30 September 2011: The Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Ahmed Djoghlaf, has circulated a note on the relationship between the CBD and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to UNEP’s Committee of Permanent Representatives, containing his interpretation of the provisions of the revised administrative arrangements between UNEP and the CBD Secretariat, in response to the interpretation provided by the UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner.

The note, also circulated to the CBD focal points, refers to the revised administrative arrangements between UNEP and the CBD Secretariat signed in October 2010 and endorsed by Decision X/45 of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10). According to the note, the UNEP Executive Director offered a “unilateral interpretation” of the terms of the decision concerning the appointment of CBD Executive Secretary. This interpretation suggested that the current term of office of the CBD Executive Secretary expires on 31 December 2011, and as the administrative arrangements include no explicit provision on its extension, any renewal process should be managed in accordance with the existing appointment procedures, including a vacancy announcement.

In response, the CBD Executive Secretary reviews the history of the relationship between UNEP and the CBD Secretariat and highlights the CBD Bureau’s unanimous positive assessment of the performance of the CBD Executive Secretary on programme delivery, while the results of the performance assessment on administration and finance conducted by the UNEP Executive Director are yet to be declared. He notes that the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General (EOSG) has confirmed the authority of the CBD COP to decide on the duration of the term of office of the CBD Executive Secretary, and has noted the lack of clarity on procedure for extension.

Therefore, the CBD Executive Secretary highlights the need for the procedure of extension of the term of office to be discussed in an open and transparent manner. In the absence of a clear procedure for the extension of the terms of office of the Executive Secretary in the revised administrative arrangements, and pending an amendment to be submitted to the next meeting of the COP, he suggests that the relevant COP decisions, in particular decisions V/22, VI/29 and VII/34 remain operative and valid, while guidance is again sought from the EOSG. [CBD Notification, including Text of UNEP Interpretation]