ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES

THIRD ORDINARY MEETING OF THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL

Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, November 28, 1997

 

Agreement No. 2/97

 

BUDGET OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE 1998-1999 BIENNIUM

The Ministerial Council,

Pursuant to:

  1. Articles IX, item (b) and XII of the Convention establishing the Association;

  2. Agreement No. 2/95 and Agreement No. 2/96 of the Ministerial Council;

  3. The recommendations presented by the Special Committee on Budget and Administration, adopted at its Third, Fourth and Fifth Meetings, held in St. George’s, Grenada, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and Cartagena de Indias, Colombia,

Hereby Agrees:

  1. To maintain the structure and percentages established in Agreement 2/95 of the Ministerial Council.

  1. To establish the Budget as follows:

    1. The distribution of quotas and contributions from Members is maintained as presented in Annex II.

      2. b. The breakdown by item will be in the following proportions (see Annex II):

      - Ministerial Council 5.3% of the budget

      - Secretariat

      * International Staff 55.5% of the budget

      * Local Staff 5.1% of the budget

      * Official Trips 6.7% of the budget

      * General Administrative Costs 11.7%of the budget

      * Consultants and Meetings 15.7% of the budget

    2. The Association’s expense budget for 1998 and 1999 will be calculated on the basis of a collection of quotas amounting to US$1,199,502.

  1. To authorise the Special Committee on Budget and Administration to analyse and take a decision regarding the review and amendment of the breakdown by item, when requested by the Secretariat, in any of the following circumstances:

a. If the Governments of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Haiti, as Member States, and France as an Associate Member, ratify the Convention Establishing the Association and pay their respective contributions.

    1. If any of the States, Countries and Territories eligible to participate as Associate Members, in accordance with Article IV, item 2 of the Convention Establishing the Association, signs and/or ratifies the Convention and pays its respective contribution.

  1. To maintain the structure and composition of the International Staff of the Secretariat, as approved in Agreement No. 2/95.

  2. To maintain the structure and composition of the Local Staff, in accordance with what was established at the Fourth Meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Administration, until such time as the Secretariat prepares a salary scale proposal and a personnel evaluation system, to be considered at the first meeting of the Special Committee in 1998.

  3. To take note of the 1996 Financial Statements and Audit Report of the Secretariat and presented by the External Auditor.

  4. To continue with the services of the auditing firm Ernst & Young for the 1997 accounting period.

  5. To authorise the Secretariat to hire the LAN Administrator for a period to be determined at the first meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Administration in 1998.