Application Procedure for Financial Assistance from the Voluntary Trust Fund established pursuant to resolution 69/292 for the purpose of assisting developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, land-locked developing countries and small island developing States, in attending the meetings of the Preparatory Committee and the intergovernmental conference referred to in paragraph 1(a) of that resolution

The application package, to be sent by Governments through their respective Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, must contain the following:

1. A communication from the Government requesting financial assistance from the Voluntary Trust Fund for the delegate(s) who will attend the meeting, clearly indicating the following:
1. The name, date of birth and detailed contact information for each of the delegate(s);
2. The dates during which each of the delegate(s) will be required to attend the meeting;
3. If more than one delegate is designated, the Government should indicate the order of priority in which delegates should be considered for funding; and
4. What assistance with respect to travel, if any, will be provided to the delegate(s) by the Government;
2. A completed and signed Application Form; and
3. A copy of the biodata page and any required visas for the delegate(s).

In accordance with the Terms of Reference of the Voluntary Trust Fund, each request for financial assistance shall be considered by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs. In considering the application, the Division shall be guided by: the need to give priority to requests for assistance from least developed countries, land-locked developing countries and small island developing States; the need to finance the participation of at least one participant per requesting State; the need for equitable geographical representation; the timeliness of applications; and the availability of funds. If the number of requests for assistance exceeds the availability of funds, the Division may engage an advisory panel of experts composed of one representative from each of the United Nations regional groups to assist the Division with the evaluation of the requests for assistance and the selection of the recipients.

Please note that the trust fund only assists with round-trip economy air travel and not with per diem expenses, according to its terms of reference.

It is important to note that economy round-trip airline tickets will be issued directly by the United Nations in due course. It is of the utmost importance that the beneficiaries of the travel assistance do not purchase their own tickets. Furthermore, the delegate(s) will be requested to provide the Division with copies of all boarding passes as a condition for assistance.

Applications should be made as soon as possible to the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea no later than 11 June 2017. Applications may be sent by email to: doalos@un.org, or alternatively by fax: +1-917-367-0560 or delivered to:

Director, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
United Nations Headquarters
Room No. DC2-0450
New York, NY 10017

Application Form