FIFTH COMMITTEE CONTINUES CONSIDERING IMPLICATIONS OF REFORM PROPOSALS ON UNITED NATIONS BUDGET AND PROGRAMMES
Press Release
GA/AB/3203
FIFTH COMMITTEE CONTINUES CONSIDERING IMPLICATIONS OF REFORM PROPOSALS ON UNITED NATIONS BUDGET AND PROGRAMMES
19971210 United States To Withhold Payment if Adjusted Ceiling Exceeded; Future Proposals by Group of 77 and China May Increase Budget LevelTo ensure the full implementation of all mandated programmes in the next two years, the "Group of 77" developing countries and China would submit proposals that might increase appropriations for the proposed 1998-1999 budget beyond its current $2.583 billion level, the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania said this morning, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) debated the effects of reform measures and proposals on the budget.
Speaking for the Group of 77 and China, he said the medium-term plan for 1998-2001 should guide United Nations reforms and every measure should be taken to avoid involuntary separation of staff.
Failure to adopt a budget within an adjusted limit of $2.533 billion would be naive and self-destructive, the United States representative said, adding that such a cap had been recognized by the United States Congress. The observance of that figure was a precondition for the payment of $100 million of the United States' 1997 assessment of $304 million. A vote to exceed the cap would lead to the withholding of another $60 million.
On specific reform proposals, he expressed support for the establishment of the post of Deputy Secretary-General, creation of the Department of Disarmament, and consolidation of three economic and social departments into one. It was not necessary to upgrade the post of Assistant Secretary-General in public information to Under-Secretary-General.
No amount of reforms could succeed if the Organization continued to be hampered by the lack of resources, which seemed to be a chronic ailment of the United Nations over the last few years, India's representative said. Reform would not serve as a substitute for the resources needed to implement mandated programmes.
The Secretary-General's proposals for United Nations reform overemphasized human rights at the expense of development, Colombia's representative said on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.
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If one issue was to be singled out as a priority, it should be the right to development, Pakistan's representative added. According to the United Nations Charter, political, security, economic, social, cultural and humanitarian issues were all interrelated.
Cuba's representative said the structure of the Departments of Political Affairs and of Peacekeeping Operations should be examined for possible consolidation, which might enhance rationalization and eliminate duplication.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Cameroon, Togo, Chile, Morocco, Argentina, China, Algeria, Egypt, Peru, Syria, Portugal, Spain, Papua New Guinea and Iraq.
The United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, transmitted to the Committee the Legal Counsel's opinion on the legality of the application of net budgeting in some sections of the proposed budget.
The Fifth Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue discussing the proposed 1998-1999 budget.
Committee Work Programme
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to take up estimates related to office accommodations in Geneva and The Hague and to continue debating the implications of the Secretary-General's reform proposals. (For background on reform implications, see Press Releases GA/AB/3200 of 5 December and GA/AB/3201 of 8 December.)
Reform Implications
The Committee had before it a further report on the budgetary implications of United Nations reforms (document A/52/303/Add.1), which modifies the Secretary-General's revised estimates on budget section 1B, General Assembly affairs and conference services and section 2A, Political affairs. It details the effects of his plan to establish a Decolonization Unit in the Department of Political Affairs. In his earlier report (document A/52/303), it was proposed to transfer all resources for the decolonization subprogramme to the new Department on General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services.
In his latest report, the Secretary-General states that activities on subprogramme 6 (decolonization) of programme 1 (political affairs) of the medium-term plan for 1998-2001 will be shared between the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, which would carry out technical secretariat servicing, and the Department of Political Affairs, providing substantive servicing, says the Secretary-General. Responsibility for all meeting servicing of the Special Committee on decolonization would be handled by the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services.
Accordingly, the Secretary-General states that one post at the level of Principal Officer (D-1) and one General Service post would remain in section 2A, Political affairs. The other posts proposed for transfer to General Assembly affairs -- one post each at the Professional levels P-5 and P-3 and two General Service posts -- would handle technical aspects of servicing the meetings of the Trusteeship Council, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) and the Special Committee.
The modification would lead to a $383,200 cut in requirements under section 1B, which would offset an increase of the same amount under section 2A. Overall, the section would have revised proposals of some $457.7 million and a grand total of 1,866 posts instead of 1,868.
The revised proposals to section 2A, Political affairs, he says, would now reflect changes to provide for the Decolonization Unit. Services to be carried out by the Department of Political Affairs would include the following: the preparation of working papers on conditions in the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories; attendance at meetings with Member States representatives on matters concerning those Territories; providing guidance
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and political input to regional seminars; the preparation of working papers on the Territories, through the focal point, the Decolonization Unit; and initiating contacts with Administering Powers.
The staffing for the Decolonization Unit would consist of one post each at the D-1 and P-3 levels and two General Service posts, the Secretary-General says. Apart from retaining the D-1 and one General Service posts within the Department of Political Affairs, the other Unit staff would be redeployed internally from the resources for other subprogrammes of the medium-term plan's programme on political affairs.
Overall, section 2A would have revised proposals of about $42.3 million and a total of 195 posts instead of 193, writes the Secretary-General.
Office Accommodation
In a report on the extension of the premises of the International Court of Justice (document A/C.5/52/16), the Secretary-General proposes an amendment to the Supplementary Agreement between the United Nations and the Carnegie Foundation on the use of the Court's premises at the Peace Palace at The Hague. He proposes the amendment to take into account expansions that had been made to accommodate the Court's increased workload.
Following discussions between the Foundation and the United Nations regarding the Court's premises, the Secretary-General says, it was decided that the expansion would lead to amendments to article II of the Agreement -- which sets out the annual contribution payable by the United Nations to the Foundation -- and article IV, which sets out the space made available to the Court. Amending article II would raise the annual contribution from 100,000 Netherlands florins to 1,843,582 florins net. It would also make the amount subject to annual increases caused by inflation; a provision that was not included in the original Agreement or subsequent amendments.
The proposed amendment, annexed to the report, would make article II read: "The annual contribution payable by the International Court of Justice in respect of the use of the Peace Palace is hereby fixed at 1,843,582 Netherlands florins net, subject to annual increases relating only to inflation. This base amount shall be reviewed after a period of five years."
The Secretary-General says the original Agreement between the United Nations and the Foundation, dated 21 February 1946, was approved by the Assembly on 11 December 1946 for occupancy of the premises by the Court. It stipulated that the Court would pay 48,000 Netherlands florins annually for using designated premises in the Palace. That amount was raised to 68,400 florins by the Assembly in December 1951 when it approved a Supplementary Agreement to offset the drop in the value of the Dutch guilder. Another Supplementary Agreement was approved in 1958 to raise the annual
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contribution to 100,000 florins to account for the Palace's increased maintenance costs.
In its report on the extension of the Court's premises (document A/52/7/Add.5), the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) recommends the approval of the draft Supplementary Agreement between the United Nations and the Foundation on the use of the Peace Palace. But, the inflation rate applicable to the annual contribution of the United Nations should be subject to ACABQ review and Assembly approval each time an increase is requested.
A report from the ACABQ on Office accommodation at the Palais Wilson (document A/52/7/Add.4), responds to the one submitted by the Secretary- General, informing the General Assembly of the Swiss authorities offer of office space in that building. (For background on that report, see Press Release GA/AB/3202 of 9 December.)
The ACABQ recommends that the Assembly take note of the Secretary- General's report. Bearing in mind the Organization's needs and cost effectiveness, it should encourage the Secretary-General to continue negotiating with the Swiss authorities on their offer and report to the Assembly for a final decision. The ACABQ comments on, among other things, the seemingly high $1.2 million general cost of maintenance, renovation and cleaning the Palais.
Statement on Proposed 1998-1999 Budget
JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, informed the Committee that the Legal Counsel saw no legal impediments to applying net budgeting to the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and jointly-financed services in Vienna, as proposed by the Secretary-General in the budget. The legal opinion, sought at a previous meeting, was contained in a letter that was circulated in the conference room.
Statements on Budget Implications of Reform Proposals
MUHAMMAD YUSSUF (United Republic of Tanzania), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, expressed regret that the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) had been unable to agree on what to recommend to the General Assembly on the sections contained in the Secretary-General's report on the budgetary implications of reform proposals. The group, however, recognized the difficult task which faced the CPC, due to the unprecedented circumstances related to the timing of its consideration of the Secretary-General's report and the unfortunate position adopted by some Member States. The Group of 77 and China reiterated full support for the CPC's role and mandate, and endorsed the CPC's recommendation that the medium- term plan be taken into account during the consideration of the reform
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proposals. The Group of 77 and China were committed to the approved medium- term plan for 1998-2001 and would ensure its implementation.
On personnel matters, he said, the Group of 77 and China underscored the need to examine the proposed cuts in staff, especially at the lower levels, and to avoid harming the implementation of mandates. The Group shared the views of the ACABQ that the trend towards increases in top-level posts and cuts at the lower levels were affecting the grade "pyramid". It endorsed the ACABQ views expressed in paragraph 56 of its report. [Note: In that paragraph, the ACABQ said, among other things, that the Secretary-General should submit a report on the grading structure early in 1998 and provide the necessary analysis for the numbers of posts at each level and the resultant organizational structure.]
The Secretary-General should also submit a report on the phasing out of gratis personnel, a matter that would be considered in conjunction with the proposed staff cuts, he said. Since the number of vacancies was expected to exceed the requirement to abolish posts, the Group of 77 and China agreed with the ACABQ that every measure should be taken to avoid involuntary separation of staff and reiterated the view that no such separation should occur solely as a result of savings measures.
Turning to net budgeting, he said the Group of 77 and China shared the ACABQ concerns and agreed that the Secretary-General should restore the amounts that had been cut out of the budget proposals as a result of net budgeting. On the development account, the delegations agreed with the ACABQ recommendation to appropriate $12.7 million for the new budget section. The Secretary-General should submit a detailed report on the resources for that account.
He said the Group of 77 and China welcomed the ACABQ recommendation regarding the increase in the level of appropriations over the Secretary- General's estimates. They would submit proposals that might increase the overall level of budget appropriations to ensure the full implementation of all mandated programmes and activities.
He went on to comment on the budget sections that would be affected by the Secretary-General's proposed reforms. On section 2A, Political affairs, he said the Group of 77 and China had taken note of the letters from the Secretary-General, to the effect that the substantive activities on decolonization would be maintained in the Department of Political Affairs and the resources proposed reviewed accordingly. The programme narrative on section 2B, Disarmament, should be revised to conform with the medium-term plan, taking into account the change in the name of the Department. The Group of 77 and China had serious concerns regarding the Secretary-General's plan to close regional centres for peace and disarmament in Katmandu, Lima and Lome.
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The Group of 77 and China had taken note of the merger of three departments into a single Department of Economic and Social Affairs, he said. It was concerned about the proposed reduction of posts in the new Department and the overall decrease in the level of resources in the new budget section. The Organization's capacity to implement technical cooperation programmes was essential. On budget section 22, Human rights, the Group of 77 and China did not concur with the Secretary-General that human rights cut across other substantive fields of the Secretariat's work. If any activity did so, it was the right to development of the peoples of the world. On section 25, Humanitarian assistance, the narrative should conform with the medium-term plan.
The Secretariat should submit information on how the humanitarian aspects of demining would be implemented by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and on the resources devoted to demining, he said. The programme narrative of section 26 (communications and public information) should be revised to conform with the medium-term plan. The Secretary-General's report should have contained more information and complete description of the recommendations of the task force on the reorientation of United Nations public information that should be implemented. On the proposal to abolish posts, more information should be provided to ensure the capacity of each integrated office to carry out public information and communications functions.
MAURICIO BAQUERO (Colombia), on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, associated himself with the statement made for the Group of 77 and China. The Organization's medium-term plan was its primary policy directive; as such, it should be the paramount consideration in determining the budget for the 1998-1999 biennium. The Secretary-General should submit budget proposals on a full-cost basis and Member States must provide the funds needed to fulfil approved mandates.
The proposed reduction of staff must be considered with the issue of gratis personnel, he continued. The existence of 340 such persons within the Organization, and of 134 within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, was a matter of concern. The functions of that Department must be executed by United Nations staff, in conformity with Assembly resolution 51/243. The Non- Aligned Movement supported the decolonization subprogramme in the medium-term plan, as well as the subprogramme on Palestine. The level of assistance to the Palestinian people must be maintained in the present critical period.
On disarmament, he said that the proposal to restructure the functions of the disarmament secretariat should be guided by the Assembly's resolutions and decisions. The elimination and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction were best addressed through multilaterally negotiated, universal and non-discriminatory agreements. The increasing problem of illicit transfers of weapons, particularly small arms, which worsened the tensions
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that led to conflict and terrorism, and hampered socio-economic development, must be addressed.
The Conference on Disarmament, which was the sole negotiating body on disarmament, should have its secretariat strengthened in accordance with equitable geographical distribution. The fourth special session devoted to disarmament was of great importance in setting the future course of action on related issues, inasmuch as unilateral policies and partial measures were no longer sufficient. The proposed budget's treatment of the regional centres for peace and disarmament, as well as of the fellowship programme, did not reflect the priorities set out in the medium-term plan. That section of the programme narrative of the Secretary-General's report on the financial implications of the reform proposals should be revised accordingly.
While recognizing their importance and universality, the Non-Aligned Movement felt that human rights had been over-emphasized in the Secretary- General's proposals at the expense of development, he said. Why had development not been considered "cross-cutting" in all areas of the Organization's activities? he asked. The Secretary-General's proposal to integrate human rights into the broad range of the Organization's activities required careful consideration. There must be greater transparency in the United Nations human rights machinery. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights must be staffed in accordance with equitable geographical distribution. The High Commissioner should propose actions to implement the right to development.
What was the legislative basis for the creation of data banks on human rights? he asked. On what sources of information would they be based? How would impartiality be ensured? Such data banks, which could be subject to misuse, must contain information on both developed and developing countries. The Secretary-General's programme narrative on human rights should also be revised.
The Non-Aligned Movement was concerned over the transfer of demining activities from the Department of Humanitarian Affairs to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, he said. Further clarification was needed on how the functions of that Department would be distributed within the United Nations system to ensure continued delivery of humanitarian assistance to developing countries. The humanitarian mine clearance policies and practices established by the Department should not be affected. Humanitarian assistance must continue to be governed by the principles of neutrality and respect for States' sovereignty. The narrative programme of that part of the Secretary- General's report should be revised.
AMJAD HUSSAIN SIAL (Pakistan) associated himself with the statements made for the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77. He supported the reform initiative, which should be aimed at bolstering the Organization financially and politically. Reform should not be an endeavour for
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cost-cutting but should be based on the medium-term plan. The Secretary- General's proposed cuts of 1,000 posts were not fully justified. Increases at the higher levels, decreases at the junior levels, and the use of gratis personnel must be considered concomitantly.
In the interest of consensus, Pakistan had reluctantly agreed with the proposal for the creation of a new Department of Disarmament Affairs, he said. The role of the Secretariat in disarmament was largely confined to servicing the negotiating bodies, and that role had been fulfilled adequately under the existing structure. The programme narrative in the Secretary-General's report should be revised to reflect that the mandate of the new Department would be in conformity with the medium-term plan. There was little justification for the proposed post of an Under-Secretary-General for the new Department, given the limited role envisaged for it.
Adequate resources must be given to the decolonization programme in the Department of Political Affairs, he said. There was no need for an Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Legal Affairs. The section on crime control should be examined to ensure that it was in line with the medium-term plan.
While Pakistan attached great importance to the United Nations role in promoting human rights, his delegation did not concur with the Secretary- General's assertion that the issue of human rights cut across the substantive fields of the Secretariat's work programme, he said. According to the United Nations Charter, political, security, economic, social, cultural and humanitarian issues were all interrelated. If one issue was to be singled out for priority, it should be the basic right to development.
He asked how the function of demining activities would be carried out by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; it should be retained in the Department of Humanitarian Affairs. The issue of seconded personnel from non-governmental organizations should be subject to Assembly resolution 51/243. On the matter of net budgeting, he said the amounts "netted out" in the Secretary-General's budget estimates should be restored in the programme budget for 1998-1999. Pakistan supported the establishment of a development account.
MICHEL TOMMO MONTHE (Cameroon) agreed with the statement made on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China. Efficiency was the aim of reforms and one had commonly heard the Secretary-General say that reforms and savings would put the Organization on a sound footing. But, the ACABQ had stated that economies at the expense of lower outputs or standards were false savings. Some of the Secretary-General's savings were sometimes not on sound technical footing. As the ACABQ had stated, the proposals of savings should be the subject of a detailed report that should have been before the Committee by now. What would be reduced from administrative expenditures to provide resources for the development account had not been clearly stated. A detailed
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report on proposed savings and other suggestions should be submitted to the Committee to allow more adequate consideration of the reform proposals.
The three disarmament centres proposed for closure were extremely useful and there were no clear reasons to shut them, he said. The post of the special coordinator for Africa and least developed countries was missing from the organizational chart of the new Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The post should be provided for adequately; it was currently only referred to in a footnote in the Secretary-General's report on the budgetary implications of the proposed reforms. The office should not be treated lightly since it had been created by Member States. The Secretariat should explain how the office would fit in the Department and indicate how it would be funded.
Turning to the current Department of Public Information (DPI), he said information should be at the heart of United Nations reform, to ensure that the Organization was clearly understood in the field. The role of the United Nations information centres had been the subject of debates, and the Secretariat should say which ones would be merged. There was disparity in the treatment of information centres in Africa, and there were plans to cut staff in the name of savings. The centres created by deliberative bodies deserved special attention, and those established for particular countries could not be merged with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) without special attention. The centres should be handled on a case-by-case basis, without trying to force "one size of shoe to fit every foot". He supported some of the comments made by the ACABQ and the CPC.
KOFFI A. ASSAH (Togo) said he opposed the plan to close the regional disarmament centres in Lome, Lima and Kathmandu, which played leading roles in their respective regions. He was astonished by the Secretary-General's proposal to close the centres; they were tools for disarmament and peace. The Secretary-General had previously sent a mission to a centre to find ways to better run them. That mission had suggested the appointment of an adequate level of position to head the centre and the preparation of programmes of work to be shown to donors.
The decision to send a mission to Africa to help revitalize the Lome centre had been taken in response to an Assembly resolution that had called on the Secretary-General to seek new means to better run and fund the centre, he said. Moreover, the ACABQ had stated that the proposal to close the centres should be considered by the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) and the Assembly. Togo and some African countries were making efforts to ensure the provision of voluntary contributions to the centre. He supported the need to maintain the post of Director for the Lome centre in order to implement the actions necessary to improve its functioning.
RICHARD SKLAR (United States) said he supported the establishment of the post of Deputy Secretary-General but the question of its level of remuneration should be considered. He was not convinced of the necessity for an additional
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$500,000 for the Office of the President of the General Assembly. The United States supported the creation of the Department of Disarmament, which should be headed by an Assistant Secretary-General. Convincing arguments had not been made to support the reclassification of a post at the level of Director (D-2) to Assistant Secretary-General, in the Office of the Legal Counsel.
The consolidation of three economic and social departments into one would lead to a more coordinated approach to economic, social, environmental and population aspects of development, he said. It was not necessary to upgrade the post of Assistant Secretary-General in public information to Under-Secretary-General. He supported the application of net budgeting to jointly financed activities in the proposed budget and the creation of a development account.
Speaking on the proposed budget, he said it was critical to stay within the ceiling. Earlier this year, the Secretariat had estimated that, at the end of the year, the budget, estimated at $2.583 billion, would be reduced to $2.533 billion after adjustments for inflation and currency fluctuations. The figure had been recognized by the United States Congress as a no-growth budget target for the year. In the legislation appropriating funds to fully finance the United States 1997 assessments, Congress had established a precondition for making payments. That condition had tied the payment of about $100 million of the United States $304 million assessment to the maintenance of the budget cap. Failure to understand the implications to the United Nations of the failure to adopt the budget within the $2.533 billion limit "would be naive and self-destructive". His delegation effectively "has $160 million of our 1997 assessment in an envelope across the street", he said. "If we cannot certify that the United Nations had not taken any action to breach that budget, we are prevented from delivering $100 million of these funds. If the breach of the budget occurs after a vote in which we vote against the breaching budget, another $60 million is in danger of being withheld."
Those who relished the opportunity to embarrass and put their fingers in the eyes of the United States, to show their influence in the United Nations, and to engage in public abuse or street theatre were welcome to use him as their foil, he said. What was not acceptable was to do real damage to the Organization, which could carry out all of its crucial functions with a budget of $2.533 billion.
ALVARO JARA (Chile) said he associated himself with the statements made for the Group of 77 and China and for the Non-Aligned Movement. As a member of the Special Committee on decolonization, he believed that decolonization played an important role. The Fifth Committee should approve the request made by numerous delegations that the decolonization programme be located in the Department of Political Affairs, and that adequate funds for its work be provided. He lauded the Chairman of the Special Committee for his tireless efforts to carry through negotiations on that topic.
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Another point of special importance to his delegation was the situation of regional centres on disarmament, particularly the one based in Lima, he said. Chile had expressed its interest in revitalizing the activities of that Centre, and would support all measures aimed at pursuing that goal. He expressed concern at the elimination of the post of director of that Centre.
ABDELSALAM MEDINA (Morocco) associated himself with the statements made for the Group of 77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement. He supported the Secretary-General's proposal to reclassify a post in budget section 6, Legal Affairs.
CLAUDIO ROZENCWAIG (Argentina) associated himself with the views expressed on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Regarding the creation of the position of Deputy Secretary-General, it was important to stress that the person would exercise authority delegated by the Secretary-General. Consequently, the Assembly would not need to confirm that person. However, in light of the functions to be performed in the absence of the Secretary- General, the election had legal and political ramifications. Therefore, it would be appropriate to know what role Member States would play in the selection of the Deputy Secretary-General.
He said he supported the new Disarmament Department. However, it was up to Member States to prepare strategies and policies aimed at avoiding proliferation of weapons. His delegation had indicated on several occasions that the merging of the sections on crime control could lead to confusion. He supported the replacement of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs by the Office of the Emergency Relief Coordinator.
The Special Committee on decolonization had been created to examine the implementation of the Declaration on decolonization, he recalled. Today, the Special Committee still dealt with 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories. Member States had rejected the proposal to transfer that Unit from the Department of Political Affairs to the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services. The majority of delegations had reaffirmed the political character of the Unit. The substantive responsibilities of the decolonization programme in the Department of Political Affairs necessitated the maintenance of all the existing staff.
CHEN YUE (China) said, in principle, her delegation concurred with the ACABQ's recommendations on the proposed budget. The United Nations budget should meet the resource needs of all mandated activities. It was, therefore, inappropriate to predetermine the budget's ceiling, which would only adversely affect the work of the Organization. Given the importance and wide range of its work, China believed that the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services should be provided with sufficient human and financial resources. The Secretary-General's report had failed to explain clearly why that Department would not support the Fifth and Sixth (Legal) Committees or the Security Council.
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More of the United Nations limited resources should be devoted to development activities, she said. The Secretary-General should submit a technical report on the development account, for States' consideration, at the earliest possible date. Regarding the Secretary-General's use of net budgeting, the Secretariat should compare the benefits of both methods, and provide Member States with further information. On human rights, she agreed with the views expressed by the representatives of the United Republic of Tanzania and those of the representative of Colombia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. China had very much the same questions as had been raised by the Non-Aligned Movement. The principle of equitable geographical distribution must be respected in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
DJAMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) expressed support for statements for the Group of 77 and China and for the Non-Aligned Movement. While he supported the proposals to reform the United Nations, they should conform with the medium-term plan and the Organization's financial regulations and rules.
Turning to the programme on decolonization, he said he would help ensure proper resources for the Decolonization Unit. The proposals on the economic and social section did not fully comply with the narratives of the medium-term plan. Resources for technical cooperation activities should be ensured in the relevant sections and adequate personnel provided. A new organizational chart under the budget section related to drug control should be provided to the Committee. On measures to eliminate terrorism, he supported the view that two posts should be created to help deal with that scourge.
Even though the promotion of human rights was a noble goal towards which Algeria worked, selectivity should be avoided and human rights should not be used as political tools, he said. In that context, he expressed concern regarding the programme narrative of the budget section on human rights, which had failed to give the right to development the priority status it deserved. Development should be incorporated into a range of United Nations activities. There was no justification for additional resources to strengthen the New York Office for human rights, since all it would do was to coordinate some work. Certain proposals under the section on humanitarian assistance should be eliminated.
RAJAT SAHA (India) said reforms could not substitute the provision of adequate resources commensurate with the needs for the full implementation of all mandated programmes and activities. No amount of reforms could succeed if Member States continued to be hampered by a lack of resources, which seemed to be a chronic ailment of the United Nations over the last few years.
In that context, he said he was satisfied with the desire to allocate $12.7 million to the development account. However, such administrative cost reductions to fund the account should not hamper the implementation of all
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mandates. He would like further clarification on the sustainability of the account beyond the present period. It was essential to start a process that would ensure that the required level of $200 million was achieved by the set period of the year 2002. Noting the proposal to transfer $2.3 million from the regular budget to the UNDP in relation to the proposal to move work on coordination of disaster mitigation to the UNDP, he said such a move should not end in diverting the Programme's scarce resources to the administrative costs of the activities transferred there. The right to development -- under the budget section on human rights -- should be strengthened, as it encapsulated and promoted all aspects of human rights.
AHMED DARWISH (Egypt) expressed support for the statements for the Group of 77 and China and for the Non-Aligned Movement. The medium-term plan should remain the main guiding principle for United Nations policies. Egypt supported the creation of a Deputy Secretary-General and would express its views on its financial implications after the Assembly acted on the matter. The new Department of Disarmament Affairs could be created but the narrative on the section should be reviewed to conform with the medium-term plan.
He supported the creation of two new posts to help deal with the issue of terrorism, which was a stumbling block to political and social development and a violation of human rights. Efforts to eliminate that scourge must be strengthened. The remark of the ACABQ that seemed to hedge on the creation of the two new posts was unjustified since the posts accorded with the medium- term plan's goals of fighting terrorism. He shared the ACABQ's view on the abolition of some posts under communications and public information, that such action should not hamper the ability of the various offices of the Organization to carry out their functions. The department should be strengthened and led by an Under-Secretary-General, in line with the important role to be played by information and communications.
The creation of a Decolonization Unit in the Department of Political Affairs was welcome and the merger of three economic and social departments into a single one would be the subject of proposals his delegation would make during informal consultations, he said. The standard of the ACABQ's reports should remain at the level the Fifth Committee was used to; the one on the Secretary-General's reform proposals was not at that level.
EVA SILOT (Cuba) said her delegation's views were reflected in the statements made for the Group of 77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement. The level of resources approved for the budget should ensure full implementation of all programmes and activities mandated by the Assembly. Therefore, she opposed any attempt to impose arbitrary ceilings for the budget. The Organization's present situation of financial chaos must be remedied, to ensure its orderly functioning and to restore declining confidence in it. Efforts to increase the Organization's efficiency would only bear fruit when the financial blackmail of the principal contributor was halted and its payments were made.
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She said she agreed with the approach followed by the ACABQ to appropriate resources for the full realization of all activities, and to restore resources eliminated through net budgeting. Net budgeting was a violation of the Organization's financial regulations. Regarding the proposed post of Deputy Secretary-General, who was to be appointed for a period no longer than the term of the Secretary-General, she asked whether that post was envisaged as a permanent post. The proposed strategic planning unit should be staffed with a P-5, a P-4 and a General Service posts. Requests for consultants should also be justified. Upon receipt of such information, Cuba would comment on the level of resources requested.
She expressed concern at the increase of high-level posts in the Office of the Secretary-General. All the resources and posts earmarked for implementation of the subprogramme on decolonization should be transferred to the Department of Political Affairs, in light of the substantive nature of decolonization. The level of resources suggested for the Unit did not reflect its political importance. The secretariats of the Fifth and Sixth Committees and the Security Council should be transferred to the new Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services.
Cuba supported examining the structure of the Departments of Political Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations with a view to a possible future consolidation, she continued. Such consolidation might enhance rationalization and eliminate duplication. She was concerned at the reduction of resources proposed for technical cooperation and asked where, in the new structure, administrative support for technical cooperation would be located.
She endorsed the comments made by the representative of Algeria regarding section 22, Human rights. On section 25, Humanitarian assistance, she said that given the impact on the medium-term plan, the Secretariat should present a document indicating the proposed changes. She supported the appropriation of $12.7 million for the establishment of a development account. The numerous elements of the establishment of that account should be considered in detail. Finally, she expressed grave concern over the apparent use of involuntary separation as a means of applying the programme of reform.
JUAN MIGUEL MIRANDA (Peru) supported the statements made for the Non-Aligned Movement and for the Group of 77 and China. The abolishment of the posts of directors in the regional disarmament centres in Nepal, Togo and Peru was counter to the medium-term plan. The regional centres should be revitalized, in light of the importance of their work, instead of measures being taken that appeared to lead to their abolishment.
TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syria) associated himself with the statements made for the Group of 77 and China and for the Non-Aligned Movement. The two posts proposed for the Decolonization Unit were not practical. In addition, the grade of the Secretary of the Special Committee on decolonization had been
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lowered from a D-1 to a P-5. Syria could not accept that reduction, which directly countered the medium-term plan. The post of the Secretary should be located within the Department of Political Affairs.
REGINA EMERSON (Portugal) expressed support for the decolonization programme and was pleased with the Secretary-General's plan to establish a stand-alone Decolonization Unit in the Department of Political Affairs to handle substantial activities. She expressed concern regarding the proposals on the substantive services to be carried out by that Department. The Unit seemed lonely since it would appear to have only one person, a D-1. Such a proposal would not adequately service the substantial activities related to decolonization. She would try to ensure that the priority programme had adequate financial and human resources.
CARLOS PEREZ-DESOY (Spain) expressed support for statements made regarding the reorganization of the Decolonization Unit along the lines proposed in the addendum to the Secretary-General's report on the budget implications of United Nations reforms (document A/52/303/Add.1). It did not seem appropriate to transfer some decolonization-related resources from the Department of Political Affairs to those for the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services. He was struck that it would occur presently, at a time when the United Nations was heading towards the end of the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.
JIMMY OVIA (Papua New Guinea) said he supported the views expressed for the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China. Having read the addendum to the report on the budgetary effects of the reform proposals, he recalled that the Secretary-General had reaffirmed his commitment to the medium-term plan, which proposed a certain level of staffing for decolonization. Despite that commitment, however, the addendum did not honour the Secretary-General's pledge contained in his letters to the Chairman of the Special Committee on decolonization. The addendum would propose only four professional posts for the Decolonization Unit (one D-1, one P-3 and two General Service posts), would downgrade the post of the Secretary of the Special Committee to a P-5 level and would not provide adequate staffing. The staffing proposed for the Unit would not be accepted. The proposals seemed to undermine what had been committed to in the context of the International Decade. The Committee should take appropriate action.
MOWAFAK MAHMOUD AYOUB (Iraq) said the addendum had ignored the statement made by many delegations in the Assembly, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) and the Fifth Committee. It did not conform with the commitment made by the Secretary-General to retain certain posts for decolonization as mentioned in the medium-term plan. Rather, it proposed fewer staff than required. A single D-1 level position could not carry out the functions of the Decolonization Unit. The proposal to downgrade the level of the post of Secretary of the Special Committee from D-1 to P-5 could not be supported. He would rather oppose the provision of a D-1 to an executive office than deprive the Unit of such a post at that level.
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