SECRETARY-GENERAL SHOULD REVIEW STRUCTURE OF UNITED NATIONS PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES ON ONGOING BASIS, FIFTH COMMITTEE TOLD

Press Release
GA/AB/3267

SECRETARY-GENERAL SHOULD REVIEW STRUCTURE OF UNITED NATIONS PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES ON ONGOING BASIS, FIFTH COMMITTEE TOLD

The Secretary-General should review the structure of United Nations publishing activities on an ongoing basis, the representative of Austria, speaking for the European Union, told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning, as it continued discussing the United Nations pattern of conferences.

The Committee had before it three reports on United Nations publications: a report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on enhancing cost-effectiveness in implementing legislative mandates (from the fifty-first session); the Secretary-General's related comments (from the fifty-second session); and a recent report from the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on the two reports.

The JIU had proposed that decisions by legislative bodies requesting new publications should be taken only after a thorough review of information on the potential for duplication and financial implications and that a time-frame should be incorporated.

According to the Secretary-General's report, that suggestion enjoyed wide support in the Secretariat. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) agreed with applying a "sunset rule" -- specifying the expiry of the mandate for, in this case, a publication -- while the Office of Legal Affairs noted that some mandates provided by legislative bodies years ago were no longer relevant.

According to Austria's representative, the European Union welcomed the use of "sunset clauses" for mandated publications by ESCAP, provided that those publications were no longer priority activities. The representative of Poland aligned himself with that statement.

However, as he introduced the Advisory Committee's report, ACABQ Chairman C.S.M. Mselle said there was no need to adopt a "sunset rule" if current procedures were followed. Overall, the Unit's recommendations could be implemented, taking into account recommendations of the ACABQ and the Fifth Committee.

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Also this morning, Committee members expressed concern about the programme of work and tightening time constraints. Secretariat officials should explain the reasons that reports had been delayed since that affected the Committee's work.

The representatives of Cuba and China spoke.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 20 November to: review administrative and financial efficiency; discuss reports of the Board of Auditors; and consider the financing of the International Criminal Tribunals for The Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda.

Fifth Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to continue discussing the United Nations pattern of conferences. Specifically, it was to take up a report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on enhancing cost-effectiveness of United Nations publications (document A/51/946) in which the Inspectors formulated 18 recommendations in six broad areas to enhance the efficiency and relevance of United Nations publications. Also, it had before it the Secretary-General's comments on that report (document A/52/685), and a recent and related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).

(For background on the reports of the JIU and the Secretary-General, see Press Release GA/AB/3247 of 19 October.)

In its report on United Nations publications (document A/53/669), the ACABQ states its intention to inquire into the extent of the implementation of its own past recommendations on the subject, as well as those contained in the JIU report, as it examines the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000 to 2001.

It notes that a number of intergovernmental bodies have been reviewing their publication programmes. Such reviews should continue as a part of work programme reviews, but it is not necessary to include a special item in United Nations legislative bodies' agendas since that could result in discussions out of context. The Advisory Committee welcomes the findings of the Inspectors on duplication of documentation within the United Nations system, but notes the Secretary-General's reservations regarding duplication with organizations outside the United Nations system. Unnecessary duplication of documentation could be identified during the preparatory process for International conferences, it reports. It also welcomes the compendium of new and revised policy directives on publications under preparation.

It sees considerable merit in reviewing the current administrative, managerial and organizational structure of publishing activities in order to introduce necessary reforms at Headquarters. These could include the consolidation of functions and units into a centralized structure, and requests the Secretary-General to indicate what measures he has taken to implement this JIU recommendation, and what steps had been taken to strengthen the Publications Committee.

It agrees with the Secretary-General that departments have to retain some flexibility in their respective publications programmes, but considered that publications planned on the basis of general mandates often tend to be excessive and overly ambitious, according to the report. However, implementing the recommendation of the Inspectors without modification would introduce an element of rigidity. It recommends that publications proposed under general mandates be reviewed by the related intergovernmental bodies in

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their work programmes. Publications initiated after the approval of the programme budget should be governed by current procedures. The present role of the Publications Board in administration of funds in the external printing account and the management of publications should be expanded to include oversight of the contents of publications, possibly by empowering the Publications Board and its Working Committee to set standards and guidelines by which departments would screen their publication proposals.

Programme-formulating bodies should review the frequency and duration of publications under their authority and the Secretariat must draw their attention to those no longer relevant or of lower priority, according to the ACABQ. Therefore, there was no need to adopt a "sunset rule". On the question of an appropriate mode of printing, there was no need to wait for cost-accounting system implementation. As current procedures for the use of the external printing account were too rigid, the ACABQ recommends that the Secretary-General review the cost-effectiveness of internal and external printing to determine and expand the most cost-effective.

Statements on Pattern of Conferences

C.S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) introduced that body's report on United Nations publications, which comments on the recommendations made by the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) in its report on publications: enhancing cost-effectiveness in implementing legislative mandates, from the fifty-first session.

The ACABQ concluded that it was not necessary to include a special item on the agenda of substantive United Nations legislative bodies on publications, since such a procedure could lead to a discussion of publications out of context, he said. Publications arising from general mandates should be reviewed in accordance with the current procedure, including a review in the context of the programme of work. There was no need to adopt a "sunset rule", as the Unit recommended, if current procedures were followed.

Overall, the Unit's recommendations could be implemented in light of the ACABQ's recommendations and conclusions and those to come from the Fifth Committee, he said. The Secretary-General should indicate, in his proposed programme budget for 2000 to 2001, actions taken or intended for implementing the recommendations.

THOMAS SCHLESINGER (Austria), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the report of the JIU was timely because the General Assembly had not taken up the publications policy in recent years. The Union favoured the review of administrative, managerial and organizational structure of publishing activities by the Secretary-General. Ideally, the review should be an ongoing process. On the Publications Board, the Union was concerned that

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most senior staff members had not been able to attend meetings and recommended a review of its composition, including consideration of alternative arrangements. It believed the Secretary-General should review alternative ways to deal with the competing demands of parliamentary documents and non-parliamentary publications which allowed for coordinated and integrated planning.

The Union had stated many times that legislative bodies should evaluate continued relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of activities in light of the goals and objectives, he said. In that context, it welcomed the decision of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to apply a "sunset clause", provided the publication was no longer a priority issue. The JIU had pertinently reminded Committee members that the Committee on Programme and Coordination did not currently exercise its mandated role in that regard.

Most recommendations of the Unit aimed at cost-effectiveness, he said. Production of the same document in different formats would require specific requests of Member States. The Union agreed with the Secretary-General that coordination on duplication with non-United Nations bodies would be difficult. Flexibility on the use of the external printing account could generate cost-efficiencies. It endorsed the use of cost-accounting for publications, but accepted the Secretary-General's reservation that that would be difficult given the number of departments involved in the publication process.

The Union endorsed the Inspection Unit recommendation to consider a more flexible treatment of sales income, as departments needed the incentive of a portion of sales revenue, he said. The sales programme was limited because an increase in net revenue did not result in a commensurate budget increase to allow expansion of the programme. It requested that the Secretary-General propose return of some sales revenue to the General Assembly. In that context, it endorsed the ACABQ recommendation that money from the Optical Disk System subscriptions be applied to expanding the System. It also asked the Secretary-General for monthly, or quarterly, reviews of sales income reports indicating total revenue.

JAN JAREMCZUK (Poland) aligned himself with that statement.

Other Matters

DULCE BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) asked when the Committee would consider the Secretary-General's outline for the proposed programme budget for 2000 to 2001. Much work remained to be done and the time constraints were severe. Perhaps the Committee should consider what it could realistically achieve during the Assembly's main session and what should be taken up later.

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MOVSES ABELIAN (Armenia), Fifth Committee Chairman, said consideration of the budget outline had been postponed because reports had not been ready. The Bureau shared her concerns and would be discussing the matter today.

ZHANG WANHAI (China) said that since the Committee's work had been affected by the late issuance of reports, the Secretariat should explain the reasons for the delay when introducing them.

The CHAIRMAN agreed that the Secretariat should do so, in accordance with Assembly resolutions. He would convey that to those concerned.

He then announced that yesterday afternoon he had submitted the letter to the President of the General Assembly that the Committee had requested in yesterday's meeting on established procedures for deliberations in Main Committees.

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