FIFTH COMMITTEE CONCLUDES FIRST PART OF RESUMED SESSION

27 March 1998

Press Release
GA/AB/3224

FIFTH COMMITTEE CONCLUDES FIRST PART OF RESUMED SESSION

19980327 Texts Approved on Procurement Reform, Independent Study of IMIS, Financing of MINURSO, Conference Services Matters, 1996-1997 Budget Allocation

The General Assembly would request the Secretary-General to examine the possibility of awarding contracts to equally qualified vendors from countries that are current in the payment of their assessed contributions, according to one of several actions by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this evening, as it concluded the first part of its resumed fifty-second session.

By other terms of the draft resolution on procurement reform and outsourcing practices, the Secretary-General would be requested to intensify his efforts to broaden the supplier roster's geographical base, and examine ways to increase contract opportunities for developing countries.

Statements in explanation of position on procurement reform were made by the representatives of Indonesia (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Syria, Russian Federation, Turkey, Uganda, Pakistan, Canada and India.

By a draft resolution on the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), the Office for Internal Oversight Services would be asked to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the reasons for the increase in contract costs. Also, the Secretary-General would be requested to have independent experts conduct a study of the system, to be submitted by the end of the main part of the Assembly's fifty-third session.

Noting an unspent balance of $9.3 million from the regular budget for the biennium 1996-1997, the General Assembly would allocate $2.5 million for IMIS for 1998 and $1.3 million for improving conference facilities, according to a draft decision approved. The balance would be retained with a view to financing the activities of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Statements in explanation of position were made by the representative of Egypt, Japan and Cuba.

By a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the General Assembly would decide

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to appropriate $17.2 million gross (just under $16 million net) for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 to MINURSO. That total amount would be inclusive of the $9.3 million gross (just under $8.5 million net) already authorized for the period from 1 November 1997 to 31 March 1998 and would be in addition to the $30.2 million gross (about $28.4 million net) already appropriated for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998.

The representatives of Algeria and Morocco made statements in explanation of position on the text on MINURSO. Louise Laheurte, Principal Officer, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, also spoke.

By one of two oral draft decisions approved this evening, the Assembly would note that documents are not being submitted as required by Assembly resolution 52/214 B and would emphasize that its provisions should be implemented. [That resolution requests, in part, that reports from the Secretariat contain, where appropriate, summaries, conclusions, recommendations and background information.] By the other text, the Assembly would decide that documents issued by the Secretariat related to the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names should be translated into the six official languages.

The representative of Syria spoke in explanation of position.

In other action, the Committee recommended that the Assembly take note of the Secretary-General's report on the upgrading of conference rooms and interpretation booths. Also, it decided to defer consideration of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and the Office of Internal Oversight Services to its next resumed fifty-second session.

Also this evening, the Committee recommended the appointment of Nester Odaga-Jalomayo (Uganda) to the United Nations Staff Pension Committee, to serve a three-year term of office from the date of his appointment until 31 December 2001.

The Committee's Chairman, Anwarul Karim Chowdhury (Bangladesh), made a concluding statement, as did the representatives of India, Indonesia (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Pakistan, Uganda, Japan, Philippines (for the Association of South-East Asian Nations -- ASEAN) and Cuba.

Toshiyuki Niwa, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services, addressed the Committee on procurement reform and the IMIS.

The second part of the Fifth Committee's resumed session will be held from 11 to 29 May.

Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this afternoon to take action on draft texts on procurement reform and on the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). It was also expected to take up aspects of the following items: appointments to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs and other appointments; programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, particularly the ninth progress report of the Secretary-General on the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS); the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU); the United Nations pattern of conferences; and the report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services.

(For background on reports on IMIS, see Press Releases GA/AB/3212 of 9 March and GA/AB/3220 of 23 March; for information on the JIU, see Press Release GA/AB/3172 of 22 October 1997; for pattern of conferences, see Press Release GA/AB/3218 of 19 March; and for background on reports on the Oversight Office, see Press Releases GA/AB/3185 of 5 November 1997 and GA/AB/3144 of 15 May 1997.)

The Committee has before it a note by the Secretary-General on the appointment of members and alternate members of the United Nations Staff Pension Committee (document A/C.5/52/11/Add.2) stating that the Assembly, during its current session, should appoint two persons (one from the Group of African States and one from the Group of Asian States) to fill vacancies arising in the membership of the Staff Pension Committee effective 31 December 1997. The note states that the Government of Benin has nominated Zacharie Richard Akplogan for appointment effective 1 January 1998 and transmits his curriculum vitae. In a related note (document A/C.5/52/11/Add.3) the Secretary-General states that the Government of Uganda has nominated Nester Odaga-Jalomayo to fill the same seat and transmits that candidate's curriculum vitae.

By part A of a two-part draft resolution on procurement reform and outsourcing (document A/C.5/52/L.31), the Assembly would call upon the Secretary-General to ensure strict adherence to rules governing the procurement process. Noting that the procurement manual had not been issued, it would request him to publish the manual no later than 31 March.

By other provisions of part A, which has 29 operative paragraphs, the Assembly would request that the Secretary-General examine ways to increase opportunities for developing countries in the award of procurement contracts, and examine the possibility of awarding procurement contracts to equally qualified vendors from countries that are current in the payment of their assessed contributions. The Assembly would also request that he review the organizational structure of the Procurement Division to ensure effective and efficient management.

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Further by the text, the Assembly would express regret that despite initial efforts of the Secretary-General, the supplier roster is not representative of the United Nations membership and would request him to further intensify and focus his efforts to broaden the roster's geographical base. The Assembly would request that he take all possible measures to increase procurement from developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

He would be further requested, in the context of the next report on procurement reform, to evolve and provide the standards for measuring efficiency of procurement, taking into account the optimal duration of the procurement decision-making process, the total workload in the Procurement Division and the cost-efficiency of procurement, against which all performance should be measured. In addition, he would be requested to ensure that all departments and offices at Headquarters and in the field develop, in cooperation with the Procurement Division, annual procurement plans which should be made publicly available.

By part B of the text, the Assembly would welcome the continued coordination of efforts between the Office of Internal Oversight Services and the JIU to improve and streamline the outsourcing activities of the United Nations and the organizations of the United Nations system; and request the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report on outsourcing practices for consideration by the General Assembly at the main part of its fifty-third session.

Also before the Committee is a draft decision on the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) (document A/C.5/52/L.30), by which the Assembly would decide to appropriate to the Special Account for MINURSO the amount of some $17.2 million gross (just under $16 million net) for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998, inclusive of the amount of some $9.3 million gross (just under $8.5 million net) already authorized by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for the period from 1 November 1997 to 31 March 1998 and in addition to the amount of some $30.2 million gross (about $28.4 million net) already appropriated for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998.

The Assembly would also decide, as an ad hoc arrangement, to apportion the additional amount of just under $11.1 million gross (about $10.3 million net) for the period ending 20 April 1998 among Member States, taking into account the amount of some $24.3 million gross (just under $23 million net) already assessed for the same period under the terms of resolution 51/2 B, as well as the scale of assessments for the years 1997 and 1998.

The Assembly would further decide, as an ad hoc arrangement, to apportion the amount of just under $6.1 million gross (about $5.7 million net) -- for the period from 21 April to 30 June 1998 -- among Member States at

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monthly rates indicated in an annex to the draft, in accordance with the scheme set out in the present resolution and the scale of assessments for the year 1998, and subject to the decision of the Security Council to extend the mandate of the mission beyond 20 April.

Under other terms of the text, the Assembly would endorse the observations and recommendations contained in the report of the ACABQ and note that paragraph 7 of that report was neither an observation nor a recommendation.

[Paragraph 7 of the ACABQ's report (document A/52/816) states that the Advisory Committee was informed that, at the request of the Government of Morocco, discussions were under way to open two additional centres in northern Morocco in view of the large number of applicants from non-contested groups residing in that part of the country who remain to be convoked. That would bring the number of identification centres to 11 instead of 9.]

Action

The Committee decided to recommend by acclamation the appointment of Nester Odaga-Jalomayo, of Uganda, to the United Nations Staff Pension Committee, to serve a three-year term from the date of appointment by the General Assembly until 31 December 2001. Mr. Odaga-Jalomayo, whose nomination was endorsed by the Group of African States, was appointed to fill one of two remaining vacant seats in the Pension Committee. Zacharie Richard Akplogan had been recommended by the Government of Benin to fill the same vacancy. In view of the Group of African States' support for Mr. Odaga-Jalomayo's nomination, Benin withdrew Mr. Akplogan's nomination.

HENRY HANSON-HALL (Ghana) introduced the draft resolution on MINURSO. He said that delegations had exhibited extreme statesmanship and understanding and had supported the Coordinator of the consultations. Delegations had provided him with encouragement and support. The spirit displayed had been traditional of the Fifth Committee.

The Committee approved the draft resolution without a vote.

EL HASSANE ZAHID (Morocco) said he wished to thank the Coordinator for his excellent work of coordination which had enabled the Committee to reach a text that could be approved. He asked that an explanation that had been given during the informal consultations be provided in the course of the formal meeting to ensure that it was recorded in the summary records of the Committee.

ABDELKADER MESDOUA (Algeria) said his delegation also wished to thank the Coordinator from Ghana for his efforts, as well as all delegations which had participated in the consultations. He said he was pleased to note that common sense and logic had prevailed over all other considerations.

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LOUISE LAHEURTE, Principal Officer, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said that, following Security Council resolution 1133 (1997), the Interim Special Representative of the Secretary-General had informed both parties involved that MINURSO had decided to open 12 identification centres, nine of which would function concurrently. The Secretary-General's report of 15 January had referred to the fact that steps were taken by MINURSO to commence the identification work in Mauritania and in Morocco with a view to reaching the total of nine centres that would function simultaneously.

The Secretary-General had concluded that it would be more practical to convene members of non-contested tribes, living in the north of Morocco, in that region, she said. The Secretary-General had, therefore, decided that for those groups the identification would take place in two places -- El Kelaa Des Sraghna and Sidi Kacem -- in the north. That was a purely practical and operational decision on the part of the Secretary-General, in order to facilitate the identification of the non-contested tribes in the north. It was taken in light of the fact that nine centres were to be operating simultaneously at all times.

She said the decision to proceed with the identification operation in the north did not prejudge the decisions that the Secretary-General would take regarding the members of contested tribes which were asking to participate in the referendum.

Mr. ZAHID (Morocco) thanked the Secretariat for its explanation and said that when the word "contested" was used, regarding tribes, they were contested by the other parties, not Morocco. Those persons were candidates who had been recorded by the United Nations.

Mr. MESDOUA (Algeria) thanked the Secretariat for its useful clarification. The Fifth Committee was not to consider political aspects of peacekeeping operations; it was entrusted with budgetary and administrative matters. He recalled paragraph 30 of the Secretary-General's report of 15 January (document S/1998/35) in which the Secretary-General had said he had decided that the identification meetings for persons residing in the north of Morocco would take place in two places in that area. At no time had the Secretary-General used the word "centre". Individuals would be going to the north to carry out temporary missions.

Mr. ZAHID (Morocco) said that the Secretary-General had spoken of a decision to identify candidates who belonged to a part of the tribes that were called "uncontested" by the other party in two localities. Those localities were indeed centres. Secretariat teams might be drawn from persons working on other teams or from the south. They were, thus, two additional centres, where identification would be carried out. The total number of centres might reach 12, and could even go beyond that number if the Secretary-General thought it was necessary. Morocco had requested that more centres be established because it wanted the identification to conclude as soon as possible. Opposing the

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establishment of identification centres was tantamount to attempting to delay the identification process, and that was the essence of his delegation's concern. Morocco had made its willingness to participate evident.

The CHAIRMAN reminded Committee members that the text had been adopted, and that substantive issues could be considered in other settings.

Mr. MESDOUA (Algeria) said his delegation would not take the floor again on the matter, even if the representative of Morocco was to speak again. The Algerian delegation had shown great flexibility, and had not intended to take the floor again, convinced as it was of the justness of its position, after having heard the Secretariat's explanations in previous meetings. The Algerian delegation had agreed to the proposed wording in the text even though it seemed clumsy. The Algerian delegation's objective, the same as the international community's, was to give all necessary support to MINURSO to ensure that the Houston Agreements would be implemented, and that free elections could be held for the Saharawi people. At no time did his delegation intend to complicate the Committee's work.

Mr. ZAHID (Morocco) said the language that had been called "clumsy" had not been proposed by his delegation, but rather had been inserted in response to a concern by Algeria. His delegation had evinced flexibility. He had said outside of the Committee room that the explanation given in the informal consultations be made in the formal meeting. He had not concealed that he had asked for that explanation. The Secretariat was to provide an explanation. That had been clear to all delegations from the outset of the meeting.

Next, the Committee decided to defer consideration of the items on the Office of Internal Oversight Services and the JIU to the next resumed session.

The meeting was suspended.

When the meeting resumed approximately one hour later, ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said that like other delegates he did not feel comfortable continuing so late on Friday evening. Hopefully, work could be concluded quickly. He asked delegates to limit the length of their explanations of position.

The Committee then took up procurement reform.

MILES ARMITAGE (Australia), who had conducted consultations on the subject, introduced the draft resolution on procurement reform and outsourcing practices. He said informal consultations had been well attended and that delegates had shown a keen interest in the subject. His task had been made easier by the high level of cooperation shown by delegates. He added that he had been touched by the expressions of good will shown by delegates regarding the recent birth of his daughter, Grace.

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TOSHIYUKI NIWA, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services, said that he was brand new to his job and that the draft before him was detailed and comprehensive. He would, however, do his best to comply with its provisions.

While he had not yet seen the procurement manual, people were working day and night to complete it, he said. He hoped to have an acceptable working document in the next few days. There might be some short additional delays. He was trying his best to comply.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said he hoped that Mr. Niwa would do his best to make the manual available.

RADHIA ACHOURI (Tunisia) pointed out a technical mistake in the French version of the draft text.

JANIE LETROT HADJ HAMOU (France) said that she too had noted technical problems with the French version of the draft.

AMJAD SIAL (Pakistan) also pointed out a minor correction to be made to the text.

The Committee approved the draft resolution, as orally amended, without a vote.

Speaking in explanation of position after action, PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia), on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said the Group welcomed the approval of the draft text and wished to express its gratitude to the Coordinator for his fine work. This was one of the priority items for the Group, which was ready to work with other delegations, in the future, to improve the procurement and outsourcing practices in the United Nations, and to increase the geographical base of the Supplier Roster.

TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syria) said his delegation supported the statement made on behalf of the Group of 77. Syria had joined consensus on the draft, but believed that the Secretariat should have better handled all aspects of procurement, especially the issue of posts across the board. He stressed that there should not be selectivity with regard to reclassification of posts. He added that the role of the Headquarters Committee on Contracts in reducing the arbitration cases in the work of procurement should be stressed. He thanked the Coordinator for his efforts.

VLADIMIR V. KUZNETZOV (Russian Federation) thanked the Coordinator for his capable and professional work. His delegation attached great importance to the resolution and the main guidelines it contained. The resolution reflected the general dissatisfaction of Member States with the lack of any real progress in the field. It was hoped that the Secretariat would address the concerns of Member States. The presence of Mr. Niwa, the Acting Assistant

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Secretary-General for Central Support Services, in informal consultations had been noted with pleasure.

The Russian Federation was profoundly dissatisfied regarding the Secretariat's attitude regarding the subject of arbitration, he said. Delegations had asked specific questions on the problem, most of which had been in written form. The replies received from the Secretariat could not be taken seriously. The Russian Federation did not intend to reconcile itself with such a state of affairs in the future.

FIKRET DEMIR (Turkey) thanked the coordinator for patient leadership that had produced such satisfactory results. Turkey attached great importance to the subject. Ensuring transparency and economy in the procurement process was essential.

All procurement should be conducted under the competitive bidding process, he said. Effective use of a Supplier Roster which represented a broad geographical base was also essential. Turkey also placed importance on the speedy issuance of the procurement manual.

NESTER ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda), explaining his position of paragragh 22 of the text, said the Assembly had taken a decision to reorganize its procurement work, peacekeeping activities were being reduced, and the procurement authority was increasingly being delegated to offices away from Headquarters. All of those factors represented a reduction in the responsibilities of the Chief of the Procurement Division, currently at the D-1 level. His delegation had not found any justification to increase the level of that post.

He expressed concern at the number of high-level posts being created, he said. The Organization needed more women and men to be effective, rather than having more generals. He hoped that when the Secretary-General submitted his report on the paragraph, he would take those concerns into account.

AMJAD SIAL (Pakistan) said that paragraph 15 included the line "other intergovernmental institutions", which might need some explanation. When his delegation had proposed the paragraph, it had intended that the practices of the World Bank would be taken into account.

The resolution contained a number of deadlines, he continued. Mr. Niwa had explained about one deadline regarding the procurement manual. The time limits contained in the text had been taken from the Secretary-General's report; they had not been imposed by the General Assembly. He hoped the resolution would be respected, and expressed full confidence in Mr. Niwa's ability.

SAMUEL HANSON (Canada) said paragraphs 14 and 15 opened avenues of inquiry which could lead to the adoption of changes in procurement procedures. Those changes could place a heavy burden for making delicate decisions on the

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head of the Procurement Division. Therefore, the question of increasing the level of the post remained open.

RAJAT SAHA (India) said the Assembly had given the Procurement Division the task of producing reports within a set time frame, and that was its first priority. Regarding the question of reclassification of the post, due consideration should first be given to the question of the manual and other items. It was not a question of reclassification as a panacea, it was about a comprehensive look at the structure at all levels.

The CHAIRMAN said the documentation asked for in the resolution must be presented on time. The Secretariat should take note of that fact.

Next, the Committee took up matters related to the programme budget for 1998-1999 and programme budget for 1996-1997.

CARLOS RIVA (Argentina), who had conducted the Committee's informal consultations on the two items, introduced a draft resolution entitled Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) (document A/C.5/52/L.32).

By the draft, the Assembly would take note of the difficulties inherent in the IMIS project, and endorse the observations and recommendations of the Board of Auditors in its report on the special audit of the project (document A/52/755). It would request the Secretary-General to entrust the Oversight Office with conducting a comprehensive analysis of the reasons for the increase in the costs of the contract and report to the General Assembly before the conclusion of the main part of its fifty-third session.

Also by the draft, the Secretary-General would be requested to have a forward-looking study of the system conducted by independent experts to be submitted no later than the end of the main part of the fifty-third General Assembly session.

He then introduced a draft decision (document A/C.5/52/L.33) by which the Assembly would take note of an unspent balance of $9.3 million from the regular budget for the biennium 1996-1997, and decide: to allocate to IMIS an amount of $2.5 million for 1998; to allocate $1.3 million for improving and refurbishing conference facilities; and to retain the balance with a view to financing the activities of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Ms. LETROT HADJ HAMOU (France) drew attention to differences between the French and English texts.

AMANY FAHMY (Egypt) made a technical correction to the draft resolution.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said the Secretariat had taken note of the corrections to be made.

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The Committee then approved the draft resolution, with the proposed changes, without a vote.

The Committee then approved the draft decision without a vote.

Speaking after action, AMANY M. FAHMY (Egypt) said her delegation wished to thank the Coordinator for his efforts. Egypt had joined consensus on the draft resolution despite its conviction that the additional amount requested for IMIS could have been found within the 1998-1999 programme budget. Egypt's joining of the consensus had been based on the understanding that the draft text would not prejudge the content of a forthcoming report on financing for UNCTAD. Egypt felt it important that the Secretariat should submit the report at the second part of its resumed session.

KOJI F.X. YAMAGIWA (Japan) said that as had been pointed out in preceding meetings, additional surplus could not automatically be used for the IMIS. Japan felt that the surplus should, in principle, be returned to Member States. Japan had agreed to the draft in the spirit of compromise. Japan wished to revert to the issue of how to deal with the remaining surplus of $5.5 million at the next resumed session.

EVA SILOT BRAVO (Cuba) said Cuba wished to thank the Coordinator for his efforts. Her delegation would have preferred that the funds requested for IMIS be taken from the 1998-1999 programme budget, but it had gone along to achieve consensus.

She repeated a request for information from the Secretariat regarding the date of the recruitment on all the posts provided for in Assembly resolution 52/220 of 22 December 1997, and all the posts originally in the programme budget for 1998-1999. She asked that the information be provided in the form of a conference room paper.

Next, the Committee decided to recommend that the Assembly take note of the report of the Secretary-General contained in document A/52/829 on the upgrading of conference rooms and interpretation booths.

The Chairman then presented an oral draft decision on documentation related to the Conference on Standardization of Geographical Names. Under its provisions, the Assembly would decide, without prejudice to the relevant rules of procedure governing the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, that the documents related to that Conference, which are issued by the Secretariat, should be translated into the six official languages.

The Committee approved that decision without a vote.

Mr. NIWA, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services, said he wished to clarify the situation regarding the information system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Due to cost

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consideration, the United Nations had decided not to use the FAO system. He noted that that system had been implemented and was still in operation, but that in 1996 the FAO had decided to launch a new project to replace that one.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, asked the Secretariat to supply the information that the representative of Cuba had asked for.

The Chairman, after recalling that some delegations had expressed concern about the press releases issued by the Department of Public Information (DPI) and that a representative from that Department had addressed the Committee, reiterated the importance of press releases to reflect accurately the substance of statements by delegations. He said that in view of the Committee's technical and political nature, he had emphasized the importance of assigning press officers to cover the Fifth Committee on a regular basis, as that would enable them to become familiar with its terminology. "It is appropriate now to reiterate that request taking into account the comments made by various delegations", he added.

Next, the Chairman proposed a draft decision, under which the Assembly would note that documents are not being submitted as required under paragraphs 24 and 25 of its resolution 52/214 B and would emphasize that the provisions of those paragraphs should be implemented.

The Committee approved the draft decision.

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said the Chairman had not read out his delegation's proposal regarding the press releases.

The Chairman said he had discussed the matter with the Syrian delegate earlier, and felt it would not be necessary to introduce that proposal.

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said he would like to explain his delegation's position regarding the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. He stressed the importance of the origin of the names of geographical sites. He thanked the Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, Federico Riesco, for his cooperation, and for his fruitful efforts in accelerating the preparation of summary records.

The CHAIRMAN thanked the representative of Syria for his understanding on the manner in which he had proceeded regarding the press releases.

Concluding Statements

Mr. SAHA (India) said he was pleased to note that even without having a resolution on the matter, the Fifth Committee had concluded its work without evening meetings -- with the exception of the present one. Just as expenses

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were said to increase with income, it could be said that the Committee's deliberations tended to increase with the length of time allocated to it. He thanked all those involved for a successful session.

Mr. ATIYANTO (Indonesia), speaking for the Group of 77 and China, expressed appreciation to the bureau for the manner in which the Committee had been guided through its deliberations on various agenda items. He also thanked the Secretariat for its assistance.

The Group of 77 and China was concerned that the Committee did not have sufficient time to take action on some important issues because of the late issuance of some reports from the Secretariat, he said. He requested the Secretary-General to ensure that all reports for consideration in the second part of the Assembly's resumed session were submitted in accordance with the six-week rule. He hoped the matter of late issuance of reports would not have to be addressed again.

Mr. SIAL (Pakistan) commended the manner in which the Committee's work had been conducted. He regretted that the Committee had not been able to take action on gratis personnel and other important issues during the resumed session.

Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) thanked the African Group for endorsing his candidature for the United Nations Staff Pension Committee. He noted that several items had been deferred for the second part of its resumed session. That deferral process put pressure on smaller delegations, and should be discontinued. In the future, items identified for consideration during a session should be concluded during that session. In addition, all items should be allotted equal time for consideration. Also, it seemed that some agenda items were being linked in the Committee's work, but each item should be considered on its own merit.

When delegates spoke in the Committee, they spoke as representatives, not as individuals, he said, and noted a trend of correspondence being addressed to individuals. He then expressed appreciation to the Secretariat for its efforts.

Mr. WATANABE (Japan) expressed appreciation to all those present in the Committee. Without the Chairman's guidance, the session would not have concluded successfully.

Last night, he had done "something good and something bad", as the representative of Uganda had said in an earlier meeting. As a Buddhist, he had prayed for the happiness of all Committee members during the coming month. The bad thing was that he had counted the number of items deferred to the next part of the session. The Chairman's efforts had enabled Committee members to

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begin consideration of its working methods. However, his impression was that not a lot had changed in the Committee's methods, and he hoped that things would change in the near future.

He then announced that his country had today contributed $187 million to the United Nations, reflecting its regular budget contribution for 1998, as well as peacekeeping assessments and other costs. He hoped that payment would improve the Organization's financial situation somewhat.

MARY JO B. ARAGON (Philippines) said that the Member States of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) wished to thank the Chairman and the other members of the bureau for their efforts.

Ms. SILOT BRAVO (Cuba) thanked the Chairman and the bureau for the efforts made throughout the session. Cuba wished to support the statement made by the representative of Uganda. He had made very important points which had an impact on the efficiency of the work of the Committee and should be kept in mind.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said that, regarding improvement of its working methods, the Committee had taken its first steps. A draft text on that subject had been circulated to the Committee. He hoped that delegates would provide input on that draft in the form of written suggestions. The bureau had consulted all relevant officers regarding the status of documentation for the next session -- which would be held from 11 to 29 May. The outcome of the first resumed session would be submitted to the Assembly plenary on Tuesday, 31 March, at 4 p.m.

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