GF/B17/DP06
Approved by the Board on: 29 April 2008
Delegation of Authority to the Secretariat for Grant Closure Activities
The Board notes the Secretariat's principles for grant closure set out in Annex 1 of the Portfolio Committee Report (GF/B17/5, Revision 1).
The Board recognizes that, in the exceptional circumstances of unanticipated terminations, there may be a need for continued funding for programmatic activities in order to ensure the orderly and ethically responsible closure of the grant. The Board endorses the Secretariat's authority, as part of its grant management responsibilities, to approve continued funding for programmatic activities in cases of unanticipated termination from remaining grant funds, based on the Secretariat's grant closure principles, emphasizing that any such funding be time-limited. The Board also acknowledges that, in exceptional cases, funds disbursed prior to the grant end date may not be sufficient to cover grant closure expenses. The Board delegates to the Secretariat the authority to allow disbursements of remaining grant funds for grant closure activities after the grant end date in exceptional circumstances provided the expenses are reasonable and permitted in accordance with the Secretariat's grant closure principles.
The authorities of the Secretariat referred to above relate to funds remaining under the grant. Board approval continues to be required for any incremental funding that is necessary to finance grant closure expenses that exceed the remaining grant funds.
The Portfolio Committee will continue to oversee the application of the Secretariat's grant closure policy as part of its on-going responsibility to review regular portfolio updates from the Secretariat. The Secretariat will report to the Portfolio Committee on a regular basis on all unanticipated terminations and suspensions of grants during the preceding reporting period and the arrangements for such grants. These reports will include the specific amounts of funding to be allocated for grant closure, their use and other key issues.