DECOLONIZATION UNIT SHOULD GET ADEQUATE RESOURCES AND REMAIN UNDER POLITICAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, SPEAKERS TELL BUDGET COMMITTEE
Press Release
GA/AB/3183
DECOLONIZATION UNIT SHOULD GET ADEQUATE RESOURCES AND REMAIN UNDER POLITICAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, SPEAKERS TELL BUDGET COMMITTEE
19971104 Committee Concludes Debate on Pattern of Conferences, Budget Sections on Political Affairs, Peacekeeping, Outer Space, ICJ, Legal AffairsThe Decolonization Unit of the Secretariat should be given the resources it needs to perform its functions, speakers told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning as it continued its section-by- section consideration of the proposed 1998-1999 budget.
Decolonization was one of the Organization's major successes, Grenada's representative said on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), adding that the work of the United Nations in that field should not be jeopardized. Since the programme was political in nature, it should remain in the Department of Political Affairs.
The Committee today concluded debate on section 2, political affairs; section 3, peacekeeping and special missions; section 4, outer space; section 5, International Court of Justice; and section 6, legal affairs.
Statements on the budget sections were also made by the representatives of Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Portugal, Mali, Argentina, Cuba, United States, Syria and Mexico. United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, responded to Member States' questions.
The Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), Conrad Mselle, introduced the report on the budget sections discussed today. The Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), Anuson Chinvanno (Thailand), introduced the CPC's comments on them.
Also this morning, the Committee concluded debate on pattern of conferences. Speaking in that debate, Cuba's representative stressed that interpretation services must be provided for meetings of regional and other
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major groups of Member States. Noting that 32 per cent of the requests for such services had been denied, she asked the Secretariat to increase its efforts to provide them.
Increased use of technological innovations such as the optical disk system (ODS) should not interfere with the production of printed official documents, several delegations stressed. It was also emphasized that documents should be submitted on time.
On the Organization's pattern of conferences, statements were also made by the representatives of Egypt, Paraguay (for the Rio Group), Japan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Mexico made statements.
The Chairman of the Committee on Conferences, Uldis Blukis (Latvia) made concluding remarks, as did the Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, Jin Yongjian. A Human Resources Officer from the Office of Human Resources Management, Kevin St. Louis, responded to a question posed by the Committee on an earlier date.
After the debate on the budget and pattern of conferences, the representatives of Mexico, Cuba, Syria, Belgium and Portugal spoke on the Fifth Committee's programme of work.
The Committee is scheduled to meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 5 November, to continue its section-by-section consideration of the proposed 1998-1999 budget. Discussion of the budget will continue with section 7, policy coordination for development.
Committee Work Programme
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to conclude discussing the Organization's pattern of conferences and to continue discussing several sections of the Secretary-General's proposed $2.583 billion 1998-1999 budget. It is expected to do so with Section 2, Political affairs; Section 3, Peacekeeping and special missions; and Section 4, Peaceful uses of outer space.
Then, it is scheduled to take up Part III, Section 5, International Court of Justice, and Section 6, Legal affairs as well as Part IV, International cooperation for development, which covers the following: Section 7, Policy coordination and sustainable development, Section 8, Africa: New Agenda for Development; Section 9, Economic and social information and policy analysis; Section 10, Development support and management services; Section 11A, Trade and development; Section 11B, International Trade Centre of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization; Section 12, Environment; Section 13, Human settlements; Section 14, Crime control; and Section 15, International drug control.
The Secretary-General's initial budget proposals are contained in two volumes of narratives, numbers and tables (document A/52/6/Rev.1, Volumes I and II). The related views of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on individual sections are contained in separate parts of Chapter II of its first report on the proposed 1998-1999 budget. Examining Part IV in its budget report (document A/52/7, Chapter II, Part IV), the ACABQ notes the high number of vacant Professional posts. In some cases, posts are proposed for abolition solely because they are unoccupied. The criteria for abolishing posts should be clarified as the functions of some of them may be necessary in delivering economic and social programmes. The ACABQ requests better division of labour between UNCTAD and departments in studies on trade, investment and development. It could not, for example, get a clear picture of how such collaboration was achieved on annual publications, such as the World Economic and Social Survey.
The conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) on the sections are contained in the report on its thirty-seventh session (document A/52/16).
(For background on the Organization's pattern of conferences, see Press Release GA/AB/3178 of 28 October. On the budget Sections 2 to 4, see Press Release GA/AB/3182 of 3 November.)
Section 5: International Court of Justice
The Secretary-General requests additional funds for temporary assistance for meetings in order to enable the International Court of Justice, at The Hague, meet its translation needs and for the external printing of its
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documents. There is no change in the number of posts sought for the section. Total allocations of some $22.1 million are proposed.
The ACABQ notes an increase of $450,400 in contractual services related to the printing of the Court's publications and translation of its documents. It was told that the intention was to restore resources to the level of 1994-1995, before the 1996-1997 cuts necessitated by the economy measures mandated by the Assembly. The resources are not meant to reduce the existing 10-year backlog, but only to prevent it from increasing any further.
Section 6: Legal Affairs
The Office of Legal Affairs, which implements Programme 4, Legal affairs, of the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001, would witness the reclassification of one post at the level of Principal Officer (D-1) to the level of Director (D-2) for the Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General and the establishment of a new Professional post at the P-3 level for a systems analyst for information systems, database development and office automation. Overall, the Secretary-General proposes reduction of three posts, to bring the total to 142. About $33.5 million is proposed.
On Section 6, legal affairs, the ACABQ states that the abolition of six Professional and three General Service posts is also proposed in connection with the subprogramme on law of the sea and ocean affairs, in view of the restructuring of the programme of work related to the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ACABQ sought more information on the functions of those posts, in view of the heavy workload, and requests for consultancies. It states that the core functions of the Office of Legal Affairs are better performed by experienced staff, acquainted with United Nations practice, on a permanent rather than a temporary basis.
Section 7 -- Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development
According to the Secretary-General's initial budget document, the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (DPCSD) is responsible for Programme 5, Policy coordination and sustainable development, of the medium-term plan. It would focus on providing support for the coordinating and policy-making functions vested in the Economic and Social Council and for the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). The Department concentrates on policy development and provides substantive support to the follow-up to global conferences and programmes.
The initial budget estimates would seek a reduction of 15 posts, to bring the total to 196. The Secretary-General proposes $45.7 million.
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Section 8 -- Africa: New Agenda for Development
The general orientation of this section is to mobilize the international community's support for the development of Africa, to ensure that the region's development remains a priority of that community and to promote the United Nations system's coordinated response in support of African development. An additional Professional post at the P-4 level would be redeployed from the Department of Public Information, bringing the total to 19. A total of some $5.4 million is sought.
The ACABQ states that the staffing proposed include 19 regular budget posts (12 Professional and seven General Service), reflecting an additional post at the P-4/3 level.
Section 9 -- Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis
The section's main objective, promoting an integrated approach to economic, social and environmental aspects of development, by providing information on development processes, would be pursued, according to the Secretary-General's initial proposals by the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis (DESIPA). Twenty posts (six Professional and 14 General Service) would be abolished, lowering the total to 278. An allocation of $51.6 million is proposed.
Section 10 -- Development Support and Management Services
The Department for Development Support and Management Services is meant to help developing countries and economies in transition strengthen their capacities in public administration, finance, economic and social development management. Following a restructuring of the Department, 10 posts (one P-3, nine General Service) would be abolished, according to the Secretary-General's initial budget proposals. About $27.6 million is proposed.
Section 11A -- Trade and Development
The ninth session of UNCTAD, held at Midrand, South Africa, in April 1996, adopted far-reaching reforms including a streamlined intergovernmental machinery, a reduced number of meetings and a restructuring of the secretariat. Twenty-five posts at the Professional level and above (two D-2, seven D-1, five P-5, six P-4/3 and five P-2/1) and 18 General Service positions are proposed for abolition. At the same time, the increased demands for strategic planning and management that the new structure places on the Deputy to the Secretary-General of UNCTAD lead to a proposal to elevate a D-2 post to the level of Assistant Secretary-General.
Further, the resources, including 11 posts, allocated to the UNCTAD/Regional Commissions Joint Units will be transferred to the respective regional commissions. He proposes some $105.7 million.
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The ACABQ recalls that the Assembly had in 1995 approved the establishment of a P-4 post for the follow-up to the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and asked the Secretary-General to fill it as a priority. It expresses regret that the position had not yet been filled permanently and trusts that urgent action will be taken to do so.
The provisions for consultants and experts seem to exceed what was required for preparing mandated reports, the ACABQ adds. The work done by such consultants, experts and by UNCTAD secretariat staff should be identified.
Section 11B -- International Trade Centre
The Centre, run jointly by the World Trade Organization and UNCTAD, promotes developing countries' trade and export development. Since its establishment in 1968, the Centre's budget has been equally funded by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)/World Trade Organization and the United Nations. The Secretary-General proposes almost $22 million for the Centre before its budget is reviewed to accommodate the World Trade Organization's budgeting practice. The amount would represent a cut from $22.3 million.
Section 12 -- Environment
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) secretariat is responsible for Programme 10, Environment, of the medium-term plan. The UNEP's 1998-1999 programme will be the basis for the new United Nations system-wide strategy in environment for the plan period 1998-2001. The strategy will incorporate the outcome of the 1997 special session of the Assembly to review the implementation of Agenda 21, which will be submitted to UNEP's Governing Council at its twentieth session. The Secretary-General's initial regular budget proposals would eliminate one P-5 and three local-level posts, bringing the total number to 39. An allocation of some $9.3 million is proposed.
The ACABQ says that the UNEP staffing table remains top-heavy, compared to other United Nations programmes, with 17 D-2 and 26 D-1 posts, of which three D-2 and one D-1 are paid from the regular budget.
Section 13 -- Human Settlements
Under the section, the Secretary-General estimates regular budget requirements of $13.2 million for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). He proposes to reduce regular budget posts from 73 to 66.
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The ACABQ expresses concern about the continuous resource decline faced by Habitat and its serious administrative and financial management shortcomings. It was informed that, as at 30 April, Habitat had 10 vacant posts against the regular budget (one D-1, five P-3, two P-2 and two local level). Two P-3 and five local-level posts are proposed for abolition.
Section 14 -- Crime Control
The Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division at the United Nations Office at Vienna handles Programme 12, Crime prevention and criminal justice, of the medium-term plan. The objective of the programme is to promote effective international cooperation in crime prevention by devising strategies to deal with global problems.
The initial budget proposes to redeploy one D-1 and one P-5 posts from the Office of the Director-General, Vienna, to the Division, with 1 P-3 and 1 P-4 posts that will be sent elsewhere. One General Service regular budget post would be abolished, cutting the total by one to 21. The Secretary- General seeks $5.5 million.
The ACABQ notes that the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division had four vacant regular budget posts (one each at the P-5, P-3, and P-2 levels, and one General Service).
Section 15 -- International Drug Control
The United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) handles Programme 13, International drug control, of the medium-term plan. The Secretary-General seeks additional funds for consultants and experts, while proposing to abolish one P-4 and four General Service posts, lowering the total to 68. Budgetary allocations of some $16.4 million are proposed.
According to the ACABQ, there were nine vacant regular budget posts (six Professional and three General Service) at the end of April. The total number of regular budget posts proposed is 68 (44 Professional and above and 24 General Service), showing a reduction of five (one Professional and 4 General Service), over the number approved for 1996-1997.
Expressing its views on those sections in the report on its thirty-seventh session (document A/52/16), the CPC recommends that the Assembly approve the programme narratives of four sections, subject to further consideration of some issues raised in the CPC's deliberations on the budget. The sections are on policy coordination and sustainable development, Africa: New Agenda for Development, economic and social policy analysis, and development support and management services. The CPC says that several delegations had expressed concern at the imbalance in the distribution of resources between subprogrammes in some sections, and reaffirmed the need to establish priorities within subprogrammes.
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It recommends the approval of six sections or subsections, with some modifications. They are the sections on legal affairs, trade and development, environment, human settlements, crime control, and international drug control.
The CPC could not make recommendations on section 11B, International Trade Centre UNCTAD/World Trade Organization, due to a request to revise the arrangements governing the Centre's budget since 1974 by the World Trade Organization.
Statements on Pattern of Conferences
AMANY FAHMY (Egypt) called attention to delays in submitting documents to various forums, such as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial), where the Chairman had to postpone a meeting due to the non-submission of the Secretary-General's report on poverty, and the rejection of proposals to submit the report orally. The pattern of making oral reports in place of written documents would have negative consequences on the Organization's work. The Secretariat must submit documents in a timely fashion to enable delegations to send them to their capitals and to use them for debates. Reports should be of appropriate length and must be legible. For example, the Arabic version of a report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) was hard to read because it was produced in very fine print.
Efforts should be made to re-establish the post of revisor for translations, she continued. She asked why some Arabic-related posts in Vienna were eliminated. There were discrepancies in the types of conference services provided to various meetings without a clear rationale for such differentiation. For example, some meetings were provided with summary or verbatim records while others were not. The Secretariat should explain such practice. Services should be provided for meetings of regional and other groupings in the United Nations.
HUGO SAGUIER CABALLERO (Paraguay), speaking for the Rio Group -- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Honduras (for Central America) and Guyana (for the Caribbean) -- expressed satisfaction that the general index and the utilization average of conference services would surpass the 80 per cent reference figure, particularly for Geneva and Vienna. An active dialogue should be maintained to improve the coordination of conference services. In that regard, he welcomed the efforts to improve conference services and innovations, such as video conferencing. While priority should be given to servicing meetings of United Nations organs, interpretation services should be provided for meetings of regional and other groups. The Secretariat should redouble its efforts to further reduce the frequency with which it declined to provide services for such meetings.
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Welcoming the incorporation of new technologies such as the optical disk system and the Internet, he said their use should not substitute the availability of official documents in printed form. Appropriate resources should be provided to ensure high quality interpretation and translation services, as that was a precondition for maintaining the Organization's linguistic system. The Rio Group believed that the establishment of a Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conferences Services was an interesting initiative in the search for coordination of all conference services provided by the Secretariat.
DULCE BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said her delegation had considered the documents on pattern of conferences in great detail. She noted that there had been an improvement in the utilization of conference-servicing resources. It was extremely useful to broaden the perspective of United Nations bodies, including through the provision of comparative statistics. Any serious and in-depth study of conference services must include the Security Council. It was incomprehensible that the Security Council had to date been excluded from the consideration of conference-servicing resources.
Referring to the report on subsidiary bodies which had not utilized the conference-servicing resources allotted to them, she said the effectiveness of a body should not be measured by the superficial criterion of the number of meetings it held. The provision of interpretation services to meetings of regional and other major groups of States was of utmost importance. She noted that 32 per cent of the requests for interpretations of these meetings had been denied. The Secretariat should redouble its efforts to provide interpretation services to such meetings.
She reaffirmed her support for the work of the Special Committee on decolonization. Regional seminars were essential in that Committee's work. On control and limitation of documentation, she noted with concern that the Secretary-General had proposed limiting the length of Secretariat and intergovernmental documents. In some cases, implementation of proposals for increasing efficiency could hamper the Organization's ability to perform its functions. While the optical disk system was beneficial, printed copies of documents were crucial for developing countries. She was extremely concerned about the tardiness in the issuance of documents. She hoped that all the necessary resources would be earmarked for translation and interpretation services, given their tremendous importance.
KOJI YAMAGIWA (Japan) associated himself with the European Union's statement to the effect that Member States should be more careful in requesting reports from the Secretariat. As a member of the Committee on Conferences, his delegation appreciated the report of the JIU on United Nations publications, which had provided guidelines for a more effective publications programme. It was regrettable that the Committee on Conferences had not been able to endorse the JIU recommendations as a whole, due to the late issuance of the Secretary-General's comments on that report. He asked
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the Secretariat to inform the Committee when the document would be issued, so that consideration of the JIU report could be taken up together with the report of the ACABQ.
The scheduling and management of the meetings of the Commission on Human Rights had not been without problems, he said. Night meetings had been scheduled from early in its session, in addition to two meetings during the day. Human rights was a priority of the United Nations. However, in light of the limited availability of resources, the Commission's management of meetings should be streamlined to enable resources to be allocated to other programmes and operations in the field of human rights. He requested the Secretariat to provide the Committee with detailed data on the meetings of the Commission, including the starting and ending times, as well as lists of speakers.
SOONG CHULL SHIN (Republic of Korea) said the integration of major technical and support services into the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, as proposed in the Secretary-General's reform package, would strengthen conference services. However, as integration normally entailed post reductions, care should be taken that conference services were not adversely affected. He welcomed the improved use of conference facilities in New York, Geneva and Vienna, as well as the use of video-conferencing.
The Assembly had requested a cost-accounting system for conference servicing, he said. States were concerned that the Secretariat had not taken significant steps to devise such a system. The Committee had been informed that the groundwork had now been laid for that system. He called on the Secretariat to further develop the system.
On the control and limitation of the Organization's documents, he supported the suggested limit of 16 pages for secretariat documents, and the proposal to reduce publications of intergovernmental bodies to 20 pages. The recommendations contained in the JIU report on enhancing the cost- effectiveness of United Nations publications deserved support. Consistently late reports made debate among Member States difficult. He urged the Secretariat to take action to remedy that situation as soon as possible.
ULDIS BLUKIS (Latvia), Chairman of the Committee on Conferences, in concluding remarks, welcomed the support expressed in the Fifth Committee for the need to ensure the provision and use of high quality conference resources. Similar support had been expressed for actions proposed by the Committee on Conferences on the calendar of meetings, utilization statistics, provision of interpretation services to meetings of regional and other major groupings of Member States, provision of services for bilateral meetings, the establishment of a cost-accounting system for conference services, and the control and limitation of documentation.
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Member States could help promote the efficient use of conference services, by, for instance, starting and ending their meetings on time, he continued. Statistics for 1996 indicate overall promising improvements worldwide, which should be maintained. The Secretariat and Member States should make further efforts to enhance the use of scarce conference resources. Dialogue and coordination were essential for the proper use of resources.
JIN YONGJIAN, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, responded to some of the questions raised during the debate on the pattern of conferences. On the desirability of a more balanced distribution of meetings among various United Nations conference centres, he said he would like to do, as New York facilities were overloaded. But, the selection of meetings derived from the application of the headquarters rule and exceptions to it granted by the Assembly.
Turning to the provision of conference services to regional and major grouping of Member States, he said they were provided on the basis of availability, in accordance with an Assembly resolution. Therefore, such services and facilities were provided when they became available, taking into account the priority granted to meetings of Charter and mandated bodies included in the calendar of conferences.
On the inadequacy of the Secretariat's interpretation equipment at Headquarters, he admitted that the ageing sound system of some conference rooms had become a problem. Resources for improving them had been sought in the proposed 1998-1999 budget. Recalling a delegate's appeal for assurances that the level of resources in the next biennium would not harm the quality of documents and services provided to intergovernmental bodies, he expressed confidence that the matter would be discussed thoroughly during the debate on the budget. Any calculation of the resources required for conference services must be based on an assumption of what the demand for those services would be.
On the quality of translated documents, he expressed regret for the errors pointed out by some delegations and outlined some of the steps being taken to remedy the situation. At the same time, he said the issue of errors should be placed in the proper statistical perspective: each translation service translated about 16 million words each year and it was virtually impossible to ensure that no mistakes would be made, considering the large volumes of material processed, sometimes within very tight deadlines. All mistakes should not be attributable to translators though, as some of them could be traced to the different stages of the documentation processing cycle. But efforts would continue to be made to improve translations.
The Secretariat was aware of the need to ensure that translations done contractually met all quality standards, he said. The Organization's roster included a majority of former United Nations translators who were familiar with United Nations terminology and documents and the Secretariat was resisting pressure to expand that roster by relaxing its standards. Corporate
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translators were chosen through anonymous bidding, taking into account the quality of performance as well as the rates they quoted. The accountability of translators and language services in general was ensured by closer monitoring that affected their appointment or promotion.
AHMED FARID (Saudi Arabia) expressed appreciation for the information on the cost-accounting system. He asked that a follow-up report be provided through the ACABQ on implementation of the system by the second resumed session of the Assembly. He asked about the results of the Secretariat's search to find an in-house person to implement and supervise use of the system.
KEVIN ST. LOUIS, Human Resources Officer, Office of Human Resources Management, said he would respond to the question posed by the representative of Syria regarding the abolition of the Arabic language training post for the Vienna Office. The Secretariat had not abolished that post. A number of posts had been cut in June, when the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) eliminated the language training programme there due to budgetary constraints. As of 1 July, the Secretariat had assumed responsibility for that programme, on an ad hoc basis.
The Secretariat had given first consideration to two full-time language teachers, for English and French, he continued. There were now four additional part-time teachers who had been hired, including an Arabic trainer. In its proposed budget for the upcoming biennium, the Vienna Office had suggested the continuation of the two full-time posts and some provisions for part-time teaching staff. The UNIDO had not yet responded to further requests for information.
TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syria) said he would comment later on the response given, and asked for the statement in writing. Lack of resources should not affect the languages of Member States.
Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) asked about the delay in a number of regular publications, such as Disarmament Review, Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of Practice of the Security Council.
Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) stressed that documents lost their relevance when they were delayed by such long time periods.
Mr. JIN replied to questions. A post for an in-house expert for the cost-accounting system would be dependent on the resources available. Regarding the delays in translation of publications, he said he would look into the matter and provide the delegates with the information when it became available.
MARTA PENA (Mexico) asked for clarification on the Committee's schedule of informal consultations.
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Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said she wanted to express her concern on some planning issues. She recalled that there was an agreement that while the General Assembly was meeting on the United Nations reforms, the Fifth Committee would not hold formal meetings.
Statements on Political Affairs, Peacekeeping, Outer Space
AMR NOUR (Egypt) supported the recommendations of the CPC, as contained in its report. Special priority should be granted to all programmes pertaining to Africa. The Secretariat should assure that resources for the subprogramme on the question of Palestine would ensure that the required activities were carried out. The reduction of posts for the Palestine Unit was not justified. Adequate resources should be provided until a just solution was found to their problem.
Regarding the regular budget-financed peacekeeping missions, he expressed support for the views of the CPC on the matter, adding that the use of gratis personnel should be reviewed. The proposed cuts from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) should not affect the performance of its duties. He was ready to look at new proposals on the financing of peacekeeping and special missions, on condition that such funding would not harm resources previously allocated especially for development.
LAMUEL STANISLAUS (Grenada), speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), associated those delegations with the statement made a few weeks ago by the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China.
The medium-term plan should be the main framework for planning the budget, he said. He emphasized the need to ensure the provision of resources to the programme on decolonization, adding that no action should be taken that would jeopardize the work of the United Nations in the field of decolonization. The decolonization programme -- a major success story of the United Nations which was political in nature and substance -- would, according to a recent letter from the Secretary-General, be kept in the Department of Political Affairs as a stand-alone unit.
He was glad that the fate of the decolonization programme had been resolved in a spirit of compromise. He called on the Fifth Committee to approve the staffing and budgetary provisions for the decolonization programme in accordance with the medium-term plan of the United Nations. Since lots of peoples, such as those in Montserrat and other Non-Self-Governing Territories, looked to the United Nations to hear their cries, decolonization should be kept in the Department of Political Affairs and provided the resources it needed.
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PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia) said he concurred with the statement made by the representative of Egypt concerning the programme for Palestine. Every effort should be made for solving the question of Palestine, based on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Adequate resources should be directed towards the preparation of the special session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, to be convened in July 1999 as the third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III). He added that UNISPACE III could benefit the international community in a wide variety of areas.
MOWAFAK MAHMOUD AYOUB (Iraq) said that decolonization was an important area of the Organization's work. He supported the Secretary-General's acceptance of retaining the Decolonization Unit in the Department of Political Affairs. He called on the Committee to support section 2 of the budget, and insisted that the decolonization work should be implemented by the Decolonization Unit within the Department of Political Affairs.
REGINA EMERSON (Portugal) said that in his letter, the Secretary-General had indicated that the Decolonization Unit would be a stand-alone body within the Political Affairs Department. She hoped that would be indicated when the Committee took its decision.
MAHAMANE MAIGA (Mali) said Mali attached great importance to the work of the Decolonization Unit. In light of the Secretary-General's determination to maintain the Unit in the Department of Political Affairs, all needed resources must be made available to the Unit, in accordance with the Organization's medium-term plan.
CARLOS RIVA (Argentina) asked the Controller about the Secretary- General's letter. Did the letter amend his report on the financial implications of his reform proposals? If so, when would the Committee receive the relevant document on the financial implications of the Secretary-General's decisions relating to the Decolonization Committee? he asked.
Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said she supported the point made by Argentina.
JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, said the Secretariat would provide additional information regarding the centre at Addis Ababa at a later date. The Secretary-General's report on the financial implications of the reform package should not be modified on a piecemeal basis. After decisions taken in the plenary, the report would be revised.
Ms. EMERSON (Portugal) said the amounts to be reflected in the Department of Political Affairs and the Department for General Assembly Affairs and Conferences Services would have to be adjusted during the Committee's deliberations.
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Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) repeated the questions he had asked yesterday on the elimination of posts from UNTSO. He sought assurances from the Secretariat that such cuts would not hamper the work of the mission. The Secretariat should also explain the plan to abolish three or four posts of observers and a P-3 post under the Division for Palestinian Rights. He shared the views of the ACABQ that there was no justification for abolishing the post in that Division. The production of documents should ensure that all languages were placed on an equal footing.
Mr. HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, said that the Secretariat was continuing the streamlining of UNTSO. The reduction of observers was enabling the Secretariat to decrease the mission's support staff. The intention was not to weaken UNTSO but to ensure that its mandate was fulfilled. On the post under Palestinian Rights Division, the justification for proposing to abolish it was that a P-3 post became vacant just as the Secretariat was looking for posts to abolish to implement the Assembly decision to cut $154 million from the current budget. The post had been kept vacant and the Secretariat was proposing its abolition.
Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said he took note of the Controller's answers and asked the Secretariat to further explain the proposal to eliminate some posts from among the observers for UNTSO.
Statements on International Court of Justice, Legal Affairs
CONRAD MSELLE, the ACABQ Chairman, introduced the comments of the Advisory Committee on the relevant sections. He reviewed the Committee's report and highlighted some of its statements.
ANUSON CHINVANNO (Thailand), Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), introduced the views of the CPC. Several budget sections would be subject to change, as proposed in the Secretary- General's report on the programmatic and financial implications of his proposed United Nations reforms. The CPC had considered those implications and its views were contained in the report on the resumed session it held last month (document A/52/16/Add.1), which he would formally present when the ACABQ submitted its own related report.
THOMAS REPASCH (United States) asked where in the budget would be the amounts allocated for the support and maintenance of the enhanced dining room of the International Court of Justice. He noted that rent had increased due to the Court's enlarged premises. Had any reductions been made in the current biennium's recosting? he asked. Turning next to the report of the ACABQ, he referred to the paragraph on the implementation of recommendations made by the External Auditors on various issues, including the cases requiring travel by the Court. How had that travel been justified, and by whom? he asked.
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The programme on Legal Affairs described in the proposed budget was consistent with the Organization's medium-term plan, he said. Adjustments should be made to take into account more recent events. On activities concerning treaties, many improvements had been made. Many officials relied on the United Nations treaty Internet website. Could the shift to desktop publishing of treaties be used to save external printing costs? Regarding the International Law Commission's consideration of a split session, he asked for specific details about the resulting costs. He also asked for information on attendance for those sessions, and whether costs were estimated on the basis of anticipated 100 per cent attendance.
He asked for more information on the uses for the resources requested for experts and for travel to respond to "unanticipated requests" resulting from intergovernmental processes, under subprogramme 1. He also asked what measures were being taken to limit travel, such as video-conferencing.
Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) reiterated her support for the International Court of Justice as the main body of the United Nations entrusted with taking decisions on contentious issues submitted by Member States. She supported the proposal made in the section, but said she was concerned with the reduction and delay in the publication of treaties. Regarding vacancies, she asked for information on the responsibilities of the three posts which were now vacant, as indicated in table 6.3 of the budget.
Turning to section 6 on legal affairs, she stressed the need for all resources to be budgeted within the regular budget. The Organization should avoid the additional contracting of experts. She asked for clarification on the reclassification of posts. Further information was needed regarding overtime and backlog. Turning to the paragraph on travel, she wondered about the inclusion in the section of resources related to peacekeeping operations. She asked for clarification on why that request for resources had not been included in the support account. The paragraph on other staff costs also referred to resources related to peacekeeping operations.
On grants and contributions, she noted the need for resources to cover the cost of travel and stipends for the more than 30 fellowships. Had the real resource needs for those fellowships increased or decreased compared with the previous biennium? she asked. She supported the sub-activities being carried out under the subprogramme on Law of the Sea and Ocean Affairs, and was concerned about proposed reductions of posts in that area, which should be carried out by permanent personnel.
ERNESTO HERRERA (Mexico) endorsed the CPC recommendations on the updating of the opinions of the International Court of Justice. The implementation of the United Nations teaching programme, providing greater information on international justice, and the provision of legal documents were important, as were seminars, courses and grants on international law. He was concerned that some of the activities under section 6 had been affected by
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developments related to the current 1996-1997 budget. Even though some activities had not been carried out, the Secretary-General was proposing new cuts, which caused concern. While the Organization was seeking more efficiency, the United Nations programme for teaching on international law should have at least the same resources as those in the 1996-1997 budget to enable it continue its work.
PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia) said that, although the subprogramme on the Law of the Sea and Ocean Affairs deserved strong support, programmatic aspects of the budget on it did not adequately reflect the decisions in the medium- term plan for 1998-2001. He was concerned about the proposed cuts under that subprogramme.
Mr. MSELLE, Chairman of the ACABQ, said, in response to an earlier question from the United States representative, that the Registrar of the International Court of Justice was the source of the assurance the United States delegate had referred to.
Mr. HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, said information on rent could be found where the budget referred to payments to the Carnegie Foundation. The calendar of conferences implied that the International Law Commission would be meeting entirely in Geneva. The Secretariat would speed up the publication of the Treaty Series, if it could. The increase in travel for consultants was suggested at the request of the Office of Legal Affairs. The provisions for travel related to peacekeeping missions enabled staff from the Legal Office to go to the field and discuss such matters as status-of-forces agreements between the United Nations and host countries. Cuts in the fellowship programmes were primed by the need to adjust to the pared-down 1996-1997 budget. Reductions in posts under the Law of the Sea were due to the fact that the International Seabed Authority had become independent.
The Committee then concluded its discussions on section 5, International Court of Justice, and section 6, legal affairs.
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