FIFTH COMMITTEE APPROVES TEXT ON SAVINGS FROM UNCTAD

Press Release
GA/AB/3243

FIFTH COMMITTEE APPROVES TEXT ON SAVINGS FROM UNCTAD

According to the terms of a draft resolution approved this morning by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) on savings from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the General Assembly would endorse the Secretary-General's proposals for use of the savings on the understanding that the amount to be used should not exceed some $5.5 million, and that no precedent would be set.

About $1.1 million would be used to fund attendance at expert meetings of the UNCTAD, and special consideration would be given to the needs of developing countries, according to other terms of the resolution. Regretting a lack of clear information on the savings, the Secretary-General would be asked to submit more comprehensive information to the Assembly at its fifty-fourth session.

Also this morning, the Committee approved a draft decision on administrative arrangements for the International Trade Centre/UNCTAD/World Trade Organization (WTO). By that text, the Assembly would request the Trade and Development Board of UNCTAD and the Joint Advisory Group on the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO to consider proposals of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for new administrative arrangements and request comments as a matter of priority.

Both drafts, which were introduced by the Committee's Vice-Chairman, Sharon Brennan-Haylock (Bahamas), were approved without a vote.

In other business, the Committee recommended that the Assembly take note of the report of the ACABQ on its activities during the fifty-second session.

The Fifth Committee also began its discussion of United Nations programme planning. It had before it, a number of reports on programme planning and evaluation, including proposed revisions to the medium-term plan for 1998-2001, and the related recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC). The medium-term plan is the principal policy

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directive that draws together the various directives of the United Nations and provides a framework for the biennial programme budgets.

Statements were made this morning by the representatives of Algeria, Japan, Austria (for the European Union and associated States), Norway, Cyprus and the United States.

The Chairman of the CPC, Bagher Asadi (Iran), presented that body's report on the work of its thirty-eighth session. The Chairman of the ACABQ, C.S.M. Mselle, introduced its report and responded to questions. The United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, introduced three reports of the Secretary-General on programme planning.

The Fifth Committee is scheduled to meet again at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 14 October, to continue discussing programme planning.

Fifth Committee Programme of Work

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning met to continue its review of United Nations efficiency, and begin discussing the Organization's programme planning. The Committee was also scheduled to continue discussing administrative arrangements for ITC/UNCTAD/WTO and the treatment of savings in UNCTAD. (For background on those reports, see Press Release GA/AB/3241 of 6 October).

Review of Efficiency

The Committee had before it a report on activities of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) during the fifty-second General Assembly (document A/53/7). Under Assembly resolution 14(I) of 13 February 1946, the ACABQ is charged with examining and reporting to the Assembly on: the Secretary-General's budget proposals; administrative and budgetary matters referred to it by the Assembly; budgets and proposals for financial arrangements for the specialised agencies; and auditors' reports on the United Nations and the specialized agencies.

According to the report, in the course of its activities during the fifty-second session, the ACABQ met in New York, the Hague, Geneva and Vienna, with United Nations organs and agencies. The report contains a summary of these meetings. Annexed to it is a list of ACABQ reports arising from these meetings and related activities.

From discussions at the meetings, the ACABQ reports that the variety of new terminology being introduced may add to the difficulty of understanding budget related reforms and results-based budgeting in the United Nations system. In addition, the report suggests that governing bodies give clear instructions as to what efficiency means, and that thorough discussions at the intergovernmental and secretariat levels should take place to avoid additional expense redressing hurried reforms.

Programme Planning

The Committee had before it proposed revisions to the medium-term plan for 1998-2001 (document A/53/6). Formulated in 1996 and adopted by the General Assembly at its fifty-first session (by resolution 51/219), the medium-term plan is the principle policy directive of the United Nations. In it, the various mandates adopted to guide the Organization are drawn together and a set of concrete objectives and strategies to cover the relevant four-year period are defined. It provides the framework for the biennial programme budgets.

The programmes in the medium-term plan, each of which deals with a specific activity, consist of a summary of the mandates that provide direction for the activity and the responsible department or office, a description of

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the broad approach that should be used to carry out the work, and the results expected. By regulation, it is revised as necessary every two years to incorporate required programme changes. Each programme contains subprogrammes on areas of the activities entrusted to organizational units within the department or office.

The programmes of the medium-term plan are as follows:

Programme 1: political affairs; programme 2: peacekeeping operations; programme 3: peaceful uses of outer space; programme 4: legal affairs; programme 5: policy coordination and sustainable development; programme 6: Africa: New Agenda for Development; programme 7: economic and social information and policy analysis; programme 8: development support and management services; programme 9: trade and development; programme 10: environment; programme 11: human settlements; programme 12: crime prevention and criminal justice; programme 13: international drug control; programme 14: economic and social development in Africa; programme 15: economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific; programme 16: economic development in Europe; programme 17: economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean; programme 18: economic and social development in Western Asia; programme 19: human rights; programme 20: humanitarian assistance; programme 21: protection and assistance to refugees; programme 22: Palestine refugees; programme 23: public information; programme 24: management and central support services; programme 25: internal oversight; programme 26: disarmament; programme 27: General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference services; and programme 28: economic and social affairs.

The report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) on the work of its thirty-eighth session, held at Headquarters from 1 to 26 June 1998 (document A/53/16), contains recommendations regarding the proposed revisions to the plan, as well as its comments on a number of other reports under consideration by the Fifth Committee, presented here beneath the summaries of the relevant reports.

The proposed revisions to programme 1, political affairs, include the designation of the Department of Political Affairs as the United Nations focal point for post-conflict peacebuilding. The CPC recommends approving these, with modifications.

Revisions to programme 2, peacekeeping operations, reflect actions taken by the General Assembly in its resolution 52/12B on United Nations reform and 52/220 on the programme budget for 1998-1999. The CPC recommends that these revisions be approved, subject to modifications.

The proposed revisions to programme 3, peaceful uses of outer space, pertain to the Third United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The CPC recommends approval subject to modifications.

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No revisions are recommended to programme 4, legal affairs.

As a result of the consolidation of several Secretariat departments into the new Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the proposals would delete programme 5, policy coordination and sustainable development, and reflect parts of the programme under a new programme 28, Economic and Social Affairs. The CPC report does not contain recommendations.

A number of changes to programme 6, Africa: New Agenda for Development are recommended to reflect the 1997 United Nations System-wide Special Initiative for the Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for Development for Africa and other related recent developments. The CPC recommends adopting the proposed revisions, with modifications, and reaffirms the priority given to African development by the General Assembly.

As a result of the consolidation of several Secretariat departments into the new Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the proposed revisions would delete programme 7, economic and social information and policy analysis and programme 8, development support and management services, and reflect parts of these under a new programme 28, Economic and Social Affairs. The CPC report does not contain recommendations.

No revisions were proposed for programme 9, trade and development; programme 10, environment; programme 11, human settlements; and programme 12, crime control.

As a consequence of the new enhanced role and responsibilities of the Organization in supporting international drug control efforts, arising from the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, revisions are proposed for all paragraphs of programme 13, international drug control, reflecting a streamlined organizational structure for the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. The CPC recommends that the proposed revisions be adopted, subject to modification.

The proposed revisions to programme 14, economic and social development in Africa include the creation of two subprogrammes -- promoting the advancement of women and strengthening subregional activities for development -- in response to new mandates adopted by legislative bodies. The CPC recommends approval of the proposed revisions.

Stemming from the adoption of resolution 53/1 by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in 1997, proposed revisions to programme 15, economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific, would replace the narrative and revise the programme structure. The CPC recommends approval of the proposed revisions, subject to modifications.

The revisions proposed to programme 16, economic development in Europe reflect the reform package embodied in the Economic Commission for

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Europe (ECE) Plan of Action adopted by the commission at its fifty-second session. The Plan focuses on areas where the ECE has recognized expertise and advantages, on flexibility in methods of work, and on strengthened cooperation with other organizations. As a consequence, various subprogrammes have been reorganized. The CPC recommends approval subject to modifications.

Revisions proposed to programme 17, economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean, include the addition of a new subprogramme on mainstreaming the gender perspective into regional development, and are recommended by the CPC with modifications.

The revisions to programme 18, economic and social development in Western Asia, aim at emphasizing the right to development and mainstreaming a gender perspective in the plans, policies and programmes of Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The CPC recommends these, subject to modifications.

No revisions were proposed for programme 19, human rights.

The revisions proposed for programme 20, humanitarian assistance reflect aspects of the Secretary-General's programme reform proposals, endorsed by the General Assembly. The CPC recommends approving those revisions, subject to modifications.

No revisions were proposed for programme 21, protection and assistance to refugees, and programme 22, Palestine refugees.

In response to proposed changes in the text of programme 23, public information, the CPC recommends that traditional media -- print, radio and television -- should continue to receive high priority to ensure outreach to all countries. It recommends approving the proposed revisions with modifications, and that the Secretary-General be invited to review, in consultation with host Governments, the effectiveness of the functioning of the United Nations Information Centres, including those already integrated with other United Nations offices.

For programme 24, management and central support services, following the Assembly's approval in 1997 of the Secretary-General's proposal to establish the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, revisions are proposed to delete the subprogramme "Conference services" and include it in a proposed new programme 27, General Assembly affairs and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference services. The CPC recommends approval of the proposed revisions subject to modifications, and that these also be reviewed by the ACABQ.

No revisions are proposed for section 25, internal oversight.

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Several changes are proposed for the text of programme 26, disarmament that take into account that activities in programme 26 should be transferred to programme 1, political affairs; the CPC recommends approval with modifications.

A new programme 27, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference services, is proposed to subsume the related parts of the medium-term plan which formerly constituted or were elements of subprogrammes of programme 1, political affairs; programme 5, policy coordination and sustainable development; programme 24, Administrative services; and programme 26, disarmament. No changes are proposed in the content of the plan. The CPC recommends approval of the proposed revisions, subject to modifications and that in the year 2002, the programme be subject to evaluation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services for consideration by the CPC at its forty-second session.

As a consequence of the consolidation of three departments into a new Department of Economic and Social Affairs, revisions are proposed to delete programmes 5, 7 and 8 in their entirety and to consolidate as relevant the narratives under a new programme 28, economic and social affairs. The CPC recommends that the Assembly consider possible arrangements for establishing a programme and/or subprogramme in the medium-term plan on post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction, as well as on the transition from relief to development, and that the proposed revisions be approved with modifications.

The CPC also reviewed proposed narratives for two sections of the 1998-1999 programme budget: section 7a -- Economic and social affairs -- and section 26 -- public information. (Both narratives were presented to the CPC in document E/AC.51/1998/6.) The CPC recommends that the Secretary-General be asked to improve formulation of objectives and performance indicators when preparing these narratives for the next biennium. It recommends approving both, subject to modifications. On section 7a, the CPC also recommends that the Economic and Social Council, and the General Assembly consider several paragraphs in light of the ongoing reform process.

Also before the Committee was the Secretary-General's report on the United Nations programme performance for 1996-1997 (document A/53/122) which presents an overview of programme performance in the biennium and the medium-term plan period of 1992-1997. In 1996-1997, programme managers had had 48,500 professional work-months available, which is 7 per cent less than the previous biennium. Of the total number of outputs programmed and mandated (7,966), about 80 per cent (6,377 outputs) were implemented. Others were postponed, reformulated or terminated.

Implementation was highest in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (100 per cent), the report says, and lowest in the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT (ITC) (50 per cent), due to that body's transition during the period, as well as reduced financial resources. Programme managers redeployed

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resources, used extrabudgetary sources of funding and/or vacant posts to fund short-term consultants in the face of financial constraints. Vacancy rates were higher than in earlier bienniums -- averaging about 13 per cent for reasons including cumbersome recruitment processes.

During the medium-term plan period, productivity improved despite zero-growth budgets, and changes related to reform and political developments, the Secretary-General writes. Since there is increasing reliance on extrabudgetary resources to finance mandated activities, information on those resources, and the posts established under them, should be centrally available for monitoring purposes, he recommended. Also, the financial rules should be revisited to ensure that programme mangers have the flexibility they need to perform their functions, including the authority to manage the human and financial resources appropriated to their programmes. He also recommends systems for internal control and programme oversight at the departmental level, as well as for centrally monitoring the exercise of delegated authority.

The report says that there are inherent limitations to the practice of reporting on programme performance, which can highlight changes and problems, but not assess whether objectives have been met. Conceptual changes in budget and programming are required, and managers must be committed to effective systems of monitoring and controlling performance quality. This, in turn, requires that a culture of management accountability be established in the Secretariat. Already, efforts are being made at Headquarters to promote monitoring and evaluation practices as basic management tools.

An addendum (document A/52/122/Add.1) presents the programme performance of each section of the programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997. It highlights achievements and the factors that affected programme deliveries. Recruitment freezes, high vacancy rates and measures to achieve target savings impacted programme implementation, and, in some cases, meant that the demands of Member States could not be met.

In the related section of its report, the CPC concludes that in future reports, the Secretary-General should place more emphasis on qualitative analysis. There was a need for better means to ensure that activities correspond to the mandates reflected in the medium-term plan and programme budgets, according to the CPC, and it sought proposals from him on this for consideration at its next session. It noted constraints resulting from financial uncertainties, new mandates and the coincidence of implementation and reform, but expressed concern about the high vacancy rate.

The CPC, emphasising the need for central budgetary information, reported that it was concerned that extrabudgetary resources may be used to supplement activities that should be funded from the regular budget, and that lack of extrabudgetary resources was affecting delivery of some programme. It agreed to recommend that the General Assembly consider postponed outputs

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that had been carried over from the 1994-1995 biennium and that overall coordination of the work of the Organization be considered when programmes were formulated.

Also before the Committee was the Secretary-General's report on priority-setting within the medium-term plan (document A/53/134). The report states that in its resolution 51/213 the General Assembly introduced a new dimension in priority-setting. It requested the Secretary-General to submit in the outline to the 1998-1999 proposed programme budget priorities reflecting general trends of a broad sectoral nature. In practical terms, the report states, when the General Assembly takes a decision on the outline, it provides the Secretary-General with guidance on priorities immediately before the formulation of the proposed programme budget.

The report states that priorities, as determined by the General Assembly, are meant to guide the allocation of resources in the budget. The provision of such guidance at two different stages in the process may appear redundant or may give rise to the provision of ambiguous guidance to the Secretary-General. The Assembly may wish to consider the setting of overall priority in only one instance.

The issue to be addressed is whether priority should be set in the plan or in the outline, according to the text. It would appear that the outline may be the better vehicle of the two since it, unlike the plan, deals with resources. It also covers a shorter time-frame and is prepared within months of the preparation of a proposed programme budget. The plan, on the other hand, covers a four-year period and needs a relatively long lead time for its preparation. This means that it is not always possible in the plan to take into account the latest legislative developments that may have a bearing on priorities.

In its report, the CPC recommends that priorities continue to be established in the principal policy directive -- the medium-term plan. Such priorities set by the General Assembly would guide resource allocation in subsequent programme budgets. Priorities in the budget outline should conform to those in the medium-term plan. The CPC emphasises that priorities established by the General Assembly could only be altered by the General Assembly.

Also before the Committee was the Secretary-General's report on proposed revisions to the regulations and rules governing programme planning, budget, implementation and evaluation (document A/53/133). The revisions proposed to the regulations relate in the main to those governing the medium-term plan and derive from the need to adapt these to reflect the new format of the medium-term plan.

The report states that the concept of major programmes is no longer valid under the new medium-term plan format, which consists of programmes

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equivalent to a department, office or regional commission, and subprogrammes which equate with a division or a significant organizational entity within a department, office or regional commission. Consequently, the stipulation that intergovernmental and expert bodies should refrain from making recommendations on the priorities of the major programmes as outlined in the medium-term plan, and should instead propose, through the Committee, priorities of the major subprogrammes within their respective fields of competence is redundant. The new medium-term plan focuses on objectives and the means to achieve them rather than on detailed descriptions of activities and outputs, the report further states. It does not identify activities per se.

The inclusion of financial data was envisaged as a means of informing Member States of the probable level of resources during the plan period, the report states. The provision of indicative estimates of necessary resources in the context of the medium-term plan has not yielded meaningful results. It is not practical or feasible to derive realistic and accurate estimates of resources so far in advance. The General Assembly introduced an outline which requires the Secretary-General to provide a preliminary estimate of resources in off-budget years.

The report states that the basic feature of the new format of the plan is that there is a congruence between the programmes of the plan and the organizational structure of the Secretariat. The concept of a major programme is no longer valid. What was a programme under the regulation is now a subprogramme, and the concept of a subprogramme under the current regulation has been superseded. In the new format, the introduction to the regulations has been replaced by a perspective. The perspective would address: persistent problems; emerging trends; identification of challenges; role of the Organization; and directions to be pursued.

On programme aspects of the budget, the report states that in view of the congruence between the programmatic and organizational structures of the Organization, the programme budget will contain financial information at both the programme and subprogramme levels. The text of the relevant regulation should be amended to reflect that fact that the new format of the plan focuses on achieving objectives.

A note by the Secretary-General transmits a report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on strengthening the role of evaluation findings in programme design, delivery and policy directives (document A/53/90). The Secretary-General concurs with the approach to programme monitoring and evaluation described in the report. In reviewing evaluation activities during 1996-1997 in a number of system bodies, the Oversight Office found that the old United Nations system of self-evaluation at the subprogramme level had been largely superseded by a more useful approach that included thematic and project evaluations, as well as greater intergovernmental participation in the evaluation process.

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In departments and offices, institutional arrangements for conducting evaluations range from well-established evaluation services (in peacekeeping, humanitarian and refugee activities) to ad hoc arrangements, the report says. In substantive activities, appropriate institutional settings were needed to improve departmental oversight. Regarding support services, which were not routinely subject to evaluation (although ad hoc assessment studies were conducted in 1996-1997), norms, standards and performance indicators were needed to provide an analytical basis for performance monitoring and assessments.

With the Department of Management, the Oversight Office issued guidelines for programme monitoring and evaluation in departments and offices, the report states. The guidelines establish a framework for results-based monitoring and evaluation and aim to help managers shift from emphasizing administrative procedures to greater concern with client satisfaction and results. They coincide with elements of the United Nations reform, such as streamlining administrative procedures, and greater delegation of responsibilities to programme managers. To help departments and offices implement the guidelines, the Oversight Office is offering workshops and a related manual on its web site.

In its report, the CPC stresses the importance of incorporating evaluation into the planning cycles and recommends to the General Assembly that two programmes be added to the schedule of in-depth evaluations; policy coordination and sustainable development, and population. Reports on these evaluations would be submitted to the CPC at its forty-first session.

Statements on Review of Efficiency

C.S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the ACABQ, presented the report of the ACABQ. The report summarised the activities of the ACABQ during the fifty-second General Assembly, he said. The reports prepared by the ACABQ on specific agencies and programmes were set out in the Annex to the report. A substantial amount of work of the ACABQ during this period was related to the funds and programmes of the United Nations. It held meetings in New York, The Hague, Vienna and Geneva. Extensive discussions were held with the specialized agencies and programmes. Subjects included currency exchange, reform, and the application of accounting standards. The report of the ACABQ contained information on these matters and others; information which would be invaluable for the future work of the ACABQ.

A number of issues had arisen, he said. The Advisory Committee's discussions about accounting standards had identified an urgent need for a review of the United Nations System Accounting Standards. On reform, the ACABQ had identified a clear need for the sharing of experiences across United Nations agencies and the United Nations itself. If agencies were to cooperate and learn from one another, rather than dwell on what separated them, millions of dollars could be saved. Extensive programmes of reform related to

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planning, programming and budgeting were being implemented. Too often, not enough discussion had taken place for there to be a clear consensus on what should be reformed and how reforms should take place. Often reforms had been forced on organizations by financial crisis. Often, therefore, mistakes were made which would ultimately entail further expenditure to correct.

He said the ACABQ intended to follow up on a number of issues from its discussions. A number of reports would be issued to the current session of the General Assembly, which would benefit from the ACABQ's experience during the fifty-second General Assembly.

DJAMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) commended the efforts made by the ACABQ. The work of the Fifth Committee was facilitated by that body's recommendations and comments. He pointed out that the heavy workload of the ACABQ sometimes did not allow for coordination with the Fifth Committee's work.

It seemed that in a context of long-term limited budget growth, a number of constraints affected the implementation and quality of mandates adopted by deliberative bodies, he said. The new approach of results-oriented budgeting had, in some cases, been put into effect but, in other cases, had yet to be implemented.

According to the report, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) had reduced administrative expenses by 30 per cent in the past five years without affecting staff, he said. The Secretariat should take this example into account. Another part of the text indicated that the Executive Director of the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention had complained that activities for anti-crime and anti-terrorism had not been given the resources required to implement mandates. Several facts in the report should be looked at in greater detail by the Fifth Committee.

KOJI F.X. YAMAGIWA (Japan) said the ACABQ's numerous reports had, in most cases, provided the Fifth Committee with accurate analysis and additional information, and constituted a basis for the Committee to take sound decisions. In the course of exchange of views with inspectors of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) in Geneva, the inspectors had indicated the value of the ACABQ commenting regularly on JIU reports. The ACABQ had said that it would do so when JIU reports, and the Secretary-General's comments on them, had been transmitted. The JIU report on publications (document A/51/946) had been transmitted to the Assembly in mid-August 1997, and the relevant comments of the Secretary-General (document A/52/6/85), in late November 1997. To date, the ACABQ's comments had not been made available. Considering that their recommendations were useful, and in light of the recommendations of the CPC which requested the ACABQ to consider the recommendations of the JIU, that report should be considered on a priority basis. He asked when the ACABQ planned to take it up for consideration.

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Mr. MSELLE said many of the recommendations that were in the report of the JIU and in previous reports of the ACABQ were already being implemented by the various bodies involved. That information had arisen from discussions during the fifty-second session when the ACABQ had touched base with a number of programme managers. The report was scheduled to have been taken up next week, but the ACABQ had just received documents requiring priority attention -- due to the large amounts of funds involved -- from the international criminal tribunals for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia. The ACABQ would take up the report on publications as soon as it finished considering the reports of the tribunals.

The Fifth Committee agreed to recommend that the General Assembly take note of the report and request the Secretary-General to bring it to the attention of the relevant heads of agencies and United Nations bodies.

Draft Resolution on Savings from UNCTAD

Under Agenda item 113 on the analysis of savings achieved from the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Committee had before it a draft resolution submitted by the Vice-Chairman of the Committee, following informal consultations.

By this draft (document A/C.5/53/L.6), the General Assembly would endorse the Secretary-General's proposals outlined in his report, on the understanding that the amount to be used by the UNCTAD should not exceed $5.526 million. It would agree to the use of $1.088 million to fund attendance at expert meetings of the UNCTAD, provided that this would be a one-time expenditure in the 1998-1999 biennium, that this would not create a precedent regarding the financing of experts from the regular UNCTAD budget, and that special consideration be given to the needs of developing countries.

The Committee would invite the Trade and Development Board to take a decision at its forty-fifth session in October 1998 on selection, nomination and appointment of such experts to allow the UNCTAD secretariat to carry out activities without further delay, and request the Secretary-General to report on the implementation and outcomes of these expenditures.

In addition, it would express regret at a lack of clear information concerning the savings from the ninth session of UNCTAD, noting the ACABQ report on this matter, and request the Secretary-General to submit to the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly comprehensive information on the savings.

SHARON BRENNEN-HAYLOCK, Committee Vice-Chairman introducing the draft resolution, noted that by the draft resolution, the General Assembly would agree to the use of $5.52 million by UNCTAD. She said that, in the informal consultations on the matter, Member States had noted that there was still insufficient information on the savings which had been achieved, and thus the

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draft called on the Secretary-General to provide detailed information. Also by the draft, the Fifth Committee would discuss the matter further at the General Assembly's fifty-fourth session. In addition, she said that Member States had expressed hope that the General Assembly would consider the draft as soon as possible.

The draft resolution was approved without a vote.

Draft Decision on Administrative Arrangements for ITC

Under Agenda item 112, the Fifth Committee had before it a draft decision on administrative arrangements for the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO submitted by the Committee's Vice-Chairman following informal consultations.

By the draft (document A/C.5/53/l.7), the General Assembly would request the Trade and Development Board of the UNCTAD and the Joint Advisory Group on the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO to consider the proposals for new administrative arrangements contained in the ACABQ report on this matter, and request these bodies to submit their comments to the General Assembly as a matter of priority.

The draft decision, introduced by Mrs. BRENNAN-HAYLOCK, was approved without a vote.

Statements on Programme planning

JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, United Nations Controller, introduced three reports: the report on proposed revisions to the medium-term plan; the report of the Secretary-General on proposed revisions to the regulations and rules governing programme planning, budget, implementation and evaluation; and the Secretary-General's report on priority setting in the medium-term plan.

Revising the medium-term plan was an integral part of the planning and budgeting cycle, he said. Proposed revisions to the current plan, which covered 1998 to 2000 and had been approved by the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, affected 17 programmes. Proposed changes to those items covering the Regional Commissions mainly reflected the requirement to mainstream gender perspectives arising out of the Beijing Platform of Action and subsequent General Assembly decisions. Other proposed changes reflected new or changed mandates, or changes to the structure of the Secretariat.

Introducing the Secretary-General's report (document A/53/134) on priority setting in the medium-term plan, he said that the medium-term plan should always reflect Member States' priorities. The budget outline should include general trends of a broad sectoral nature. Priorities were also meant to guide the allocation of resources in the budget. Priorities were currently set in the medium-term plan and in the budget outline. The provisions of

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guidance in two separate areas on two separate occasions might result in ambiguous guidance to the Secretary-General.

BAGHER ASADI (Iran), Chairman of the CPC, presented that body's report to the Committee, having previously presented the first part of the report to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). He said that the thirty-eighth session had marked a turning point in the work of the CPC, with a new positive approach. Members and observers had demonstrated a commitment to strengthening the work of the CPC, and, against that backdrop, a new agenda item on improving the work of the CPC had been discussed. The outcome of the discussion had been a recommendation that the role of the CPC in all aspects of its mandate should be strengthened. Recommendations had been made to bolster the efficiency and effectiveness of the CPC.

He said recommendations from the CPC on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001 included that the preliminary estimate should be adequate for all mandated programmes and activities; that the contingency fund should be 0.75 percent of the budget outline; that the provision for anticipated savings and provisions for the Development Account should be further examined as a priority; and that the General Assembly should examine, as a priority, arrangements for financing special political missions and for the treatment of currency fluctuations.

The CPC had also made comments about the need for effective systems to ensure activities corresponded to mandates, and the need to monitor and evaluate the quality of performance, he said. It recommended that the Secretary-General be requested to submit proposals on mechanisms to allow better Member State assessment of the quality of programmes and activities.

In its examination of the Secretary-General's report on revisions to the medium-term plan, the CPC had recommended that priorities continue to be established in the medium-term plan, he said. Once established by the General Assembly, only the General Assembly could alter them. He identified a number of specific responses to the Secretary-General's proposals. In its consideration of the Secretary-General's report on the new narrative for Section 7A and section 26 of the programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, the CPC had recommended that the Secretary-General be requested to improve the preparation of future programme budgets by better formulation of objectives.

The Committee had recommended the approval of the Secretary-General's proposed revisions, with modifications, on the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation (document A/53/133), he said. It had also considered the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on United Nations publications and had stressed their important role in raising public awareness and promoting the activities of the United Nations. It had emphasised the continued relevance of printed publications.

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He stressed that the functions of the CPC warranted further attention by ECOSOC and the General Assembly, especially at a time of reform. Greater focus should be placed on the Committee's conclusions and recommendations in order to ensure they were followed up.

THOMAS SCHLESINGER (Austria) spoke for the European Union, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The process of translating policy orientations and goals set by intergovernmental organs into concrete activities was key to the operation of the United Nations. Due attention must be paid to all phases of the cycle, from planning to evaluating, and each should be linked to address the Organization's objectives, strategies and challenges.

The regulations and rules governing programme planning, programme aspects of the budget, monitoring of implementation and methods of evaluation provided that the medium-term plan should be revised every two years as needed, he said. The CPC's ability to agree on all proposed revisions to the medium-term plan was greatly welcomed, and could be attributed to its improved working methods. The Union was prepared to endorse the CPC's recommendations on programme planning.

He said the Union was pleased with the new format of the medium-term plan, which established closer links between planning and budgeting, and thus allowed for enhanced accountability and responsibility within the Secretariat for achieving results. It regretted, however, that the reports of the Secretary-General on programme performance and coordination were largely descriptive. At the departmental level, evaluation functions were only established in large-scale field operations, while other substantive activities had a mixed record. The report of the Secretary-General on evaluation findings remained broad and did not provide Member States with sufficient analytical information.

The evaluation process should determine the continuing relevance, effectiveness and impact of an activity or programme in light of its goals or objectives, he said. There was need for better ways to monitor, evaluate and report performance quality. More emphasis should be placed on qualitative analysis to reflect achievements. If reports were presented and structured accordingly, Member States could easily evaluate individual programmes and engage in systematic reflections on the Organization's main programmes.

TRYGGVE GJESDAL (Norway) said his country was committed to strengthening the role of oversight at the United Nations. Norway deplored the lack of resources for in-depth evaluations, while praising the quality of the work undertaken. The in-depth evaluations undertaken by the Office of Internal Oversight Services had generated an adequate number of recommendations in the areas chosen by the CPC, but they needed better follow-up. Decentralized evaluations activities should take place on a regular basis. Noting that

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institutional arrangements varied greatly, he said it would be interesting to learn how broadly the guidelines on evaluation were being implemented.

A political programme could not be evaluated in the same way as a humanitarian field operation, he said. It was not always possible to limit monitoring and evaluation to assessing the achievement of quantitative indicators, although performance indicators were useful in many programmes. The outcome of a political programme was ultimately determined by the actions of governments and other external factors. The evaluation framework should be flexible and allow for diversity of methods and criteria. He called for evaluation of common services programmes, saying that both efficiency reviews and evaluations were valid management tools, and both should lead to reforms in the way the United Nations conducted its work.

Governments should be involved in the evaluation process as users, clients and beneficiaries, he said. They should have a say in judging the value added by various United Nations programmes. Ultimately, governments were stakeholders and should encourage better follow-up in programme design, delivery and policy directives of the evaluation findings being generated at the United Nations. Member States should also encourage a more general use of evaluation as a tool for self-improvement and feedback on the management side.

Regarding proposed revisions to the medium-term plan, Norway supported the emphasis on development activities, especially those for sustainable development, poverty eradication, education and health, he said. The focus on development in Africa must be followed up by better coordination and implementation of the various initiatives, programmes and activities in place. There was need for further coordination of efforts of African countries and the support of the international community in the implementation of the new Agenda for Development within the framework of the United Nations System-wide Initiative on Africa. Better coordination would produce better results.

DEMETRIOS THEOPHYLACTOU (Cyprus) noted that the implementation rate with respect to the New Agenda for the Development of Africa needed to be increased. The development of Africa had been identified as a top priority in the Secretary-General's report on priority setting within the medium-term plan for 1998-2001. It should benefit proportionately from the allocation of resources under priorities in the outline. Implementation of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa must be expedited.

He underlined the importance of development programmes in other regions, and welcomed the auspicious beginning of the new Department of Economic and Social Affairs. He also commended the efforts of the Department of Public Information (DPI) to keep in step with new technologies.

The number of people worldwide receiving information about the work of the Organization through the United Nations website was growing exponentially, he said. Three years ago, some 200,000 people per week had accessed the

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United Nations website; today the number was 2.5 million. Progress had been made in both quantity and quality. Using the latest technology in reaching out to the widest possible audience was the key to doing more with less. DPI was moving in that direction without ignoring traditional media, which was of great importance to the developing world. The United Nations should continue using traditional media and keep supporting the United Nations Information Centres.

RICHARD SKLAR (United States) stressed the importance of effective planning, priority-setting, monitoring and evaluation in the work of the United Nations. During the CPC's thirty-eighth session there had been new spirit and energy due in large part to the efforts of the Chairman. In addition to reaching agreement on ways to improve the programme planning and evaluation processes, the CPC had reviewed its own working methods and had agreed on recommendations to improve productivity. The Fifth Committee should follow that example and approve recommendations this Fall on improving its working methods.

He urged the Fifth Committee to endorse the recommendations of the CPC on programme planning issues. Regarding programme performance, the CPC had concluded that greater emphasis should be placed in future programme performance reports on qualitative analysis to reflect achievements in implementing programme activities. The United States supported the termination of 57 outputs that had been carried over from 1994-1995 and further postponed in 1996-1997. Those were of marginal value and their cancellation would not adversely affect priority work.

The CPC also had reached conclusions on the need for improved programme evaluation, including better formulation of objectives and performance indicators, he said. In its review of the Oversight Office's report on evaluations, the CPC had stressed the need to further improve and integrate evaluation into the cycle of programme budget planning and monitoring, with a view to improving programme formulation and implementation. The CPC had recommended changes to the rules governing programme planning, monitoring and evaluation which would require the Secretary-General to include "expected achievements" in his budget proposals and require him to monitor and evaluate accomplishments made through the delivery of outputs.

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