OpenLegislation

Division 3 Project description

United Kingdom

Original text. Later amendments are not shown.

The UN Security Council approved UN Secretary-General's recommendations regarding the establishment and operation of the JIM and requested that the UN Secretary-General, in coordination with the OPCW Director-General, undertake without delay the steps, measures and arrangements necessary for the speedy establishment and full functioning of the JIM, including recruiting impartial and experienced staff with relevant skills and expertise to fully implement the responsibilities pursuant to UNSCR 2235 (2015).

The JIM shall be led by an independent, three-member panel (the ‘Leadership Panel’) to be supported by a core staff of professionals grouped into three components. In this regard, the JIM shall be headed by an Assistant Secretary-General with overall responsibility and two Deputies responsible for the political and investigation components, respectively.

The leadership of the JIM shall be supported by three components. A Political Office, to be based in New York, shall provide political analysis, legal advice, media relations and administrative support. An Investigation Office, to be based in The Hague, shall provide chemical and medical analysis, forensics, military ordnance analysis, investigation and information analysis. An Operations Support Office, to be based in New York, shall provide support to the political and investigation components.

The core staff of the JIM, with the exception of those in an administrative function, shall be funded from the regular budget. The Security Council has decided that material and technical needs shall be funded by voluntary contributions. For that purpose, the UN Secretary-General established a trust fund, which shall be administered in accordance with the administrative and financial regulations of the UN.

In accordance with the EU strategy against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, which sets the objective of fostering the role of the UN Security Council and enhancing its expertise in meeting the challenges of proliferation, the Union shall support the implementation of UNSCR 2235 (2015), in particular in those areas having a high potential for visible and quick impact in the establishment of the JIM and its ability to begin its full operations.

This includes support for the following activities:

  1. (a)

    finalising the setting up of offices in both New York and The Hague for the Leadership Panel and its Political and Investigation Offices, respectively, as well as the Operations Support Office, and the purchasing of office furniture and lockable cabinets to ensure the secure storage of information and materials received and/or generated by the JIM;

  2. (b)

    developing and implementing a record-management system within a robust information security regime to be applied to all information obtained or generated by the JIM in the conduct of its work; this regime shall take into account the confidentiality and security requirements deemed necessary for the storage and use of information and materials received and/or generated by the JIM;

  3. (c)

    preparing for the possible deployment of JIM investigators to the Syrian Arab Republic if the JIM deems this to be necessary for its investigation and determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe that access to Syria, including in areas within the Syrian territory but outside of the control of the Syrian Arab Republic, is justified;

  4. (d)

    purchasing communications, security-related equipment, and office supplies, to support the JIM in the implementation of its mandate. These shall include IT equipment (a dedicated server, computers, laptops with docking stations, an additional set of computers for an intranet network not linked to the internet, commercial shredders, etc.) needed to ensure the implementation of the information security regime referred to in point (b).

Additional expertise and activities shall be funded by voluntary contributions as requirements continue to emerge. Ad hoc expert consultants shall be hired for short periods, including for the speedy development of the record-management system and the information security regime referred to in point (b), as well as the development of standard operating procedures.