Secretariat

A Secretariat for the NEPC, consisting of the National Environment Coordinator and Administrative Staff, will assist the NEPC to service the public. See TOR for Secretariat.

Roles, Responsibilities, and Duties of the Secretariat

Tasks (may be shared between National Environment Coordinator and Administrative Staff)

Take a lead role in organizing Full meetings of the NEPC, including following SOPs for collecting and sharing agency information, keeping records, and post-meeting follow up
Assist the Officers with running meetings (including facilitation)
Set NEPC meeting Agenda (with Officers)
Participate in discussions of the NEPC and in decisions made by consensus
If necessary, call Special Meetings of the NEPC and/or meetings of Working Groups and Subcommittees
Take minutes of full NEPC meetings
If needed or requested and jointly agreed, participate in Working Group and Subcommittee meetings, including taking minutes and sharing information/outcomes
Following decisions of the NEPC, write or coordinate writing of Policy Statements or Resolutions and circulate for appropriate approvals and signatures.
Similarly, on behalf of the NEPC write or coordinate annual and other reports and circulate for approval and signatures before submitting and/or releasing to the public.
Distribute / Release NEPC Policy Statements to appropriate audiences
Keep the NEPC informed of relevant information
Reach out to new Members and lead them in the Onboarding process
Following events, meetings, and the annual work planning mini-retreat of the NEPC, write a document with proposed National Priorities and NEPC Strategic Plan
Assist Agencies with identifying and introducing documents that must be introduced for NEPC review (e.g. EAs, EISs, Cross-sector grants, proposed legislation, etc.)
Work with the Officers and Director of Bureau of Budget and Planning to issue any RFPs, consultancies, or contracts
Ensure that the NEPC website and online file sharing system is operational and updated
Work with the appropriate Working Groups and Subcommittees to plan and coordinate events and annual publications (SOE and Symposium), including preparation and release of final reports.
Participate in fundraising for the NEPC Secretariat
Regularly remind Members about National Priorities, agreed Joint Action Plans, national policies, and the importance of providing a coordinated voice to the public.
Together with one other Officer, may sign communications of the NEPC on NEPC Letterhead.
Serve as a central communication center and database for the NEPC (both internal and the public face).
Receive requests for changes to Membership (e.g. adding new members) and bring to the Officers for consideration.

Exclusions

Executive Order 350 clearly lists the National Environment Coordinator as both a Member of the NEPC and the Secretariat. Currently, the National Environment Coordinator is located within the Bureau of Budget and Plannign and thus is supervised by the Bureau of Budget and Planning. To minimize conflict of interest, these By Laws establish the following:

The National Environment Coordinator/Secretariat may NOT act as Vice Chair
The National Environment Coordinator may participate in NEPC discussions and decisions by consensus, but may NOT participate in any voting.
The National Environment Coordinator shall NOT participate in annual evaluation discussions.

Organizational Location, Assets, and Funding

The Secretariat is located in the Bureau of Budget and Planning.
To minimize conflict of interest and increase involvement and transparency, the Secretariat shall NOT be located in MNRET.
All assets associated with the NEPC shall be owned by the Bureau of Budget and Planning. If called for, a MOU may be signed to determine the use of NEPC-associated assets.
Funding for the Secretariat (including salary, web services, meetings, and office space) shall be put in the annual budget of the Bureau of Budget and Planning. The NEPC Chair, Vice Chair, Office of the President, Secretariat, and entire NEPC shall include in their annual work plans and regular grant making, shared funding for the Secretariat. Funding for the Secretariat shall be listed as a line item under the budget for the Bureau of Budget and Planning.
The Grant Review Process shall include one criterion that assesses whether the needs of the NEPC and its Secretariat have been addressed in the grant.

Hiring, Firing, Promotion, and Evaluation of Secretariat Personnel

Personnel decisions (including signing and termination of contracts or employment and annual evaluation) for the Secretariat shall ultimately be the responsibility of the Bureau of Budget and Planning. Decisions about Secretariat personnel and TORs should be made via a friendly discussion between the Officers (Chair and Vice Chair), Hosting Agency (Director of the Bureau of Budget and Planning), and the Office of the President. A record of these friendly discussions should be kept as Meeting Minutes or a MOU.

Formal Annual Evaluation of the Secretariat staff shall follow set procedures of the Bureau of Budget and Planning, and shall be based on performance of the Secretariat in relation to the set Terms of Reference for the Secretariat (National Environment Coordinator).

To assist the Bureau of Budget and Planning with annual evaluations of the Secretariat, the NEPC shall include in its annual mini-retreat/work planning a rapid review (e.g. short discussion) on the performance of the Secretariat and any needed revisions to the Secretariat Staff’s TORs. The Chair of the NEPC shall then convey the recommendations of the NEPC, via a friendly discussion with an informal written component (e.g. meeting minutes, MOU, or email), to the Bureau of Budget and Planning.

Percent of Secretariat time spent on non-NEPC duties

In 2018 the percent of time that the National Environment Coordinator spends on non-NEPC matters, as directed by the Bureau of Budget and Planning, shall be limited to 80%. In future years, the National Environment Coordinator shall spend 100% of available hours on matters pertaining to the NEPC (and its role as the national environment coordination body). TORs may be updated to reflect this. The duties and division of time of Secretariat Staff (including the National Environment Coordinator) should be established following friendly discussions of the NEPC Officers, Office of the President, and the Bureau of Budget and Planning.

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