Renewal of the Contract of the Secretariat's External Auditor
The Representatives,

Recalling the Financial Regulations for the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty (“Financial Regulations for the Secretariat”) annexed to Decision 4 (2003), and specifically Regulation 11 (External Audit);
Conscious that the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty (“the Secretariat”) conducts the majority of its financial transactions in Argentina, and that the detailed rules of book-keeping and accounting are country-specific;
Noting Argentina’s proposal to designate the Sindicatura General de la Nación (“SIGEN”) as the external auditor of the Secretariat;

Decide:
1. to designate SIGEN as the external auditor of the Secretariat for the Financial Years ending in 2018 to 2021, in accordance with Regulation 11.1 of the Financial Regulations for the Secretariat; and
2. to authorise the Executive Secretary to negotiate a contract with SIGEN to carry out annual external audits for the above-mentioned years in accordance with Regulation 11.3, the Annex to this Decision and the budgetary limits set by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (“ATCM”).