In the case of CMS and the legally-binding Agreements, voluntary contributions normally complement the assessed ones and are solicited by the Secretariats to fund projects and other initiative that are not covered by the regular budget.

 

Funding for MOUs normally takes the form of ad hoc voluntary contributions from Signatories as well as other interested countries.

 

However, relying on ad hoc voluntary contributions which do not provide consistency or predictability of funding makes it difficult to implement long-term projects or employ staff. The majority of MOUs operate using a combination of voluntary contributions from Signatories coupled with financial support from CMS as well as in-kind assistance from partner organizations.

 

To remedy irregular funding, the IOSEA MOU for example recently requested all Signatories at the 2012 MOS to make voluntary contributions based on the UN Scale of Assessment (voluntary assessed contributions).