thereby reducing the related costs;
6. to approve the provision of up to $500,000 in the 2004 budget of the Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol to fund the study;
7. to ensure that the final report and recommendations are made available to Parties for consideration at the Sixteenth Meeting of the Parties.
(UNEP/OzL.Pro.15/9, Decision XV/47).
The Fifteenth Meeting of the Parties decided to approve the budget for the Trust Fund of the Montreal Protocol in the amount of $5,185,353 for 2004, which includes the following:
(a) a provision in the amount of $500,000 to enable the Ozone Secretariat to facilitate the review of the financial mechanism as provided in decision XIII/3 and decision XV/47;
(b) a provision of $596,000 for the extraordinary Meeting of the Parties, including funds for the attendance of members and experts of the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee to its special meeting as called for in decision XV/56.
(UNEP/OzL.Pro.15/9, Decision XV/52, para.3).
The Forty-first Meeting of the Executive Committee decided to request the Treasurer to cancel the set-aside of US $500,000 for the study on the evaluation of the financial mechanism in the light of Decision XV/52 of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Parties.
(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/41/87, Decision 41/9, para. 40(b)).