REPLACING GRATIS PERSONNEL MUST NOT DIMINISH UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING CAPACITY, FIFTH COMMITTEE TOLD

7 October 1998

Press Release
GA/AB/3242

REPLACING GRATIS PERSONNEL MUST NOT DIMINISH UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING CAPACITY, FIFTH COMMITTEE TOLD

19981007 Committee Also Discusses Support Account, Death And Disability Claims, UN Conference on Trade and Development

How to replace gratis personnel -- staff loaned free of charge to the United Nations by Member States and other entities -- was one of several subjects covered by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) as it continued general discussion on several related agenda items this afternoon.

Under administrative and budgetary aspects of peacekeeping operations, the Committee considered the processing of death and disability claims, and the support account for peacekeeping operations. In the latter -- and in reviewing the Organization's efficiency and human resources management -- Committee members discussed the United Nations use of gratis personnel.

Speaking for the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, Indonesia's representative said the Assembly had endorsed the need for adequate funding of the backstopping functions of peacekeeping operations -- Headquarters support for missions in the field -- and that positions occupied by gratis personnel must be converted to fully-funded temporary posts. That would enable all gratis personnel to be phased out by February 1999, as the Assembly had decreed.

Loaned staff had contributed to the United Nations developing the expertise it needed to ensure the safety of those in field, Austria's representative said, speaking for the European Union and associated States. While the Union stood by the decision to phase out gratis personnel by the end of February 1999, the Organization's capacities must not be diminished. Proper hand-over arrangements must be ensured.

No arbitrarily-imposed financial ceiling should be allowed to affect backstopping operations, the representative of Bangladesh said. While the Department of Peacekeeping Operations should receive adequate resources, it should also be adequately accountable.

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The Committee discussed the causes and the effects of revising deadlines for applications for posts to replace gratis personnel. The United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, and the Director of the Operational Services Division, Office of Human Resources Management, Johannes Wortel, responded to questions.

Also this morning, the Committee concluded its general discussion on the treatment of savings from efficiencies in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as it took up aspects of the 1998-1999 programme budget. The representative of Peru stressed that the funds should be used to finance the participation in UNCTAD meetings of experts from developing countries.

The Committee also concluded its general discussion on Administrative Arrangements for the International Trade Centre/ UNCTAD/World Trade Organization. Reports on the matter were introduced by Mr. Halbwachs and the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), C.S.M. Mselle.

Also this morning, the Committee decided to recommend to the General Assembly that Georgia and Guinea-Bissau be exempt from the sanctions imposed under Article 19 of the Charter, by which Member States are stripped of their right to vote when their arrears fall below a certain point. The decision was orally introduced by Movses Abelian (Armenia), the Committee's Chairman, and approved without a vote.

In statements before and after the action, a number of States stressed the need to develop procedures for cases where Member States' requests for exemption came after meetings of the Committee on Contributions, which analyzes such requests and makes recommendations to the Fifth Committee.

Statements were also made this morning by the representatives of India, Cuba, Nepal, Cyprus, Japan, Iran, Russian Federation, China, Uganda, Algeria, Yemen, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia, Libya, United Kingdom, and Australia.

The Fifth Committee is scheduled to meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 12 October, when it will begin considering United Nations programme planning and take up the ACABQ's report on review of the Organization's administrative and financial efficiency.

Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to continue its discussion of administrative and budgetary aspects of peacekeeping operations; review of the United Nations administrative and financial efficiency; and aspects of the programme budget for 1998-1999. Specifically, it was to consider the support account for peacekeeping operations, death and disability claims, gratis personnel, administrative arrangements for the International Trade Centre, and savings resulting from improved efficiency of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

(For background on reports before the Committee, see Press Releases GA/AB/3240 of 5 October and GA/AB/3241 of 6 October.)

Statements on Administrative Arrangements for ITC

JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, introduced two reports of the Secretary-General on proposed changes to the administrative arrangements for the (UNCTAD)/World Trade Organization (WTO) International Trade Centre (ITC). He said that when WTO was created in 1995, it had sought a more direct say in the budget of ITC and a means by which the ITC arrangements could follow the WTO budget cycles and modes.

He said discussions between the two secretariats had followed, and the first report from the Secretary-General had been produced containing proposals and a timetable aimed at meeting the needs of the United Nations and the WTO (see document A/C.5/53/25). Following that report the WTO had suggested that those proposals did not adequately meet its requirements. The United Nations Secretariat had presented a second document addressing that (see document A/C.5/53/45).

The key problem, he said, was that the WTO had an annual budget in Swiss francs, whereas the United Nations had a biennial budget in United States dollars.

C.S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), introduced the report of the ACABQ on the matter. He said the ACABQ had held extensive discussions on the issue, including meetings with the ITC in Geneva and the previous and current chairmen of the Budget and Finance Committee of WTO. The contents of the ACABQ report had been brought to their attention, and it was understood that what the ACABQ was communicating to the Fifth Committee would meet the broad concerns of the WTO.

The major recommendation was that, prior to the arrangement of the budget of ITC, both the General Assembly and the WTO legislative machinery should approve the budget in outline in Swiss francs, he said. That was a key

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change which would provide the WTO with information concerning the level of resources in Swiss francs that were likely to be appropriated for the ITC by that agency. Both the WTO and the General Assembly would agree on the outline, submitted in May -- when the current outline made by ITC for WTO was prepared.

For the United Nations the ITC would continue to prepare a United States dollar budget, which would be submitted as usual, he said. Nothing else had changed. The financial and staff regulations, and the auditing and oversight would be the same. Additionally, the approval of a budget outline in Swiss francs did not contravene any United Nations regulation. In this report, the ACABQ was outlining the broad procedure. It had not indicated a proposed structure or contents of the outline, which it would do later. Nothing proposed in the ACABQ report would affect the UNCTAD or the way programme priorities were formulated or proposed for the ITC.

PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that the current arrangements for the ITC had been approved by the General Assembly on 18 December 1974 and could only be changed by the General Assembly if it decided to so. The Group did not agree with the Secretary-General that revisions called for by the WTO could take the form of administrative changes. He noted with concern that the Secretary-General had, through an exchange of letters, reached an understanding with the WTO Director-General to recommend confirmation of existing arrangements. The Group was concerned at the delay in bringing the matter to the General Assembly's attention.

The Group of 77 believed that the proposals were not in conformation with United Nations regulations, he said. In the ACABQ report, it said the activities of the ITC would continue to be reviewed by the Office of Internal Oversight Services. Activities of the ITC were approved by the General Assembly. The Office of Internal Oversight Services was not mandated to modify mandates approved by legislative bodies for the ITC. The Group reaffirmed the mandate of the ITC and stressed the need for the restoration of currently-mandated budgetary and administrative arrangements.

Statements on Administrative and Budgetary Aspects of Peacekeeping Operations

Mr. HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, introduced the fourth quarterly report on progress made in clearing the backlog of death and disability claims. The report showed that since May 1997, 977 claims had been processed, and a total of 90 claims currently awaited processing. An additional 100 claims had been received and processed since the last report, submitted in March. The Assembly had approved temporary assistance to help address the backlog, and further funds had not been requested.

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Mr. ATIYANTO (Indonesia), speaking for the Group of 77 and China, asked whether the current discussion was on the support account or on death and disability benefits.

The Chairman answered that the discussion was on the support account.

Mr. ATIYANTO (Indonesia), for the Group of 77 and China, regretted the delay of the report by the ACABQ, which should have been issued earlier to allow delegations to study the matter. Also, the Group regretted that little had been done to respond to concerns about the quality of information contained in the report of the Secretary-General. Future reports should take into account General Assembly resolutions and the recommendations of the ACABQ that the Assembly endorsed.

The Group attached great importance to the role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security, he said. It was the collective responsibility of all Member States to provide adequate resources for the full implementation of mandated activities to enable the United Nations to carry out its role.

All mandated activities and programmes should be carried out by international civil servants in accordance with the United Nations Charter, he said. All gratis personnel should be phased out by February 1999, in accordance with Assembly resolutions 52/234 and 52/248. The Group of 77 was particularly concerned about the staffing of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, where developing countries were insufficiently represented.

The Secretary-General had proposed 469 temporary support account posts for the period 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999, he continued. The Assembly had endorsed the need for adequate funding of the backstopping functions of peacekeeping operations. He emphasized the need for immediate conversion of positions occupied by gratis personnel to fully-funded temporary posts. The ACABQ had now recommended 47 additional posts to the staffing level approved for 1997-1998 and redeployment of 29 posts for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. That issue should be discussed in informal consultations.

The 29 posts recommended for redeployment needed further clarification, he said. He asked the Secretariat to inform the Committee about the feasibility of the implementation of the ACABQ's recommendations if approved by the Assembly. Further, he asked whether the amount of $34.4 million tentatively approved by the Assembly for the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999 would be sufficient to meet all the requirements of backstopping of peacekeeping operations during the fiscal year.

He said there was a need to review the relationship between the Peacekeeping Department and the Department of Political Affairs to avoid duplication and overlap and to review any possible duplication between some

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functions performed by the Department of Management and administration in the field. Planning functions of the Peacekeeping Department should be reviewed with a view to avoiding duplication and overlap between the Office of the Military Advisor and the Planning Division.

HANS PETER MANZ (Austria) spoke for the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Iceland and Norway. The Union was committed to the primary role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security. That was reflected in its contributions in terms of personnel, equipment and funds. One third of the United Nations peacekeepers came from members of the Union, and their combined financial contributions amounted to almost 40 per cent of the peacekeeping budget. Everything should be done to ensure the safety of those in field. For that, accurate planning and Headquarters backstopping were essential. Over past years, relevant departments in the United Nations had developed expertise to provide such support, due in part to the knowledge brought in by gratis personnel.

The Union stood by the decision to phase out gratis personnel by the end of February 1999, he said. To allow for urgent matters such as recruitment to go ahead, the Fifth Committee had adopted measures until information needed by the ACABQ was obtained. He commended the ACABQ for its efforts, but was concerned that, in the text, the ACABQ had expressed the sense that it was insufficiently informed, despite long-term requests for information. The Secretariat should explain the situation. It had not made the task of Member States easier.

The ACABQ's recommendations deviated from those of the Secretary- General, and therefore must be carefully evaluated, he said. The Union had certain priorities that were well known and he would not elaborate on them. However, it was of utmost importance that there be a balanced approach that maintained seconded expertise in the Secretariat. In the absence of some of the information that had been requested, the ACABQ had taken a pragmatic approach. Any additional information from the Secretariat would be welcome, but he appreciated the report of the ACABQ.

If the mechanism of redeployment was to be used to resolve staffing problems, then that needed more attention, particularly when and from where such redeployment would take place, he said. The Union was convinced that to avoid putting at risk backstopping capacities for peacekeeping as a result of vacancies, it was crucial that the recruitment process not be impeded.

SALEEM SHERVANI, (India) said that the support account had been established as an ad hoc mechanism to address additional personnel and resource requirements when peacekeeping operations had increased dramatically in the early 1990s, and the United Nations had not had resources or personnel

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in the regular budget to meet additional requirements. Theoretically, since the peacekeeping budget had come down from $1.3 billion to less than $1 billion, the number of personnel should fluctuate on the basis of the number and size of peacekeeping operations during any given period.

He said the following issues should be addressed: the decline in number of troops and its impact on Headquarters backstopping; changing requirements of missions in the field; areas of duplication between Secretariat departments; requirements of structures and positions for low and high intensity periods of peacekeeping activity. Peacekeeping was an important aspect of the functioning of the United Nations, and adequate financial resources were important to all Member States who believed in the importance of promoting international peace and security. Unfortunately, some States were unwilling to meet their financial commitments. Several countries, including India, faced long delays for reimbursement for peacekeeping activities. In this context, the membership should consider balancing cost- cutting with resource provision, reform with consolidation. India would prefer to keep the resource allocation to a realistic figure and consider increase of posts only in cases where rigorous justifications had been provided by the Secretariat and approved by the ACABQ.

There was an urgent need to replace gratis personnel by recruitment against fully-funded posts within a timeframe, he said. The Secretariat must accelerate its process of recruitment so that use of gratis personnel could be phased out. The ACABQ's recommendations were timely and focused; accepting them could facilitate the task of the Secretariat in phasing out gratis personnel immediately, without affecting peacekeeping operations negatively.

RAFAEL DAUSA CESPEDES (Cuba) said that imposing arbitrary levels of resources corresponding to the political objectives of some States would affect the Organization's credibility and transparency. He expressed concern that the ACABQ had not received the information it required for its work. The task of Member States would have been easier if the ACABQ's recommendations had been made on the basis of all the necessary information. It was the obligation of all Member States to provide the resources needed for functioning of backstopping activities, he added.

A trend that distorted budgetary procedures and practices seemed to be emerging, he said. There were proposals to finance through assessments activities which were supposed to be covered by voluntary contributions. That was the case of the Lessons Learned Unit and the Rapidly Deployable Mission Headquarters. The situation should be carefully analyzed during negotiations, together with the intention to finance through the regular budget activities which should be funded by the support account.

Cuba had carefully examined the Secretary-General's request for resources and related proposals by the ACABQ, he said. Cuba took note of the

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fact that the Secretariat had announced vacancies with the objective of facilitating the selection of candidates and ensuring that gratis personnel were phased out within the established time frame. The situation was exceptional and did not represent a precedent. The Secretariat should carry out an analysis of the structures of peacekeeping operations, focusing on rationalizing, streamlining and simplifying the structure of the Peacekeeping Department. There was need for revision to avoid duplication between the Peacekeeping Department and the Department of Political Affairs, in accordance with Assembly resolutions. In times of reform, simplification and improved management, those structures must also be analyzed, with a view to possible integration.

The Secretariat's proposal to convert 106 positions currently occupied by gratis personnel was not justified, he said. However, the ACABQ's recommendation was also disproportionate because it proposed establishing only 47 posts -- an underestimate. The Secretariat should tell the Committee its views of the proposal, as well as areas where redeployment could take place. Further elaboration was needed by the ACABQ on several aspects of its proposals. In the course of future meetings, the Cuban delegation would refer to other aspects of the issue. The Assembly should give all necessary resources for the orderly functioning of the support account, he stressed.

SHAYAMANANDA SUMAN (Nepal) said the current system of death and disability benefits compensation for contingent troops should be continued with a sound back-up of necessary resources. The current session of the General Assembly should emphasize the need for ensuring adequate financial resources for the compensation of the peacekeepers who had lost their lives and limbs while maintaining international peace and security.

The United Nations should adopt a simplified claim procedure which should have a built-in information flow mechanism between the concerned departments of the United Nations and the respective permanent missions for timely settlements of the claims, he said. Nepal's strong faith in the United Nations objectives was reflected in its active participation in past and ongoing peacekeeping missions. Nepalese soldiers had shown profound dedication and professionalism in their missions. Nepal had always contributed personnel for peace at the call of the United Nations.

DEMETRIOS THEOPHYLACTOU (Cyprus), noted the decrease in troops since 1994 and that support account posts were projected to increase. As a percentage of peacekeeping operations costs, the support account had increased from 0.8 percent in 1994 to 5 per cent in 1998. Cyprus shared the view that the ever-rising demands for peacekeeping and the modest resources available, presented an issue of serious concern. Cyprus was hopeful that the modest proposals put forward would ameliorate this.

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Cyprus was concerned about the security of personnel, he said. Cyprus had been a victim of aggression and a beneficiary of United Nations peacekeeping. It voluntarily provided funds for the United Nations Peace- keeping Force (UNFICYP) in Cyprus budget. The contribution of UNFICYP to Cyprus was invaluable.

KOJI F.X. YAMAGIWA (Japan) noted with concern that little had been done to allay concerns regarding the quality of information contained in the Secretary-General's report and information provided by his representatives. Deliberations on the support account were aimed at establishing an appropriate number of posts and determining the level of non-post requirements for backstopping functions for peacekeeping operations. It was important to maintain the necessary functions of backstopping -- both civilian and military. The request of the establishment of posts should be reviewed in that light.

In view of the importance of streamlining peacekeeping backstopping functions and the present level of vacancies in support account posts, the ACABQ's approach was reasonable, he said. That body had recommended that some support account posts requested by the Secretary-General be created or converted from those functions currently exercised by gratis personnel, and that the need for other functions be met through redeployment from within the existing support account establishment. Recruitment for converted posts for functions that had been exercised by loaned staff should be conducted in a timely manner. He asked for information about efforts to keep to the schedule of offering appointments to recruitees by the end of 1998.

SEYED MIRMOHAMMAD, (Iran), said the allocation of support account posts should be in accord with the requirements for the backstopping of peacekeeping operations. The diminution of peacekeeping operations should affect the requirement for support account posts. Iran supported the phasing out of gratis personnel, in accord with the General Assembly's decision. However, that could not automatically result in the creation of exactly the same number of support account posts as posts held by departing gratis personnel.

He concurred with the ACABQ recommendation that a thorough review -- throughout the Secretariat -- of activities related to peacekeeping should be carried out. More information was required about the Rapidly Deployable Mission Headquarters -- the Secretariat should clarify difference between that area and others.

NIKOLAI LOZINSKI (Russian Federation), said that, bearing in mind the late issuance of the ACABQ report, Russia reserved its right to speak in detail on the issue in informal consultations. On a general level, the Russian Federation agreed with the ACABQ's comments that it was regrettable that little had been done about the quality of information in the Secretary- General's report since the General Assembly's request. He also agreed that

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diminution by two-thirds of peacekeeping operations could not fail to affect the required size of the support account. He noted that Member States must once again make a decision on an important issue -- the support account -- without the results of a review of, among other things, the backstopping mechanisms for peacekeeping operations, or specific details on workloads and divisions of responsibility.

The Russian Federation was prepared to take the path proposed by the ACABQ, he said. Special attention was required so that the Organization would not lose the ability to carry out the key function of keeping the peace. It was extremely important to ensure that proper military expertise remained available after the withdrawal of gratis personnel. That should be a criteria for recruitment of replacement staff. Russia had no objection to the ACABQ proposal on staff redeployment, in as much as it allowed backstopping without duplication. It was also important to specify a requirement for the timely submission by the Secretariat of detailed, transparent explanations for all posts proposed to be funded under the support account and all other information asked for by Member States.

HUMAYUN KABIR, (Bangladesh) jointly addressed the matters of the support account and death and disability benefits. He said Bangladesh attached great importance to the maintenance of peace and security and placed great value on peacekeeping operations. It had always been generous with contributions, and reaffirmed its commitment to the service of the United Nations despite difficulties with reimbursement.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations should receive adequate resources, but it should also be adequately accountable, he said. Bangladesh regretted the lack of meaningful workload statistics supporting requests for staff, and the lack of quality information to support requests for resources. It was also concerned by the slow pace of the use of new technology to expedite functions in the Department. A review should be completed before the next report by the Secretary-General on the support account.

Bangladesh took a positive view of ACABQ recommendations on recruitment and redeployment, he said. Essential functions of the Secretariat should be carried out by international civil servants. Thus, he supported the phasing out of gratis personnel and arranging suitable replacements. No arbitrary financial ceiling should be allowed to affect backstopping operations.

He raised questions about the Secretary-General's report on death and disability benefits. In an annex, the report said it had submitted 27 cases prior to 19 May 1997. None of the cases had been settled at the time of the report's issuance. The issue was very important because it worked as a disincentive to people to go to the field. He asked the reason for the non- settlement, and what could be done to expedite settlement.

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ZHANG WANHAI (China) said the support account was a very important matter, and due consideration should be given to the timely distribution of relevant documents. The report of the ACABQ had reached the representative very late. China would make further comments later, but it wished to say now that peacekeeping operations were a priority, and the support account was essential. Personnel and financial requirements must be met in accord with the real situation. Gratis personnel were employed as a special arrangement under special circumstances. The General Assembly had already made a decision to phase them out and replace them with temporary posts. Recruitment was already under way.

He asked the Secretariat to brief Member States on the process of recruitment. The Secretary-General had requested 469 posts to be funded by the Support Account. The resumed fifty-second session of the General Assembly had already decided there would be 400 posts.

Mr. HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, said the Secretariat had provided information requested regarding the support account, including job descriptions for every post being reviewed. The level of resources for backstopping was not linked directly to the level of funds approved for peacekeeping operations. There was no one-to-one relationship between them. There were currently 12 active missions, nine completed ones and two closed missions being dealt with. Some new missions were of a multidisciplinary nature, making them more complex. Three possible new missions were in the works, while two might be expanded.

The overall level of peacekeeping had decreased, and the Secretariat had reflected that, he said. In 1996, 408 posts had been funded in the support account, excluding gratis personnel. Currently the number was 345, a 16 per cent reduction of posts being supported by the support account. On the issue of redeployment, the Secretariat would conduct the review as requested. In the end, redeployment was a "zero-sum game". The ACABQ had indicated that 29 posts could be obtained through redeployment, but it was doubtful that the number of posts could be found, because peacekeeping posts had already been downsized, and last year 1000 posts had been reduced. There was a limit to how many posts could be reduced.

Regarding whether the amount approved would be adequate, he recalled that he had earlier said it would be. On the rapid deployment force, the ACABQ had mentioned a report, but that intended report had been changed. At the Committee's 19th meeting on 2 November 1997, the question had been raised in the context of the proposed budget, and he had said that a separate report would not be issued, but rather the matter would be dealt with in the support account report.

JOHANNES WORTEL, Director of the Operational Services Division, Office of Human Resources Management, answered questions about the recruitment

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process. Vacancies for civilian posts had been announced with the understanding that all would be subject to the General Assembly's approval. Announcements had been made for 57 anticipated posts in June, with August deadlines. They had been circulated worldwide and 3,500 applications had been received. After a thorough screening, the Office of Human Resources Management had submitted a list of qualified applicants to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Concerning positions requiring military and police background, some 51 anticipated posts had been circulated in July with a closing date of 28 August. For those positions, 54 Member States had nominated 705 candidates, of whom 19 were women. The Office of Human Resources Management had again conducted pre-screening, and the results of that process were currently with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

In early September, it had become clear that some Member States required more time to submit applications, he said. Noting the small number of women for military and police posts -- in spite of the invitation for women candidates -- the Department of Peacekeeping Operations had requested that the deadline be revised. Those vacancies were to be circulated today with a new deadline of 28 October. That was a final deadline; if it was not met, the offers could not be made by the end of 1998.

Mr. KABIR (Bangladesh) asked what would happen to applicants who had filed applications within the earlier deadline. What were the reasons for the new deadline? he wondered. Was it that candidates were not available, or that other factors had been considered? Was this the first time such a revision had occurred? he asked.

Mr. ZHANG (China) asked why some countries had submitted applicants after the first deadline. With the new deadline, there would be only two months left until the end of the year. Would recruitment be completed by then? he asked.

NESTER ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) welcomed efforts to recruit women for military and police background posts. He asked what the effect of the new deadline would be on the overall recruitment timetable, and whether it could be pushed back to 5 November to provide distant countries time to provide candidates.

DJAMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) asked that the statements made today be distributed to the Committee for consideration in informal consultations.

ULRIKE BUTSCHEK (Austria), speaking also for the European Union, said its member States had complied with the selection process in a speedy fashion. Throughout negotiations on the phasing out of gratis personnel in the spring, the Union's greatest concern had been eliminating the risk of malfunctioning due to vacancies. The Secretary-General was to ensure proper hand-over arrangements. Without assurance that this would occur, the Union would not

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have consented to the deadline for phasing out of gratis personnel. She sought confirmation that the shifting of the deadline would not affect any of the agreed deadlines for the recruitment process.

Mr. WORTEL said applicants were already pre-screened, and there would be no need to resubmit the applications already on file. The new deadline, requested by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, should not be more than three weeks. Otherwise, the goal of having firm offers by the end of the year would not be possible. The grace period for replacing gratis personnel was now changed from three months to two-and-a-half months. That was possible because Member States had submitted candidates on the understanding that they would be ready to go.

Regarding the civilian posts, he said 3,500 applications had been received for 57 posts. For military and police positions, there had been a much smaller ratio. That might be one reason the Department of Peacekeeping Operations wanted more candidates. The number of female candidates had been below expectations, and he hoped that would change. There would be an accelerated commitment to processing in both the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Office of Human Resources Management. The Peacekeeping Department would have to ensure that the new deadline did not affect the deadline for hand-over and the continued backstopping functions.

Mr. ZHANG (China) said his delegation had asked why six countries had submitted applications after the first deadline. Further, the representative of the Office of Human Resources Management had said that the Peacekeeping Department needed more applications, yet there were already 705 applications for 57 posts.

Mr. WORTEL said only one Member State had not submitted applications within the deadline. The other five were submitting additional candidates after the deadline. That perhaps had to do with internal complexities in police and military structures. No reason had been given.

RAJAT SAHA (India) said his Mission had been advised by the Secretariat that applications submitted after the deadline would not be accepted. Applications had actually been turned away. He did not understand why some Member States had been able to submit applications. What was the process being used in accepting applications? he asked. If applications were still being received, he would welcome the information so he could forward applications.

Mr. WORTELL said that yes, right after the deadline, some Member States had inquired as to whether applications could be received. At that time, there had been no indication as to the magnitude of the number of applications Member States would be submitting after the deadline. There were now 94 such

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applications. The new deadline meant that all Member States would have a chance to submit additional applications.

Ms. BUTSCHEK (Austria), for the European Union, asked when responses could be received for the questions that fell within the competence of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Mr. ZHANG (China) said it was important to his delegation that the recruitment process proceeded smoothly, and that it would be completed before the deadline required by the General Assembly. Also, it was greatly concerned that all Member States should receive equal treatment in the recruitment process.

Mr. WORTEL said that together with the cooperation required and offered by the Peacekeeping Department, his Department anticipated that the recruitment process would be on track with a view to an adequate reporting date at the latest by 28 February 1999. As far as equal treatment, the selection process primarily lay within the purview of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations which would make decisions in accordance with the number of posts the Committee would approve. Equal treatment regarding gender and geographical balance would be stressed by all concerned bodies.

RAFAT HASSAN ABDULLAH (Yemen) shared the Chinese delegation's concerns about transparency and equal treatment in recruitment in the United Nations, particulary taking into account the under-representation of staff from some areas in the United Nations, and the need for appropriate action.

The Committee took note of the Secretary-General's report on death and disability benefits.

Mr. ATIYANTO (Indonesia) drew attention to the number of cases from his country that were awaiting processing, and asked that they be addressed.

Statements on Savings Related to UNCTAD

CEPEP HERAWAN (Indonesia), speaking for the Group of 77 and China, said that as a direct result of the delay in the Secretary-General's report, the 14 expert meetings originally scheduled had been reduced to only 10. The number of experts should increase as a result of the reduction in the number of meetings. A prompt decision was needed for the approval of the $5.5 million to avoid further adverse effects on the work of UNCTAD. Regarding financing the expert meetings, experts from developing countries should be the sole beneficiaries of the proposals that special consideration be given to the needs of developing countries.

The Group was deeply concerned that of the remainder of the resources to be utilized by UNCTAD, the greatest part seemed to be slated for the financing

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of consultants, he said. He questioned the need for such a large amount of resources for that activity, and wanted to know whether UNCTAD did not possess the necessary human resources to carry out activities which were being allocated to outside consultants. The amount of savings achieved should be identified by the Secretariat and submitted to the Assembly as a matter of priority.

DAUL MATUTE (Peru) said the results of the recent restructuring of the UNCTAD machinery had not met expectations with respect to participation of experts from developing countries in the meetings of UNCTAD. The financing of experts from developing countries must be the subject of close consideration. The proposal to use savings from 1996-1997 to ensure that those experts were present in UNCTAD meetings should become a reality.

Mr. HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, said that the activities being financed were one-time, contained activities, and therefore it was appropriate to hire consultants rather than regular staff for those.

Statements on Review of Efficiency and Human Resources Management

Mr. HERAWAN (Indonesia), for the Group of 77 and China, said the Assembly's resolutions for bringing an end to the use of gratis personnel must be implemented. The practice had resulted in geographical imbalances. Use of gratis personnel should not be a substitute for appropriate recruitment or for poor personnel planning. Nor should it result from a lack of adequate resources. He welcomed information that the number of loaned staff had declined. However, he noted with concern the ACABQ's observation that the quarterly report failed to demonstrate the extent to which all such loaned staff had provided specialized expertise not available in the Organization.

Acceptance of gratis personnel in the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia had contravened the provisions of Assembly resolution 51/214, he said. The process of recruitment should be completed on time to meet the deadline of 28 February 1999. The Group was concerned about the staffing structures in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, where developing countries were insufficiently represented. Personnel from developing countries should be highly represented in the new posts arising from the phasing out of gratis personnel.

Mr. Wortel, in response to the comments from the Group of 77 and China, said he had noted their request that the Secretariat adhere to General Assembly resolutions. In the case of the two International Tribunals, there was a very active campaign of recruitment under way, which would explain the continued decrease in gratis personnel at both those entities.

MOUSES ABELIAN (Armenia), Committee Chairman, drew attention to two letters he had received from the President of the General Assembly which had

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been distributed at the meeting today. One (document A/C.5/53/21) communicated a request from Guinea-Bissau, seeking an exception to Article 19 of the United Nations Charter. The other (document A/C.5/53/22) was from Georgia, which sought a similar exemption.

(Article 19 of the Charter allows the General Assembly to exempt countries, which have not paid their assessment to the required level, and would normally, as a consequence, not be allowed to vote in the General Assembly, where such non-payment has occurred for reasons beyond their control. Under Rule 160 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly, such requests would normally be transmitted to the Committee on Contributions, which would make a recommendation to the Fifth Committee.)

ALFREDO LOPES CABRAL (Guinea-Bissau) said that Rule 160 of Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly, defined the role of the Committee on Contributions in the procedure for exempting States under Article 19. The use of the verb "advise" in that rule demonstrated the aim was to avoid any restrictive interpretation of the rule.

The conflict in Guinea-Bissau, which was the reason it was unable to pay at present, had begun after the Committee on Contributions had sat, he said. Therefore, he requested the Fifth Committee to convey Guinea-Bissau's request to the General Assembly for consideration. Any exemption granted to Guinea- Bissau should not be unlimited. Rather, he sought exemption for several months because he expected the conflict would then be resolved and Guinea- Bissau would be able to pay its contribution. He sought a broad reading of the procedures by the Fifth Committee, based on Article 19 of the Charter which took precedence over the General Assembly Rules of Procedure.

PAPA LOUIS FALL (Senegal) said his country supported the request of Guinea-Bissau. Following the outbreak of conflict in June, there were refugee, displaced persons and humanitarian problems that Guinea-Bissau and neighbouring countries must deal with. The Committee on Contributions had met at precisely the time the conflict broke out, so Guinea-Bissau had not been in a position to transmit its request to that Committee. The countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Portuguese-speaking countries were supporting mediation to end the conflict, and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had added its voice to the mediation.

The exception requested should be granted to assist in finding a solution to the conflict, he said. The causes of Guinea-Bissau's request were beyond its control.

AHMED DARWISH (Egypt) said Guinea-Bissau's letter to the President of the General Assembly contained various reasons which justified the Fifth Committee taking the request into account. The armed conflict meant that banks and government offices were closed for several months. Egypt supported

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the request, and added that the possibility that the Committee on Contributions should meet twice a year to allow consideration of late-arising cases beyond the control of countries, should be discussed.

MUHAMMAD SULAIMAN (Nigeria), speaking as Chairman of the African Group, offered the Group's support to the Guinea-Bissau request. It was a genuine request, and was also supported by ECOWAS.

Mr ATIYANTO (Indonesia) said Indonesia's position was always to extend understanding to countries with problems beyond their control.

Mr. ZHANG (China) said China understood the request, but the Rules of Procedure said it should be considered by the Committee on Contributions. In order to avoid a bad precedent, the Fifth Committee should be prudent. It should not only address the request of Guinea-Bissau but should also create conditions for dealing with those kinds of issues in future.

RADHIA ACHOURI (Tunisia) said that three things should be taken into account. First, the situation in that country was a case of "force majeure", beyond the control of Guinea-Bissau. Second, the problems had began after the Committee on Contributions had sat. Third, the request concerned only a specific period of time -- not even whole year. The request should be viewed favourably, but without establishing a precedent.

IBRAHIM ELMONTASER (Libya) expressed support for Guinea-Bissau's request.

DULCE BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said she would like to take the opportunity to draw attention to a proposal -- in yesterday's Fifth Committee informal consultations -- that the issue of a procedure for exemption applications arising after the Committee on Contributions had sat be dealt with when the Fifth Committee took up the issue of scale of assessments. The General Assembly should then make a decision on procedures which would allow exceptional decisions to be avoided. Cuba supported Guinea-Bissau's request, but sought better mechanisms for dealing with such requests in the future.

Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) supported the call for a waiver under Article 19 in the current instance, but said the Fifth Committee must not establish a precedent. Article 19 of the Charter should be read in conjunction with Rule 160 of the Rules of Procedure, because the rules were the process that "lead us to the shelter". He proposed a two-part draft decision which might say that, without prejudice to Article 19 of the Charter and rule 160 of the Rules of Procedure, the General Assembly decided: to grant a temporary waiver for a period of three months to Georgia and Guinea- Bissau; and requested the Committee on Contributions to review the cases of Georgia and Guinea-Bissau at its next session.

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JOHN ORR (Canada) said Canada believed there should be some process to deal with matters that arose after the Committee on Contributions had ceased sitting. Georgia and Guinea-Bissau fell under the Article 19 criterion. He supported Uganda's proposal.

NICHOLAS THORNE (United Kingdom) said his main concern was to protect Article 19 of the Charter, as it was the only effective mechanism to deal with those who do not pay their dues. Article 19 also included an exemption clause for those unable to pay. He supported the suggestion that Member States should develop a process to allow more regular consultation on those matters by the Committee on Contributions, and that should be discussed by the Fifth Committee when it discussed the report of the Committee on Contributions. The United Kingdom supported the current requests, but without prejudice to Article 19.

The Chairman of the Committee asked if Committee members had any objections to the proposed draft decision suggested by Uganda.

Mr. ZHANG (China) said China had no objection to the content of the proposal, which was very good, but he needed to seek instructions. He suggested the Committee make a decision at its next formal meeting.

Mr. LOPES CABRAL (Guinea-Bissau) thanked the representative of Uganda for his proposal, which he said deserved unanimous approval. While he respected China's position, the Fifth Committee should not engage in extrapolation of what was a simple proposal. He hoped there would be no objection to approving the draft decision on exemption today, here and now.

Mr. FALL (Senegal) said the Committee should adopt the Ugandan proposal today as a compromise solution.

Following a five minute suspension, the Committee approved the decision.

Statements After Action

ZHANG WANHAI (China) said his delegation joined in the consensus on the matter, in light of the internal conditions in Guinea-Bissau. The Chinese delegation had pointed out technical difficulties. Respecting the role played by the Committee on Contributions, he hoped the Fifth Committee would formulate rules on the matter so work could proceed smoothly.

MILES ARMITAGE (Australia) said his delegation had joined the consensus while recognizing that the circumstances the Committee had found itself in were far from ideal. A number of speakers had suggested that it was an issue of a procedural nature that the Committee needed to address, and he supported that view. While the Assembly had the authority to take such decisions, it was better for the Organization if that was done based on the advice of the

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Committee on Contributions. It was not merely a question of economic hardship; there was need for objective criteria. Past attempts to define such criteria had not been successful, and the Committee on Contributions was attempting to do so now. Its role must be upheld in the decision-making process.

Mr. SAHA (India) said the rules of procedure were meant to help Member States. The case was genuine and worthy of sympathetic consideration, and there had been consensus on the exemption from Article 19. The Assembly's decision-making processes should not be subservient to its rules of procedure.

Mr. CABRAL (Guinea-Bissau) thanked the Committee for giving due attention to his delegation's request and that of the delegation of Georgia. All possible efforts would be made to put an end to the conflict in his country, which would result in it being in a better position to pay its contributions. He asked that the decision be submitted today to the office of the President of the General Assembly.

Mr. SCHLESINGER (Austria), for the European Union, regretted that the Committee had not had sufficient time to consider the issue. Still, the Union had joined consensus on the decision, underlining the restrictions contained therein. Arrangements were needed to deal with such issues in the future; the matter should be addressed when the Fifth Committee took up the report of the Committee on Contributions.

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