FIFTH COMMITTEE ADOPTS REVISED PROGRAMME OF WORK
Press Release
GA/AB/3124
FIFTH COMMITTEE ADOPTS REVISED PROGRAMME OF WORK
19961210 The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) decided this morning to defer some agenda items to its resumed session early next year and to enforce provisional 10-minute time limits on statements, in order to make progress on some of the items before it. The decision was reached as the Committee met to discuss the organization of its work.As the meeting started, the Committee approved the proposal by its Chairman, Ngoni Francis Sengwe (Zimbabwe), to defer further consideration of financial statements and reports of the Board of Auditors, procurement reforms in the Secretariat and the Secretary-General's eighth progress report on the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS). Approval of a draft resolution on the Office of Internal Oversight Services would also be deferred to the resumed session.
The Committee then adopted a revised programme of work for the current session which would have it debate and act on the first performance report on the 1996-1997 budget, the Secretary-General proposed outline for the 1998-1999 budget, the financing of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, the financing of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III) and the United Nations common and pension systems.
On 17 December, the Committee is scheduled to take action on the proposed medium-term plan for 1998-2001, pattern of conferences, aspects of the 1996-1997 regular budget and the common and pension systems. It would also act on draft resolutions on the financing of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), UNAVEM III and the International Tribunals. Some aspects of the administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of peace-keeping operations would also be acted upon.
Statements on the organization of work were made by the representatives of Mexico, Cuba, Poland, Uganda, Indonesia, Ireland, Germany, Nepal, Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), China, New Zealand, Iran, Belgium, Singapore, Ukraine, Pakistan, Algeria, Philippines and Norway.
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The United Nations Controller, Yukio Takasu, and the Committee's Secretary, Joseph Acakpo-Satchivi, briefed Member States on the various issues raised during today's discussions.
The Committee is scheduled to meet again at 10 a.m., tomorrow, 11 December, to discuss the United Nations common and pension systems. It is also scheduled to take up the financing of the International Tribunals, UNAVEM III and statements of programme budget implications of draft resolutions before the Assembly.
Committee Work Programme
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to discuss its organization of work.
Statements
NGONI FRANCIS SENGWE (Zimbabwe), the Committee's Chairman, said that the bureau was proposing to revise the programme of work for the rest of the session, since the Committee would not be able to approve draft resolutions on all the agenda items before it. So far, only one text, on the pattern of conferences, had been agreed upon in informal consultations. The new programme of work would accord priority to a limited number of items. The bureau proposed to delete from the previous programme of work for the week of 9 to 13 December the following items: financial statements and reports of the Board of Auditors, procurement reform in the Secretariat and the eighth report of the Secretary-General on the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS).
Regarding the issue of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, he said that item would be postponed to the resumed session as the draft resolution circulated on the matter was of a procedural nature. Since no tangible progress had been made in the informal consultations on the draft on human resources management, it would also have to be postponed to the resumed session.
The Chairman then proposed to enforce 10-minute time limits on statements due to the time pressure on the Committee and also to achieve results on major issues.
MARTA PEÑA (Mexico) said she agreed generally with the proposals to defer some items to the resumed session and to limit statements to 10 minutes. That should not remain beyond 17 December, since 10 minutes would not be enough for Fifth Committee deliberations. She asked how the issues of the United Nations common and pension systems would be disposed of.
Mr. SENGWE (Zimbabwe) said that the United Nations common and pension systems would be taken up this session.
NORMA GOICOCHEA ESTENOZ (Cuba) said she had a concern relating to those two agenda items which had direct budgetary implications due to the recommendations of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC). Decisions on the common system should be linked to the discussions of the 1996-1997 budget. The programme budget implications of the ICSC recommendations should be considered.
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JAN JAREMCZUK (Poland) asked for clarification on the items that would be postponed.
Mr. SENGWE (Zimbabwe) said that procurement reforms and the report on the IMIS would be deferred.
NESTER ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) shared the view expressed by Mexico that the Fifth Committee depended on explanations and information from the Secretariat for its actions. The time limits should be flexible enough to allow Member States to ask the Secretariat's representatives for satisfactory answers.
The Committee accepted the time limits.
PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia) said that further consideration would be needed on the common system. He wanted to know how the agenda item on improving the United Nations financial situation would be handled. He stressed that, since 1996 was a personnel year, the Committee should approve something on human resources management.
PATRICK KELLY (Ireland) said that it had been decided that the coordinators of negotiations on the items on human resources management and on the Office of Internal Oversight Services should make a final effort to reach consensus. Three meetings had been envisaged for human resources management. If no tangible progress was achieved during the first meeting, would the Chairman decide as to whether to hold the two remaining meetings or to defer the item? he asked.
WOLFGANG STOECKL (Germany) said there should be agreement on human resources management, but the best way to proceed was to have only one informal meeting on Friday, 13 December. He proposed that the additional two meetings allocated to that item be allocated to other priority items.
BINOD BISTA (Nepal) said his interest was on the administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of peace-keeping operations, which had been allocated to the end of the session. He asked for information regarding the status of relevant reports from the Secretary-General and from the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
NAZARETH INCERA (Costa Rica), speaking for the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said the item on the report of the Board of Auditors should be postponed until next year. The item on the Oversight Office should also be deferred. She agreed with the proposal made by the representative of Germany regarding human resources management.
Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) said he agreed with the views expressed by Costa Rica and those of Germany on the item on human resources management.
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Ms. GOICOCHEA (Cuba) said she supported the proposal made by the Group of 77. Time was needed for further consultations to look at basic issues. The points raised by Germany were important and would call for an Assembly decision.
WANG YUHUI (China) said he supported the statements made by the representatives of Costa Rica, Uganda and Cuba.
DENISE ALMAO (New Zealand) asked that any time left over from meetings scheduled for human resources be given to items on the United Nations common and pension systems.
The CHAIRMAN suggested that Germany's proposal be accepted and that the time left over from what had been allocated to human resources management be given to other agenda items.
MORTEZA MIR MOHAMMAD (Iran) asked for clarification on the report pertaining to the restructuring of the Centre for Human Rights (document A/C.5/50/71).
JOSEPH ACAKPO-SATCHIVI, Fifth Committee Secretary, said that the Committee had decided to review all aspects of the administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of peace-keeping operations at the resumed session, because there would be no time to substantially examine all the related documents. But the Committee had decided to give priority to issues on the scale of assessments for peace-keeping operations for Zambia, Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Consultations on the issue were being coordinated by Peter Maddens (Belgium). Discussions on the issue were scheduled for the very end of the session, since negotiations would not be completed before then. The report on the loaned officers had been sent to the ACABQ, which had not been able to review it. Therefore, consideration of that report would be deferred to the resumed session.
Ms. PEÑA (Mexico) asked for more information on the ongoing consultations on the administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of peace-keeping operations. All delegations should be informed about what was going on. There should be greater transparency as to what consultations were being held and with which parties. The Committee should be provided with fuller information on what was being discussed.
PETER MADDENS (Belgium), the coordinator of informal consultations on the administrative and budgetary aspects of peace-keeping financing, said he had asked the Committee's bureau to defer the informal consultations that had been scheduled for yesterday. He had done so in order to have more time to speak individually with delegations, because matters related to the peace- keeping scale of assessments were delicate. He would consult with all of his colleagues in person in order to take the Committee's pulse on the issue. He
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would gauge feelings in the Committee before holding informal meetings on the subject. In so doing, he was only trying to save time and did not intend to impose any decision on the matter.
Mr. BISTA (Nepal) asked whether the question of death and disability benefits for United Nations peace-keepers would be discussed in the current session. Interested parties such as his delegation should have been consulted before the matter was placed on hold.
The Committee Chairman, Mr. SENGWE (Zimbabwe), said the rationale for deferring discussions on death and disability benefits was because the Committee would not be able discuss it thoroughly in the little time it had left.
HO TENG YENG (Singapore) said he was appalled by the lack of transparency regarding the consultations on the administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of peace-keeping operations. He would not accept the presentation of any fait accompli to the General Assembly one day before the end of the session. The coordinator should have held meetings with delegations.
Ms. GOICOCHEA (Cuba) also said that the consultations on the agenda item should be open and transparent. She would not accept a fait accompli being placed before the Committee.
Ms. INCERA (Costa Rica) said that there should be transparency in the consultations, something that had been lacking.
YURI BOHAYEVSKI (Ukraine) said he supported the proposals of the Group of 77. Also, the Committee should concentrate on the issues that had been debated, such as programme planning and the 1996-1997 budget. It would not be realistic for it to take up new agenda items.
AMJAD HUSSAIN B. SIAL (Pakistan) shared the concerns expressed on the lack of transparency in the "informal informal" consultations on the administrative and budgetary aspects of the peace-keeping financing, especially when Pakistan was the largest troop contributor. All delegations should be consulted.
DJAMMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) protested the way the informal consultations were being conducted without transparency. Any informal informal meetings should be announced in the Committee's meetings or in notices posted in Conference Room 5.
The Committee Chairman, Mr. SENGWE (Zimbabwe), said those concerns would be addressed.
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YUKIO TAKASU, United Nations Controller, said the Secretary-General's report on the restructuring of the Centre for Human Rights (document A/C.5/50/71) had been submitted in June and was listed in the work programme of the Committee in the context of the 1996-1997 budget. The Committee could refer to it in that context.
Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) asked whether some of the proposals in the report were being implemented.
Mr. TAKASU said that the restructuring of the Centre had been proceeding since the report's issuance. The staffing was being restructured since 1 October to institute a new, focused structure by April 1997. The next budget proposals from the Secretary-General would reflect the Centre's new structure. The restructuring was being conducted transparently.
Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) asked which aspects of the restructuring had been put in place and the extent to which there had been transparency. He asked whether the restructuring had been mandated.
Ms. GOICOCHEA (Cuba) said that the issue of the Centre's restructuring was closely linked to programme planning and to the regular budget. She expressed regret that the Committee had not been informed before the restructuring proceeded.
Mr. KELLY (Ireland) said the Committee had been informed of the High Commissioner's plans on the restructuring of the Human Rights Centre. The relevant resolution on the Centre had not stipulated that the restructuring be subject to the Committee's approval. The High Commissioner was acting entirely within his competence. He drew attention to the resolution of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) on human rights by which the Assembly had fully supported the restructuring of the Centre for Human Rights.
The CHAIRMAN said that the issue could be considered under the item on the regular budget for 1996-1997, at which time delegates would be free to raise questions.
Mr. MOKTEFI (Algeria) said he shared the concerns of Uganda and Cuba. Member States should be able to express their views and concerns on many issues. Regarding restructuring, there were major political and budgetary implications which should be discussed in the informal meetings of the Committee.
Ms. GOICOCHEA (Cuba) said she favoured an analysis of the restructuring of the Centre for Human Rights and would wait for a definitive review on the matter.
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Mr. MIR MOHAMMAD (Iran) said he wanted the Committee to touch on the subject of the restructuring of the Centre.
The Committee then decided to proceed in accordance with the timetable submitted by the bureau for the period 9 to 17 December.
MARY JO B. ARAGON (Philippines) said that a resolution on the Oversight Office was available and concerned delegations could submit amendments at the informal meeting on the subject.
TRYGVE GJESDAL (Norway), the coordinator of consultations on the United Nations scale of assessments, said that six informal meetings had been held on the matter. Two more had been scheduled for this week. He reviewed the progress that had been made in consultations. About 20 operative paragraphs remained to be considered. The main problems in the consultations were caused by the differing interests regarding the various elements that were used to determine Member States assessments. The informal meetings were discussing a draft resolution that would guide the Committee on Contributions on how to draw up a new methodology. Delegations should try to narrow their differences to enable the Committee to agree on a text in the current session. They must negotiate in good faith and try to reach agreement without a vote. The last time a vote was taken on the scale was in the forty-eighth session, an incident that was called unfortunate.
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