The Expanded Bureau, one of the subsidiary bodies of the Basel Convention, was given the following mandate by decision VI/36 (Institutional arrangements), adopted by the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Basel Convention:
- To provide administrative and general operational directions to the secretariat between the meetings of the Conference of the Parties;
- To provide guidance and advice to the secretariat on the preparation of agendas and other requirements for the organization of meetings and on any other matters brought to it by the secretariat in the exercise of its functions;
- To perform functions requested by the Conference of the Parties or the Open-ended Working Group, especially administrative tasks, taking into account the approved budget;
- To report to the Conference of the Parties on the activities it has carried out between meetings of the Conference of the Parties.
Bureau members have the responsibility to advise members of their region on substantive issues to be discussed within the Bureau, and to report back to their regions on the results of those discussions.