FINANCING OF ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS, SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS AMONG ISSUES DISCUSSED IN FIFTH COMMITTEE
Press Release
GA/AB/3065
FINANCING OF ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS, SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS AMONG ISSUES DISCUSSED IN FIFTH COMMITTEE
19960327 The Secretary-General's new proposal to finance backstopping activities in support of peace-keeping operations should take into account future requirements and avoid budgeting for resources after they might have been used, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was told this morning.Generally, backstopping is the overall direction, assistance and guidance given by Headquarters departments, offices and other units to ensure the effective planning, implementation and liquidation of missions.
Stating that view as the Committee discussed the support account, Norway's representative said he agreed with the proposal by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) that the support account's budget needs should be divided pro rata among ongoing operations for which assessments were made. The 355 support account posts sought by the Secretary-General for 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997 should be funded. The staffing was justified.
Agreeing with some of the Board of Auditors' recommendations on the support account, the representative of Japan, said it was necessary to rectify irregular posting or to take appropriate action to regularize appointments. The representatives of the Russian Federation and the United States also spoke.
The Secretary-General's report on the support account was introduced by United Nations Controller, Yukio Takasu. C.S.M. Mselle, Chairman of ACABQ, introduced his Committee's, while Seth Adza, Director, External Audit of Ghana, introduced that of the Board of Auditors.
Regarding the application of Article 19 of the Charter, the European Union, speaking through the representative of Italy, said that Member States should lose their right to vote in the General Assembly once they accumulated more than two years arrears, instead of almost three years as was the current practice. A stringent standard should be applied to requests for waivers from the provisions of Article 19 and a payment schedule should accompany such applications.
Georgia would present a plan to fully pay its full contributions in the next three years, said its representative. Meanwhile, its Parliament had adopted
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a national budget for 1996 which included the means to cover the minimal payment to the United Nations budget to prevent the application of Article 19. The contribution would be made shortly.
The representative of Liberia said her country had faced a civil war, crippling economic disaster and debt, which had prevented it from meeting its financial obligations. Liberia intended to make staggered payments of its arrears.
The representative of Latvia said the United Nations financial situation could be addressed if the scale of assessments was improved. Latvia would pursue more equitable scales for both the regular and the peace-keeping budgets. Rwanda, Liberia, Georgia and Tajikistan should be allowed to vote.
General sympathy for the situations and/or support for those countries to be permitted to vote were expressed by the representatives of Ukraine, Russian Federation, Belarus, Cuba, India, Turkey, Kyrgyztan and Uzbekistan. Uganda added that the case of the Comoros should also be considered. Indonesia and Iran asked questions to which the Chairman of the Committee on Contributions, David Etuket (Uganda), responded.
Cuba, France and Spain spoke on the issues of translation of documents and language training at Headquarters.
Federico Riesco, Director, Conference Services, and Momoyo Ise, Director of Specialist Services Division of the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), answered questions raised from yesterday.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, 28 March, to conclude its general discussions on the support account for peace-keeping operations.
Committee Work Programme
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to discuss matters relating to the scale of assessments and take up administrative and budgetary aspects of financing peace-keeping operations, under which it would discuss the support account for those missions. (For background on the Committee on Contributions' report in relation to the scale of assessments, see Press Release GA/AB/3064, of 26 March.)
Support Account
In his report on the support account for peace-keeping missions (document A/50/876), Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali argues for a change in the current method of financing the account, owing to the changing needs of missions and the nature of Headquarters backstopping operations.
Backstopping is generally the overall direction, assistance and guidance given by Headquarters departments, offices and other units to ensure the effective planning, implementation and liquidation of missions. The Secretary-General states that three elements are essential for Headquarters backstopping: a permanent core capacity; a variable capacity to support ongoing missions; and an additional one to back the liquidation of completed missions. The core should be funded from the regular budget and the variable and additional capacity from the support account.
Since 1991, he says, non-core posts for backstopping have been funded by including in an active mission's budget the equivalent of 8.5 per cent of the cost of its civilian component. The Assembly decided last July to review the percentage annually, with the first no later than March 1996. The formula did not consider the fact that for completed and closed missions, no support account income would be generated for post-mission backstopping which continued long after the operational completion and end of a mission's financing. Since 1992, the formula had not generated enough income for staffing, common services and other needs and should be reconsidered.
For 1996, according to the Secretary-General, there will be 16 active, eight completed and two closed missions, which could cost $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion. The current formula will bring in about $17.4 million while the 408 temporary posts and other needs, for 1 January to 31 December, would cost some $35.5 million. Since expected income is $18.8 million -- $17.4 million from the formula and $1.5 million from the operating reserve, less some $145,000 to cover a 1995 deficit -- there will be a $16.6-million shortfall. If the formula is not changed, the funds will pay for a little more than 200 posts in 1996. Such a drastic cut in posts would hurt departments and offices providing backstopping, such as the Department of Peace-keeping Operations and the Department of
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Administration and Management. For instance, the Accounts Division's ability to reimburse troop contributors and pay vendors will be limited.
After reviewing the projected workload for the 15-month period 1 April 1996 to 30 June 1997 of each department and office, the Secretary-General determined that a revised minimum support account with at least 355 posts would be needed to backstop active, completed and closed missions for the period 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997. While that would cost $31 million, the support account would raise $18.8 million, causing a shortfall.
Among the actions he asks of the Assembly is for it to authorize, for 1 April to 30 June 1996, continuation of the 61 temporary posts converted from temporary assistance for a Headquarters backstopping staff total of 408 posts and related costs of $7.2 million.
The Secretary-General also recommends that the Assembly approve a new funding arrangement for Headquarters backstopping as from 1 July 1996 and appropriate and assess the required resources according to the peace-keeping scale. He asks it to authorize $37.2 million gross ($31.4 million net) to pay for 355 backstopping posts and other costs for the period 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997, pending a decision to transfer 26 support account posts to the regular budget.
A note by him transmits the report of the Board of Auditors on the audit of the support account (document A/50/874) for the period ended 30 September 1995. Asked by the Assembly to do so, the Board looked, among other things, at the appropriateness of the account's funding level in the light of actual experience, its objectives and functions, the method used to calculate contributions to it, its recruitment procedures and the appointees' contractual terms. It also evaluated the status of the 61 general temporary assistance positions authorized for conversion to temporary posts for the period 1 July 1995 to 31 January 1996.
The Board states that, although the support account was set up on 3 May 1991 by the Assembly, its operations took retroactive effect from 1 January 1990. When it was set up, only five peace-keeping missions existed. Based on their characteristics, the Administration felt then that the rate of funding, at 8.5 per cent of the civilian component, was adequate. Submissions related to the establishment of the account in 1990 had indicated that the funding method would be reviewed at the end of the first two years of operations, based on experience.
The Board concludes that between 1990 and 1993, the actual use lagged behind the income of the support account due mainly to delays in recruitment. However, with the expanding costs of common services, the average utilization rate of support account income rose to 9.08 per cent in 1994, exceeding the 8.5 per cent level. In a few cases, posts were redeployed at levels or for functions not fully consistent with what had been authorized by the Assembly. It was also
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not possible to get adequate assurance that the incumbents of some posts were actually performing backstopping functions due to a lack of job descriptions. Of the over 400 posts approved for 1995, 32 per cent were filled by permanent staff and 61.6 per cent by fixed- and short-term staff. The balance of 6.4 per cent was the vacancy rate.
The Board recommends that the temporary nature of the funding plan should be reviewed to reflect the current need for a mix of temporary and permanent arrangements. Contracts for employing personnel for the account, it adds, should recognize the need to attract and keep enough staff with appropriate institutional memory and the capacity to provide sound backstopping support. The recruiting process should be further streamlined to ensure transparency in using resources only for the ends authorized by the Assembly.
Among the Board's findings are that the growth in the number and complexity of peace-keeping mission since 1990 justifies a continuing need for the account. Also, it adds, the temporary nature of its funding arrangement, as originally conceived, has proved to be inadequate for providing backstopping services on a continuing basis.
Compared with the funding level of 8.5 per cent, the Board also found that the spending incurred at Headquarters on staff costs and common services to support backstopping for a five-year period (1991-1995) averaged 8.2 per cent. But, the yearly percentages for 1994 (9.08) and 1995 (11.25) show an increasing level of spending over the level of 8.5 per cent.
The Board states that it had noted that the rate of 8.5 per cent was fixed in 1990, when there were some 10,000 military and 5,000 civilian personnel. However, there were 75,000 military and 13,000 civilian personnel in 1994. While the ratio of the military to civilians was 2 to 1 in 1990, it was 6 to 1 in 1994. Therefore, the current rate does not consider the workload associated with the increased military personnel for whom backstopping was to be provided by civilians. The Board establishes that the rate of 8.5 per cent has served the purpose reasonably well in the past but should now be modified periodically, for instance every two years. The review should consider the actual needs of peace-keeping missions and the appropriate workload associated with the ratio of military to civilian personnel.
On the status of the 61 general temporary assistance positions converted to temporary posts, the Board states that their distribution between the Department of Administration and Management, the Office of Legal Affairs and the Department of Peace-keeping Operations conformed with the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
In its report on the support account (document A/50/897), the ACABQ comments on both preceding reports. It states that the Board's recommendation will contribute to better management and oversight of the support account and
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more consistent use of human resources for their approved purposes. On the Secretary-General's proposal to transfer $4.7 million from the operating reserve to supplement income for 1 January to 31 June 1996, the ACABQ stresses that the reserve is meant to protect against unforeseen shortfalls in delivery and inflation or to liquidate legal obligations in cases of abrupt ending of activities funded from extrabudgetary resources. The reserves, it recommends, should be used cautiously and its use should not harm the Secretary-General's ability to tap into it for its stated purpose. It recommends that the Assembly authorize $7.2 million for the period 1 April to 30 June 1996 to establish 370 Headquarters backstopping posts and for other costs. The sum should be funded through the current formula. The ACABQ approves 370 of the 408 posts sought as 38 of them are vacant.
Regarding the period 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997, the ACABQ says that the Secretary-General's review had some shortcomings. He provides neither clear criteria for his review nor an overall evaluation of the total needs of the offices that use support account staff. The lack of consistent criteria seems to have led to arbitrary staffing requests. The Secretary-General should explain further how he accorded priority to various backstopping activities. The ratio of General Service to Professional posts funded from the account should be analysed to cut the overall number of the General Service posts.
According to the ACABQ, the Secretary-General's proposal to suppress a number of United Nations-financed Professional posts and replace them with gratis military officers, particularly in the Planning Division, would create an imbalance between United Nations-funded posts and those officers. The officers made up 40 per cent of the Professional staff of the Department for Peace-Keeping Operations. Their number would exceed 50 per cent under the Secretary-General's proposal. The ACABQ recommends that the Secretary-General reduce the number of United Nations-funded posts he proposes to suppress and to use in other areas some of the military officers proposed for this Division.
For the period 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997, the ACABQ recommends that the Assembly authorize Headquarters backstopping requirements of $37.2 million gross ($31.4 million net) and 355 posts. That would be subject to a decision on the renting of space, costing $1.8 million. It also recommends that the Secretary-General provide a more justified distribution of the 355 posts. He should start working on the redistribution immediately for implementation from 1 July 1996.
Turning to the method of funding the support account, the ACABQ argues that the case for separate appropriation and assessment of its resources had not been made. Rather, the level of resources the support account would need should be established annually based on convincing analyses of backstopping requirements. Once the Assembly approves the minimum 12-month amount of resources needed, they would be allocated appropriately among the various peace-keeping budgets rather
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than appropriated and assessed separately. The United Nations Controller has told the ACABQ that prorating could be feasible.
In an annex to the report, the United Nations Controller, Yukio Takasu, describes how the prorating could be done. In essence, he writes, when the Assembly approves the budget for each mission, approved and corresponding fixed, prorated support account sums for a 12-month period will be included in the appropriations for each mission. Assessments will be made when mandates are extended and the amount for extended period transferred to the support account.
Statements on Support Account
YUKIO TAKASU, United Nations Controller, introduced the Secretary-General's report. He emphasized that the current funding formula -- based on 8.5 per cent of the civilian staff component of ongoing missions -- should be changed to provide sufficient resources for Headquarters backstopping. If not, the Secretariat would have to halve the 408 backstopping posts, with drastic effects. After a "bottom-up" comprehensive review of the support account and its needs, it had been decided that 355 staff would be required for the next 15 months, from 1 April through June 1997.
SETH ADZA, Director, External Audit of Ghana, introduced the report of the Board of Auditors. The Board agreed that the current formula was no longer providing adequate resources for the support account.
C.S.M. MSELLE, ACABQ Chairman, introduced the report of the Advisory Committee. More information should be provided on Member States' provision of military officers at no cost to the Organization. The ACABQ believed that prorating the budgets of the support accounts to the peace-keeping budget was now feasible as budgeting for missions had been streamlined.
TRYGGVE GJESDAL (Norway) said resource needs for peace-keeping operations should be funded through the regular budget to the largest extent possible, reflecting the priority attached to such activities. The Secretary-General should be provided with the resources which were necessary to carry out peace- keeping mandates that are in place and also to be able to meet the backstopping requirements of the liquidation, closure and post-closure of such operations. In view of the difficulty of backstopping the current scale of peace-keeping operations with regular budget staff resources, support account funding must continue to play an important role in the foreseeable future. The concept of "permanent core capacity" remained valid and was indispensable for arriving at meaningful positions on the programme budget.
The Secretary-General had made a very timely proposal for a new funding method which would avoid "backward budgeting" by taking account of future, not past backstopping requirements, he continued. It would not be linked rigidly to some percentage of an arbitrary element of previous operations. Budgeting should
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take account of actual requirements. He expressed support for the alternative proposed by the ACABQ that the support account's budget requirements not be assessed separately but divided pro rata among ongoing operations for which assessments were made.
The reform of the funding mechanism for the support account is very important in the financing of peace-keeping operations, he said. He expressed support for the Secretary-General and the ACABQ's proposal that the presently manned 370 posts be maintained from April through July and that a level of 355 posts should be funded subsequently for the new peace-keeping budget year -- 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997. That level was fully warranted by the present level of activity of peace-keeping operations.
NICOLAI LOZINSKY (Russian Federation) said he shared the Secretary- General's concern regarding the financing of the support account. The present formula should be reviewed. However, the Secretary-General's report lacked some important information such as financial data for the past year and the role and use of extrabudgetary resources, including loaned personnel. He supported the ACABQ's option for the approval of a necessary quantum of resources and the prorating of those resources among all the peace-keeping operations. That option would provide an indicator of the efficiency of the use of the support account resources. He agreed with the ACABQ's proposal on the financing of staff resources.
He called on the Secretariat to provide the information on space rental to accommodate the Department of Peace-Keeping Operations and supported the ACABQ's proposal for a bottom-up review of the backstopping requirements. That review should include a detailed analysis of loaned personnel, technological innovations and Member States payment requirements. He also requested information on the redeployment of posts.
LINDA SHENWICK (United States) said that de-linking the financing from the funding formula had merit and could be endorsed. The alternative funding method suggested by the ACABQ could be supported and would be discussed in informal consultations. As for resources for July 1996 to June 1997, the United States had some concerns regarding some of the resources requested. She expressed concern over the rationale and relevance of some of the human resources proposed for the Department of Administration and Management, the mail room, communications and the overall use of secretaries. The posts for the Division for Audit and Management of the Office of Internal Oversight Services had been cut. That was not rationale as there would be a lot of liquidation of peace- keeping missions, which would need auditing.
The comprehensive review did not seem to have been applied consistently, she said. The ACABQ secretariat's request for more support account resources was not justified. The Mission Planning Service of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations deserved assessed posts and that matter should be addressed. The
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United States was ready to discuss the Secretary-General's proposals with other Member States. The Fifth Committee should come up with a rational structure for the requested resources. Adjustments should be made now to allow departments to correct the anomalies pointed out by the Board of Auditors.
The United States reserved its position on the extension of the 61 temporary positions, she said. There was no merit in the view that all the posts the Secretary-General was seeking should be maintained, as the Secretariat had said that some of them would be kept vacant. She expressed concern about the fund request for the leasing of building space, the budgeting for general temporary assistance and overtime. She expressed confidence that all her concerns could be overcome in further deliberations.
FUMIAKI TOYA (Japan) said he was ready to accept the justifications for the Secretary-General proposals. He concurred with such ACABQ recommendations as on the level of posts sought through June next year. While he did not understand the rationale for the staffing proposed for some units, he was ready to discuss them further. He noted the view that prorating the requirements of the support account could be feasible, as stated by the United Nations Controller. He expressed appreciation for the report of the Board of Auditors which called for reforms of the support account. He expressed support for some of its recommendations on, for instance, the necessity to rectify irregular posting without recourse to established procedures or appropriate action to regularize appointments.
Mr. TAKASU, United Nations Controller, replying to questions raised, said the use of resources provided in the past were explained in the report of the Secretary-General. Requirements had been based on workload analysis, bearing in mind the need to reduce costs as much as possible. Regarding the Audit and Management Division, the reduction by two, from 11 to nine, had been based on similar analysis. The Secretariat had taken account of anticipated liquidation of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) and United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). The resources would be sufficient. The Office of Internal Oversight Services would have about 83 posts. The staffing needs of the ACABQ secretariat had been based on workload analysis, also. On the unevenness in the distribution of posts among various units, he said he had noted the recommendations of the ACABQ that some adjustment should be made. That was acceptable and the distributions in the Planning Unit and other offices would be adjusted. The ACABQ recommendation was realistic and would help avoid micro-management by Member States.
When posts were approved, he said, common costs were added as in the regular budget. Part of that would be used to allow the posts to work properly in the Secretariat.
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Documentation and Language Training
FEDERICO RIESCO, Director of Conference Services, said that the Conference Servicing division in Geneva had had problems with the simultaneous distribution of documents. Documents had been submitted late, some had exceeded the page limits established. There had been shortfalls in translation capacity and lack of space to store documents while those in other languages were being printed. Since last year, the Office at Geneva had strengthened the planning and control system for processing documents and enhancing discipline in that process. Disciplinary measures included threats to reject late or excessively long documents. There had been improvements in the situation since the implementation of the plan, such as for the current session of the Commission of Human Rights. The session had more than 4,000 pages, about one third of that needed for an Assembly session. The Office had recently attained the highest level of documentation distributed on time. On the statement that translated documents had not been available in Geneva due to instructions from New York, he said he did not know who could have sent it from New York.
MOMOYO ISE, Director of Specialist Services Division, Office for Human Resources Management, responding to a question on language training courses raised at an earlier meeting, said language training was offered free to accredited staff of permanent missions and Secretariat staff. There had been no change in that policy and there was no intention of changing it. Her office had considered charging a fee for optional conversational classes. That was a result of budgetary reductions. Regular classes continued to be free.
ANA SILVA RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said the Secretariat's representative did not have all the information on the situation in Geneva. Her delegation there had been told that some documents were not being circulated in all languages because of the Organization's financial crisis. A decision had been made not to translate some documents. Member States must be informed of such decisions since it affected them directly. Regarding language training courses, she said there was indication that a fee would be charged for some language courses. Such matters should be decided by the Assembly.
LUCIEN SCOTTI (France) said Member States and Secretariat personnel had the right to speak in the official languages of their choice. Regarding language training, he said the relevant resolution addresses basic or supplementary language courses. It was the Assembly's role to take decisions regarding language training.
RAPHEL MUNOZ (Spain) supported the previous statements. There was no provision for fees in the relevant resolution on the matter. The Assembly should make such decisions. Charging for language courses would not affect savings by the Secretariat. It would be additional income. That had nothing to do with savings as required in the current budget. He was not satisfied with the explanations given by the Secretariat.
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Mr. RIESCO, Director of Conference Services, said he agreed with Member States' statements on the issue. The Secretariat should consult with the relevant bodies if documents could not be provided. He agreed that no measures could be taken before the Assembly considered the Secretary-General's report on the issue.
Ms. ISE, Director of Specialist Services, Department of Conference Services, responding to the representative of Cuba, said the issue of fees did not pertain to the regular language courses. Fees were proposed for conversational classes which were a part of a larger communications programme. The pamphlet containing that information was intended to inform the staff that the proposal existed. However, it had not been implemented. The Secretary- General strongly supported multilingualism of staff. There had been no policy shift. The Secretariat was ensuring the continued access of accredited diplomats to the language courses.
Statements on Scales of Assessments
DAVID APTSIAURI (Georgia) said his country had faced serious political internal turmoil that had hurt its economy. In addition to the conflicts, an essential part of its budget had been allocated to meet the needs of some 350,000 refugees and displaced persons. Georgia, compared with other States that fell under Article 19 of the Charter, had the lowest level of gross national product (GNP) per capita among the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Based on World Bank 1994 data, the GNP, was equal to $350.
The Georgian Parliament, he said, had adopted a national budget for 1996 which included the means to cover the minimal payment to the United Nations budget to prevent the application of Article 19. The contribution would be made shortly. The present situation did not allow it to pay immediately its full minimal fixed amount of contribution of about $3.5 million. Georgia would present a plan to fully pay its full contributions in the next three years. The recommendation of the Committee on Contributions should be supported and Georgia allowed to retain its vote before making necessary payments.
FAMATTA ROSE OSODE (Liberia) expressed appreciation for the waiver that had been recommended for Liberia by the Committee on Contributions and in the statements of members of the Fifth Committee. The situation in her country had been explained to the Committee on Contributions. Liberia was facing a civil war, crippling economic disaster and debt, which had prevented it from meeting its financial obligations. She expressed the hope that the Committee's recommendation would be accepted by the Assembly. Not all the issues examined at the special session of the Committee on Contributions had led to favourable results. Liberia intended to make staggered payments of its arrears.
ULDIS BLUKIS (Latvia) said he agreed with the recommendations of the Committee on Contributions regarding the requests by Member States for permission
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to vote. The report of the Committee on Contributions described the situation in Liberia and Tajikistan as severe; therefore, Latvia believed that a similar decision regarding permission to vote should be made for Liberia, Rwanda and Tajikistan. Georgia, too, should be granted the permission to vote, subject to its paying the required minimum soon.
The Latvian Government, he said, had reaffirmed its obligations to pay its dues to the United Nations in full. Although resources were inadequate to meet essential needs of the country, the Government intended to seek ways to make the minimum payment as soon as possible. The United Nations financial situation could be addressed if the scale of assessments was improved. It should be based on a balanced application of the equality of States, respect for the obligation to pay and the right of States to be assessed by a single capacity-to-pay-based methodology, rather than on several methodologies as was currently the case. Latvia would pursue more equitable scales of assessment for both the regular and the peace-keeping budgets.
RENATA ARCHINI (Italy), speaking for the European Union, said Article 19 provided that a Member State that had no right to vote in the General Assembly because "its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of contributions due from it for the preceding two years" might be permitted to vote if the Assembly "is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member". Clear and strict procedures should be defined for submitting applications for exemption under Article 19.
The Article, she said, should apply as soon as a State accumulated more than two years' of arrears, instead of almost three years as was the current practice. The cases of Member States with genuine difficulties should be considered. The submission of payment schedules should become an element in considering the applications of Member States. The Union concurred with the Committee on Contributions' recommendations that Rwanda and Liberia be allowed to vote through the fifty-first Assembly. That waiver should be reviewed before any further extension. A stringent standard should apply to requests for permission to vote under Article 19. The Committee on Contributions should consider establishing procedures to be applied in submissions of applications for exemption under Article 19.
BORYS HUDYMA (Ukraine) said the Committee on Contributions' recommendations that Liberia and Rwanda be permitted to vote were well-balanced decisions. He expressed regret over the Committee's decision on Georgia and Tajikistan. Those States were experiencing similar difficulties and the United Nations had a moral responsibility to call attention to their situations. The Committee's decision on those two Member States had been influenced by the fact those cases were less well known than those of Rwanda and Liberia. In the case of Georgia, it would be fair for the Assembly to grant a temporary waiver of Article 19, pending the receipt of the necessary minimum payments from that Member State. However, Tajikistan's case should be reviewed by the Fifth Committee.
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The Committee on Contributions should make its recommendations on the basis of an impartial examination of each case, he continued. It was important to determine the criteria for the examination of requests for a waiver of the application of Article 19. The Contributions Committee should make decisions by consensus on substantial issues. It should also be possible for it to decide on requests for waivers by a decision of the majority of the Committee.
Mr. LOZINSKY (Russian Federation) said the Assembly would be acting correctly if it decided not apply Article 19 to Georgia. Despite that country's economic and political difficulties, it would make the minimum payment on its arrears. Georgia should have the right to vote until it paid the necessary amount. By such decisions the Assembly would encourage States to make their payments to the Organization.
He supported the recommendations on Liberia and Rwanda. However, he questioned why the Committee did not make a similar recommendation on Tajikistan. That Member State had submitted ample evidence to show the difficulties it faced. That included a civil war. The United Nations had established a peace-keeping operation there, which meant that the Secretariat had first-hand information on the situation. Tajikistan had also experienced natural disasters. The Committee on Contributions should give Tajikistan the benefit of the doubt and waive the application of Article 19 based on those circumstances.
YURI ORANGE (Belarus) supported Tajikistan's request. He regretted the Contributions Committee's decision since that Member State was not in a position to meet its obligations. That country was "balancing on the edge of a civil war". The Security Council had recognized the fragility of the situation. Support for Tajikistan's request would contribute to the political stabilization in that region. The Organization should deal cautiously with Member States in which peace-keeping operations were established. Tajikistan's request should be approved. He also expressed support for Georgia's request, since its situation was similar to that of Tajikistan.
PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia) said that Member States should fulfil their obligations on time and without conditions. Special consideration should be given to those which could not do so due to conditions beyond their control. He sought more clarification on the need to establish more stringent standards in applying for exemptions to the application of Article 19.
VIJAY GOKHALE (India) expressed support for the waiver for Rwanda and Liberia. He had sympathy for the position of Georgia, and the application of Article 19 should be waived for that country for the rest of the current session of the Assembly. He also expressed sympathy for Tajikistan's case.
SEDAT YAMAT (Turkey) said he agreed with the recommendations of the Committee on Contributions that waivers be granted to Rwanda and Liberia. Georgia and Tajikistan should be given similar treatment.
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MOURATBEK AZYMBAKIEV (Kyrgyztan) said he supported the decisions of the Committee on Contributions that Rwanda and Liberia be allowed to vote. Tajikistan was in the same condition as the other two countries and should be granted a waiver, which would support dialogue in that country. He supported the statement of Georgia and the Committee should sympathize with its request.
ALISHER VOHIDOV (Uzbekistan) agreed to the waivers for Rwanda and Liberia. Similar approaches should have been applied to Tajikistan and Georgia. It would be inconsistent for the United Nations to set up operations to help those countries but fail to waive the application of Article 19. They should be granted waivers in the name of justice.
NESTER ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) said that the report of the Committee on Contributions had given proper technical information on which decisions should be based. The extensions it recommended should continue through the next session of the Assembly. Article 19 was included to encourage Member States to pay their dues. He appreciated the problems of countries that had lost their rights under that Article's provisions. He had noted the report's views on Georgia and Tajikistan. Georgia's case should be viewed with sympathy, if it met the conditions spelled out in the report. The views of the Comoros should also be considered.
ANA SILVIA RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) supported the decision of the Committee on Contributions to waive the application of Article 19 for Liberia and Rwanda.
MORTEZA MIRMOHAMMAD (Iran) asked for clarification on the criteria the Committee used to make its recommendations.
DAVID ETUKET (Uganda), Chairman of the Committee on Contributions, responding to Ukraine's statement that two cases were less well known, said his Committee had taken account of the major sources of information on the Member States as well as additional information provided by the Secretariat. Regarding the decision-making process, he said that, as a subsidiary expert body of the General Assembly, the Committee was governed by the Assembly's decision-making rules.
Responding to Indonesia, he said the Assembly had waived the application of Article 19 in very few cases. The Committee evaluated Member States' representations in that context. It therefore stressed that there should be a continuation of such stringent evaluations. In response to Uganda's question on the Comoros, he said that country's representation had been received on the last day of the Committee's session; hence, it had not been considered. The Assembly would have to decide on the action that should be taken on that case. Responding to Iran, he said the main factor in the Committee's evaluation of Member States' requests was whether their failure to pay was due to conditions beyond their control.
Fifth Committee - 15 - Press Release GA/AB/3065 49th Meeting (AM) 27 March 1996
Mr. MIRMOHAMMAD (Iran) asked for clarification on the criteria used.
Mr. ETUKET (Uganda), Chairman of the Committee on Contributions, said the Committee took note of the specific circumstances of each country. It had agreed that it could not establish uniform criteria to recommend a waiver. Each case was taken on its own merit based on the information provided by the Secretariat and the Member States themselves.
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