Proposed workplan and budget for the financial period 2020-2021: explanatory note

Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eighth session Geneva,Switzerland, 1−6 October 2018 Provisional agenda item 8.3 FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 21 May 2018 66 Proposed workplan and budget for the financial period 2020-2021 66 Explanatory note Purpose of the document This explanatory note describes the structure of the proposed workplan and the distribution of activities under core funding and extra-budgetary funding, and also explains the rationale and assumptions made in calculating of the different activities. It also details efforts by the Convention Secretariat to achieve greater efficiency and savings. Action by the Conference of the Parties The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is invited to note the additional information contained in this report when considering for adoption the workplan and budget for the financial period 2020–2021. Contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), if applicable: Target 3.a. Link to the workplan and budget item: N/A. Additional financial implications if not included in the workplan and budget: None. Author team(s): Office of the Head of the Secretariat. Related document(s): FCTC/COP/8/16 FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 2 BACKGROUND 1. This document serves as an explanatory note for the proposed workplan and budget for the financial period 2020-2021 as presented for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in FCTC/COP/8/16. 2. The proposed 2020-2021workplan and budget follow the structure of the workplan and budget for the financial period 2018–2019 approved by the COP in decision FCTC/COP7(24) and is composed of six main Areas of Work: i. organization of the Ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) and the work of the Bureau of the Eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8); ii. development of protocols, guidelines and other possible instruments for implementation of the Convention; iii. reporting and exchange of information; iv. assistance to Parties in implementing specific provisions of the Convention, with particular focus on low- and middle-income countries; v. coordination with international and regional intergovernmental organizations non- governmental organizations and other bodies; and vi. administration and management, and other arrangements and activities. 3. Costs are distributed according to the following rationale: (a) Work covered by assessed contributions (AC) (i) statutory activities and arrangements related to treaty administration (the majority of COP9 including the work of the COP8 Bureau); (ii) conducting the reporting cycle and producing the 2020 Global Progress Report; (iii) part of the work of the existing working and expert groups whose mandates are expected to be prolonged or new working and expert groups as decided by COP8; and (iv) part of general administration and management of the Convention Secretariat. (b) Work covered by extrabudgetary funds; (i) work related to the organization of COP such as pre-COP meetings, a training tool for delegates, a high-level segment, invited speakers, a reception for delegates, activities related to communications in order to increase the COP’s profile, and per diem payments for delegates from low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs); (ii) work to support the activities of the Working Group for Articles 9 and 10 and part of the activities of other expert or working groups as decided by COP8; (iii) activities to strengthen the Parties’ capacity to report; (iv) work undertaken to provide direct assistance to Parties in implementing the Convention, including development assistance activities such as the FCTC 2030 project, needs assessments missions or investment cases, as well as direct assistance for specific provisions of the treaty; assistance to Parties by sharing lessons and evidence through South-South and Triangular cooperation; assistance to Parties through training, knowledge sharing and sharing of best practices and networking; promotion of access to available resources; assistance to Parties through the development of toolkits, manuals and publications; and monitoring and evaluation of the assistance provided; FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 3 (v) activities to promote international cooperation with emphasis on involvement by international intergovernmental organizations (IGO) and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) observers to COP; coordination activities with UN Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (UNIATF) and promote overall NCDs global agenda and; actions to support and monitor SDG target 3.a implementation; (vi) general administration and management activities and communications activities. BUDGET 4. As in previous years, the budget will be based on AC, according to the Scale of Assessment adopted by the COP, and extrabudgetary funds that the Convention Secretariat would be mandated to seek advice. 5. Annex 1 of document FCTC/COP/8/16 contains the costs related to activities undertaken in relation to the WHO FCTC. The budget figures corresponding to different lines of the workplan indicate the cost of specific activities and the colums to the source of funding: assessed contributions or extra-budgetary contributions. 6. The total activity cost is US$ 9 369 551 broken down as follows: Activity cost in US$ Area of Work AC Extra- Budgetary Total 1. Governance 1 732 001 660 402 2 392 403 2. Protocols, guidelines and other possible instruments for implementation of the Convention 400 000 235 000 635 000 3. Reporting under the WHO FCTC 1 150 000 250 000 400 000 4. Provision of technical assistance to Parties in implementing provisions of the Convention, (including but not limited to activities of the FCTC2030) 0 5 110 000 5 110 000 5. Coordination with international and regional intergovernmental organizations and other bodies 0 200 000 200 000 Administration and management, and other arrangements and activities 2 60 000 533 200 593 200 Grand Total Activities 2 342 001 6 988 602 9 330 603 7. Annex 2 of document FCTC/COP/8/16 presents a breakdown of staff costs. The table below shows the summary of staff positions covered by AC and extrabudgetary contributions. Level D2 P5 P4 P3 P2 P1 G6 G5 G4 G3 Total Cost US$ AC 1 3 2 2 1 3 12 6 161 000 Extra budgetary 1 4 2 2 1 1 1 12 4 257 000 8. The Convention Secretariat would also like to emphasize that there has not been an increase in the number of staff members covered by assessed contributions since the last approved workplan and budget. The increase in cost is due to the fact that the entire salaries for three fixed-term staff have 1 In line with Article 20.5, Article 21, Article 23.5 (a), (b) and (d), and Article 24.3(b) and (c), and relevant decisions of the COP. 2 In line with Article 24.3(d), (f) and (g), and relevant decisions of the COP. FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 4 been secured under AC. In the previous workplan and budget, 25% of the cost of two team leaders and 80% of the senior legal officer were covered by extra-budgetary contributions. The Convention Secretariat considers that staff that are essential for conducting COP mandates and statutory obligations of the Convention must be secured and must be covered by AC since their continuation cannot be put at risk. Not being able to pay for these essential staff members would have a very negative impact on the Convention itself and on its visibility. All other staff members are assigned to extra-budgetary funding and rely on generous donors voluntary contributions to cover staff costs. Furthermore, donors are not necessarily amenable to cover their costs. Furthermore, donors are not generally amenable to cover staff costs. 9. Annex 3 presents the total budget for the 2020-2021 financial period including activity costs, staff costs and programme support costs (PSC). 10. Annex 4 presents a table comparing the costs with those of the previous biennium. The proposed budget posits an increase of US$ 808 869 (9.2% nominal growth) of AC, US$ 1 917 976 (17.8%) of extra-budgetary funding and US$ 2 725 844 (13.9%) of total budget when compared with the budget adopted by the Seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) for the period 2018–2019. 11. The Convention Secretariat would like to bring once more to the attention of the COP the fact that since COP1 there has been a near 60% increase in the number of Parties (from 114 to 181), with the subsequent increase in demand in support in implementing the Convention, while the increase of approved AC has only been 10% (from US$ 8 000 000 in COP1 to US$ 8 800 000 in COP3 and has remained the same ever since, with the exception of an exceptional increase of US$ 300 000 in COP4, COP5 and COP6. At this point, the Convention Secretariat is using part of the regular budget to cover these travel costs associated with the increase in the demand for support, reducing even more the funds available for running the activities of the agreed workplan and budget. 12. The Convention Secretariat continues to exert great effort in collecting contributions from Parties in arrears and continues its efforts in seeking funding from additional sources, while also exploring innovative funding mechanisms in line with FCTC/COP7(25), such as an investment fund concept. 13. Furthermore, the Convention Secretariat continues to make a sustained effort in realizing greater savings through increased efficiency and careful budget management as described in detail in FCTC/COP/7/INF.DOC./2. 3 These include making the most efficient use of existing staff who are fully involved in various functions, outsourcing services to make them more cost effective, reducing as much as possible the amount of travel, limiting the number of staff participating in meetings abroad, engaging in direct negotiations with suppliers to ensure better prices, making the best use of information technology, and adhering to a green policy, thus saving paper and photocopy costs. 14. Assessed contributions (AC) are envisaged at US$ 9 608 391 including programme support costs. This corresponds to an increment of US$ 807 869 when compared to the 2018–2019 AC of US$ 8 800 522 adopted in decision FCTC/COP7(4). This modest increase in funding is essential to ensure the salaries of core staff for the Secretariat to be able to deliver core functions at the expected level of excellence. 15. Extrabudgetary funds, including programme support costs, are envisaged at US$ 12 707 530. This sum represents an increase of US$ 1 917 976 compared with the current biennial workplan. The increase stems from the work being undertaken under the FCTC 2030 project that aims to assist with official development assistance (ODA) funds, the implementation of the treaty with low and lower-middle income Parties, thanks to the generous contribution from the United Kingdom of Great 3 http://www.who.int/fctc/cop/cop7/FCTC_COP_7_INF_DOC_2_EN.pdf FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 5 Britain and Northern Ireland. Extrabudgetary funds are required for activities not covered by AC, which include an increase in direct assistance to Parties as well as proposed additional staffing to implement such activities. If extra-budgetary funds are not made available, most of the proposed activities in support to treaty implementation will need to be reduced or abandoned. 16. The total budget is proposed at the level of US$ 22 315 921 distributed between AC and extra-budgetary funds. The increase of US$ 2 725 844 compared with the current biennial budget is mainly due to extra-budgetary funding due to the increase in activities under the FCTC 2030 project. 17. Programme support costs (PSC). The Convention Secretariat, as an entity hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) has to pay PSC for both AC and extra-budgetary contributions. WHO has a new system for calculating the PSC, which is based on number of staff and the total amount the organization spends in a specific expenditure batch related to the services provided. WHO deducts 13% of the funds received for the Convention Secretariat. At the end of the year, the exact amount is calculated and either the excess paid is returned to the Convention Secretariat or if the amount due exceeds what has already been deducted, then the Convention Secretariat is asked to pay the difference, making the PSC rise beyond 13%. For calculation purposes, we are using 13% PSC to the budget. The total estimated for this biennium is US$ 2 567 318. Of that, US$ 1 105 390, or 43,06%, would be PSC paid from AC and US$ 1 461 928, or 56.94 %, from extra-budgetary funds. COSTS RELATED TO STAFFING 18. The staff costs presented in the draft budget are based on the WHO standard salary costs or post cost averages for 2018-2019. These costs include net base salary, post adjustment, employee benefits and occupancy costs. The staff has been divided into fixed-term staff and short-term staff (pending extra-budgetary funding). 19. Fixed-term staff post costs are US$ 6 161 000. To ensure continuity and accountability, these positions are covered by AC in this proposed budget. The Convention Secretariat fixed-term staff includes eight professional and four administrative staff, fully covered by AC. 20. It is further proposed that additional staff positions be considered, with a view to undertaking the relevant proposed activities in the workplan, if adequate extra-budgetary funds are raised. These positions include nine proposed professional positions and three administrative positions in Geneva. The additional staffing costs might reach US$ 4 257 000, depending on resource mobilization and the pace of implementation. 21. The proposed total of 24 staff members is still a small number when compared with other secretariats and given the amount of work required. Please see below proposed organigram. The positions in italics are covered by extra-budgetary contributions. FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 6 FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 7 WORKPLAN 22. Staff duties are assigned according to the respective workplan areas of work and related activities adopted by COP and are reflected both in the organigram and in the Secretariat section of the Convention Secretariat website as approved by COP4. Eventually, the lack of staff, or absence of staff in given areas of work will impact the delivery of expected results as set out in the adopted workplan and budget. 23. Measures outlined in the workplan are intended to support implementation of various articles of the Convention. They reflect guidance provided by the COP at its previous sessions and in previous decisions, and also reflect new actions that, in most cases, would require guidance and a mandate from the COP. AREA OF WORK 1.: Conference of the Parties 24. Area of Work 1 includes preparing, convening and supporting COP9, including the work of the COP Bureau. Four Bureau meetings are proposed in the intersessional period including the immediate pre-session meeting at the COP. Additionally, this area of work includes a review of accreditation for IGOs and NGOs applying to be observers to the COP. It is also proposed that the Convention Secretariat make available a standardized, web-based tool for IGO observers to use when reporting on their activities, if COP8 adopts this proposal. 25. The cost estimate for COP9 is based on estimates as of 21 May 2018, with particular attention to and planning for those areas that may increase in cost compared with the previous biennium. It should be noted that the proposed budget for COP9 is based on a Geneva-based conference convened for 5.5 days. Any additional costs resulting from convening the session outside Geneva would be covered by the host country. The cost of preparing COP documentation (translation, editing, printing and dispatch) is based on an estimated maximum of four pages per document. 26. The budget for COP9 includes: Pre-COP regional meetings, preparation of an online training tool for delegates, travel support (air tickets and per diems) for one delegate from each of 42 least-developed countries (LDC) Parties; travel support (air ticket) for one delegate from each of 36 LMIC Parties (in line with the current travel policy adopted by COP6); per diem for one delegate from LMIC Parties if extra-budgetary funds are available; overall logistics including interpretation, security, rental services, salaries of short-term conference staff staff and overtime; document editing and translation; official records; printing and dispatch (pre-, in- and post-session); communications; a web application; side events; COP9 communications campaign and media; and any unforeseen expenses. 27. For meetings of the Bureau of the COP, the budget includes: travel and per diem; interpretation (two languages), editing and logistics; and printing. Total activity costs for Area of Work 1 US$ 2 392 403 4 Convention Secretariat webpage at Convention Secretariat website: www.who.int/fctc/secretariat FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 8 AREA OF WORK 2.: Protocols, 5 guidelines and other possible instruments for implementation of the Convention 28. Area of Work 2 covers the activities of expert and intergovernmental working groups. At this time the Secretariat only foresees the continuation of the Working Group on Articles 9 and 10, whose mandate may be extended by COP8. Additionally a new working group has been included in the budget should the COP wish to establish such a group. Furthermore, during the discussion on the MTSF the COP might decide to create a new body related to the implementation of the Strategy. For budgeting purposes it has been included as a working group in the workplan and budget. 29. For existing and any newly proposed groups, the workplan envisages at least one meeting each in the intersessional period. Should a new group be established by the COP, the COP may decide that the new group meets twice in the intersessional period, and that all groups present their reports to COP9. The Convention Secretariat would ensure support as approved by the COP. 30. The cost for each working or expert group is calculated on the basis of the existing working group size and method of work, when possible. Costs also assume that all meetings will be convened in Geneva. In the case of the possible future working group, the estimates were based on the membership of similar groups. Should the COP decide to reopen the membership of the existing groups, the costs may need to be adjusted. 31. The budget includes: travel support (air ticket and per diem) for one delegate from each of the LDC Parties; travel support (air ticket) for one delegate from each LMIC Party; travel support (air ticket and per diem) of consultants and expert advisers; interpretation (three languages on average); documentation; and logistics. 32. In the case of the impact assessment missions, the budget includes travel (air ticket) of experts, consultant, interpretation, documentation and logistics. Total activity costs for Area of Work 2 US$ 635 000 AREA OF WORK 3.: Reporting under the WHO FCTC 33. Area of Work 3 includes activities related to the Parties obligation to report progress made in the implementation of the treaty. The Convention Secretariat will continue to provide support to Parties in the preparation and submission of implementation reports and in strengthening their capacity to report. 34. The Convention Secretariat will receive and analyse each Party’s reports to identify trends and areas in the Convention that require special attention. 35. The Convention Secretariat will strengthen the capacity of Parties to report by organizing and/or participating in regional and subregional workshops on reporting prior to the 2022 reporting period to facilitate the use of the web-based platform on reporting. The Secretariat will also develop the second edition of the WHO FCTC Indicator Compendium to cover policy indicators of the core reporting questionnaire. Advice and assistance to individual Parties will also be provided upon request, generally through electronic means of communication. 5 The reference to protocols is of a general nature; the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is addressed separately. FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 9 36. In decision FCTC/COP4(20), concerning the workplan and budget for the financial period 2012–2013, the COP requested the Convention Secretariat to maintain, update and disseminate the database of Parties’ reports and the database on resources available for the implementation of the Convention. In decision FCTC/COP4(7), the COP further requested the Secretariat to establish an “overarching database of good practices, instruments and measures to support the implementation of all guidelines adopted by the Conference of the Parties”. 37. The budget for these activities includes the operation and update of the reporting platform, consultants for in-depth analysis; graphic design and layout of the report and graphic design and layout of technical tool on data collection and completion of reports; and meeting expenses including travel and the per diem payments of experts. The Secretariat will develop a second edition of the WHO FCTC Indicator Compendium to cover policy indicators of the core reporting questionnaire. An expert meeting will be convened to elaborate this compendium. In addition, it is proposed that the Convention Secretariat prepare three reports related to topical issues that will require more in-depth analysis. Total activity costs for Area of Work 3 US$ 400 000 AREA OF WORK 4.: Implementation assistance to Parties 38. Area of Work 4 envisages continued assistance to Parties in meeting their obligations under the Convention, with a particular focus on developing-country Parties and Parties with economies in transition. The proposed assistance to Parties is based on the provisions of specific articles of the Convention, such as Articles 22.2, 23.5(e), 24.3 (f) and (g) and 26.5, and the previous decisions of the COP concerning financial resources and mechanisms of assistance and measures to strengthen implementation of the Convention through coordination and cooperation. 39. The Convention Secretariat plans to facilitate enhanced implementation of the WHO FCTC through the provision of technical assistance to Parties in implementing provisions of the Convention through four strategies: 1.) direct assistance to Parties;‏ 2.) facilitating the sharing of lessons learnt through South-South and Triangular cooperation ; 3.) Through training, knowledge sharing and sharing of good practices and networking; and 4.) Through the development of tools, manuals and publications. A great part, but not all, of the activities in this section will be conducted under the FCTC2030 project. 40. Four needs assessment missions will be conducted during this period upon request from Parties. These missions will be followed by post-needs assessment activities to ensure the gaps identified during the needs assessment exercises are addressed, with special emphasis on obligations under Articles 4.2, 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3, and alignment of WHO FCTC implementation with national development and health strategies/policies and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Special emphasis will also be made on time bound measures of the Convention. The budget for the needs assessment and post-needs assessment activities includes: travel, expert support, logistics, document translation, national multisectoral stakeholders meeting, and post-needs assessment assistance grants for activities based on identified needs. The Convention Secretariat will conduct needs assessment missions for Parties upon request, however in the case of high-income countries, the interested Party will cover the costs of the mission. 41. The toolkit for self-needs assessment will be promoted so that Parties that are not eligible to participate in needs assessments, or have already done one but would like to assess progress, can undertake their own reviews. 42. Development of Investment/business cases and follow up support to Parties will also be conducted upon request or in those FCTC 2030 countries where it has not been conducted yet. These FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 10 exercises will be conducted in collaboration with UNDP. The costs incurred during this activity are those related to contracting the services of specialised consultants, travel and dissemination of results. 43. The Convention Secretariat will provide technical assistance to Parties for a specific issue upon request giving priority to the time bound measures. The costs here include travel, hiring of expert support and conducting specific activities as needed. It is expected that up to 6 countries will be assisted directly through the Convention Secretariat staff, panel of experts or KH staff. 44. Regarding the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation, the workplan envisages continued coordination with international and regional organizations as outlined in the Convention and in decisions of earlier sessions of the COP. It is proposed that four additional South-South projects are identified and supported. The budget for this activity will include: funding for the activities proposed for at least four further projects to be identified and implemented, and the preparation of progress reports. 45. The Convention Secretariat will continue to encourage the use of the South–South networking platform on the WHO FCTC Coordination Platform. A study of the efficacy and sustainability of South-South and triangular cooperation will be conducted. An external consultant will be hired for this purpose. 46. With regard to Assistance to Parties through training, knowledge sharing and sharing of good practices and networking the Convention Secretariat in collaboration with WHO Regional Offices or other UN agencies will organise at least two global and six regional/subregional workshops on identified challenges for the implementation of the WHO FCTC. The budget for this activity includes travel support (air ticket and per diem) for participants from the LDC Parties; travel support (air ticket) for participants from LMIC Parties, and staff and experts (three on average); interpretation (on average two-to-three languages); documentation and logistics. 47. Furthermore, the Convention Secretariat will continue to coordinate the work of the existing KHs and their provision of assistance to Parties in line with COP decisions. The Convention Secretariat will ensure that KHs provide assistance to an increasing number of Parties through training programmes, workshops, direct assistance, webinars and other communication channels. The Convention Secretariat will assist the existing hubs with the development and implementation of their workplans, request annual reports to be provided to the Convention Secretariat and will consider establishing additional hubs, if need may be. The budget for this activity includes one meeting on a topic relevant to the work of the hub, for interested Parties in each of the existing hubs and travel and perdiem to conduct activities to support in-country work in selected Parties, based on the Parties’ request. 48. The Convention Secretariat will assist the Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3 to oversee and assist the work of existing observatories and advise those Parties that would like to engage in tobacco industry monitoring. The Secretariat will also support the creation of new observatories. The budget will be spent conducting tobacco industry monitoring projects, in line with the guide for Parties on how to establish and operate tobacco industry observatories, and seed grants for the creation of new observatories. 49. E-learning is a cost effective method for training in different Treaty related issues. The Convention Secretariat will develop two new e-learning courses which will be accessible in the WHO FCTC webpage. 50. The Convention Secretariat will also assist in the implementation of the WHO FCTC by developing new toolkits and manuals for the implementation of different Articles. The budget will be used to contract the production and dissemination of these toolkits and manuals. FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 11 51. It is expected that the work included in this section of the workplan will be covered by extrabudgetary funds and other potential resources from donor and development partners. The Convention Secretariat will coordinate the fundraising and organization of work in this area, requesting and facilitating the involvement of relevant departments and offices of WHO and international partners. Total activity costs for Area of work 4 US$ 5 110 000 AREA OF WORK 5 Coordination with international and regional intergovernmental organizations and other bodies 52. In Area of Work 5, the Convention Secretariat proposes three main areas of work: 1) promoting international cooperation, including with IGO and NGO observers to COP; 2) coordination with UNIATF and promotion of NCD global agenda; and 3) action to support target 3.a. of the SDG. 53. Cooperative arrangements with relevant international organization observers, or non-observers, to COP who have the expertise and potential to support implementation and raise awareness of the WHO FCTC will continue to be implemented. The budget includes travel expenses to attend governing body meetings where WHO FCTC has observer status on a structural level and on a regular basis, attendance of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) management meeting and High-level Political Forum on the SDGs and the relevant United Nations General Assembly sessions, and visits to selected convention secretariats and organize informal meetings with treaty secretariats. As in previous workplans, international cooperation and coordination will continue to build upon the work of UNIATF and to ensure that implementation of the WHO FCTC remains a special focus of UNIATF meetings, in cooperation with other members of the Task Force. This will, inter alia, enable the Convention Secretariat to support implementation of the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013–2020. The budget includes expenses for the participation of the Convention Secretariat in at least four meetings of the Task Force and the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on prevention and control of NCDs (GCM/NCD) coordination of two WHO FCTC-specific annual sessions, and contributions to the Secretary-General’s report to the ECOSOC and GCM/NCD products. 54. Implementation of the WHO FCTC has been included as a target in the SDGs. The Convention Secretariat will support the achievement of SDG 3,Target 3.a, and the Financing for Development Action Agenda through awareness raising and resource mobilization, including by producing and disseminating communications materials on investment cases in tobacco control. The Convention Secretariat will also conduct an annual expert meeting to follow up and promote progress in achieving SDG 3, Target 3.a. The budget for these activities includes: travel and per diem payments, as well as sums for consultants, interpretation and documentation. Total activity costs for Area of Work 5 US$ 200 000 55. Area of Work 6 covers general administration and management, as well as measures to promote the visibility and awareness of the Convention and implementation of the communications plan. 56. The Convention Secretariat has initiated work exploring innovative funding sources for the work of the Secretariat. It is proposed to organize an expert meeting to evaluate the development of an Investment Trust Fund. Also, as part of the fundraising efforts the Convention Secretariat will keep the portfolio of grant proposals updated. FCTC/COP/8/INF.DOC./2 12 57. In relation to awareness raising, there are plans to organize on average two meetings annually with Permanent Missions of Parties in Geneva. Furthermore, newsletters and publications will be disseminated to Parties’ focal points and COP observers, and the website will be regularly updated. The Convention Secretariat is making a vigourous effort to disseminate information through social media. The United Nations Tobacco Control Newsroom will be regularly updated and opportunities will be sought to increase the visibility of the Convention internationally at conferences and other events. The Convention Secretariat will also support World No Tobacco Day and will be celebrating WHO FCTC anniversaries to increase visibility. 58. The cost estimate for this area of work includes general administration and management costs such as telecommunications and equipment; implementing a communications plan, including the website and social media, as well as preparing supporting communications material and campaigns, contracting services from communications agencies; hiring booths at conferences and other events; travel costs of special guests and speakers for the anniversary celebrations and other events, meetings with Permanent Missions of the Parties in Geneva (interpretation and logistics); and other administrative arrangements. It is proposed that the statutory activities related to management and administration, as well as part of the cost of dissemination activities, be covered by AC, as they are in the current biennium, while work related to advocacy and awareness raising, and the development of the communications plan, would be covered by extrabudgetary funds. Total activity costs for Area of Work 6 US$ 593 200 = = =