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UNFSA Assistance Fund

Assistance Fund under Part VII of the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks

Eligibility for Assistance

Assistance may be provided to a developing State Party to UNCLOS and to the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement or a regional or sub-regional organization applying on behalf of such developing State.

Application

An application by a developing State party must be submitted by way of an official communication from a national authority of the applicant, for example, its Permanent Mission to United Nations or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

An application by a subregional or regional organization or arrangement on behalf of a developing State Party must be accompanied by an official communication from the national authority of the developing State Party confirming that the application is submitted on its behalf.

Complete applications must be received at least one month prior to the beginning of the meeting or program that assistance is requested for - no exceptions will be made. A completed application consists of:

An official communication, such as letter or Note Verbale, from a government entity requesting assistance;
A completed application form; and
For travel related assistance: copy of the biodata page of the passport, and a copy of relevant visa(s), including transit visas as may be required.

Forms

In accordance with paragraph 23 of the Terms of Reference, beneficiaries must file a report on the purpose and outcome of the approved expenditure.

Failure to provide a report promptly may affect future applications for assistance.

DONORS: Please note that in addition to general voluntary contributions to the Fund, contributions may also be made through donor agreements for specific activities which meet any of the purposes of the Fund (Terms of Reference Article 13). The European Commission funded "Project of Assistance to Strengthen Participation in and Implementation of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA)" is the first established under this mechanism.

Assistance

Assistance may be provided for the following:

UN purchased economy-class roundtrip ticket to attend relevant regional and international meetings;
UN Daily subsistence allowance (DSA) to assist with living expenses;
Establishing new regional and sub-regional fisheries organization;
Building capacity for activities in key areas such as effective exercise of flag State responsibilities, monitoring, control and surveillance, data collection and scientific research;
Facilitating exchange of information and experience on the implementation of the Agreement; and
Proceedings for the settlement of disputes between States Parties concerning the interpretation or application of the Agreement.

The Fund's Terms of Reference provide complete information on assistance and reporting requirements

NOTE on travel arrangements (click)

The United Nations will make arrangements for travel funded under this Trust Fund, and in all cases assistance will be provided for travel in economy class airfare which follows the most cost-effective route, arriving the day before the proceedings and departing the evening of the last day of the proceedings, or the following day if necessary for travel-related reasons.

About

Created by the General Assembly Resolution 58/14 which established an “Assistance Fund under Part VII of the Agreement” to assist developing States in implementing the Agreement.

On 4 August 1995 the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks adopted without a vote the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (“the Agreement”), thus discharging the mandate given to it by General Assembly resolution 47/192. The Agreement entered into force on 11 December 2001.

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Part VII of the Agreement addresses the “Requirements of Developing States.” In particular, article 25 of the Agreement requires States Parties to cooperate in order to enhance the ability of developing States to conserve and manage straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks and to develop their own fisheries for such stocks; to enable their participation in high seas fisheries for such stocks and to facilitate their participation in sub-regional and regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements. One of the forms of cooperation identified in article 25 is the provision of financial assistance. In this regard, in accordance with article 26 of the Agreement, States shall cooperate to establish special funds to assist developing States in the implementation of the Agreement.

In its resolution 57/143 of 17 December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly recognized that one component of a programme of assistance to be developed in accordance with Part VII of the Agreement should be the establishment of a voluntary trust fund within the United Nations system and urged the States Parties to the Agreement to develop its terms of reference. At their second informal consultations in 2003, the States Parties to the Agreement agreed on the Terms of Reference of an Assistance Fund and recommended that the General Assembly establish such a fund.

At its 58th session the General Assembly, by resolution 58/14 of 24 November 2003, decided to establish the “Assistance Fund under Part VII of the Agreement” ("the Fund") to assist developing States Parties in the implementation of the Agreement. The General Assembly decided also that the Fund was to be administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as the implementing office for the Fund, in collaboration with the United Nations, in accordance with the terms of reference and appropriate arrangements made between them.

In August 2004, the United Nations (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) and the FAO (Fisheries Department) concluded the necessary arrangements for the administration of the Fund, following the setting up of a trust fund account by FAO, in accordance with paragraph 7 of the Terms of Reference of the Fund.

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