UNITED NATIONS STAFF COLLEGE PROJECT, UNITAR FOCUS OF DEBATE, AS SECOND COMMITTEE TAKES UP TRAINING AND RESEARCH
Press Release
GA/EF/2746
UNITED NATIONS STAFF COLLEGE PROJECT, UNITAR FOCUS OF DEBATE, AS SECOND COMMITTEE TAKES UP TRAINING AND RESEARCH
19961106 The report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) did less than justice to that exceptional institution and devoted most of the attention to the United Nations Staff College project, a "largely untested" Secretariat idea which could not be compared to UNITAR, an established and autonomous institution created by the General Assembly.That statement was made this afternoon by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan, Ahmad Kamal, who is Chairman of the Institute's Board of Trustees, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) considered training and research.
Emphasizing that the relocation of UNITAR to Turin, Italy was the prerogative of the Assembly, he said the Secretariat should refrain from giving suggestions to that effect.
Several other representatives also expressed concern at the delay in issuance of documents and expressed the view that the Secretary-General's report was narrow and did not deal adequately with UNITAR's role.
The representative of Japan said he was disappointed with the Secretary- General's report. "To look at the report before us, it would appear that the principal subject was the concept of a United Nations Staff College, which is developed at length", he said.
Responding to comments by delegations, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Denis Halliday, agreed that it was possible that the report perhaps overly focused on one aspect. Addressing the concern that the Staff College would diminish UNITAR, he said it was hoped that one would enhance the other.
Also this afternoon, the Committee was addressed by the Acting Executive Director of UNITAR, Marcel Boisard, who said that from 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1996, the Institute had organized more than 130 training programmes in all five continents, involving 7,300 people. The Institute would now focus on sustaining such activity rather than increasing it, he added.
The Vice-Chairman of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), Khalil Issa Othman, introduced the Unit's report.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Ireland (on behalf of the European Union), Lebanon, China, Argentina, Nigeria, Russian Federation and Cameroon. The observer for Switzerland also spoke.
Also this afternoon, the Committee concluded its debate on the report of the Economic and Social Council. Statements were made by the representatives of Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Lebanon, Belarus, Ukraine, Yemen and Syria.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 7 November, to begin consideration of trade and development.
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Committee Work Programme
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to continue consideration of the report of the Economic and Social Council and to begin consideration of matters related to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). For background on the Committee's consideration of the Council's report, see Press Release GA/EF/2745 issued today.
Reports on UNITAR
A report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) (document A/51/554) and a report of the Acting Executive Director of UNITAR (document A/51/14 Part I) covering the period 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1996 are before the Committee.
In his report, the Secretary-General recalls his often expressed view that training represents a valuable investment in the future of the Organization. He has focused in the past several months on identifying and building on commonalities of need and approach in the delivery of training programmes for Member States as well as United Nations staff that would serve to enhance their coordination and meet overall requirements in the most cost- effective way possible. In that regard, he has ensured that the United Nations Staff College project is a system-wide venture, developed with intensive input from United Nations system organizations and a number of Member States.
The Secretary-General envisages that the training activities of both the UNITAR and the United Nations Staff College project would benefit from association which would also enhance the cost-effectiveness of programme development and delivery. Referring to possible avenues for increased cooperation between UNITAR and the Staff College, he says that priority areas identified for such cooperation include peace-keeping and peacemaking; provision of humanitarian assistance and management of complex emergencies; and the management of development activities.
The Secretary-General considers that the United Nations Staff College project offers the opportunity to take optimum advantage of the system-wide capacities and facilities available at the International Labour Organization (ILO) Training Centre in Turin, Italy, in strengthening United Nations system capacity to bring together governmental, non-governmental and United Nations system partners in effective training and learning opportunities.
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The report of the Acting Executive Director of UNITAR (document A/51/14 Part I) observes that the Institute is achieving the goal set for it by Member States, namely that it should constitute a small multilateral and multi- disciplinary organ, autonomous and flexible, and efficient in fulfilling precise and focused training missions.
During the period under review, 132 different training programmes and two distance-learning courses were organized worldwide, benefiting 7,265 participants. The restructuring of the Institute decided by Assembly resolution 47/227 has been completed and steps taken to implement the remaining decision to open the Liaison Office in New York last September. The UNITAR provides different types of training: skills-building, policy-setting, information-gathering, awareness-raising and strategic planning. Training programmes cover multilateral diplomacy and economic and social development.
According to the report, a noteworthy achievement during the period under review was the organization of four major conferences which gave UNITAR the opportunity to demonstrate the relevance and impact of its activities. The Institute's research programmes have been discontinued. Special efforts continued to be made to develop and strengthen its cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the secretariats of the United Nations environment conventions. Cooperative links have been established or reinforced with national and regional training institutions, particularly in developing countries.
On the financial side, it cites the United Nations Board of Auditors in a report on UNITAR's financial statement for the year ending 31 December 1995. It stated that clear, achievable objectives had been established and met for the projects examined. The UNITAR receives no subsidies from the United Nations regular budget, but raises its own funds through voluntary contributions to the General Fund or through the Special Purpose Grants.
Also before the Committee is a report of the Secretary-General (document A/51/642) transmitting a report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on the feasibility of the relocation of UNITAR to the Turin Centre.
The objective of the feasibility study is twofold, says the report. First, to highlight the potential advantages and disadvantages, both financial and non-financial, of either maintaining UNITAR in Geneva or relocating it to Turin; and second, to assess whether the relocation is compatible with the objective of rationalizing the United Nations system within the framework of the efforts under way, taking into account the financial autonomy of the Institute.
The information and documentation used for the analysis and conclusions were provided by the organizations, institutions and parties concerned, the report continues. In the course of the study, several issues or questions were identified, which the Unit was unable to address fully, as they were outside the scope of its terms of reference and the established time-frame.
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The study primarily highlights potential advantages and disadvantages of relocating UNITAR from Geneva to Turin without attempting to determine the relative weight of each and make comparative judgements, it goes on. In any event, since the relocation of UNITAR from New York to Geneva came as a consequence of an Assembly decision, it would be useful for all parties concerned to follow the same procedures for any further relocation of UNITAR elsewhere, which would include seeking the approval of the Assembly.
There is a general consensus on the need to find concrete and implementable ways to coordinate the United Nations system training activities in order to use resources more rationally, avoid duplication and overlap, and consolidate activities to the extent possible, says the report. There also appears to be general agreement to tackle that question in a comprehensive manner and not to follow a piecemeal approach. The Secretary-General's efforts to find a comprehensive and lasting solution for a better coordination and a potential regrouping of the United Nations system training activities is a key element in that regard. Therefore, the United Nations Staff College project should be regarded as part of those efforts.
There are many aspects and issues to consider in assessing the nature, degree and characteristics of closer cooperation between UNITAR and the Staff College as training entities within the United Nations system. Many of those issues are not particular to the relationship between UNITAR and the Staff College, but relate to the overall concept, strategy and policy of training in the United Nations system. The College is a new venture, which could make a contribution. However, the exact nature of that contribution and how it relates to other training elements, can only emerge with experience and further development. In the meantime, UNITAR should continue strengthening its cooperation with the College through practical and concrete measures, in order to take advantage of UNITAR's long-standing experience and expertise in training.
Pending further elaboration through experience of the Staff College concept, and as a critical input into the ongoing thinking on regrouping and networking training institutions and activities within the United Nations system, the Assembly may wish to receive for its consideration a comprehensive study of the training institutions and activities within the United Nations system. That review would take stock of all institutions providing training and propose practical, concrete measures to coordinate those activities.
Statements on Economic and Social Council Report
OSCAR ACUNA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said the importance of the Council as a forum
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for high-level debate on international economic and social issues could not be realized without the presence and active participation of the executive heads of specialized agencies, including those of the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization. Much needed to be done to restore the Council to its pre-eminent place as the principal body for the integrated consideration of economic and social questions of fundamental importance to the international community.
The Group looked forward to the prompt completion of the reviews on the mandates of the Council's functioning commissions, he said. They looked forward to a constructive discussion of innovative and imaginative ways of raising resources for development cooperation at the Council's next substantive session. Revitalization of the Council would not be complete if resources for development cooperation remained scarce.
The Group viewed as a major accomplishment of this year's substantive session the steps taken to strengthen collaboration between the United Nations system and the Bretton Woods institutions, he continued. He welcomed, in particular, the holding of Council meetings involving the participation of trade and finance ministers as well as heads of financial and trade institutions. The Group also looked forward to the joint report of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions on improving communication, cooperation and coordination between them. It also welcomed the agreed conclusions of the Council in the coordination segment which helped provide valuable guidance in harmonizing and coordinating the work programmes of the functional commissions in the area of poverty eradication.
HICHAM HAMDAN (Lebanon) associated himself with the statement made by the Group of 77 and China. He said he was pleased that the Council's work this year had proceeded in a spirit of cooperation. In view of resolution 50/227, on further measures for the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic and social fields, other resolutions would soon come into force. The Council should explore ways and means of ensuring the rational implementation of its activities, with the aim of avoiding duplication and overlapping of work. All adopted agenda items should be taken into account. Resolution 50/227 curtailed the work of the Council in order to accrue savings, but the appropriate discussion process should be implemented in order to achieve consensus. The Council had not had sufficient time to review the various reports under its consideration. That was unfortunate because of their importance for Member States. Reform should not affect performance or transparency.
He stressed the need to pursue the current debate further, with the participation of agencies involved, including Bretton Woods institutions, in order to develop cooperation. The task of coordinating different agencies with different missions required that the agencies adopt a criteria to apply country strategies that took into consideration all the data. There was a need for further follow-up to international conferences, with a view to finding a common denominator to put those conferences into effect. He
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favoured a specific duration for the high-level segment and stressed the need for innovations, particularly in the area of funding for development.
ANDREI DASHUTSIN (Belarus) said the activities of the Economic and Social Council should be reformed to make them more dynamic and geared towards practical results. He noted that resolution 50/227 on the restructuring and revitalization of the Organization's activities in the economic, social and related fields had begun to be implemented. The Council should be restructured with the aim of strengthening its coordinating role in the implementation of complex plans of action and programmes adopted at world conferences. In that regard, it was important to strengthen reciprocity between the Council and the Bretton Woods institutions in order to draw more actively on their financial resources. Basic principles of such reciprocity should be considered. The Council should consider the needs of countries with economies in transition. The decision to reduce its substantive sessions to four weeks beginning in 1997 had increased the importance and role of the preparatory stage of work during the organizational session.
SVITLANA HOMANOVSKA (Ukraine) said her delegation believed that the discussion of topics at the Council's sessions should be managed in different ways. Top officials representing governments and international financial and trade organizations should participate in the high-level segment. The absence of officials from the international financial institutions and the World Trade Organization diminished the value of the Council's deliberations.
Consultations with Council members on issues of interest should become routine to streamline the Council's deliberations, she said. The late issuance of reports was also a matter of concern to her delegation. The Committee should continue to focus on the question of reform of the Council and its subsidiary bodies.
ABDULAZIZ A. KAID (Yemen) said the international community should condemn the illegal occupation by Israel of Arab and Palestinian lands which was making life intolerable for the Palestinians in the occupied territories. Various United Nations documents referred to the illegality of the Israeli actions. Israel should stop its construction of new settlements. It should prove its seriousness about pursuing peace. He called upon the international community to ensure Israel's implementation of the various United Nations resolutions on the occupied territories.
HUSSAM-EDIN A'ALA (Syria) expressed astonishment about the brief reference to occupied Syrian Golan in the Secretary-General's report. He said Israel was confiscating Arab and Palestinian lands and importing foreigners to occupy them. Israel was challenging the will of the international community. The establishment of settlements had accelerated, especially with the coming
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into power of the new Israeli Government. Israeli actions violated the principle of land for peace. Syrian citizens living under Israeli occupation were living in poverty and suffering. They were not allowed to use water and their agricultural production suffered because of taxation. Israeli settlement policies were destroying the environment. Israeli authorities were stealing historical and archaeological artifacts. Pressure should be brought to bear on Israel to end its policies.
Statements on UNITAR
DENIS J. HALLIDAY, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, said the Secretary-General felt that training for Member States and United Nations staff members represented a valuable investment in the Organization's future. The existence of commonalities had underlined the importance of programme collaboration between UNITAR and the United Nations training programmes.
He briefly reviewed the evolution of the Staff College Project. The Secretary-General's strategy for managing the Organization's human resources had envisaged cooperation with all aspects of the United Nations system, Member States and others in developing the concept into project implementation. Considerable progress in that direction had been made in the past 18 months. Building on shared experiences and lessons learned could enable the formation of a shared United Nations vision, approach and management philosophy. The Assembly might wish to receive a comprehensive study of the training institutions and activities within the Organization. If that was the case, the Secretary-General would cooperate fully with the JIU in that regard. Such a project could be a massive and costly undertaking, however, so the Secretary-General hoped that any such study would build on research already done.
The Staff College was being implemented as a project of the Secretariat, he continued. It was currently funded entirely from extrabudgetary resources, in the form of cash and in-kind support from Member States, system programmes and organizations seeking enhanced coordination in the preparation of civil society and staff members to better respond to peace-keeping, emergency and developmental demands. The College was designed to become a self-financing endeavour. It would build on existing worldwide networks linking learning programmes and institutions. It had been developed with the intensive input from system organizations, Member States and academics.
He said that the Secretary-General believed UNITAR and the Staff College would both benefit from mutual association. Curriculums in areas and disciplines of shared interests could be developed; and the association would help avoid donor fatigue. Moreover, joint training and learning opportunities would help build operational partnerships for more effective action in areas of shared concerns and activity. The Secretary-General had actively pursued over the past year all possible avenues for increased UNITAR Staff College cooperation. One possible aspect of that cooperation would be the relocation to the Turin International Training Centre in Italy. The move could provide
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substantive benefits. In comments on the JIU report, the Secretary-General had clarified a number of points regarding the cost-effectiveness of such a move. Still, further study was required, and to that end the Secretary- General had pointed to issues raised by the JIU which would benefit from further dialogue and study.
He said that priority areas for cooperation would include: peace-keeping and peacemaking; the provision of humanitarian assistance and management of complex emergencies; and the management of development activities. The UNITAR had been involved in the Staff College curriculum development workshops as well as the joint development of a Staff College module for United Nations field operations in conflict prevention and resolution, building on UNITAR's fellowship programme in peacemaking and preventive diplomacy. The UNITAR had joined in the collective effort of curriculum development with such United Nations collaborators as the Secretariat, the Bretton Woods institutions, the UNDP, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations University. He strongly believed that enhanced cooperation between UNITAR and the Staff College would yield mutual benefits and better serve the interests as well as training needs of staff and Member States.
MARCEL BOISARD, Acting Executive Director of UNITAR, said the opening of the liaison office of UNITAR in New York had been symbolic of the restructuring that the Institute had undergone since the Assembly had mandated such restructuring at its forty-seventh session. At that session the Assembly had provided for the transfer of UNITAR to Geneva, a reorganization of its administrative and financial management, a reorganization of its training programme, a concentration of research projects, and the development of an inter-organizational cooperation network. The objectives set out by the Assembly for UNITAR had been achieved. The Institute had successfully restructured itself.
However, UNITAR was still fragile, he said. It had benefited from its young, motivated personnel and the work of its Board of Trustees. It had successfully dealt with restructuring because it had not been a closed environment struggling for its own survival. The report on UNITAR's work in its entirety, from 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1996, would be available before the end of the current Assembly session. In the intervening period, UNITAR had organized more than 130 training programmes in all five continents, involving 7,300 people. In fact, each day, somewhere in the world, two or three training programmes were organized by UNITAR. Such activity had to be sustained rather than increased. Having regained a degree of stability, UNITAR would now be able to better focus its activities. In the area of
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training, it had taken initiatives to organize seminars for diplomats in Geneva and a limited number of courses had been offered in New York as well.
In addition, UNITAR had an expanding series of programmes that it was organizing upon requests from States, he said. Among others, it had organized training programmes in the management of natural resources. Pursuant to the decision of the General Assembly and the decision by its Board of Trustees, UNITAR had terminated all truly academic research. However, its research on training had been increased. The UNITAR did not hire consultants for that purpose. Moreover, UNITAR had continued to develop its operational relationship with the specialized agencies of the United Nations.
KHALIL ISSA OTHMAN, Vice-Chairman of the JIU, reminded the Committee that the Board of Trustees of UNITAR had requested the JIU to undertake a feasibility study on the possible relocation of UNITAR from Geneva to Turin, Italy. The terms of reference were to be viewed in light of the proposal by the Secretary-General for further coordination between UNITAR and the United Nations College Project at the Turin Centre. The objective of the study, was twofold. The first was to highlight the potential advantages and disadvantages, both financial and non-financial, of either maintaining UNITAR in Geneva or relocating it to Turin. The second was to assess whether such relocation was compatible with the objective of rationalizing the United Nations system within the framework of the efforts under way, taking into account the financial autonomy of the Institute.
Following the study, he continued, the JIU concluded that there was a consensus on finding concrete and implementable ways to coordinate the United Nations system training activities with a more rational use of resources. It also concluded that there were many aspects concerning the nature, degree and characteristics of closer cooperation between UNITAR and the College as training entities within the United Nations system. While that was not unique, the exact nature of the contribution which the College could make could only emerge with experience and further development. The Unit recommended that the Assembly might wish to receive for its consideration a comprehensive study of the training institutions and activities within the United Nations system. That review, he stated, would take stock of all institutions providing training, and propose practical, concrete measures to coordinate those activities.
PHILIP GRANT (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the Union regretted that the Secretary-General's report on the activities and role of UNITAR, as requested in resolution 50/121, had not been available in time to allow the agenda item to be debated as scheduled. It also regretted that the report of UNITAR's Acting Executive Director, although available, had not been in final document format.
He said the Union believed that there should be a more specific focus in the Secretary-General's report on important issues regarding the development and strengthening of UNITAR's activities and the role of the Institute within the United Nations. The Union reiterated its support for the valuable role of
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UNITAR and was encouraged by continued progress which had been made in restructuring the Institute and its activities. It welcomed its continued sound administrative and financial management. In addition, the Union welcomed the recognition by the Institute's Board of Trustees that the next five years should be a period of consolidation for the Institute and its activities. The Union believed that the Institute should make the most efficient use of its resources and must concentrate its activities on those fields that were relevant to its mandate.
AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan), Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UNITAR, said that until a few years ago UNITAR was a subject of sarcasm in United Nations corridors, its acronym interpreted as "United Nations institute for the tired and retired". The turnaround started with the decision of the Assembly to move the headquarters from New York to Geneva, and the appointment of a new Acting Executive Director, known for his capacities of management and stringent financial control. The institution has become one of the best-run outfits in the United Nations system, competently managed and closely supervised, with an exceptional small number of dedicated and hard-working professionals. Its ratio of personnel costs to programme costs was one of the best in the United Nations, and it was running itself on voluntary contributions, with no money being taken from the United Nations regular budget. It was an institution which needed to be emulated by all others in the system.
The report of the Secretary-General on UNITAR, he stated, did less than justice to that exceptional institution. The Secretary-General, surprisingly, devoted most of his attention to the system-wide Staff College project, a "largely untested" United Nations Secretariat idea which could not be compared to UNITAR, an established and autonomous institution created by the General Assembly. While there was a certain justification for collaboration and cooperation between the two, much would depend on the ability of the Staff College to establish itself as a partner worthy of responsibilities.
He expressed surprise that the Secretary-General's report contained no reference to the report of UNITAR's own Board of Trustees, which had been sent to him in the hope that it would be made available to the delegations before the debate on UNITAR. He was also surprised that another relevant document, the report of the JIU on UNITAR, had not been circulated either. He noted that the Institute was one to which the developing countries attached particular importance, as several of them lacked due expertise in the areas in which UNITAR provided training. He described the opening of the New York office of the Institute as "a recognition of the fact that the work of UNITAR had become highly relevant in present times".
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Mr. HICHAM HAMDAN (Lebanon) welcomed the fact that UNITAR received no subsidies from the United Nations regular budget, but raised its funds through voluntary contributions to the General Fund or through the Special Purpose Grants. He urged that financial situation did not change the goal set for UNITAR by Member States, which was to constitute a small multilateral and multi-disciplinary organ, autonomous and flexible and efficient in fulfilling precise and focused training. He further welcomed the efforts by the Institute to analyse options for the future in identifying additional priorities in the area of training, thus ensuring that it continued to improve its response to the needs and expectations of Member States.
Noting "with appreciation" the compilation of UNITAR's training activities in the area of peaceful settlement of disputes and international law, he urged that the compilation be disseminated as widely as possible. He also noted UNITAR's fellowship programmes on different subjects, and suggested one on post-conflict peace-building. In addition, he welcomed the Institute's activities in economic and social development, including disaster reduction managers in the countries of the Sahel, the training for the application of environmental law and other training programmes on the environment. Lebanon noted the cost-efficiency approach to the Institute's publications, he said, suggesting that developing countries be granted special treatment whereby such publications would be made available, on a concession basis, to United Nations depositary libraries, academic centres, and documentation centres at the ministries for foreign affairs of those countries. He encouraged UNITAR to continue with its efforts at regional conferences in the future.
CUI YING (China) said that in the two years since the Institute had commenced reform, it had evinced new vitality. The opening of a liaison office in New York was a welcome development. She hoped the office would enhance the Institute's projects and assist Member States, particularly developing countries, in projects including those aimed at strengthening skills in diplomacy and data collection.
The UNITAR had adjusted and consolidated and thereby updated its projects, she continued. In recent years, the Institute had concentrated on issues of tremendous socio-economic importance including the environment, international finance, and debt. While UNITAR's reform achievements to date had yielded positive results, the international community should not forget that scarcity of funds remained an urgent problem. Recognizing that UNITAR's training and research demands were as high as its funds were low, she urged developed countries to provide the Institute with resources.
DINO BETI, Observer for Switzerland, said his delegation had studied the report of UNITAR with great interest. It was notable that from July 1994 to June 1996, UNITAR had undertaken more than 130 seminars in the area of multilateral development with a budget of $7 million. The resolution of major questions before the international community regarding maintenance of peace, sustainable development and employment required immense cooperation. Training for multilateral diplomacy was important in that context. If their agents
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were poorly trained, States would find themselves in a disadvantageous situation.
It was well known that UNITAR worked with a modest budget, he said. The Institute had undergone a difficult beginning and it had been necessary to take radical measures. As a result, today it was a modern, flexible organization which had a healthy financial management. The status of the UNITAR director was provisional and regularizing his post would be a welcome gesture. Moreover, additional financial resources for the Institute were indispensable and an Assembly appeal to that effect was welcome. He also suggested that UNITAR could sell its services to developed countries, while offering the same services free of cost to developing countries. The United Nations system should contribute to making UNITAR better known. Switzerland would continue to support the Institute financially.
OSCAR AVALLE (Argentina) said sufficient time should be allowed for reform of UNITAR to take root. The Institute should be given time to prove the effectiveness of the reform it had undertaken to date. It would be wrong to move UNITAR's headquarters in the midst of the reforms.
NORIKO SUZUKI (Japan) said that as the largest donor to the Institute, Japan had the highest regard for the training activities of UNITAR, in which "7,265 persons participated in the two-year period starting July 1994". He conveyed appreciation for its training programmes relating to development, which was one of the most important issues before the United Nations. Since it was the funds and programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system that implemented its resolutions and initiatives, their success depended on the ability to build the capacity of their staff and the government officials directly involved. He hoped the Institute would further develop and implement programmes that responded to the needs and expectations of the component parts of the United Nations system and its Member States. He expressed satisfaction that a liaison office had opened in New York in September without incurring any additional expense.
He was disappointed with the report of the Secretary-General on UNITAR. "To look at the report before us, it would appear that the principal subject was the concept of a United Nations Staff College, which is developed at length", he said. What was expected was ways and means of strengthening the training activities of UNITAR and a clear definition of the role the Institute was to play. Had that explanation been provided, the understanding of UNITAR and its prospects would have been far deeper and more comprehensive, he stated, noting that his delegation was therefore unable to take note of the report.
He emphasized that important related issues, including the location of the headquarters and its function and activities, had been duly considered and decided by the Assembly as it did the transfer of UNITAR headquarters to Geneva in resolution 47/227. Concerning Japan's contribution for the following year, he pointed out that the nation's budgetary situation remained quite difficult, and the budget for fiscal year 1997 would "almost certainly"
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reflect that fact. He encouraged UNITAR to make further efforts to ensure the best use of contributions it received and improve the effectiveness of its activities to attract further contributions from Member States.
AMBROSE D. OJIMBA (Nigeria) noted "with dismay" the delay in receiving the report of the Secretary-General on UNITAR and that of the Acting Executive Director of UNITAR. Nigeria was, however, encouraged by the training activities and programmes UNITAR had been able to undertake in the past one year, and supported its existence. Referring to the opening of UNITAR's liaison office in New York, he said it would undoubtedly meet with the needs and requests for personnel training from the permanent missions, especially from the developing countries. The report of the Acting Executive Director amply testified to the wide-ranging programmes of training and research that fell within the mandate of UNITAR, but also in environmental law, including economic and social development. He welcomed and encouraged the continued collaboration between UNITAR and other United Nations bodies, in particular the UNDP.
Nigeria found it hard to understand why the entire report of the Secretary-General was devoted to the United Nations Staff College Project, he said. The emphasis was a misinterpretation of General Assembly resolution 50/121 -- in which it enlarged UNITAR's mandate to further develop its cooperation with other relevant national, regional and international institutes, including the United Nations University -- and an effort to diminish the activities and programmes of UNITAR. He described as "tendentious" the reasoning in paragraph 6 of the report which suggested that, owing to scarce resources, the Staff College Project offered the opportunity to take optimum advantage in strengthening United Nations system capacity in effective training and learning opportunities. To submerge UNITAR beneath any other agency was "an exercise in futility". He said the Institute should be encouraged to continue its march to solvency and the pursuit of its goals, for which it needed additional financial resources. He called on Member States, particularly the developed countries, to contribute generously to the General Fund of the Institute. As in the past, Nigeria, before the year ended, would make its regular contribution to the Institute through an established permanent endowment for UNITAR.
OLEG RUDENSKY (Russian Federation) said UNITAR should use the Internet and other modern information technologies for its training programmes to enhance its effectiveness and cut costs. He called for more effective cooperation and collaboration between Russian institutes of higher learning
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and UNITAR in organizing seminars and training programmes. The Institute should join in similar training programmes for other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Russian Federation was prepared to develop materials for the training programmes. He proposed a joint programme between UNITAR and the Russian Academy of Natural Resources.
ALIOU MOUSSA (Cameroon) said the UNITAR liaison office in New York should be provided with financial resources to enable it to carry out its work. The UNITAR should have a permanent headquarters. Its efforts to strengthen its finances should be supported. He welcomed the commendable efforts to focus the Institute's activities on economic and social development. The status of its Acting Executive Director should be regularized.
Exchange of Views
DENIS HALLIDAY, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources, said he hoped that despite the relative youth of the Staff College, the representative of Pakistan saw advantages in the collaboration between the Staff College and UNITAR. He hoped that the Chairman of the Board of Trustees would support the initiative. He expressed concern that many delegations felt that the Secretary-General's report had failed to address adequately the Assembly resolutions on UNITAR. He agreed that it was possible that the Secretary-General's report perhaps overly focused on one aspect.
Responding to the representative of Japan, he said, he had expressed concern that the Secretary-General's report was narrow and did not deal adequately with UNITAR's role. He emphasized that the report had, however, dealt with UNITAR's collaboration with the Staff College.
The representative of Nigeria had expressed concern that the Staff College would diminish the activities of UNITAR, he said. That certainly was not the intent. It was hoped that one would enhance the other. "We do not believe that close association between UNITAR and the Staff College would diminish UNITAR", he said. Both had been supported by Member States.
In response to Ireland's statement, he said collaboration between UNITAR and the Staff College was an ongoing process. The two bodies had worked closely together for several years on several projects. Those included the training of new members of the General Assembly and new members of the Security Council. As mentioned in his opening statement, the work of the Staff College had strengthened conflict resolution. He would look for other opportunities for collaborative and cooperative work. He had already met with the Director of the office in New York, and was happy to work closely with that office.
MARCEL BOISARD, Acting Executive Director of UNITAR, said he would take note of the criticisms and comments. Stability and strengthening of UNITAR were important. He stressed that UNITAR was open to collaboration with Member
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2746 28th Meeting (PM) 6 November 1996
States. The Institute had been open to collaboration with others and had presented to its Turin colleagues a programme of collaboration.
The representative of Oman asked for information on UNITAR training programmes for developing countries on Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).
Mr. BOISARD said in the area of Agenda 21, UNITAR had a large number of programmes and each of those programmes was funded differently. It had sought to work in conjunction with regional partners.
The representative of Pakistan, speaking on the question of collaboration between UNITAR and the Staff College at Turin, said he did not understand the focus of the Secretary-General's report on such collaboration. In addition, the Secretariat had continued to quote the JIU report. He emphasized that the relocation of UNITAR to Turin was the prerogative of the General Assembly. The Secretariat should refrain from giving suggestions to that effect.
Concerning the job description of the Executive Director of UNITAR, he said suddenly the Secretariat had found rules according to which the post should be at D-2 level. He wondered who was in charge of making decisions about that matter, the Board of Trustees or the Secretariat? Why did a post at the Under-Secretary-General level suddenly need to be downgraded to D-2 level?
Speaking about delay in documentation, he asked why had document A/51/554 been described as a fiftieth session document? Why had the JIU report been passed out surreptitiously today when the Secretariat had received it two months ago? Why had the report of the Board of Trustees not been handed out? Either all of that was a mistake or there was a purpose to it. The Secretariat was a servicing organization and its duty was the timely issuance of documents. If the UNITAR could not be discussed properly today it was because of the non-issuance of documents.
Mr. HALLIDAY said collaboration was a good thing for UNITAR. An honest mistake was made in the delay of the publication of the report of the JIU. Secretariat staff were bound by rules set by the International Civil Service Commission. The staff had worked with material submitted by UNITAR for the preparation of the report. Only technical skills had been applied to the job classification exercise with the post of UNITAR's Executive Director classifiable as D-2. The Board of Trustees of UNITAR was the appropriate body to refer questions to relating to the classification of the post.
The Committee Chairman, ARJAN HAMBURGER (Netherlands), said that one of the reasons for postponing discussion of the item on training and research was to allow completion of the report on UNITAR.
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2746 28th Meeting (PM) 6 November 1996
The representative of Nigeria said his country was a member of the UNITAR Board, and that it had become very clear that the Board's recommendations had not been put before Member States. Nigeria did not admire or cherish the secrecy with which UNITAR issues were handled.
The representative of Pakistan, who is also Chairman of the UNITAR Board of Trustees, said that the Board met twice a year, drafted its report with a summary of the salient points and transmitted it to the Secretariat. It was important for an educated debate to have the report or the summary ready and available to Member States.
The Committee Chairman said there was room for improvement on the question of availability of documents on the item under discussion.
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