FIFTH COMMITTEE APPROVES $2.61 BILLION BUDGET FOR 1996-1997
Press Release
GA/AB/3061
FIFTH COMMITTEE APPROVES $2.61 BILLION BUDGET FOR 1996-1997
19951223 Appropriations totalling $2.61 billion for the United Nations regular budget for 1996 and 1997 were approved without a vote last night by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), which recommended that the General Assembly approve income estimates of $480.9 million.By one of four draft resolutions contained in the Committee's consolidated report, the Assembly would decide that while expenditures represent a provisional total of $2.71 billion, a projected $104 million savings would be achieved, leading to a net expenditure of $2.61 billion for the next two years.
Under the terms of those texts, the Assembly would also:
-- Establish $100 million as the Working Capital Fund's level;
-- Approve $7.1 million for the United Nations Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) for the period 1 January to 31 March 1996, and authorize $2.3 million monthly for periods after that date, should the Security Council extend its mandate;
-- Approve expenses of $40.2 million net for the management of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund for 1996-1997, which would be charged directly to the Fund;
-- Note that $19.4 million remained in the contingency fund;
-- Approve a subvention of $220,000 from the regular budget for 1996 for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research; and
-- Set the United Nations 1996 appropriations at $1.30 billion and assess $1.29 billion.
By another draft text, the Assembly would approve $2.63 billion for spending in 1994-1995, as adjusted by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
Acting on the review of United Nations efficiency, the Committee approved a draft text that would have the Assembly approve an annexed, 16-item agenda for 1996 and a 13-item list for 1997. By another draft, the Assembly would approve a list of 27 agenda items its Fifth Committee should continue considering at it resumed session.
The Committee deferred action on unforeseen and extraordinary expenses for 1996 and 1997 and on some aspects of the review of the United Nations efficiency to the resumed session.
The representatives of France, Philippines (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Ireland, and Tunisia (for the African Group of States) explained their positions after the approval of the draft text on the programmatic aspects of the proposed budget.
Closing remarks were made by the representatives of Brazil for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, China for the Asian States, Armenia for the Eastern European States, and New Zealand for the Group of Western European and Other States.
The Committee Chairman Erich Vilchez Asher (Nicaragua) closed the Fifth Committee's regular session.
The Committee will resume in 1996 at a date to be announced, to consider the remaining items on its agenda.
Programme Budget for 1996-1997
The Secretary-General's proposals after recosting for inflation and currency fluctuation data up to November and sums subsequently approved by the Committee, by budget sections, are:
Part I: Overall Policy-Making, Direction and Coordination
1. Overall policy-making, direction and coordination Secretary-General: $41,564,100 Fifth Committee: $40,348,200
Part II: Political Affairs
2. Political Affairs Secretary-General: $63,002,900 Fifth Committee: $60,989,500
3. Peace-keeping operations and special missions Secretary-General: $94,182,300 Fifth Committee: $102,868,200
Fifth Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
4. Outer Space affairs Secretary-General: $4,904,800 Fifth Committee: $4,705,500
Part III: International Justice and Law
5. International Court of Justice Secretary-General: $22,669,000 Fifth Committee: $21,339,600
6. Legal activities Secretary-General: $33,176,100 Fifth Committee: $31,605,400
Part IV: International Cooperation for Development
7A. Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development Secretary-General: $45,799,100 Fifth Committee: $44,318,700
7B. Africa: critical economic situation, recovery and development Secretary-General: $4,288,000 Fifth Committee: $4,305,100
8. Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis Secretary-General: $51,491,300 Fifth Committee: $48,612,100
9. Department for Development Support and Management Services Secretary-General: $27,446,300 Fifth Committee: $26,556,000
10A. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General: $126,234,700 Fifth Committee: $121,925,300
10B International Trade Centre UNCTAD/General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Secretary-General: $21,642,000 Fifth Committee: $21,642,000
11. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Secretary-General: $9,636,300 Fifth Committee: $9,512,200
Fifth Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
12. United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) Secretary-General: $13,603,300 Fifth Committee: $13,059,600
13. Crime control Secretary-General: $5,357,800 Fifth Committee: $5,254,600
14. International drug control Secretary-General: $18,018,600 Fifth Committee: $17,344,100
Part V: Regional Cooperation for Development
15. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Secretary-General: $91,079,400 Fifth Committee: $87,845,600
16. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Secretary-General: $69,447,600 Fifth Committee: $66,379,300
17. Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) Secretary-General: $54,937,200 Fifth Committee: $52,883,100
18. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Secretary-General: $92,243,400 Fifth Committee: $88,327,200
19. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Secretary-General: $39,473,600 Fifth Committee: $37,791,200
20. Regular programme of technical cooperation Secretary-General: $50,332,300 Fifth Committee: $44,814,700
Part VI: Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs
21. Human rights Secretary-General: $54,418,100 Fifth Committee: $52,987,600
22. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Secretary-General: $56,704,000 Fifth Committee: $54,318,500
Fifth Committee - 5 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
23. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Secretary-General: $22,874,500 Fifth Committee: $22,643,000
24. Department of Humanitarian Affairs Secretary-General: $21,856,600 Fifth Committee: $21,039,300
Part VII: Public Information
25. Public Information Secretary-General: $143,154,200 Fifth Committee: $137,658,000
Part VIII: Common Support Services
26. Administration and Management Secretary-General: $1,003,604,400 Fifth Committee: $ 960,885,100
Part IX: Jointly Financed Activities and Special Expenditures
27. Jointly financed administrative activities Secretary-General: $29,911,000 Fifth Committee: $28,915,000
28. Special expenses Secretary-General: $41,701,700 Fifth Committee: $41,701,700
Part X: Office of Internal Oversight Services
29. Office of Internal Oversight Services Secretary-General: $16,699,700 Fifth Committee: $15,716,500
Part XI: Capital Expenditures
30. Technological innovations Secretary-General: $21,999,600 Fifth Committee: $21,999,600
31. Construction, alteration, improvement and major maintenance Secretary-General: $47,241,300 Fifth Committee: $31,585,400
Fifth Committee - 6 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
Part XII: Staff Assessment
32. Staff Assessment Secretary-General: $386,281,000 Fifth Committee: $369,080,100
Part XIII: International Seabed Authority
33. International Seabed Authority Secretary-General: $ 776,000 Fifth Committee: $1,308,200
Total Estimates of Expenditure
Secretary-General: $2,827,752,200 Fifth Committee: $2,712,265,200
Estimates of Income
1. Income from staff assessment Secretary-General: $392,179,100 Fifth Committee: $393,806,000
2. General income Secretary-General: $86,209,200 Fifth Committee: $86,209,200
3. Services to the public Secretary-General: $886,500 Fifth Committee: $886,500
Total Estimates of Income
Secretary-General: $479,274,800 Fifth Committee: $480,901,700
Total Net Expenditure
Secretary-General: $2,348,477,400 Fifth Committee: $2,608,274,000
Fifth Committee - 7 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
Action on Revised Estimates for 1994-1995 Budget
ERICH VILCHEZ ASHER (Nicaragua), Committee Chairman, recalled that he had proposed at a previous meeting that the Committee recommend that the Assembly approve $2.63 billion for expenditures in 1994-1995, as adjusted by the ACABQ.
The Committee approved the proposal without a vote.
Speaking in explanation of position, the representative of the United States said his delegation had raised some questions and concerns on the matter a few nights ago. It would have been appropriate to have had more time to consider the matter more carefully. His delegation had joined the action to enable the Committee to complete its work.
Action on Draft Texts for Proposed 1996-1997 Budget
Mr. VILCHEZ ASHER (Nicaragua), Committee Chairman, introduced a draft text concerning expenses directly chargeable to the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. By that text, the Assembly would approve expenses totalling $40.2 million net for 1996-1997 and an increase in expenses of $835,500 net for 1994-1995, to administer the Fund. It would authorize the Pension Board to supplement the voluntary contributions to the Emergency Fund for 1996-1997 by not more than $200,000.
The Committee approved the draft text without a vote. The text would be included in the consolidated report of the Committee to the Assembly.
MOVSES ABELIAN (Armenia), a Committee Vice-Chairman and a coordinator of informal consultation on the proposed 1996-1997 budget, introduced draft resolution (document A/C.5/50/L.30) on those questions and recommended its approval without a vote.
By the provisions of section A of the four-section draft resolution, the Assembly would reiterate that, when formulating the proposed budget, the Secretary-General must fully respect the priorities established by the Assembly and ensure that resources are strictly used for the purposes approved.
In section B of the draft text, the Assembly would note that the Secretary- General intends to pursue further efficiency gains on an ongoing basis and that gains of about $100 million in 1996 and 1997 would be a reasonable expectation. It would decide that savings in the 1996-1997 proposed budget will not affect the full implementation of mandated activities. The Secretary-General would also be requested to present not later than the end of the fiftieth session, and in June 1997, a programme performance report on the impact of approved saving measures on the implementation of mandated activities. The Assembly would also decide that the vacancy rate will be 6.4 per cent for both Professional and General Service posts, which would be subject to review.
Fifth Committee - 8 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
The provisions of section C would, among other things, have the Assembly decide -- regarding section 7B on Africa critical economic situation, recovery and development -- to create a separate identifiable budget section for implementing the related programme of the medium-term plan as revised by the Assembly. It would have the Assembly approve the establishment of a First Officer (P-4) post to follow up on the Conference on Small Island Developing States and request the Secretary-General to fill it as a priority and decide to maintain the Director (D-2) post for transnational corporations activities temporarily.
The draft text would request the Secretary-General to designate a deputy Secretary of the Fifth Committee no later than the start of the first resumed fiftieth session and to fill the vacancies in the secretariat of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) no later than 30 June 1996. On the budget section on the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the draft would have the Assembly agree to establish six Professional posts and request the Oversight Office to examine the management of the catering facilities at Headquarters and report to the fifty-first session.
The provisions of section D would have the Assembly decide that the sums in expenditure sections represent a provisional total of $2,712,265,200, that the projected $103,991,200 level of savings would be achieved, that the level of expenditure provided for in 1996-1997 is $2,608,274,000, which would be the basis of assessing Member States.
The Committee approved the draft without a vote. The draft would be submitted to the Assembly in the consolidated report of the Committee.
Speaking in explanation of position, the representative of France said it was abnormal for the text to have been adopted without translation into other languages. That should not be a precedent.
The representative of the Philippines, also speaking for the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that the members of the Group had taken part in the negotiation on the draft in a spirit of cooperation and had attached importance to its adoption by consensus. The process of considering and approving the budget had been a long and difficult one and the group wanted to reiterate the importance of the budgetary process as stated in Assembly resolutions. The budget should accord with the priorities of the medium-term plan, as revised. It should enable the Secretary-General to carry out all mandates fully as entrusted to him. Member States should show the political commitment necessary to provide the Organization with the resources it needed to carry out its mandates.
The representative of Ireland said his delegation had supported the Secretary-General's proposals concerning the sections on peace-keeping operations and special missions and on the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts
Fifth Committee - 9 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
of the Department of Administration and Management and had accepted the compromise reluctantly. He looked forward to a review of the provisions of resources for those sections.
The representative of Tunisia, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said the Group welcomed approval of the budget by consensus. However, it wished to underscore that genuine negotiations required a cooperative spirit based on sovereignty and equality. In that regard, the budget fell short of the Group's expectations. The Group had made far-reaching concessions in the spirit of arriving at decisions by consensus. It regretted that the overall level of resources proposed by the Secretary-General had not been accepted. The Group regretted the procedure followed this year to arrive at the present level of resources which completely negated the agreement on the budgetary procedure embodied in the relevant Assembly resolution. That development called into question the usefulness of continuing the practice of adopting the budget by consensus.
Now that a budget level lower than that proposed by the Secretary-General had been approved, the Group expected all Member States to fulfil their obligations to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time and without conditions, to enable the Secretary-General to implement the mandates given to him. Priority programmes and activities, as identified in the medium-term plan should have a first claim on resources that might be realized through savings. The Secretary-General should give balanced treatment to all approved priorities in terms of resource allocation and implementation. In that connection, the Group welcomed the to establishment of a separate identifiable programme budget section specifically to deal with Africa's critical economic situation, recovery and development. The section should receive resources commensurate with the priority accorded to it by the Assembly.
The representative of Morocco said he had not objected to the fact that only one langauge was used for the draft resolution since it was done on an exceptional basis. In future, Arab delegations should be asked if they agree to such a procedure.
Action on Fifth Committee's Consolidated Report
PETER MADDENS (Belgium), Committee Rapporteur, introduced the consolidated report of the Fifth Committee on the proposed 1996-1997 budget (document A/C.5/50/L.29 Part I and II).
Part I specified the various amounts proposed and approved in the budgetary process. Part II of the consolidated report presents five multi-part draft resolutions on matters relating to the budget. Draft resolution I, on the questions related to the proposed 1996-1997 budget (document A/C.5/50/L.30) was inserted to the report of the Committee.
Fifth Committee - 10 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
The three-section draft resolution II would, in section A, have the Assembly approve total appropriations of $2.61 billion for 1996-1997; approve, in section B, income estimates totalling $480.9 million; appropriate, in section C, $1.30 billion for 1996 to be funded partly from an assessment of $1.29 billion.
The eight-section draft resolution III would, in section I, have the Assembly approve $7.1 million for the United Nations Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) for the period 1 January to 31 March 1996 and authorize up to $2.3 million monthly should the Security Council extend the mission's mandate beyond 31 March 1996. By provisions of section II, the Assembly would endorse the recommendations of the ACABQ and approve a temporary Under-Secretary-General post as requested by the Secretary-General. The Assembly would take note, in section III, of the Secretary-General's report and the ACABQ recommendations on the Integrated Management Information System project; request the Secretary-General, in section IV, to address the questions on the conditions of service of the members of the International Court of Justice as raised by the ACABQ.
By Section V of draft resolution III, the Assembly would approve a subvention of $220,000 from the regular budget for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research). Section VI of the draft would have the Assembly request the ACABQ to report to the resumed session on the conditions of service for full-time member of the International Civil Service Commission and the Chairman of the ACABQ. By the terms of section VII, the Assembly would approve expenses totalling $40.2 million net for 1996-1997 and an increase in expenses of $835,500 net for 1994-1995, for the administration of the fund. The terms of section VIII would have the Assembly note that a balance of $19.4 million remains in the contingency fund.
Draft resolution IV concerns unforeseen and extraordinary expenses for 1996-1997.
Draft resolution V would have the Assembly establish the Working Capital Fund for 1996-1997 at $100 million, from which the Secretary-General could borrow sums necessary to fund budgetary appropriations pending the receipt of contributions.
NICK THORNE (United Kingdom) said that his delegation had proposed amendments to the proposal on the Working Capital Fund, but there had been no consensus. His delegation would return to the matter in March.
The Committee approved the draft text on the Working Capital Fund.
With the exception of draft resolution IV, which was deferred to the resumed session, the Committee approved all drafts without a vote.
Fifth Committee - 11 - Press Release GA/AB/3061 45th Meeting (Night) 23 December 1995
Contingency Fund
The Committee had before it a report of the Secretary-General on the contingency fund: consolidated statement of programme budget implications and revised estimates (document A/C.5/50/49). According to the report, the fund had a consolidated balance of about $1.2 million. The Fifth Committee could recommend to the Assembly the appropriation of the required sums to the budget sections on overall policy-making, direction and coordination, the Department of Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, crime control and human rights. It would be asked to note that a balance of $19.4 million would remain in the contingency fund.
C.S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the ACABQ, said that the Advisory Committee had reviewed the document on the contingency fund. It had recommended that the Secretary-General submit information on the nature of expenses charged to the fund to enable the ACABQ to review its level and use. The ACABQ would request that the present report on the fund be submitted to it in 1996 so that it could review it and submit its recommendations to the Assembly.
Review of Efficiency
The Committee Chairman, Mr. VILCHEZ ASHER (Nicaragua) introduced two draft decisions under the item on the review of efficiency of the functioning of the United Nations.
A draft decision on the Fifth Committee's biennial programme of work for 1996-1997 (document A/C.5/50/L.18) would have the Assembly approve an annexed, 16-item agenda for 1996 and a 13-item list for 1997.
By another draft decision (document A/C.5/50/L.19), listing 27 agenda items, the Assembly would decide that the Fifth Committee should continue to consider those items at it resumed fiftieth session.
The Committee approved the draft decisions on the Fifth Committee's 1996- 1997 biennial work programme and on the agenda for its resumed fiftieth session without a vote.
Mr. VILCHEZ ASHER (Nicaragua), Fifth Committee Chairman, said that the Committee would ask the Assembly to defer the agenda item on review of Organization's efficiency to the resumed session of the Committee.
The Chairman then closed the Fifth Committee's regular session.
* *** *