FIFTH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS APPOINTMENTS TO ACABQ AND COMMITTEE ON CONTRIBUTIONS

Press Release
GA/AB/3231

FIFTH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS APPOINTMENTS TO ACABQ AND COMMITTEE ON CONTRIBUTIONS

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning recommended the appointment of Pedro Paulo d'Escragnolle-Taunay (Brazil) to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), and Sergei I. Mareyev (Russian Federation) to the Committee on Contributions. Also this morning, the Committee concluded discussing aspects of the support account for peacekeeping operations and on the use of gratis personnel.

Mr. d'Escragnolle-Taunay would fill the vacancy caused by the resignation from the ACABQ of José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho (Brazil), until 31 December 1998. Mr. Mareyev would fill the unexpired portion of the term of office -- until 31 December 1999 -- of Evgueni N. Deineko (Russian Federation) in the Committee on Contributions.

During the discussion of the support account and gratis personnel, several delegations said such personnel should be phased out by the end of 1998, in accordance with the directives of the General Assembly. Some stressed the importance of adequate transition measures and swift recruitment to respond to the phase out of gratis personnel.

The representative of Cuba said her Government was ready to accept the conversion of gratis posts into temporary posts funded by the support account. The General Assembly should grant the Department of Peacekeeping Operations the human and financial resources it required to fulfil mandates set by Member States after its loaned staff were phased out by the end of the year.

Some delegations asked about the time required to recruit for the positions to be converted from gratis posts, recalling information from the Office of Internal Oversight Services that the United Nations average recruitment time was estimated to be 460 days.

Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, United Nations Controller, replying to questions raised during the general discussion, said posts had never been deliberately kept vacant in order that gratis personnel could be used. High vacancy rates in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations were due to the length of the recruitment process and not to deliberate blockage of posts.

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Algeria's representative said that the Assembly had authorized the Secretariat to take extraordinary measures to respect the phase-out deadline of 31 December 1998. That placed the Secretariat in a position to reduce the recruitment period in order to comply with the wishes of the Assembly.

The Director of the Operational Services Division, Office of Human Resources Management, Johannes Wortel, said the Office was streamlining its recruitment procedures and taking action to enable the posts to be filled by the autumn of this year.

Ingrid Laux, Officer-in-Charge, Office of Human Resources Management, added that the Department of Management was working closely with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to phase out its gratis staff. Delegates' comments during the meetings today and yesterday would be conveyed to all departments, she said.

On the support account, China's representative said its resource needs had increased disproportionately to those for peacekeeping operations. The account had evolved to a stage above and beyond what had originally been envisaged, and it was now providing funds for both temporary and regular posts, he noted with concern.

Another concern was the overly long process for liquidating peacekeeping missions, he continued. When a mission was completed, its unfinished business added to the related work at Headquarters, especially if the mission had been complex. That did not, however, constitute a justification for the failure to set time limits on mission liquidation.

Gratis personnel are staff loaned to the United Nations free of charge; the support account is used to pay for variable activities at Headquarters to assist peacekeeping operations in the field.

Statements this morning were also made by the representatives of the United States, Nepal, Malaysia, Iran, United Kingdom (speaking for the European Union), Romania, Uganda, Poland and Turkey.

The Committee is scheduled to meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 21 May, to consider the financing of United Nations peacekeeping missions in Haiti and the Central African Republic.

Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to continue its discussion of the support account and gratis personnel. (For background, see Press Release GA/AB/3230 of 19 May.) The Committee would also take up the question of appointment of members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and of the Committee on Contributions. Appointment of Members of ACABQ and Committee on Contributions

NAZARETH A. INCERA (Costa Rica), Committee Vice-Chairman, said the Committee had before it a note by the Secretary-General (document (A/52/101/Rev.1/Add.1) informing the General Assembly that he had received notification of the resignation of José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho (Brazil) from the membership of the ACABQ. Accordingly, the Assembly was to appoint a person to fill the unexpired portion of his term of office, until 31 December 1998. In another note (document A/C.5/52/5/Add.1), the Secretary-General states that Government of Brazil had nominated Pedro Paulo d'Escragnolle- Taunay to fill the unexpired portion of Mr. Marcondes de Carvalho's term of office.

The Committee decided to recommend the appointment of Mr. d'Escragnolle- Taunay.

Ms. INCERA (Costa Rica), Committee Vice-Chairman, then drew the Committee's attention to the Secretary-General's note (document A/52/102/Rev.1/Add.1) informing the Assembly that he had received notification of the resignation of Evgueni N. Deineko (Russian Federation) from the membership of the Committee on Contributions, and of the need to appoint a person to fill the unexpired portion of the term of office of Mr. Deineko, until 31 December 1999. In another note (document A/C.5/52/6/Add.1), the Secretary-General informed the Assembly that the Government of the Russian Federation had nominated Sergei I. Mareyev to fill the unexpired portion of the term of office of Mr. Deineko.

The Committee decided to recommend the appointment of Mr. Mareyev.

SUSAN SHEAROUSE (United States), speaking as Chairman of the United Nations Staff Pension Committee, urged the Asian States Group to present a nomination to fill a vacancy in the Pension Committee. If the Group was unable to do so, she recommended that the United Nations break from tradition and nominate someone from another States group.

Statements on Support Account and Gratis Personnel

BINOD P. BISTA (Nepal) said that, in light of its firm commitment to United Nations peacekeeping operations, his delegation wished to make

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additional comments to those made yesterday by the representative of Indonesia on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China on the support account. The proposals of the Secretary-General in that regard should be supported. Nepal had already signed an agreement with the United Nations for a standby arrangement and wished to see it implemented.

ZHANG WANHAI (China) said that, while supporting the statement made by the representative of Indonesia, his delegation wished to emphasize that all mandated activities must be adequately staffed and funded. Peacekeeping operations should be funded on a sure basis, including those of backstopping by the Secretariat.

The use of gratis personnel was not in keeping with relevant United Nations resolutions, he said. Such personnel should be phased out on time and in accordance with relevant Assembly resolutions.

He said that China could go along with an increase in posts for backstopping purposes. However, the support account was being used over and above the original intention. The resources of the support account had increased disproportionately to those for peacekeeping operations. The support account had evolved to a stage above and beyond what had originally been envisaged. It provided funds for both temporary and regular posts, and the Chinese delegation was duly concerned. China was also concerned at the overly long process of liquidation of certain peacekeeping missions. The Secretary-General had said that when a mission was completed, its unfinished business added to backstopping work at Headquarters, especially if the mission had been complex. That did not, however, constitute a justification for the failure to set time limits on mission liquidation.

The support account was an important item on the Committee's agenda. Delay in submission of the related reports had hampered delegations' ability to consider the question. Further clarification was requested.

DULCE BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said the Secretary-General's request for funds for the support account was of particular importance this year, since it was directly linked with the phasing out of gratis personnel. The provisions of resolution 51/243 should be fully implemented. Gratis personnel working in peacekeeping operations should cease their functions by the end of the year. During the current session, the Assembly should grant to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations the human and financial resources it required to fulfil its functions. Cuba was ready to accept the proposed conversion of posts to meet the requirements of the relevant organs. She hoped the Secretariat would provide the additional information that had been requested by the representative of Indonesia, speaking for the Group of 77 and China.

The decision on funding the account should be adopted during the current session, to facilitate the immediate recruitment of staff, she said. Such

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recruitment should be based on equitable geographical distribution, as well as the provisions set forth in Assembly resolution 51/226, on the Organization's human resources management. She noted with surprise that eight new posts were proposed for the Rapidly Deployable Mission Headquarters, which was, from the beginning, to be funded through voluntary contributions. There seemed to be a trend to use assessed contributions to fund activities that were originally to be funded by a group of States. Such a change in funding was unacceptable.

There was need to consider the functions of the Departments of Political Affairs and of Peacekeeping Operations, she said, adding that they could be merged to avoid duplication, and to lead to economies. She, therefore, shared the disappointment of other delegates that the Secretary-General advised to maintain the status quo. During the fifty-third session, he should submit a genuine, thorough review of the functions of the two Departments, allowing the Committee to make an informed decision.

On gratis personnel, she said her delegation regretted the fact that the Secretariat had failed to comply with resolution 51/243, which had established provisions to limit the use of such personnel. The Secretariat required human and financial resources to comply with mandates of Member States; that was a basic principle, she said. The use of gratis personnel would have to end by the end of the year. The ACABQ's comments to the effect that the Secretariat might be ignoring the Assembly's mandates on how gratis personnel were to be approved was a cause for concern.

On administrative support costs for loaned staff, she repeated that no expenditure arising from their use should be borne by the Organization, as per its Financial Regulations. She then asked about the nature of the functions conducted by gratis staff in the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) -- set up under Security Council resolution 687 (1991) in connection with the disposal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction -- as well as their nationality, and the reason they had been reclassified.

SITI HAJJAR ADNIN (Malaysia) said her delegation welcomed the indication by the Secretary-General, in his report on phasing out the use of gratis personnel, that all such staff would be phased out by 31 December 1999. However, the phasing out should be carefully planned. The Secretariat should take early measures to expedite staff recruitment and carry out careful transitional steps, to minimize disruption and loss of expertise. She hoped that the phasing out of all gratis personnel would finally put to order the important issue of geographical balance.

SEYED MORTEZA MIRMOHAMMAD (Iran) said the new posts for the Rapidly Deployable Mission Headquarters should be funded through voluntary contributions, as originally envisaged. No convincing explanation had been made as to why the support account should be involved. More explanation was required.

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JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, thanking delegates who had participated in the discussion, said that written material would be distributed in answer to questions raised. The report of the Secretary- General on the support account had been submitted for reproduction on 20 March, and it had been assumed that that would have provided adequate time for processing. However, at the same time, Conference Services had also received the report of the Board of Auditors -- over 250 pages long. Immediate processing had not, therefore, been possible.

The vacancy rates in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations was not due to deliberate blockage of posts; it was because recruitment took a long time, he said. As of today, the Department had 14 vacant posts, and recruitment was being conducted. Posts had never been kept vacant in order that gratis personnel could be used. According to Secretariat records, there were no replies outstanding to the ACABQ.

Written information would be made available on the core functions of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, he said. The question of core posts was not a new issue. At the forty-ninth session, the Secretary-General had issued a report (document A/49/717) in which he outlined the definition of core function. Also, the ACABQ had stated that it was no longer useful to try to impose artificially rigid separations between core and non-core posts. On the question of overlap of functions between departments, he said, in a nutshell, the Department of Political Affairs was involved in a political and advocacy role, and the Peacekeeping Department was involved in operational functions. Written information would be circulated to the Committee during the informals.

The request made by the United States at the Committee meeting yesterday was a tall order, he said. [The United States requested a composite picture of all Secretariat components involved in peacekeeping operations.] Information on resources and posts had been provided in annexes to the Secretary-General's report. In the regular budget document information was provided in a different format. An analysis that included all the information asked for would be a monumental task. More information on all the issues raised would be provided in written form to the Committee for its informal consultations.

INGRID LAUX, Officer-in-Charge, Office of Human Resources Management, responded to questions posed at an earlier meeting regarding the phase-out of gratis personnel. The Secretariat had noted delegates' statements to the effect that type II gratis personnel would only be accepted in accordance with the conditions stipulated in paragraphs 4(a) and 4(b) of General Assembly resolution 51/243 (1997), and that such personnel should not be accepted on the grounds of failure to recruit staff in an expeditious manner. [Type II gratis personnel have been accepted by programme managers by a variety of means, including exchange of letters between the United Nations and donors. Paragraphs 4(a) and 4(b) stipulate that such personnel may be accepted for a

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limited period of time, after a budget is approved, to provide expertise not available within the Organization. Also, they can be used to provide temporary and urgent assistance for new and/or expanding mandates, pending the Assembly's decision on funds for those mandates. Type I serve as associate experts, technical cooperation experts and interns.]

The observations made by the ACABQ and the Fifth Committee would be conveyed to all departments that used type II gratis personnel, while quarterly reports would continue to be submitted, she said. The Department of Management was working closely with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to phase out its gratis staff. Such measures included the classification, circulation of vacancies and -- subject to the approval of the posts for replacement of such staff through the support account -- active recruitment for those posts.

She explained that UNSCOM reported directly to the Security Council on all matters related to its activities, and its staff was governed by a special regime set out in the report of the Secretary-General to the Council on the implementation of paragraph 9(b)(i) of its resolution 687 (1991) (document S/22508 of 18 April 1991). UNSCOM gratis personnel would, therefore, be excluded from the scope of the guidelines for type II gratis personnel. The change from type II to type I category of gratis personnel had no implications for the funding of such personnel and would not involve any increased liability for the proceeds from the oil sales, she stressed.

NICHOLAS THORNE (United Kingdom), speaking on behalf of the European Union, reiterated that resolution 51/243 should be implemented expeditiously. The Union had confidence that the Secretary-General would ensure that the phase out of those gratis personnel that did not fall under the exceptions provided for in the resolution would be achieved in such a way as not to affect the proper and efficient functioning of the departments concerned.

The Secretary-General's reports on the use of gratis personnel should continue to be provided, he said. The Union was not convinced that the use of the gratis personnel, in particular in the Rwanda Tribunal, during the period in question did not comply with the provisions of resolution 51/243. However, it agreed with the Committee that resort to gratis personnel should not be allowed to delay recruitment. He expressed reservation about the proposal of the Secretary-General to prevent gratis personnel from supervising staff members. As the Union had said before, with proper arrangements in place, it saw no need for that restriction. Indeed, it might properly be an integral part of the job of some gratis personnel.

He recalled that the average time required for recruiting a staff member was 460 days. The Union, therefore, questioned whether the proposal to limit gratis personnel accepted under paragraph 4(b) to six months would provide enough time to recruit replacements.

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EUGEN MIHUT (Romania) said his delegation fully shared the position expressed by the representative of the United Kingdom.

NESTER ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda), referring to recruitment for posts in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, asked what the time frame was for getting the posts filled.

JAN JAREMCZUK (Poland) said his delegation aligned himself with the statement made for the European Union.

Ms. LAUX, Officer-in-Charge, Office of Human Resources Management, said that, before recruitment could begin, posts had to be approved. In anticipation, posts were already being classified and the job descriptions were being prepared, so that when approval was obtained, recruitment could begin automatically.

JOHANNES WORTEL, Director, Operational Services Division, Office of Human Resources Management, said the position was that supervision of staff was undertaken by United Nations staff. There were cases where 200 series technical cooperation experts might head certain projects, but no one other than staff were allowed to supervise staff. Gratis personnel would have to be supervised by staff members as well.

RICHARD SKLAR (United States) said he appreciated the work on recruitment. However, given the information from the Office of Internal Oversight Services that it generally took 460 days to fill a post, was it likely that the time frame would be significantly changed? While the Secretariat could not be held to any estimate, what did it expect?

Mr. WORTEL, Director, Operational Services Division, said there were examples of shorter recruitment time leg, and the Office of Human Resources Management was streamlining its recruitment procedures. Its intention was to classify the posts in May and June, circulate them in July and August, and have people coming aboard in autumn. In other recruitment areas, such as for the International Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, 16 vacancy announcements were currently circulating, and it was hoped that they would be filled before the end of the year.

DJAMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) said that under the provisions of resolution 51/243, it was clear that the Secretariat was obligated to speed up the recruitment procedure for personnel to replace gratis personnel. The Secretariat had been authorized to take exceptional measures to respect the deadline of 31 December 1998. The Secretariat was in a position to reduce the recruitment period to comply with the wishes of the Assembly.

Mr. THORNE (United Kingdom), expressing support for the statement by the representative of Algeria, said the issue of recruitment to replace gratis personnel that were being phased out was crucial for the Union. During

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informal consultations, he would be pressing for answers to the questions he submitted yesterday, particularly those regarding transitional arrangements for the phase out of gratis personnel.

SERHAT SAMLIOGLU GURAY (Turkey) said her delegation shared the concerns expressed by the representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom.

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