FIFTH COMMITTEE WARNED ABOUT TACTICS TO DESTROY INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE FROM WITHIN

Press Release
GA/AB/3102

FIFTH COMMITTEE WARNED ABOUT TACTICS TO DESTROY INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE FROM WITHIN

The General Assembly would raise from the previous limit of $12,000 payments that could be made to United Nations system pension-drawing retirees to $22,000 per calendar year, should it adopt a draft decision approved this morning without a vote by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) as it considered human resources management.

However, for language services staff the ceiling would be set at $40,000 per calendar year and the employment of retirees would be limited in all cases to no more than six months per calendar year, also according to the text. The draft would also have the Assembly decide that no former staff member who received pension should be re-employed at a level higher than that at which he or she had left the organization concerned. Neither should such employees be paid more than what regular staff were remunerated for the same function and duty station.

The Secretary-General would be requested, by the terms of the draft decision, to continue seeking geographical as well as gender balance in employing retirees.

The draft text was introduced by the Committee Rapporteur, Igor Goumenny (Ukraine).

During the discussions on human resources management, the Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, James Jonah, said that the increase in the numbers of staff on loan to the Organization was "the most vicious attack on the international Secretariat" -- and a tactic to destroy the international civil service. He long opposed the concept, having stated that, if he were running a national intelligence service, that would be the cheapest way to recruit intelligent officers. Citing a book published in 1969 which attributed the destruction of the League of Nations to its staff, he said that Member States should be cautious about the imposition of another "Avenol" [a former Secretary-General of the League, Joseph Avenol (1933-1940)] on the

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Organization. Such a person would be ready to sign the death certificate of the international civil service, which, he warned, would be a "`Munich' of international cooperation".

The representative of Ukraine said that gradual transition from permanent contracts employment to fixed-term and non-career appointments would facilitate the employment of qualified candidates with fresh ideas and vigour. The use of secondment of staff from governments should be encouraged and the principle of equitable geographical representation should play a predominant role in recruiting staff.

Zimbabwe's representative said that political will would be required to address the crisis of confidence besetting the international civil service. While Secretariat reforms should be driven by the need to improve the quality of output, the current exercise was largely a downsizing project in response to the financial constraints imposed by some Member States. He was not yet convinced that the downsizing exercise took into account the need for equitable geographical representation and gender balance. The performance appraisal system (PAS) might become the "witch-hunter's sniffer".

Statements on human resources management were also made by the representatives of Turkey, Cuba, Philippines, Iran, Viet Nam, Germany, Egypt, Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Japan and Algeria.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to consider the financing of the United Nations Peace Forces in the former Yugoslavia (UNPF) and the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH), the proposed savings from the 1996-1997 budget, pattern of conferences and the proposed 1998-2001 medium-term plan.

Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to take action on the funding of United Nations forces in the former Yugoslavia, on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) and the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH) and on United Nations peace-keeping liabilities. It was also expected to take action on the employment of retirees in the United Nations.

The Committee is also scheduled to continue discussing human resources management, the proposed cuts from the 1996-1997 budget, pattern of conferences and programme planning. Under programme planning the Committee would discuss the Organization's proposed medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001, in particular the two introductory documents to the plan -- "Perspective" and the "Note". (For details of the medium-term plan, see Press Release GA/AB/3096, of 21 October.) The review of United Nations administrative and financial efficiency is also before the Committee.

Drafts for Action

The draft resolution of the financing of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation Croatia (UNCRO), the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) and the United Nations Peace Forces in the former Yugoslavia (UNPF) (document A/C.5/51/L.7) would have the General Assembly authorize the Secretary-General to commit $12.5 million gross ($11.6 million net) to provide support for and liquidate the combined forces in the period 1 November to 31 December.

By the terms of the draft, the Assembly would apportion some $115.4 million gross ($113.9 million net), which it had previously appropriated.

For Member States that had paid up their dues to the missions, the Assembly would, by the terms of the draft, use their respective share of the unencumbered balance of about $227.4 million gross ($227.9 million net) to offset their portion of the apportioned $115.4 million gross. In the case of States which owed money to the missions, their shares of the unencumbered balance would be applied to their arrears to the missions.

Expressing its concern about the payment by UNPROFOR for items that should have been provided without cost under the status-of-forces agreement, the Assembly would, according to the text, urge the Secretary-General to ask the governments concerned to reimburse the Force for those expenditures. It would also ask the Secretary-General to withhold the settlement of claims submitted by those governments until the matter of the expenditures had been resolved. The draft would then have the Assembly remind all Member States that host United Nations peace-keeping missions of the importance of

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concluding and complying with status-of-forces agreements with the Organization when missions were authorized.

[According to a report of the Secretary-General (document A/51/389), status-of-forces agreements provide, among other things, for the obligation of host States to provide peace-keeping missions with areas for headquarters and offices free of charge and to exempt them from paying some charges or duties. However, a report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) (document A/51/491) cites the most recent report of the Board of Auditors on peace-keeping as stating that UNPROFOR had paid excise duty on petroleum, oil and lubricants since 1 October 1993, contrary to the status-of-forces agreement and United Nations general conditions on contracts. The duty was estimated at $37 million by 31 March 1996.]

By the terms of a related draft resolution on those missions, in particular the scope of United Nations liability for the activities of United Nations forces, procedures for handling third-party claims and to limitations of liability (document A/C.5/51/L.8), the Assembly would endorse the ACABQ's recommendations on the subject. The ACABQ had endorsed the Secretary- General's proposals to place financial and time limits on United Nations liabilities even though the ceiling of compensation, the modalities of establishing the financial limits and the duration of limitation periods must be further studied. It also recommended that the Organization establish a standard format for preparing claims.

Also by the draft, the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to develop criteria and guidelines for the means of limiting the liability of the Organization. The means include financial and time limits on compensations, counter-claims and the recovery of some claims from States contributing contingents for the damage caused by gross negligence or wilful misconduct of an individual member of the Force.

By the terms of a draft resolution on the financing of UNMIH (document A/C.5/51/L.5), the Assembly would decide to reduce the appropriation and apportionment it had previously agreed on for the Mission's liquidation in the amount of $15.9 million gross ($15.4 million net), inclusive of $377,400 for the support account for peace-keeping operations. The reduced figure for the period beginning 1 July would be $1.2 million gross ($1.2 million net) and would be inclusive of the amount of $377,400 for the support account for peace-keeping operations.

The Assembly would also decide, for Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission, to set off against the apportionment their respective share in the reduced amount -- $1.2 million gross ($1.2 million net) -- from the unencumbered balance of $17.4 million gross ($16.7 million net) for the period from 1 August 1995 to 29 February. For those Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to

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the Mission, the Assembly would decide that their share should be set off against their outstanding obligations. It would also decide that the remaining unencumbered balance of $16.2 million gross ($15.5 million net) for the period from 1 August 1995 to 29 February should be credited to Member States.

By other provisions of the text, the Assembly, sharing the concern of the ACABQ, would request the Secretary-General to submit detailed explanations on the circumstances which led to the overexpenditures of $6.7 million with respect to the original estimates for the Mission. It would also take note of the status of contributions to UNMIH as at 29 October, including $19.9 million in outstanding contributions, which represents 6 per cent of the total assessed contributions from the Mission's inception to the period ending 30 June. Noting that some 23 per cent of Member States have paid their assessed contributions in full, the Assembly would urge all other Member States concerned, in particular those in arrears, to ensure the payment of their outstanding assessed contributions.

By a draft resolution on the financing of UNSMIH (document A/C.5/51/L.6), the Assembly would decide to appropriate $28.7 million gross ($27.5 million net) for the Mission's maintenance for the period from 1 July to 31 December. That amount would be inclusive of $13.4 million gross and net remaining from the appropriation for the liquidation of UNMIH -- the former Mission -- and $5.8 million gross ($5.4 million net) authorized by the ACABQ for the period 16 September to 15 October.

Also by the draft, the Assembly would decide, as an ad hoc arrangement, to apportion $24 million gross ($23 million net) for the period from 1 July to 30 November among Member States. It would also decide, as an ad hoc arrangement, to apportion among Member States $4.7 million gross ($4.5 million net) for the period from 1 to 31 December, subject to the Security Council's decision to extend the mandate of UNSMIH beyond 30 November 1996.

By the terms of a draft decision on the employment of retirees (document A/C.5/51/L.9), the Assembly would decide to set a ceiling across the board of $22,000 per calendar year, representing an updated amount of the $12,000 limit set by the Assembly in 1982, for the employment of retired staff in receipt of a pension from the United Nations. For language services staff the ceiling would be set at $40,000 per calendar year. The employment of retirees would be limited in all cases to no more than six months per calendar year.

The Assembly would also decide that no former staff member in receipt of a pension benefit should be re-employed at a level higher than that at which he or she separated from the organization concerned. Neither should such employees be remunerated at a level higher than that at which regular staff

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are remunerated for the same function at the same duty station. It would also request the Secretary-General to continue to seek geographical as well as gender balance in employing retirees.

By other terms of the text, the Secretary-General would be requested to strictly observe the current practice that retirees must be medically cleared before re-employment. He would also be requested to report every two years on all aspects of the use of retired personnel, including on the possible revision of the salary limits now being proposed and on the categories and levels of those recruited.

Review of Efficiency of United Nations Functioning

For its consideration of the review of efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, the Committee has before it a report of the Secretary-General on jurisdictional and procedural mechanisms for the proper management of the United Nations resources and funds and another from the ad hoc intergovernmental working group on the jurisdictional and procedural mechanisms for the proper management of the United Nations resources and funds; a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the views of the Board of Auditors on how oversight functions could be improved; another note transmitting the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) report on management of buildings in the United Nations system and a note by the Secretary-General transmitting his comments on that JIU report; as well as a report of the Secretary-General on the review of efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations.

The Committee also has before it two notes by the Secretary-General transmitting a JIU report on "management in the United Nations: work in progress", and another one transmitting his comments on the JIU report on management of the buildings in the United Nations system. The two-part report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) is also being considered under that item. In addition, the Committee will consider a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the comments of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) on the JIU report on the United Nations system common premises and services in the field; and a report of the Secretary-General on the performance of the United Nations for the 1994-1995 biennium and its addendum.

The report of the Secretary-General on jurisdictional and procedural mechanisms for the proper management of the United Nations resources and funds (document A/49/98 and Corr.1 and Add.1-2) presents the views of 12 Member States on the issue. At its forty-eighth session, the Assembly decided to establish an ad hoc intergovernmental working group of experts to study the establishment of a new jurisdictional and procedural mechanism to address

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alleged cases of fraud in the United Nations. The report presents the views of Argentina, China, Colombia, France, India, Netherlands, Panama, Sweden, Brazil and Burkina Faso.

The report of the working group is also before the Committee (document A/49/418). Based on three sessions held at Headquarters in 1994, the working group studied cases of fraud and presumptive fraud. It noted a number of financially significant instances of fraud or presumptive fraud in the area of peace-keeping operations and concluded that, in view of the extremely high level of expenditure involved, procurement for those operations constituted a major risk area of possible fraud or other abuse against the United Nations, both outside and within the Organization.

According to the report, the working group recommended that provisions should be made in the Financial Regulations and Rules and the Staff Regulations and Rules requiring every staff member of the United Nations to report without delay to the Secretary-General any instance in which there appears to be financial irregularity or misconduct involving the financial integrity of the United Nations, whether arising within or outside the Organization. Another recommendation called for the Secretary-General to promulgate additional financial and staff rules specifically for and limited to temporary peace-keeping missions that would ensure the independence and objectivity of persons appointed for procurement functions. Those rules should establish a time-limit within which an initial audit of the mission would be undertaken and provide a schedule for follow-up action.

The working group also advised the Secretary-General to impose surcharges on staff members who violate the provisions of the Financial Regulations and Rules and other financial instructions of the United Nations, the report states. It stressed that the strengthening of the internal and external audit functions would contribute greatly to the deterrence of fraud and other misconducts in the United Nations. Accordingly, it strongly endorsed the initiatives under way in that direction. The working group also recommended that the Secretary-General should monitor the effectiveness of the newly established Committee on Personal Responsibility and Financial Liability of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and consider whether it would be useful to establish a similar mechanism in the United Nations.

A note by the Secretary-General transmits the views of the Board of Auditors on improving the oversight functions within the United Nations (document A/49/471 and Corr.1). The annex to the note states that the Board has been able to work within its mandate and has encountered few difficulties in pursuing its inquiries or in fulfilling its responsibilities. Therefore, its dual mandate -- to express an opinion on the financial statements and to make observations with respect to the efficiency of the financial procedures, the accounting system and the internal financial controls -- should remain unchanged.

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Regarding the Board's structure and composition, the report calls for the retention of the current Board three members. It states that the Board has gradually expanded its coverage of management issues and that it has access to fully qualified staff whenever they are required. However, given the increasing number of requests from the General Assembly, the Board expresses concern about the adequacy of the financial provisions made for its work. It considers that its budget should be put on at least the same basis as that of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, as set out in Assembly resolution 48/218 B.

Regarding cases of fraud or presumptive fraud, the report states that the Board intends to intensify its scrutiny of such cases. The Board stresses that the implementation of its recommendations is an area that needs better attention. Remedial action taken by the administrations should also include invoking the provisions of Financial Rule 114.1 on personnel responsibility, wherever necessary, in order to act as an effective deterrent against the persistent violations of the Financial Rules and relevant administrative instructions. The ACABQ should also develop its role, in line with its mandate, to hold the senior managers directly accountable for inadequacies and deficiencies in the implementation of the recommendations, on the basis of the follow-up reports of the Board, adds the report.

Another note by the Secretary-General transmits the Joint Inspection Unit's (JIU) report on management of buildings in the United Nations system (document A/49/560). The JIU report, prepared in December 1992, recommends that executive heads and governing bodies of United Nations organizations must assure sufficient and regular funding of building maintenance to enable building managers to carry out preventive maintenance and pre-maintenance schedules with respect to installations, services and equipment and establish and maintain monitoring and inspection systems.

The report also recommends that executive heads or other competent authorities must assure that building managers participate in the designing or remodelling of buildings so that their concerns are taken fully into account throughout the planning and construction process. Another recommendation is that building managers periodically review the balance between the use of in-house staff and outside contractors for performing building services to ensure cost-effectiveness and reliability. The final recommendation of the JIU calls on the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions of the ACC to schedule meetings on important building management matters in order that building managers can address questions, exchange views and share experiences.

Another note transmits the Secretary-General's comments on the JIU report on management of buildings in the United Nations system (document A/50/753). In the annex to the note, the Secretary-General states that the Inspector's findings and observations mostly coincide with his views on the subject which are expressed at length in an earlier report on facilities

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management (document A/45/796). The fact that the analysis contained in the latter is not referred to and invoked in the report of the JIU is a regretful oversight, he states.

Commenting specifically on the recommendation on building maintenance, the Secretary-General states that insufficient funding over the past four bienniums has resulted in the need to defer the frequency and scope of regular and preventive maintenance and the postponement of much-needed upgrading and retrofitting of obsolete systems and equipment. The existing electrical and air-conditioning systems at Headquarters (which are over 40 years old) and other duty stations (for example, the air-conditioning in the Assembly Hall at Geneva was installed in 1935) are inefficient and can no longer support the current and future requirements of the Organization.

The Inspector's recommended that the Secretary-General consider the possibility of creating a building fund that would ensure a bridge for adequate funding of maintenance and major repairs of the buildings until the completion, funding and implementation of a master plan to upgrade buildings in New York and elsewhere over a 12-year period. It is estimated that, at Headquarters, a replenishable fund of $1,000,000 annually would be required to fund those emergency projects. The Buildings Management Service of the Secretariat had already recommended that course of action during the preparation of the budget for the biennium 1992-1993; unfortunately, it was not feasible to implement the projects owing to budgetary constraints. The Secretary-General generally concurs with the Inspector's other recommendations.

The Secretary-General's report on the strengthening of the external oversight bodies such as the JIU and the Board of Auditors (document A/49/633) reiterates that he had established an Office of Internal Oversight Services, adding that other initiatives are under way in the context of the Secretariat restructuring and the setting-up of a transparent system of accountability and responsibility. The selection of Inspectors for the JIU might be improved greatly if regional groups, in deciding upon countries to be asked to propose candidates for the JIU, reached agreements so that the number of States selected to propose candidates equalled the number of Inspectors to be appointed from a regional group. The report adds that the ACC decided to review the consultation procedures at the inter-agency level relating to nominations for membership of the JIU, the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and other bodies. It also considered how United Nations system of organizations could interact more substantively with the JIU. The Assembly might wish to revert to those issues at its next session, it adds.

A note by the Secretary-General transmits a JIU report on management in the United Nations: work in progress (document A/50/507). The report states that the task of changing management in the system is daunting. Such a major redirection of the large entrenched bureaucracy also evokes powerful fears of,

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and resistance to any changes of comfortable old ways.

The report's recommendations emphasize the need for accountability; clear responsibility for programme delivery; and intergovernmental body oversight and leadership. The Secretary-General should establish a small but full-time unit for integrated strategic planning. The Fifth Committee might wish to reassess its workflows and annual calendar and establish small professionally qualified subcommittees to divide tasks and enhance specialization. It would then be able to focus more clearly on major management and oversight issues and processes.

A note by the Secretary-General (document A/50/507/Add.1) transmits his comments on the above-mentioned JIU report. In the annex to the note, the Secretary-General states that he considers the issues of priority setting and streamlining the intergovernmental machinery to be of the utmost importance. The JIU report, however, makes only passing reference to those problems and touches lightly on the issue of intergovernmental micro-management, which is recognized by many observers as a real impediment to the more effective management of the Secretariat.

Referring to some of the issues that could have been stressed in the report, the Secretary-General cites the ratio of resources allocated to monitoring, reporting, evaluation and oversight compared with those allocated to carrying out substantive tasks; and the Secretariat's capability in coping with the unexpected heavy additional demands of the increase in peace-keeping and humanitarian operations worldwide. The above omissions notwithstanding, the Secretary-General recognizes that the JIU's report displays a thorough and extensive analysis with an excellent sense of perspective. The thrust of the report's recommendations dovetail with the course of reform pursued by the Secretariat, he says. In general, the Secretary-General concurs with the Unit's recommendations.

The report of the CPC (document A/51/16-Part I) on the first part of its thrity-sixth session, held from 3 to 28 June, contains the outcome of the Committee's consideration of programme planning, coordination questions and reports of the JIU. The CPC makes recommendations to the Assembly on all aspects of the Organization's programme planning and issues related to the coordination of its activities.

Under programme questions, the CPC considered the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations programme performance for the 1994-1995 biennium and its conclusions on the proposed medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001. The report also contains the Committee's conclusion and recommendations on reports of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on strengthening the role of evaluation findings in programme design, delivery and policy directives; in-depth evaluation of the Department of Public Information (DPI); in-depth evaluation of the termination phase of peace- keeping operations; and the triennial review of the implementation of the CPC's recommendations on the evaluation of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

On coordination questions, the Committee took up the annual overview report of the ACC and the report of the Joint Meetings of the CPC and the ACC. It also considered the Secretary-General's progress report on the

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implementation of the System-wide Plan of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development and the JIU's report on the evaluation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, together with the Secretary-General's and the ACC's comments. The ACC's report on the proposed system-wide plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001, was also considered by the CPC. The JIU report on accountability, management improvement and oversight in the United Nations system was also reviewed.

Although the CPC commended the quality of the Secretary-General's report on the Organization's programme performance for the 1994-1995 biennium, it expressed concern at the overall low level of implementation, in particular the sharp decline, compared to the biennium 1992-1993, in the implementation of high-priority designated activities. The Committee requested the Secretary-General to refine the reporting methodology for the next programme performance report, so as to reflect better both the extent to which the activities of the programme of work had actually been mandated throughout the period concerned and, correspondingly, the extent to which they had actually been implemented. It recommended that appropriate measures be taken to ensure that programme managers adhered to the priorities mandated by the General Assembly. In that connection, specific mention was made of the programme of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

The Committee also expressed concern over the relatively large number of instances in which programme managers did not provide adequate reasons for the outputs that were terminated under their respective programmes and reiterated the Assembly's central role in changing or postponing activities and programmes, the report continues. Noting that a substantial amount of regular budget resources was being used to fund operational activities and an increasing proportion of extrabudgetary resources was being used to fund non- operational activities, the Committee felt that a clearer organizational distinction between those two areas of work would provide more transparency in resource utilization and ensure that resources of the regular budget were utilized to address the mandates for which they were appropriated.

The Committee recommended that the trend of numerous departments becoming involved in production and dissemination of material and services be rationalized in order to ensure that information activities were undertaken in close coordination with the DPI, the report states. The Committee also noted that more than 80 per cent of the outputs terminated had occurred in the Department of Political Affairs, the Department for Policy Coordination and

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Sustainable Development, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the five regional commissions combined. It noted further that the Secretary-General's report had indicated that 181 outputs carried over from the 1992-1993 biennium had been further postponed to the biennium 1996-1997. The Committee agreed to recommend to the Assembly that it should take up that issue in the context of its consideration of the programme performance report at the current session.

Part II of the Committee's report reviews the 25 programmes of the medium-term plan. (For a summary of the report, see Press Release GA/AB/3097 of 22 October.)

By another note (document A/51/124-E/1996/44), the Secretary-General transmits to the Assembly and the Economic and Social Council the comments of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) on the JIU report on the United Nations system's common premises and services in the field. The annex to the note states that that important subject has been kept under continuous review within the United Nations system as well as in inter-agency mechanisms. The Joint Consultative Group on Policies, an inter-agency body, has focused over the past few years on establishing common premises in countries where their cost was considered to be high, and where new premises would result in lower monthly charges and would facilitate the consolidation of administrative infrastructures. Although the ACC has followed a consistent policy to support, whenever possible, common premises to be shared among United Nations system agencies and programmes, it cautions against a heavy reliance on the cost/benefit analysis of the potential financial benefits from that type of arrangement.

The Secretary-General's report on the performance of the United Nations for the biennium 1994-1995 (document A/51/128) reviews the wide range of activities produced by the Organization and reflects the degree of implementation of the activities identified in the programme budget. It does not attempt to assess the quality of the outputs and services produced. "The balance sheet of what has been delivered, despite the various constraints, appears largely positive in terms of quantity of outputs and services produced." However, the picture becomes blurred when the aspect of redundancy and duplication of many of the activities reported implemented is taken into account.

The report states that of the 6,497 final outputs adopted in the 1994-1995 budget, 4,888 or 75.2 per cent were actually implemented. The major categories of activities include parliamentary services (all parliamentary documentation and substantive servicing of intergovernmental bodies, including reports and background papers produced to service the meetings), published material (recurrent and non-current publications and other published technical material) and information material and services (mainly produced by the DPI). A total of 52,029 Professional work-months (including consultant services)

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were reported available to programme managers for the production of the 1994-1995 work programme. Of those work-months, an estimated 13,730 or 26 per cent, were funded from extrabudgetary resources. Sixty-two per cent of the total work-months utilized, were committed for the implementation of activities that generate final outputs.

The 1,609 programmed outputs that were not implemented during the biennium were either postponed (590 or 9.1 per cent) or terminated (1,019 or 15.7 per cent), the report continues. In addition to the 6,497 outputs that were programmed, a significant number of them -- a total of 1,226 -- were added to the programme budget during the biennium and implemented. Such outputs were added either by intergovernmental bodies or at the Secretariat's initiative. Those outputs represented 19 per cent of the total outputs initially programmed for the biennium 1994-1995.

According to the report, a comparison between the 1992-1993 and 1994-1995 levels of implementation shows that the overall level was slightly lower (73 per cent) in 1994-1995 than in 1992-1993 (74 per cent), mainly on account of a higher percentage of terminations (16.6 per cent in 1994-1995 as against 11.7 per cent in 1992-1993). However, the implementation of highest- priority outputs was substantially lower in 1994-1995 (66.4 per cent) compared with the previous biennium (87.1 per cent). The number of outputs added by legislation in 1994-1995 was lower than their number in 1992-1993, whereas the number added at the initiative of the Secretariat was substantially larger.

Data in the report on the status of programme implementation and the number of Professional work-months utilized show that the number of outputs implemented and reformulated as compared with the number of those programmed varied for the various budget sections. It was highest (100 per cent) under the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, 97 per cent under the Department of Humanitarian Affairs and 90 per cent under crime control, 53 per cent under the Department of Political Affairs, 60 per cent under the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and 65 per cent under the Department for Development Support and Management Services. The lowest Professional vacancy rate (42 per cent) was experienced in the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). In all other areas, the rate of implementation fluctuated between 70 and 80 per cent. The low implementation rates in ESCWA and the Department of Political Affairs can be explained in terms of the fundamental reorganization and restructuring that was taking place during the biennium in those two offices.

The report states that the quality of departmental submissions received within the 1994-1995 programme performance exercise clearly indicates that, in many departments and offices, there is inadequate commitment for oversight. Therefore, there is no coordinating or managerial mechanism that collects and

analyses on a routine basis information on the progress made and results

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achieved under the various activities and programmes.

Some constraints which impact on implementation include duplication, lack of clarity in the description of activities and lack of concerted efforts on the part of programme managers to use more effectively the programming and budgeting process in addressing additional mandates, the report states. Many of those constraints could be overcome through fostering the link between the objectives of the plan and the budget both in terms of programmes and organizational structure in the context of the revised format of the medium- term plan. Greater clarity in the subprogramme objectives would help better ascertain the relevancy of the work done and assess the validity of the changes introduced in the course of implementation. A more satisfactory solution would require refining the definitions of the main categories of activities and the type of outputs/services to be incorporated under them.

An addendum to the Secretary-General's report on programme performance for the 1994-1995 biennium (document A/51/128/Add.1) constitutes section V of the report. It highlights the factors that affected programme deliveries during the biennium by section of the programme budget. It also includes a brief reporting on the activities undertaken by the UNHCR and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) that do not fit under the standardized presentation of the other programme budget sections.

The report reveals that in some areas of programme implementation the vacancy rates would have had a negative impact. The Professional vacancy rate in the various departments at Headquarters was below 6 per cent with the exception of the Office of Legal Affairs, whose vacancy rate stood at 10 per cent, and that of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, with a vacancy rate of 15 per cent for the biennium. Other areas in the United Nations system which experienced high Professional vacancy rates include the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which averaged 17 per cent; the Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), with an average rate of 14 per cent; the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), each with a 18 per cent rate; and ESCWA with the highest overall vacancy rate of 32 per cent in the biennium. The vacancy rate, along with other factors, influenced that Commission's low rate of implementation.

Another constraint mentioned in some programme areas was decreased funding, the report states. In the case of the Department for Development Support and Management Services, funding and staffing from extrabudgetary resources dwindled owing to changes in policy directives of the UNDP, the Department's principal source of funding. The UNDP decided to give priority to the national execution of technical projects rather than the execution by United Nations agencies. The departure and non-replacement of a number of specialized technical staff also had an adverse impact on programme

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implementation. In ESCAP's case, the positive impact of extrabudgetary resources was worth noting -- 45 per cent of its resources were from extrabudgetary sources which were utilized in substantive and operational activities during the biennium. The most impressive case is that of the UNHCR which received voluntary contributions in the amount of $2 billion in addition to the regular budget amount of $48 million.

Statements on Human Resources Management

TULUY TANC (Turkey) said a streamlined United Nations with clearly defined policies and procedures on human resources was crucial. Qualified personnel were essential if the Organization was to continue to play a major role in meeting new world challenges. The importance of the Organization's staff was reflected in the amount budgeted for staff costs. The need for securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity of the United Nations staff and equitable geographical representation must prevail in any decision in the area of human resources.

Noting that the number of posts subject to geographical distribution accounted for less than 10 per cent of the total number of posts, he said efforts should be made to diversify geographical representation of other posts as well, such as in the Field Service and General Service categories, as well as in posts funded by extrabudgetary resources. There were over 20 countries which were currently not represented in the Secretariat. Those States should be given priority in the recruitment of personnel. In assessing the level of representation, a more accurate criterion would be the number of staff as compared to the mid-point rather than the desirable range. The policy of the desired range was open to arbitrariness and subjectivity.

Turkey was particularly affected by that unfair situation, he said. It ranked among the first 25 States in the Organization on the basis of population size and contributions to the budget. However, there were only 10 Turkish nationals with permanent contracts. That number was considered to be within the desirable range. A high number of countries with less population and contributions had staff members in multiples of 10 and even 20. He sympathized with other countries which faced similar representational problems. The situation must be urgently remedied. In that connection, his Government would support the holding of national competitive examinations for posts in the United Nations.

He welcomed the progress made in achieving an increase in the representation of women in the Secretariat. Those efforts should continue. Strict and clear criteria should apply to the promotion of staff at all levels in the Secretariat. The new performance appraisal system (PAS) should be expanded throughout the United Nations system. An efficient internal justice system was an important counterbalance to administrative decision-making and a cornerstone of human resources management. The issue of safety and security

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of United Nations staff also deserved close attention by Member States. He hoped that efforts in that area would be realized.

DULCE BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said human resources management was important because of the repercussions it had on the Organization's work. That was especially so in the context of achieving budgetary savings which had a direct effect on the staff and on programme implementation. The staff was the Organization's main resource, but achieving its greater efficiency was far from being satisfied in the implementation of measures to achieve savings in the 1996-1997 budget. The Secretary-General's report on a human resources management strategy had stressed the optimum productivity of the staff. However that would be very difficult to achieve if the present climate continued.

Measures outlined in the report had a certain propaganda flavour, she continued. It proposed staff improvement according to patterns applied in corporations or which were consistent with administrative practices of a particular Member State. The strategy should be carefully analysed during the current session. In that connection, she inquired what were the objectives and approaches of the training programmes and what financial machinery was being used for such training. The Secretariat should provide information on the proposed staff college so that the Assembly could get a clear idea of its purposes. Experience had shown that the Fifth Committee's decision to refer the issue of the internal justice system to the Assembly's Sixth Committee (Legal) was a wise one. The results of those deliberations were awaited.

Noting that the relations between the staff and the administration had not been heading in the right direction, she said the climate had been adversely affected by the attempt to achieve budgetary savings. Throughout that process, the administration must act with transparency and objectivity. She asked why there had been so much dissatisfaction and discontent in the way the staff-management consultations had been carried out. Referring to the issue of privileges and immunities of United Nations officials, she said she rejected restrictive and discriminatory measures against Cuban staff members. Such action violated the United Nations Charter, and the Cuban delegation would seek a resolution of that matter.

Cuba was still concerned that so many Member States were still unrepresented and underrepresented in the Secretariat, she said. That situation called into question the principle of equitable geographical representation. The Secretariat should keep the principle under review. There was cause for concern that new staff had been hired at a time that recruitment was being frozen. Such action represented a double standard in the application of human resources policy. The Assembly should ensure that that situation would be rectified.

VOLODYMYR Y. YELCHENKO (Ukraine) said that the Secretariat could become

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really effective only when it was reinforced with "fresh blood" -- new competent and skilled experts recruited on a broad geographical basis. He expressed concern that, in the face of the financial crisis, the Secretariat had become a somewhat "closed system" reluctant to accept changes. He supported Pakistan's statement a few days ago that one of the fundamental problems of the Organization lay with the permanent contracts of its staff, which were becoming a hindrance in improving the Secretariat's performance. The gradual transition to fixed-term and non-career appointments would substantially facilitate the Secretariat's capabilities in mobility, planned rotation and employment of qualified candidates with fresh ideas and new vigour. Member States would have to find a solution soon to the problem of the growing dominance of permanent contracts in the Secretariat. After that, the Secretary-General would have the ability to relieve the Organization of international civil servants who had lost or reduced their efficiency.

The representative said that the extensive use of secondment of staff from governments was useful, leading to a convergence of interests of the Organization, national authorities and the staff members. That form of cooperation should be strengthened. The Secretary-General had revealed an improvement regarding the number of unrepresented and underrepresented countries and a lowering of the number of overrepresented States. However, the situation was still unsatisfactory. The principle of equitable geographical representation should play a predominant role in determining the composition of staff. But national competitive examinations should not be regarded as the single panacea for the problems. No State should be deprived of the chance of having its representatives in senior posts.

As an underrepresented country, Ukraine had been striving to enlarge its presence in the Secretariat for several years, he continued. However, even those of its candidates who had passed their examinations were still awaiting appointments. He expressed concern that, despite the recruitment freeze, hiring had continued, often from overrepresented countries. The Secretary- General should continue to make efforts to ensure that unrepresented and underrepresented nations had the chance to be adequately represented in the Secretariat. "There is no ground to consider the partial payment of accumulated arrears as the reason to sustain or increase the level of presence in the United Nations Secretariat of those Member States which were seriously overrepresented."

TOMAS R. PADILLA, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, said the process of changing the Secretariat must not lose sight of the principles and objectives of the United Nations Charter. The goals of the Secretary-General's strategy calling for more effective planning and management of human resources, a new appraisal system and training were essential for revitalizing the manpower of the Organization and changing the management culture of the United Nations. While there had been some progress in some areas of the strategy, the implementation of some of its other

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elements should be studied carefully. It seemed that the new PAS had not achieved the results expected of it and the expenses incurred in its implementation should be reviewed. He looked forward to the results of the Secretariat's planned review of the appraisal system in the light of the experience gained in implementing it. Effective planning would be helped by dialogue and cooperation between the management and staff, on the one hand, and between the Secretariat and Member States, on the other. He called on management and staff to resume dialogue. Member States should be informed on the status of the Integrated Management Information System and how it had improved the planning capacity of the Office of Human Resources Management.

Turning to recruitment and promotion, the representative said the pursuit of gender balance must be part of that process. He welcomed the Secretary-General's intention to strengthen cooperation with Member States in the recruitment process, and was pleased with the efforts being made to streamline the procedures for filling vacancies. The Secretary-General should exert greater efforts to ensure gender balance in the Secretariat and give due regard to qualified women from developing countries. Since women in the United Nations were still largely working in the General Service and related categories, their concerns and desire for upward mobility should be given adequate attention. More should be done to promote them through the General Service to Professional examinations. He expressed concern that 10 civilian staff of the United Nations had lost their lives since July 1995. One of them was from the Philippines.

SEYED MORTEZA MIR MOHAMMAD (Iran) said that the policy of not offering career opportunities to employees of the Organization might tilt in favour of fixed-term and non-career staff, depriving the Organization of a core institutional capacity essential for its continuity and effectiveness. That policy was not in line with the recommendations of the high-level working group of experts known as the "Group of 18" -- set up to review the United Nations administrative and financial functioning -- which had been endorsed by the General Assembly in 1986. By the same token, reduction of established posts from the budget and the increasing use of ad hoc funds provided by governments deprived developing countries from being properly represented in staff positions.

It was harmful that the new mechanism for redeployment and dismissal of staff recognized no distinction between career international civil servants and short-term staff with temporary assignments, he said. Until his report on the budget cuts was considered, the Secretary-General should return the staff affected by the reduction project to their original posts and functions. Further redeployment of staff should be postponed until the Assembly had approved the future submissions by the Secretary-General on the budget.

The representative said that the desirable range for Iran in 1996 had

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been suddenly dropped to 9-19 from the previous estimate of 16-23 posts. Iran had sought some clarification on the issue from the Assistant Secretary- General for Human Resources Management last August. Since it had not yet received a reply, its representative was therefore making a request for clarification in the Fifth Committee. Iran was one of the countries which were not adequately represented in the Secretariat. And despite a steady increase in its contributions to the regular budget, no single Iranian had been recruited to the Secretariat for almost 20 years. One of the documents of the Secretary-General had shown that, as of 30 June, Iranian nationals held 17 positions subject to geographical distribution, seven of whom were women. The cut-off date for statistics presented, however, concealed a subsequent reduction in its representation which was disturbing. Since that date two senior Iranian staff had been separated and two more were awaiting placement. The Secretariat should ensure that his country's representation would not fall below the mid-point figure, which was indeed considered too low.

JAMES JONAH (Sierra Leone) said he was pleased to return to the Fifth Committee which was the most effective of the Assembly's Main Committees. He was particularly concerned that the financial constraints being experienced by the Organization were being used to "scuttle the international civil service". Stressing that his statement was not a campaign speech, he said he had changed his mind to run for the post of Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Neither did he have an interest in seeking the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations. He had renounced for all times any possibility of seeking that office and had done so out of respect for the current Secretary-General and his accomplishments. The Secretary-General should serve for a second term. As a retiree from the international civil service, he said he had concluded that someone had to stand up for that service and that could not be done while seeking the post of the Organization's Secretary-General.

Regarding the Fifth Committee's work, he noted that despite of the fact that it was a personnel year, the Committee was grappling with a number of financial issues. The issue of the international secretariat should not be minimized. Articles 100 and 101 of the United Nations Charter laid out clearly the requirements for Secretariat staff and included that the staff should have the highest competence and integrity, that it should not take orders from governments and that governments should not seek to influence staff. He said he had the highest regard for language staff but nowhere in the Charter was it stated that there was a relationship between linguistic capabilities and staff performance. Staff were required to have a working knowledge of the official languages. The Charter did not state that the Organization's highest post should be based on linguistic abilities. He hoped that the Russian Federation and China would not say that one had to be fluent in Russian or Chinese to be given the post of Secretary-General. Nor should any particular language be required for that post.

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The issue of financial constraints was being used to destroy the international civil service, he continued. Referring to the continued application of the Noblemaire principle -- which called for the United Nations professional staff remuneration to be set in relation to the highest paid national civil service -- he said it was essential but constraints had been placed on its application in recruiting the highest qualified civil servants. Those governments that had said that the Organization's staff was overpaid were giving supplementary payments to their nationals because they realized that the salaries were inadequate.

Regarding the debate on the balance in career staff and seconded staff, he said there was now more of an imbalance in favour of the latter. The increase in the numbers of staff on loan to the Organization was "the most vicious attack on the international Secretariat". Recalling that when the issue of loan staff commenced, during his tenure as Head of Personnel, it had come from a specific government which offered staff in the context of its contribution to a particular trust fund. At the time, he was opposed to that development. He had said at the time that if he were running a national intelligence service that would be the cheapest way to recruit intelligent officers.

At the same time, the Secretariat had to continue to shoulder its increased mandates within existing resources, he said. The idea was to make it easier to use loan staff to carry the Organization's expanded workload. Citing a recent statement made by Pakistan in the Special Committee on Peace- keeping Operations, he said he was shocked to realize that 83 per cent of the staff in a particular department were loan staff. During his career in the Organization, the staff had pride in being career staff and there had been resistance to bringing in staff who were not committed to the principles of the Charter.

Citing the decisions made on the peace-keeping operations in Somalia, he said they were not taken by international civil servants but were taken exclusively by loan staff without the knowledge of the Secretary-General and himself, as the person in charge of political affairs at the time. "You could therefore see the dangers of loan staff." The idea of loan staff is a tactic to destroy the international civil service. Noting that pressure was always applied on the Secretariat for recruitment, he asked what was its capacity to resist such pressure. Because of the financial crisis, most staff could not resist such pressure because they did not know if they would be next in line to be separated from the Organization.

In response to his question as to what was to be done to rectify the situation, he said "there should be a sense of outrage at the present situation". He drew attention to a book entitled, Betrayal From Within, written by James Barros and published by Yale University in 1969, which attributed the destruction of the League of Nations to staff within the

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League's Secretariat. In that connection, Mr. JONAH cited one of the League's Secretary-General, Joseph Avenol (1933-1940). Member States should therefore be cautious about imposing another "Avenol" on the Organization because "he would be ready to sign the death certificate of the international civil secretariat".

He also drew attention to former Secretary-General's Dag Hammarskjold's defence of the international secretariat in a speech at Oxford University in May 1956 -- on the international civil service in law and in fact. Then, the former Secretary-General had made the crucial point, while under pressure to resign, that it was very easy to resign but if he did the international service would have been destroyed. Dag Hammarskjold foresaw what was happening today. At the time, he was being asked to make accommodations on the principle of Articles 100 and 101 of the Charter. He had said then that if the international civil service were destroyed, it would be a "Munich of international cooperation". It was essential that the Assembly be vigilant in defence of the international civil servant.

Referring to his country's recent crisis and its present leadership, he said that leadership would not loose its dignity. "I am therefore committed to fight, and fight, to resurrect the international civil service and assist in its protection." That was "absolutely essential". "It was disconcerting that those governments that, in the past, defended the Secretariat were hastily digging the grave of the international civil service." The Assembly must resist -- it did in 1953 and in 1960. It should resist now "to be sure that we did not commit suicide by destroying the international civil service".

PHAM THI NGA (Viet Nam) said the staff had a crucial role to play in implementing the Organization's mandate and programmes. Referring to the Secretary-General's report on the Organization's human resource management strategy, she said there was room for improvement in the recruitment of personnel. Vacant posts should be well anticipated and replacements should be well planned. Vacancy announcements should be advertised before posts were vacated and they should be widely circulated, including through the optical disk system. Emphasizing the principle of equitable geographical representation and qualifications, she said the current imbalanced representation of Member States was cause for concern.

The national competitive examinations could contribute considerably to recruiting qualified staff on the basis of equitable geographical representation, she continued. The process should be continued with special emphasis on countries with low staff representation. Successful candidates should be given first priority when relevant posts became vacant. Although Viet Nam was currently underrepresented, only one of three successful Vietnamese candidates in the 1993 competitive examination had been recruited while seven women had been recruited at the P-2 level outside of the context of national examination. She asked for clarification on that matter.

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Regarding the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, she regretted that the number of women at the policy-making level was only 17 per cent and that there was no female representation at the Under-Secretary-General level. Efforts should be made to adjust that situation. On the issue of the employment of retirees, she emphasized that they should be strictly used in specific areas at the peak period of the Organization's work. Retirees working in conference services should not be exempted from the ceiling of earnings being proposed during the current session. The Secretary-General should consult the Sixth Committee to find an appropriate solution to the issue of reform of the Secretariat's internal system of justice. It was necessary to ensure early reconciliation and solution of disputes in order to minimize the number of such costly proceedings, she stressed.

MACHIVENYIKA T. MAPURANGA (Zimbabwe) expressed concern at the crisis of confidence besetting the international civil service for some time. It would require some political will to address that situation comprehensively. The current restructuring, which was affecting staff and their careers adversely, was not the result of carefully planned transformations which took career development into consideration. Reform should be driven by the need to increase efficiency and improve the quality of output. The current exercise was largely a downsizing project in response to the financial constraints imposed by some Member States. A lot of the measures being implemented failed to consider the long-term interests of the United Nations and its staff. While saving money might appear plausible, it would only offer short-term solutions. The United Nations management, in the long-run, should develop the trust and respect of its employees.

The representative said he did not agree with the view that the circumstances caused by the financial crisis might somehow fuel positive change in the Organization. Rather, in the present confusion, the Organization might renege on its commitment to pursue equitable geographical representation and gender balance. He was not yet convinced that the downsizing in the Secretariat took into account the principle of equitable geographical representation and gender balance. He also expressed concern that the PAS might become the "witch-hunter's sniffer". He was not convinced that those charged with improving the Organization's management culture were fully equipped for that responsibility.

Action on Employment of Retirees

IGOR GOUMENNY (Ukraine), Committee's Rapporteur, introduced the draft decision, reviewing its contents. He asked for it to be approved without vote.

The Committee approved the draft decision without a vote.

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DENIS HALLIDAY, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, responded to questions that had been raised by delegations during the debate on human resources management, which had included comments on about 15 reports on seven different topics. In response to a question by Ireland, on behalf of the European Union and other States, he said that progress on the implementation of the Secretary-General's human resources management strategy had been slowed in some areas due to the financial crisis. For instance, lack of funds had slowed the search for candidates, campus recruitment, the expansion of the internship programmes and reductions in training and staff development.

In response to queries by Costa Rica, on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China and other States, he said the Secretary-General had implemented the strategy despite some delays. The use of the word "corporate" in describing the new approach of his Office's work was for the purpose of viewing the United Nations as a holistic entity and conveying the concept of one organization, despite its many offices located in various parts of the world. Even if the use of the term had been unfortunate for its perceived link to the private sector, many Member States had said that it was a good concept. Regarding the PAS, he said that it had been developed for the United Nations in consultation with staff representatives. More than 11,000 staff had been trained on the PAS at a cost of about $1.3 million.

The Assistant Secretary-General said that changing the Organization's management culture required a critical mass of managers being committed to change, combined with active support from the top. The management training programme had been offered to over 90 per cent of all managers at the Director level and above. The Secretariat was moving to managers at the P-4 and P-5 levels. By the end of 1997, over 1,000 managers would have been trained. Training was funded from the regular budget. Since the introduction of the sabbatical study leave programme in 1989-1990, he said in response to Chad's query, a modest 28 staffers had participated from all major duty stations. In response to Japan's questions on the Staff College, he said that there was substantial interest in continuing that project. The College was being implemented as part of the Secretariat and funded from extrabudgetary resources, which took the form of cash and in-kind support from Member States. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) was taking part in some of the College's programmes. Further details on the College were contained in a booklet available in the Conference Room.

Turning to questions from Argentina, Costa Rica, Japan and Mali on the delays in introducing a comprehensive career development plan, he said that the Secretariat was bringing together the various components of a career development structure for the global Secretariat. It would also continue to provide assistance to various groups of staff. The Integrated Management Information System was providing valuable tools for personnel management and planning in the form of rapidly retrievable data on United Nations staff.

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Turning to the issue of unrepresented and underrepresented countries in the staff composition, the Assistant Secretary-General said that the Secretariat was committed to the principle of equitable geographical representation. A Member State was regarded as being adequately represented if the number of its nationals employed in the Secretariat in posts subject to geographical representation was within the desirable range defined by the General Assembly itself. Regarding Paraguay's questions, he said the Assembly had set that nation's desirable range at 2-14. With two nationals on board, that State would not be regarded as underrepresented. But efforts would be made to take Paraguay closer to the mid-point of its desirable range.

In response to questions as to why some States surpassed their distribution ranges, he said that several factors were responsible. There were several factors that hindered the Secretariat's efforts to change such historical patterns. They included lack of competitiveness of the United Nations conditions of service in relation to those prevailing in certain Member States, making it hard to attract and retain their nationals. Another factor was the availability of qualified candidates of the unrepresented and underrepresented Member States when a vacancy occurred. With the financial crisis and the recruitment freeze, there were fewer vacancies. Efforts would be made to use national competitive examinations to hire staff, and to fill posts quickly whenever they became available.

Of those who were yet to be placed in posts as a result of the budget cuts, only one of the 11 Professionals concerned was a woman, he said. There had been no involuntary separations. Women had not been disproportionately affected by the early separation programmes. Sixty of the 89 Professionals and higher staff who had accepted early separation were men.

The Assistant Secretary-General gave a breakdown of the proportion of staff who were dues-paying members of staff representational associations. In New York, of its 6,020 staff, 3,000 paid dues; of Geneva's 2,293 staff, 600 paid dues; of Vienna's 709 staff, 574 paid dues; of Bangkok's 640, 496 paid dues; of Nairobi's 985 staff, 324 paid dues; of Santiago's 563 staff, 400 paid dues; and of a field service staff of 1,100, 352 were dues-paying.

Turning to the state of staff-management relations, he said that Staff Union representatives were having problems in adjusting to the changing circumstances being faced by the Organization. While sharing the staff's anxieties regarding the current budget constraints, the management could not overlook reality. The changes in the relations between the staff and management were a reflection of an Organization in the process of change. For management, good faith required that there be an honest effort to find workable solutions that protected the Organization's best interests. Management would meet with staff representatives next week in New York.

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WOLFGANG STOECKL (Germany) asked for Mr. Halliday's statement to be distributed to the Committee. He also asked when additional questions could be put to Mr. Halliday -- in formal or informal consultations. The Committee was still awaiting the JIU report on recruitment, he noted. AMR NOUR (Egypt) also asked for a copy of Mr. Halliday's statement. The debate on human resources management should not be closed until delegations had an opportunity to respond to that statement. There was a crisis in the Organization as Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe had stated this morning. It was a crisis between the Office of Human Resources Management and the staff, and Member States as well. Frank discussion was required on the matter -- or "even more than frank discussion", he continued. Member States wanted to know why Mr. Halliday had described staff claims as unfounded. It was necessary to find out the root causes of the staff's lack of confidence in management. That should be done before holding informal consultations to draft resolutions on any of the Secretary-General's reports. NAZARETH INCERA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, asked when the Committee would receive the information the Group had requested on the staff members subject to horizontal redeployment. Speaking in her national capacity, she said she supported Egypt's proposal. HIDEKI GODA (Japan) said the Committee was awaiting the JIU report on recruitment and a report on the ratio of fixed-term and permanent contracts as well as the staff list. He hoped that there would be a formal meeting to discuss those matters. There had been some technical errors in the report on the composition of the Secretariat. A corrigendum should be issued. Citing the ACABQ report on budgetary savings, he asked about the recruitment of a P-2 staff member while there was the recruitment freeze. He asked for more specific information related to the savings in the regular budget and in relation to bodies such as the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations University. Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said she supported Germany's request that Mr. Halliday's statement be issued in writing. It would enable delegates to comment in greater detail on some of the references he made. Many questions still needed to be clarified regarding staff-management relations. Such clarification should be made at a formal meeting. The more clarification received before informal consultations, the more efficient the Committee would be in its work. ABDOULREZA RAESSHAQHAQHI (Iran) asked for more information on Iranian staff and his country's desirable range in staff employed in the Secretariat. DJAMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) said he wanted to study the forthcoming report of the JIU on the recruitment process. He expressed hope that the document would be submitted as soon as possible. The agenda item should be kept open to further debate. NGONI FRANCIS SENGWE (Zimbabwe), the Fifth Committee Chairman, said that the debate should remain open to allow further formal deliberations.

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