FIFTH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS REVISING SALARIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL AND UNDP ADMINISTRATOR
Press Release
GA/AB/3209
FIFTH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS REVISING SALARIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL AND UNDP ADMINISTRATOR
19971219 Budgetary Implications of Draft Resolution On Reform To Be Considered in Proposed 1998-1999 BudgetThe General Assembly would revise, effective 1 January 1998, the net remunerations of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to $218,244 and of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), James Gustave Speth, to $175,991, should it adopt a draft resolution approved without a vote this afternoon by its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary). The Committee took the action as it considered aspects of the 1998-1999 budget.
Approving the draft resolution annexed to a report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), the Fifth Committee also concurred with the ACABQ's revisions to the Secretary-General's retirement allowance and the UNDP Administrator's pensionable remuneration.
Currently, the Secretary-General's net remuneration -- net base salary plus post adjustment -- is $213,536 and the UNDP Administrator's is $172,195. In addition, the Secretary-General gets a representation allowance of $25,000 and the Administrator receives $10,000.
In other action, the Committee decided to inform the Assembly that the budget implications arising from draft resolution A/52/L.72/Rev.1 -- on renewing the United Nations, a programme for reform -- will be considered in the proposed 1998-1999 budget.
Substantial decisions on the second performance report for 1996-1997 were also deferred to allow more time for consultations.
On other matters, Cameroon's representative said the Secretary-General should give the Fifth Committee more time to enable it to adequately discuss its very sensitive agenda items, such as the scale of assessments, the proposed 1998-1999 budget and the Organization's staffing. Failure to give the Committee the time it required could lead to a collapse of consultations, jeopardizing the Organization's future.
Fifth Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/AB/3209 45th Meeting (PM) 19 December 1997
The Russian Federation's representative announced that his country had recently paid $63 million to the United Nations, to reduce its arrears to the Organization.
The United States representative also spoke.
The Chairman of the ACABQ, Conrad Mselle, introduced that body's report on top-level compensations.
The Fifth Committee is scheduled to meet again at 10 a.m., on Monday, 22 December.
Committee Work Programme
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this afternoon to consider questions related to the 1996-1997 and the 1998-1999 budgets.
On the 1996-1997 budget, the Committee had before it the second performance report on that biennium. On the 1998-1999 one, it had the budget implications of draft resolution A/52/L.72, on United Nations reform. It also had a report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) that would review some compensations of the Secretary- General and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
(For background information on the second performance report on the 1996-1997 budget, see Press Release GA/AB/3205 of 15 December. On the revised implications of the draft text on reform, see Press Release GA/AB/3208 of 18 December.)
Questions Related to Proposed 1998-1999 Budget
In its report (document A/52/7/Add.8), the ACABQ recommends that the salary and retirement allowance of the Secretary-General and salary and pensionable remuneration of the UNDP Administrator be set at their 1 November 1997 levels, with effect from 1 January 1998. A draft resolution embodying the ACABQ's recommendations is annexed to the report.
According to the ACABQ, the November 1997 level of the Secretary- General's total net remuneration should be $218,244. Since the Assembly had decided that his retirement allowance be set at 50 per cent of his net remuneration (net base salary plus post adjustment) the sum should have risen to $109,122 effective 1 November 1997. As for the UNDP Administrator, his pensionable remuneration should have increased to $212,291 as at the same date. The adjustments are proposed in order to apply some of the revisions that have been made to the salaries and post adjustments of Professional and higher-category staff.
Currently, the net remuneration of the Secretary-General is $213,536 and the UNDP Administrator's is $172,195, according to the ACABQ. In addition, the Secretary-General gets a representation allowance of $25,000 and the Administrator receives $10,000. The maximum annual retirement allowance for the Secretary-General is $106,727 and the pensionable remuneration of the Administrator is $208,537.
The increase in the Secretary-General's total net salary (net base salary plus post adjustment) would raise expenditure under the budget's section 1A, Overall policy-making, direction and coordination, by $9,416, according to the ACABQ. The consequential increases in the maximum retirement allowance for three former Secretaries-General would raise costs under budget
Fifth Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/AB/3209 45th Meeting (PM) 19 December 1997
section 30, Special expenses, by $14,370 at the rate of $2,395 per former Secretary-General for 1998. The changes would be reflected in the context of the first performance report for 1998-1999.
Statements on Proposed 1998-1999 Budget
ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, informed the Committee that the draft resolution on United Nations reform had been revised. He, therefore, proposed an oral draft decision that could be forwarded to the Assembly. By its terms, the budget implications arising from draft resolution A/52/L.72/Rev.1 -- on renewing the United Nations, a programme for reform -- will be considered in the proposed 1998-1999 budget (A/52/303 and Add.1).
The Committee approved the decision without a vote.
CONRAD S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the ACABQ, introduced and reviewed that body's report on remuneration of the Secretary-General and the UNDP Administrator. The ACABQ's proposal would apply to the compensations of the two officials, in order to reflect the revisions that had been implemented for Professional and higher-category staff. Traditionally, the ACABQ also recommended a draft resolution that would have the Assembly adjust the compensations as appropriate. The ACABQ's recommendations would bring up-to-date the compensations of the Secretary-General and the UNDP Administrator. He commended the report to the Committee.
JAMES BOND (United States) asked the ACABQ Chairman and the United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, how they had arrived at the figure concerning the increase in the expenditure under section 1A, Overall policy- making, direction and coordination, which would result from the increase in the Secretary-General's net salary. Members of his delegation had tried and failed to calculate that number.
Mr. MSELLE, Chairman of the ACABQ, said he would have to revert to his worksheets, but he could assure the representative that the amount had been carefully calculated based on the recommendations in the ACABQ report. Paragraph 10 of the ACABQ report stated that, should the Assembly approve the proposals, the Secretariat would reflect the changes involved in the context of the first performance report of the biennium 1998-1999, which would be submitted in November or December of 1998. The adoption of the recommendation would not give rise to additional appropriations at the current stage.
Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, then proposed that the Committee approve the draft resolution annexed to the ACABQ report. By that text, the Assembly would concur with the Advisory Committee's recommendation on the salary and retirement allowance of the Secretary-General and the salary and pensionable remuneration of the UNDP Administrator. It would also approve the related amendment to the United Nations Staff Regulations with effect from 1 January 1998.
Fifth Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/AB/3209 45th Meeting (PM) 19 December 1997
The Committee approved, without a vote, the draft resolution on salary and retirement allowance of the Secretary-General and the salary and pensionable remuneration of the UNDP Administrator.
Statements on 1996-1997 Budget
Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said the matter had been previously postponed to allow consultations to continue on the second performance report on the 1996-1997 budget. To enable those negotiations to proceed, he proposed that the Committee defer its action today.
The Committee agreed with his proposal.
Other Matters
MICHEL TOMMO MONTHE (Cameroon) said the Secretary-General should give the Fifth Committee adequate time to discuss the very sensitive subjects it was dealing with, such as the scale of assessments, the proposed 1998-1999 budget and the Organization's staffing. Failure to allow the Committee the time it required to do its job properly could lead to the collapse of consultations or negotiations, thereby jeopardizing the Organization's future.
EVGUENI DEINEKO (Russian Federation) announced that his country had recently paid $63 million to the United Nations, clearing its arrears for some peacekeeping operations and reduced those for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the missions in Somalia. The arrears, which at one time stood at $500 million, was currently less than $140 million.
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