Overview

Mandate

In particular, the Implementation Support Unit (ISU),

• Supports preparations for, and follow ups of, Meeting of the States Parties, Review Conferences, intersessional meetings, and other relevant meetings,
• Provides substantive and other support to all States Parties through its support of the Convention’s implementation machinery and office holders,

• Provides advice and technical support on Convention implementation and universalisation matters to individual States Parties,
• Serves as the authoritative information source on the Convention, its meetings, decisions and outcomes, keeps records of formal and informal meetings under the Convention including towards States not party and the public, and,
• Liaises and coordinates as appropriate with relevant organisations that participate in the work of the Convention.

Activities

The scope of the activities undertaken by the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) is defined by the “Directive by the States Parties to the Implementation Support Unit”, which was adopted at the Convention’s 2010 Tenth Meeting of the States Parties (10MSP).

• Substantive support
• Support to all States Parties
• Support to individual States Parties
• Communications
• Record-keeping
• Liaison and coordination

Accountability

The Directive also states that the ISU shall “propose and present a work plan and a budget for the activities of the ISU for the following year to the Coordinating Committee for endorsement and subsequently to each Meeting of the States Parties or Review Conferences for approval. The ISU Director will provide the States Parties with annual financial and activity reports,” and “report in written form as well as orally on the activities, functioning and finances of the ISU to each Meeting of the States Parties or Review Conference, and to informal meetings under the Convention as appropriate.” Including by providing “an audited Annual Financial Report for the previous year and a preliminary Annual Financial Report for the present year shall be submitted by the ISU to the Coordinating Committee and subsequently to each Meeting of the States Parties or Review Conferences for approval.”

• ISU Annual Work Plans and Budgets

At the Fourteenth Meeting of the States Parties (14MSP) the States Parties adopted a number of measures including a four-year work plan 2016-2019 for the ISU. At the Fourth Review Conference in 2019, the States Parties adopted a five-year year work plan and budget for the ISU. 

• ISU Work Plan 2016-2019 Mid-Term Review

• ISU Work Plan and Budget 2020-2024

Finances

Since the decision was made in September 2001 to establish the Implementation Support Unit, the ISU has been funded on a voluntary basis by the States Parties.

At the 14MSP the States Parties adopted a decision on strengthening financial governance and transparency within the ISU. Among the measures included in this decision was the establishment of a financial security buffer as well as other measures to increase predictability of contributions to the ISU and management of expenditures. 

• Contributions to the ISU core work plan until 2016

States Parties should direct their contributions to the following bank account indicating “ISU [year] Core Work Plan”,

Account owner: Centre international de déminage humanitaire – Genève
Account: FP 100 627.6
IBAN: CH45 0024 0240 FP10 0627 6
Swift code: UBSWCHZH80A
UBS Geneva
P.O. Box 2600 CH-1211
Geneva, Switzerland 

ISU Institutional Framework

The ISU is directly accountable to the States Parties while being hosted by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).

When the idea of establishing the Implementation Support Unit was first made in May 2001, it was proposed that the GICHD could be the appropriate entity through which this enhanced support could be provided. On this basis, in 2001 at the Third Meeting of the States Parties (3MSP) the States Parties mandated the GICHD to establish an Implementation Support Unit.

In 2010, a Task Force recommended that (a) the ISU will continue to be hosted by the GICHD, based on an amended agreement between States Parties and the GICHD and on a new directive from the States Parties to the ISU, (b) in order to reinforce the identity and visibility of the Convention the ISU will be identified by a distinct profile that emphasizes its role as supporting entity for the Convention, including identifiable bank account, identifiable logo, email-addresses and similar features, and (c) that the GICHD Director will report to the States Parties on the functioning of the agreement between the States Parties and the GICHD.

On 6 September 2011, the President of the 10MSP and the Director of the GICHD signed a revised agreement. According to this agreement, the GICHD will continue to support the organisation of the Intersessional Work Programme and the administration of the Sponsorship Programme.

GICHD support to the ISU includes human resources, financial and conference management, office space and general logistics, travel services, sponsorship administration, and other support.

These support services are funded by Switzerland’s core contribution to the GICHD.