NEED FOR ADEQUATE RESOURCES FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY AFFAIRS AND CONFERENCE SERVICES STRESSED IN FIFTH COMMITTEE

Press Release
GA/AB/3330

NEED FOR ADEQUATE RESOURCES FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY AFFAIRS AND CONFERENCE SERVICES STRESSED IN FIFTH COMMITTEE

Committee Begins Part by Part Consideration of Proposed 2000-2001 Programme Budget

As General Assembly affairs and conference services were a core activity of the Organization, it was very important that this section of the budget had adequate resources, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was told this morning, as it commenced its part-by-part consideration of the programme budget for 2000-2001, with statements made about budget sections 1 and 2.

Thus, the Secretary-General’s proposal to reduce resources for these activities for 2000-2001 from the level used in 1998-1999 was a concern, the representative of Uganda added. In addition, a clear delineation of which activities should be funded from the regular budget and which should be paid for from voluntary contributions was required, given the trend towards using extrabudgetary resources to fund core activities, and vica versa.

The resources proposed for General Assembly affairs and conference services represented a reduction of 0.8 per cent as compared to the current biennium, the representative of Chile stated. There were problems in that area at present, such as the late issuance of documents and the high level of self-revision among translators. Appropriate resources were essential, and the proposed reduction was not in keeping with the need to enhance services.

While the Secretariat was best placed to identify and implement efficiency savings, the representative of Finland, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said proposed reductions should be evaluated in the light of the level and quality of conference services provided to Member States. A comprehensive picture of the trends affecting conference services was required.

The proposed reduction must be examined in the context of a budget for this area expected to be about half a billion dollars, Warren Sach, Director of Budget Division, explained. The reduction was

Fifty-fourth General Assembly - 1a - Press Release GA/AB/3330 Fifth Committee 3 November 1999 24th Meeting (AM)

an expected efficiency gain. Member States should not be surprised that the Secretariat anticipated a slightly better use of resources in the forthcoming biennium, he added.

Among other concerns expressed by Member States about the proposal were: the levels of resources requested for travel, adequate resourcing for the work of the General Assembly President, and the funding of the Millenium Assembly.

The representatives of Cuba, Bangladesh, Canada, Philippines, United States, Algeria, Pakistan, Japan, Mexico, China, Saudi Arabia, and Syria also spoke.

C.S.M. Mselle, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), introduced that body’s recommendations and comments on the budget sections under consideration and answered Member States’ questions. Questions were also answered by the United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will take up parts III and IV of the budget.

Programme of Work

The Committee had before parts I and II of the Secretary-General's proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001 (document A/54/6 Rev. 1). These parts relate to overall policy making and General Assembly affairs (part I), and political affairs, disarmament, peacekeeping operations and outer space (part II).

Also before the Committee were the related sections of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) (document A/54/7).

[For a general introduction to the programme budget proposal and the general response of the ACABQ, see Press Release GA/AB/3322 of 27 October. Further parts of the Secretary-General's proposed budget and the relevant ACABQ responses will be summarized in the press release covering the meeting at which the Committee commences considering them.].

Part I

Under overall policy-making, direction and coordination (Section 1), the Secretary-General proposes an increase for policy-making organs of some $2.44 million. This is broken down into increases for the General Assembly of $165,000, for the ACABQ of $175,700, for the Board of Auditors of $600,300, and for matters relating to the Joint Staff Pension Committee and Fund of some $1.55 million, offset by a reduction of $57,500 for the Committee on Contributions.

For executive direction and management, he proposes an increase of some $1.5 million, composed of increases for the Secretary-General of $53,700, for his Executive Office of $985,700, for the establishment of the Executive Office of the Director-General in Nairobi of $396,700 and for operational costs for the liaison office in Addis Ababa of $66,700. The increase proposed for the Executive Office includes one-time resources for five temporary assistance posts for the Millennium Assembly (One Assistant Secretary-General and a P-5, a P-4 and two General Service posts). A new P-5 post is also included to assist the Deputy Secretary-General on reform matters. The increase for Nairobi includes two new posts (One P-5 and a local level support post).

Overall, he requests some $45.89 million for 2000-2001, compared to $41.95 for 1998-1999 -- an increase of some $3.94 million. Fifty-four point five per cent of these resources are for posts, and 45.5 per cent relate to other costs. Total post requirements are up to 139, against a previous 134.

Commenting on Section 1, the ACABQ asks that the resource requirements proposed for support of the General Assembly President and those provided for travel to the Assembly session by representatives of least developed countries (LDCs) be presented separately. It states that the basis of the estimate of $609,000 for support of the Assembly President is not clear, and, noting that the amount is to cover two Assembly sessions, recommends that the adequacy of the estimate be monitored in light of experience gained.

Regarding provision of travel assistance to LDC representatives, it notes that a 25 per cent discount factor has been used in the calculation of the estimate, and asks that LDCs be fully informed of their entitlements to assistance.

Regarding the proposed 3.7 percent increase for resources for the ACABQ, it notes that this new estimate includes travel for 13 members not based in New York, as against 12 in 1998-1999, and also asks that a discount factor based on experience be applied to the estimate of $80,400 proposed for travel of ACABQ members’ spouses.

In the light of an increased workload, it recommends accepting the additional post proposed for the Board of Auditors.

Regarding the proposals for the Executive Office of the Secretary- General, the ACABQ recommends acceptance of the reclassification of an existing P-2 post to P-3, but is not convinced about the new P-5 post proposed to assist the Deputy Secretary-General in her reform responsibilities, and recommends instead redeployment of a post from an office involved with reform.

The ACABQ reports that no statement of programme budget implications was presented on the requirements to support the Millennium Assembly, which is symptomatic of a trend towards reverting to regular budget financing when voluntary funding is not available. Following its requests, it was advised by the Secretary-General that 1999 Millennium Assembly expenses had been absorbed into sections 1 and 2 of that biennium’s budget, and that no posts were being charged to staff it.

The Advisory Committee notes estimates of an extra-budgetary $720,900 from the support account for three peacekeeping support posts. As it believes the Secretary-General’s role in peacekeeping is ongoing, it recommends the Secretary-General propose various options for ongoing funding of these posts to the Assembly’s fifty-fourth session.

Commenting on a proposed allocation of $382,200 for outside advice for the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General, the ACABQ states it is not convinced of the need for this, and trusts that expertise within the Organization would be fully employed before recourse was made to outsiders.

An amount of $209,500 is requested for outside expertise for the Strategic Planning Unit, and the ACABQ reports that it trusts a clear justification will be given for this, given that the Assembly had previously decided to keep the level of resources and consultants for that Unit under review.

The ACABQ asks for a review of a plan from the Office of the Director- General in Geneva. The plan is to explore the creation of a network of European institutions to create a repository of expertise on good governance and sustainable economic and social development, and the ACABQ asks whether such activities should be carried out elsewhere.

The report states that specific details of changes made in response to problems -- of insufficient delegation of authority to the Director-General and insufficient available resources -- it had previously identified had been requested in response to the proposals for the Director-General’s office in Vienna.

It supports the proposed allocation of two new posts for the Office of the Director-General in Nairobi.

Under General Assembly affairs and conference services (Section 2), the Secretary-General proposes some $423.59 million for 2000-2001 -- a decrease of some $3.45 million on the 1998-1999 biennium budget. He proposes the staffing table be decreased by one, to 1865. The net reduction would be achieved through cost-saving measures already in place, including improved control of temporary assistance resources for meetings, increased capacity utilization, computer-assisted translation and new technology in documentation and publishing services. The staffing level will alter courtesy of the abolition of one Professional and one General Service post, and the redeployment to this area of one Professional post from the Office of Central Support Services (section 27D of the budget proposal).

Commenting on Section 2, the ACABQ notes the 0.8 per cent decrease in assessed resources requested for the 2000-2001 budget, and that these are to be supplemented by some $7.28 million in extra-budgetary resources.

It recommends acceptance of proposed staffing changes, including reclassification of four posts from P-2 to P-3 and the abolition of one P-2 post in New York, the abolition of one General Service post in Geneva, and the reclassification of one P-3 post to P-4 in Vienna.

The Advisory Committee recommends that the structure of this section be reviewed, noting that Geneva and Vienna library services form part of the section, whereas New York library costs are accounted under public information -- for which it seeks a rationale. It also requests consistency in presentation of workload and output indicators across duty stations and additional, more user-friendly information.

It recommends printing services in Geneva be reviewed urgently to promote cost-effectiveness and avoid duplication among the six United Nations system printing facilities located there.

Noting the extensive use of video conferencing, it expresses the view that such use should be increased, and also notes there is a need for improvement in coordination and management of video conferencing facilities. It asks for information on extent of video conferencing and the attendant savings and productivity gains.

Regarding remote and computer assisted translation, the Advisory Committee asks that the next programme budget proposal include workload indicators and results achieved.

The information given to the ACABQ on proposed resource decreases for other staff costs and temporary assistance for meetings is insufficient to justify the decrease, the report states, and further justification for the fifty-fourth Assembly session is requested. The decreases should be broken down into components, such as non-recurrent costs and efficiency savings, and an explanation of how savings are calculated should be included in the future. In addition, the proposed reductions in temporary assistance for meetings need to be evaluated in the light of persistent problems concerning the level and quality of a number of services, like translation, interpretation and timely publication of records. It also asked to what extent its concerns about the long-term effects of economy measures had been addressed in the new proposal.

Noting that the Secretary-General reports an increased number of calendar meetings without interpretation, the ACABQ asks for reasons for this, along with proposals to ensure adequate conference service coverage, in the next proposed programme budget.

It also asks for information on progress with a cost-accounting system for conference services in the context of the 2002-2003 budget proposal, and for information now on implementation of the Assembly’s recommendations on the use of income from the Optical Disk System.

Part II

Under political affairs (Section 3), the Secretary-General proposes resources for 2000-2001 of some $127.89 million -- a decrease of about $14.2 million, or 9.9 per cent, on 1998-1999 figures of about $142.09 million. Extra-budgetary resources for the biennium are estimated at some $8.92 million. He proposes that the number of posts remain at 195, which would require 28 per cent of the resources proposed.

The amount requested includes some $41.7 million for the Department of Political Affairs and $86.2 million for special political missions anticipated but not yet mandated. The Assembly previously requested that that the missions figure of $86.2 million (before recosting) be used in the preparation of this budget section. The proposed decrease in resources is largely due to lower provisions for special political missions -– 67.4 per cent of the overall against 71 per cent in 1998-1999, offset by increases in other costs. 3.6 per cent of the proposed figure would be for executive direction and management, 25.8 per cent for the programme of work, 3 per cent for programme support and 0.1 per cent is intended for policy-making organs. The Department's regional divisions would consume a substantial proportion of its budget, although a new Policy Planning Unit is proposed.

Commenting on Section 3, the ACABQ asks that criteria be established to determine “small” political missions, which are administered solely by the Department of Political Affairs, from other special political missions, which are under that Department’s auspices but jointly administered with the Field Administration and Logistics Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. It also calls for monitoring and regular reporting on expenditures for special political missions.

The ACABQ has no objection to a proposed conversion of two temporary regular budget posts (a D-1 and a P-5) in the Electoral Assistance Division into established posts, nor to the abolition of one General Service post and the creation of another in the Department’s Executive Office. Regarding the establishment of a Policy Planning Unit and its staffing through redeployment from other programmes, the Advisory Committee trusts that care will be taken to ensure this does not impact negatively on other programmes or duplicate or parallel other units or offices. It recommends that the existence of similar units be indicated in each relevant section of the next proposed programme budget.

It notes that the $222,900 increased requirements for general temporary assistance relate to elimination of the backlog in preparation of the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council, and welcomes additional efforts to bring it up to date.

The narratives under sub-programme 3, Electoral Assistance, are confusing, according to the ACABQ. The estimated number of missions for the next biennium is higher than for the 1998-1999 biennium, yet the proposed level of resources required has decreased slightly (0.2 per cent). The exact nature of assistance provided is not detailed in the proposal, there is no precise delineation between assessment missions, and other electoral assistance missions, and no co-relation between requests for assistance and actual missions undertaken. There are also no criteria for determining which missions are extra-budgetary and which fall under the regular budget, and it recommends that such criteria be developed and reported on in the next programme budget proposal.

Detailed information on the resource requirements for each subsidiary organ of the Security Council should be made available to the current session of the Assembly, in explanation of the proposed resources for Security Council affairs, it states.

The travel resources for staff supporting the Special Committee on decolonization should be separated from resources for travel of members of that Committee, and also justified separately, according to the ACABQ.

This section of the ACABQ report also notes that observations and recommendations arising from its review of coordination between the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Political Affairs are included in its report on proposed budget estimates for the peacekeeping support account (A/53/901).

Under disarmament (Section 4), the Secretary-General proposes resources for 2000-2001 of some $13.5 million, which is an increase of about $522,500, or 4 per cent, on the 1998-1999 figure of $13 million. He proposes increasing the number of posts by two, to a total of 48. The change in posts would be: one new P-3 for the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch, one new P-2 in the Monitoring, Analysis and Information Branch; creation of a General Service post, abolition of another and redeployment of a third; and reclassification of a P-5 post in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch to the D-1 level.

The ACABQ says it does not object to the new P-3 and P-2 posts nor to reclassifying the P-5 post to the D-1 level. At the same time, it wants the level of the post of the chief of the Disarmament Branch in Geneva, currently at the D-1 level, reviewed.

The ACABQ notes that regional disarmament centers (in Lomé, Lima and Kathmandu) are operational but that the Director of the Kathmandu Centre is operating from New York for reasons to do with financial constraints. It makes no objection to disarmament fellows receiving a daily allowance to cover accommodation and other expenses, rather than a stipend as paid previously, but recommends that the situation be kept under review to ensure that such payment continues to be warranted.

Under peacekeeping operations (Section 5), the Secretary-General asks for some $80.43 million, which is $132,400, or 0.1 per cent, less than the 1998-1999 figure of about $80.57 million. Of that amount, $13.9 million relates to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; $6.1 million to the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories (UNSCOT); and $68.5 million for two United Nations peacekeeping operations that are funded through the regular budget. These are the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) ($50.2 million) and the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) ($18.3 million). He proposes no change in the number of posts, currently at 358.

The resources requested under the regular budget do not reflect the full requirements for activities under peacekeeping, the Secretary-General states. In respect of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, he will continue to use staffing paid for from the support account for peacekeeping operations. For activities related to mine action coordination, he will continue to use voluntary contributions. He notes that resources related to special political missions are now under Section 3, political affairs.

In its comments, the ACABQ notes that extrabudgetary resources for 2000-2001 are estimated at about $77.51 million, of which some $54.61 million relates to the support account and about $22.34 million relates to the Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action. For 2000-2001, 305 extrabudgetary posts are proposed (287 funded from the support account; 18 from the Trust Fund). The ACABQ recalls that the Assembly had approved 400 posts from the support account for the period from 1 July 1999 through 30 June 2000, while the Secretary-General had requested 406, and that the Secretariat is currently looking into redeploying six support account posts from other budget sections to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

The ACABQ notes a proposal for $112,800 for four General service posts for six months related to the backlog of processing claims on contingent-owned equipment. However, it says that activities related to contingent-owned equipment are funded from the support account. Therefore, the Secretary- General should ascertain whether those activities should be carried out from the support account and propose a transfer of all funding relating to contingent-owned equipment from the regular budget to the support account.

The ACABQ calls for written guidelines to indicate which travel of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is funded by which source of funding -- regular budget, support account, extrabudgetary funds and budgets of specific peacekeeping operations. It had been told that even while such guidelines did not exist, travel of staff funded from a trust fund is charged to that fund. Travel by Field Administration and Logistics Division staff related to the technical/logistics/financial aspects of a mission is paid for through that mission's budget. Assessments for potential operations are charged to either the regular budget or the support account and then, if the mission then materializes, are repaid by its account.

The ACABQ notes that within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, regular budget resources for equipment, communications and supplies are proposed to support 85 posts funded from the support account. The proposed programme budget does not explain the basis of the estimates for support account backstopping requirements. The ACABQ says that future budget submissions should indicate all regular budget provisions which are made for backstopping extrabudgetary activities.

The Secretary-General proposes funds to complete a database for managing trust funds, but that same outcome had been foreseen in the budget for the previous biennium, the ACABQ states. Upon enquiry, it was informed that the database had not yet been completed for reasons including the phase-out of gratis personnel, delays in recruitment and the need to address the year 2000 computer compliance issue.

Noting that efforts were underway to introduce more delegation of authority from the Office of Human Resources Management to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the ACABQ stresses that this should be done in accordance with the provisions of resolution 53/221. A review is underway to consider more delegation of authority in the field, especially for procurement and write-off of property losses. The ACABQ calls for implementing its earlier recommendations on property losses (contained in document A/53/895) and addressing the Board of Auditors' concerns that amounts written off at the field level had not been reported to it.

The ACABQ also expresses a range of other concerns and recommendations. For example, it wonders whether the $16,400 for translation of papers produced by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is sufficient; suggests changes to the budget presentation; and says that in future budget submissions, all redeployments related to the changes in the structure of the Department should be better substantiated in the proposed programme budget, to give a clearer picture of resource movement from one area of activity to another.

Under section 6, peaceful uses of outer space, the Secretary-General asks for about $4.02 million and 18 posts, which is $89,400 or 2.2 per cent, more than the some $3.93 million (18 posts) for the 1998-1999 biennium. Extrabudgetary resources are estimated at $452,000. During 2000-2001, the Office will focus on implementing the action plan adopted by the Third United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), (Vienna, 1999). The Secretary-General asks for provisions to reclassify a P-3 to a P-4, maintain data-processing equipment in response to the Auditors' recommendation to share common service costs; and acquire technology-related equipment.

The ACABQ says it does not object to the proposed reclassification. It notes that the work programme for the Office for Outer Space Affairs seems extensive, but that it was told that the Office relied on a network of outside space agencies in the process of planning and implementing its work programme. Due to similar concerns about the work programme for 1998-1999, a programme performance report was requested, but is not yet available.

Statements on Proposed Programme Budget

DULCE BUERGO-RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said she wished to draw attention to concerns about the Committee’s plans for considering this item. Before the specific section by section discussion began, the Committee should look at the possibility of adjusting its timetable. The consideration of seven or more sections in one meeting would not allow for a good debate. Good debates were important because they allowed informal consultations to proceed more efficiently, as major problems had been identified prior to the consultations.

The Chairman of the Fifth Committee, PENNY WENSLEY (Australia), said she was aware of problems that the schedule might cause, particularly for small delegations and for groups which must discuss their statements prior to making them. The Bureau would look at the scheduling and try to address the concerns.

C.S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), introduced that body’s comments on this part of the report. He said that at one Assembly session on one item, the programme budget, the ACABQ had been asked for more than seventy reports. While he realised these reports assisted Member States in reaching agreement,.he noted that the ACABQ had taken the approach of limiting the number of reports it requested. In certain cases, it had stated that information it requested that was not available at the time of its consideration should be submitted to the Fifth Committee. In other places, it had asked that additional information be submitted to the General Assembly. In still others, it had proposed changes for the next proposed programme budget. Many clarifications did not require a separate report to the Assembly, this session.

It had also tried to include in one report its comments on a number of the Secretary-General’s reports, he said. These additional reports were included in the first part of the ACABQ’s budget response. He had also received subsequent reports from the Secretary-General on the subjects of the reports included in the budget proposal response, but the ACABQ had not changed its position, as stated in the budget proposal response report.

The ACABQ was an advisory committee, which meant it was normal for the Fifth Committee to accept, reject or revise the advice offered, he said. None of these responses should cause Member States to question their confidence in the Advisory Committee, which had a very high rate of acceptance of its recommendations.

He also drew attention to the relative size of the Secretary-General’s budget proposal and the ACABQ’s response –- roughly eight pages of proposal for every one page of response. He was confident that Member States would be able to read the ACABQ recommendations and proposals.

He pointed out to Member States where, in the ACABQ report, they would find its specific recommendations on particular elements of the two sections. He noted that, in response to a request for further justification of the proposed reduction in resources for conference services, the Secretary-General had produced a report which was now being reviewed by the ACABQ.

RIAZ HAMIDULLAH (Bangladesh), speaking on section one, welcomed the proposal to allocate some $1.54 million for travel of representatives of least developed countries to Assembly sessions. This proposed allocation was welcome and would facilitate broad participation in the important work of the Assembly.

He noted that there was still no specific allocation for the needs of the Office of the Assembly President. It was important that this Office be strengthened.

JOHN ORR (Canada) said he wished to comment on travel costs in section 1. He noted that the proposed appropriations were to be recosted to make provision for inflation and for application of a uniform vacancy. He was puzzled as to why there seemed to be different recostings proposed for different sections of the budget, ranging from about 4 per cent to 25 per cent. He assumed much of this travel was to New York. The recosting was defined as needed for inflation, and not to compensate for underestimation of resource requirements. He noted an increase of 88 per cent in travel costs from 1996 to 2000-2001, and sought an explanation.

He also noted that Assembly resolution 18/1798 defined the travel rules for members of organs and subsidiary organs, and stated that daily subsistence allowance was only available to members of such bodies acting in their individual capacities, not as representatives of their States. He asked for details about whether ACABQ members received, or had ever received, such payment.

MARY JO ARAGON (Philippines) said she supported the Committee for Programme and Coordination’s conclusions on section I. The Office of the Assembly President should be provided with adequate resources. Resources proposed for this Office should be presented separately, and should be adjusted in light of past experience.

She supported the proposed resource levels for the Committee for Programme and Coordination and the ACABQ, and stressed the need for adequate resourcing for the Board of Auditors.

She noted a request for resources related to outside expertise for the Strategic Planning Unit and the Offices of the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General. She asked for information on the nature of studies that were expected to be undertaken by such consultants. The Philippines shared the ACABQ position that inside expertise should be used before resorting to consultants.

She supported the strengthening of the Office in Nairobi, she said. She noted that responsibilities regarding the programmes, based there, had been added to the role of the Nairobi Director General, and asked if those changes had been approved by the relevant legislative bodies.

THOMAS REPASCH (United States) said his delegation felt that the provision for travel costs reflected a 20 per cent increase and requested an explanation for this. He hoped the Advisory Committee would not review its own budget request. He did not believe that a provision for travel for spouses of Advisory Committee members was an appropriate use of Member States’ dues. He asked about travel and per diem costs for Advisory Committee members who also represented their countries in the Fifth Committee. The Millennium Assembly did not require additional resources, he said. He also asked what programme managers had done to evaluate their own activities -- there was nothing in the budget section to indicate this had been done.

DJAMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) said the President of the General Assembly had to have all the necessary resources to ensure duties were carried out properly. He asked what the Secretariat did to inform least developed countries of the coverage of their representatives in the General Assembly. Also, while the stress on human rights activities in the explanatory text was important, other activities were equally important.

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) noted that the payment of travel of representatives for least developed countries a 25 per cent discount was proposed. She asked why this discount was justified. Cuba was struck by the fact that only some summits were included -– particularly related to the UNCTAD conference. Cuba asked if the Secretariat could say why some conferences were not included.

Cuba had also noted Advisory Committee recommendations to the effect that least developed countries must be duly informed of their travel entitlement. Cuba asked for more information on the office of external relations, since this was a new structure. How was it coordinating its activities with the Department of Public Information since there might be some duplication? On the proposal for the Millennium Assembly, she asked if there was an indication of the source of funds allocated, as no budgetary implication statement had been submitted. She also asked what use was made of consultants and how equitable geographical distribution could be guaranteed. She was also very concerned about the reallocation of a senior post in the Spanish service.

AMJAD SIAL (Pakistan) endorsed the Committee for Programme and Coordination recommendations on section 1. As for resources for the Assembly President, all those necessary should be provided. Thus Pakistan supported the ACABQ request that resource requirements for this Office should be presented separately.

Regarding the use of consultants and outside expertise, he said the Assembly had emphasized the need for the widest possible geographic distribution in their hiring. In the two highest offices of the Secretariat, only five countries had provided expertise, and four were from one United Nations region. The Assembly resolutions on this should be taken into account whenever consultants were hired. He would like to know the number of consultants hired from the countries listed and the total amount paid as fees for the current biennium.

JUICHIO TAKAHARA (Japan) noted there was a 15.99 per cent increase in requested travel resources. He sought an explanation of the increase and information on measures taken to restrain travel expenditures. He supported the ACABQ recommendation that every possible measure that would lead to further economies in travel be reviewed. On the proposed establishment of a P-3 post in the Board of Auditors office and a P-5 post for support of the Deputy Secretary-General, and the reclassification of a speech writer’s post, these should take place in concert with efforts to abolish other posts or reclassify them downwards.

On general temporary assistance for the Millenium Assembly, he wondered whether the level of staff requested was too high. He understood this provision would be excluded from subsequent programme budgets.

Mr. MSELLE, Chairman of the ACABQ, said questions raised about resources for the ACABQ should be answered by the Secretariat. The ACABQ considered proposals of the Secretary-General, and this proposal had been submitted by him. That being the case, questions about it should be directed to the Secretariat, which would have to consult with the Executive Secretary of the ACABQ. As to whether the ACABQ should consider the allocation of resources to itself, he would pose this question to the ACABQ.

Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts and United Nations Controller, JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, said some 22 questions had been raised on section one, many of which required detailed information that he would provide as soon as possible in writing. On the Assembly President’s Office, it was the Secretary-General who proposed additional support for the President. He had proposed a lump sum be given for support, and the Fifth Committee had stated the amount should rather be stated as a separate expenditure. He would include separate figures in future budgets, but noted that each President had different requirements and should have some flexibility as to use of resources.

Regarding the Millennium Assembly, he said no resources would be requested for its small secretariat for the next biennium. The Secretariat had not asked for resources for the current biennium, as it believed it could absorb the costs. That would be a one-off request.

Regarding a legislative basis for combining the Director-General of Nairobi with the post of Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), he said this had occurred as a result of a request by the Assembly to reinforce Nairobi. In Vienna, the Director-General’s post had been combined with the head of the Drug Control Programme, and now a similar situation existed in Nairobi. This was a question of how functions were applied by the Secretariat to its senior staff and a separate mandate was not required.

On travel for bodies and committees, discount factors were applied, which reflected past experience, he said. The intention was not to restrict travel for least developed countries, as all claims would be paid; it was just a way of making estimates accurate. He was not sure about the frequency of provision of information about this entitlement and would provide an answer later.

WARREN SACH, Director of Budget Division, said in response to the representative of Canada’s question on inflation rates used in travel protection, he said the 25 per cent figure was the result of a specific change in rates, and not really inflation. There were detailed workings on this which he would make available to the Committee in informal consultations.

Regarding the entitlements for least developed countries travel to certain meetings, the meetings referred to were of the Assembly and special sessions of the Assembly, he said. Entitlements did not extend to all meetings. He would provide information later on about how information was made available on entitlements.

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) took note of the fact that in the discussion on other sections there would be room to return to written answers. Some points she had made had not been answered. She had asked for an update of information about a vehicle that, it was suggested, would be loaned to the United Nations. She also sought information on what activities had been performed by the Office of External Relations and how these were coordinated with the Department of Public Information. She had heard nothing about consultants, a subject which had been raised by several delegations. She would also like information on what activities were done by consultants referred to. She had taken note of comments made about the Millennium secretariat and would like a little more detail in the light of the ACABQ’s comments, about posts and other related expenses for current biennium. Also she sought information on general temporary staff. She asked that if the Secretariat planned to answer these questions later it inform her.

Mr. HALBWACHS said all questions he and Mr. Sach had not answered orally would be answered at a later stage in writing.

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said before moving to section 2, she would like clarity on procedures. She was grateful for answers to questions by the Controller, and realized that more thorough answers would be forthcoming. Some room should be left in the Committee’s schedule for the possibility of reverting to formal consideration of this section when the answers were received.

JARMO SAREV (Finland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta, pointed out under section 2 that it was now two years since the establishment of the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, but the integrated approach was still incomplete. He, therefore, supported the ACABQ request for further review of the structure of section 2 of the programme budget.

While the Union believed that the Secretariat was best placed to identify and implement efficiency savings, it also concurred with the Advisory Committee that the reductions should be evaluated in the light of the level and quality of conference services provided to Member States. The Union expected the Secretariat to provide a comprehensive picture of the trends affecting conference services.

The Union welcomed the expanded use of remote translation and encouraged the use of computer-assisted translation. He also noted the expanded use of contractual translation and recognized that this expansion could increase the need for revision at senior level. He also supported the recommendation of the Advisory Committee that increased use be made of video conferencing.

The Union also supported the Advisory Committee’s view that the printing service in Geneva be reviewed urgently so as to promote cost effectiveness and avoid duplication.

Mr. ORR (Canada) said the high level open-ended working group on the financial situation of the United Nations had not met for some time and wondered why was it still in this section. There was a $24 million allocation for the technological innovation programme for the biennium 2000-2001, but nowhere in this section of the budget was there any provision for training. There was no integrated approach for information at the three major conference centres and their relative productivity should be apparent. Canada had made its own calculations in this regard -– for example, New York was 17.8 per cent more productive in translation than Vienna and 10 per cent more productive than Geneva; by moving standards up to match those of New York, there would be a substantial saving. New York was also significantly more productive in publishing than Vienna or Geneva. What were the actual performance statistics for publishing, interpretation and translation?

ALVARO JARA (Chile) said the resources allocated to section 2 represented a reduction of 0.8 per cent as compared to the revised estimates for the biennium. This was not in keeping with the need to enhance services. There were problems such as late issuance of documents, he said, as well as a high level of self-revision; these did not meet the growing needs for conference services. Appropriate resources for conference services were essential.

ERNESTO HERRERA (Mexico) said that, under section 2, he favoured the introduction of new technology, such as remote interpretation and video conferencing, and called on the Secretariat to continue experimental work in this field. He was still concerned about the late issuance of documents and the excessive use of self-revision, which could prove financially counter- productive.

There existed among Member States a perennial concern to improve conference services, both qualitatively and quantitatively, he said. The demand for such services remained high, and it was his hope that technology would resolve -– or at least diminish the problems with -– their supply. He wondered whether this was the best moment to introduce a budget reduction.

Mr. MOKTEFI (Algeria) said he supported the activities of the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services. He noted that despite stable staff numbers its budgetary allocation had been reduced by 0.8 per cent. Algeria was concerned about possible adverse affects in terms of the quality of services, as well as the time factor on delivery. Algeria was also concerned about Nairobi services being kept at the same level as New York. He wanted a permanent interpretation service for Nairobi. He had not noted anything on expected results in this section, unlike other sections. Algeria was concerned that the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services ensured adequate and better services –- especially interpretation for regional groups.

SUN MINQIN (China) said that with conference services a lot of progress had been made and departments had expressed satisfaction. The work of the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services was directly related to documentation and interpretation, and China attached great important to this work.

The 2000-2001 biennium budget was the first budget of the next century, she said. However, even with an increased workload, there was a reduction in resources. She hoped the Secretariat could explain whether this reduction would have a negative impact on the quality of conference services. The quality of translation and interpretation had a direct bearing on the quality of meetings and conferences; it also directly affected the work of Member States. The Department had included this in its work-plan, and they had proposed taking measures to improve quality -– this was a very important task, and she hoped the Secretariat would carry out this task.

Mr. REPASCH (United States) said the proposal for Special Committee on decolonization travel showed an increase from the 1996-7 level of more than $200,000 dollars. He proposed reduction to the earlier level. He questioned plans for visiting meetings and annual seminars. The United States was also disappointed at the absence of expected accomplishments –- if any section of the budget should include this it was this one. He also noted the general operating expenses for the purchase of office automation and computing equipment and wondered about productivity gains. Again, there was no evidence of programme managers doing self-evaluation of activities to determine their own efficiency.

AHMED FARID (Saudi Arabia) commented on translation services in New York. Indicators of work volume did not show any increase as compared with 1998-1999 budget, but there had been a reduction in the allocation. Funds for equipment had also gone down drastically. He asked the Secretariat to explain this?

Ms. BUERGO-RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said she was greatly concerned about the proposed $3.5 million reduction. Everything that had been said about conference services indicated that this area could not function with further reduction. A direct impact had been felt in some specific areas -– particularly with the late issue of documentation. The Advisory Committee was also concerned about this question, she noted. Because of uncertainty about demand for services, planning was less than that required and this had led to the requirement for temporary staff.

She said greater transparency was needed. On savings which had been effected on the basis of efficiency measures, she asked for a breakdown on decreases for non-renewable resources. She also asked why there been no growth in resources for the Special Committee on decolonization. On self- revision rates for the three major conference centres, she asked for more updated information than that given in the report. If there was an increase in staff there would be less need for self-revision.

She questioned the Secretariat’s proposal not to increase resources for interpretation. She also recalled an Assembly decision about allocation of resources for improvement of conference rooms and asked what action had been taken on this.

Mr. TAKAHARA (Japan) said he would like more details on the technological developments for conference services in New York referred to in the proposal. A presentation on this should include replacement and upgrading timetables, expenditures for previous biennia and estimates for future biennia. Would these contribute to a reduction in posts at the General Service level? he asked.

Regarding conference and library services for Vienna, the budget should be elaborated in the light of estimated workloads, he said, with due attention to quality of services. In the light of experience with delays in translation, he was concerned whether appropriate services would be rendered if funds were declined.

NESTOR ODAGA-JALAMAYO (Uganda) said he shared many of views raised by Member States in consideration of section 1, particularly on resources for the General Assembly President, on travel for LDCs, and also on the trend towards extrabudgetary funding. The Millennium Assembly should be funded by extrabudgetary funds and yet it was proposed as a regular budget expense, he noted. He also shared concerns on the use of consultants.

As a matter of policy, General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services was a core activity of the Organization, he said. Thus the budget proposal section was very important and he was concerned about a proposed net reduction against 1998-1999. It was very important that this section have adequate resources.

In the same section, he noted that there was a tendency to mix regular and extrabudgetary resources. This should be addressed by a clear delineation of which activities should be funded from extrabudgetary resources and which should come from the regular budget funds. He also noted that an increasing number of meetings took place without interpretation, and this should be addressed immediately. All meetings should be adequately provided with resources including interpretation.

He welcomed the use of modern communication, he said, but also believed it was important that basic requirements for offices and centres were put in place to allow best use of facilities. Thus he supported the representative of Algeria’s point on the urgent need for the immediate establishment of full interpretation services at Nairobi. He would pursue this vigorously in informal consultations. All United Nations centres must receive equal treatment. Computer interpretation was welcome, but it should not undermine the provision of basic requirements.

He asked why the resource proposal for the library in New York appeared under the public information section of the budget, while the Geneva and Vienna libraries were included under conference services. Uganda would also like information on the comparative advantage of printing within the United Nations system, against market rate costs, he said.

He was also concerned about the proposed reduction in general temporary assistance. He could not understand that while translation quality was going down, interpretation was a problem, and there were problems with publication of official records problems, a reduction for general temporary assistance was proposed. In addition, he would like to be informed of the status of cost accounting for conference services.

Mr. SIAL (Pakistan) said this section covered the main service provided to Member States by the Organization. He was concerned about the level of resources applied to it declining continually, and sought clarification on this, as requested by the ACABQ.

Regarding the expansion of contractual services, he recalled an ACABQ report last session in which it had observed that increased use of contractual services had an adverse impact on the quality of service. He asked what measures were envisaged to avoid these negative impacts for the next biennium.

Mr. SACH, Director of the Budget Division, said, in response to the question from the representative of Canada about a non-meeting of an open- ended working group, that there were a number of bodies listed under this section for which services would be required. The method of aligning resources to meetings to be serviced was, of necessity, approximate. The overall level requested aimed to take care of a broadly similar level of servicing for 2000-2001 as had occurred in 1998-1999.

It was not possible to foresee every meeting that must be serviced, he added. There were thousands of such meetings, and the Secretariat tried to align its resources according to demand.

The $3.5 million reduction in proposed resources must be put in the context of the proposed budget for this area of about half a billion dollars, he said. The reduction was an expected efficiency gain. Member States should not be surprised that the Secretariat anticipated a slightly better use of resources in the forthcoming biennium. A separate report on this matter (document A/C.5/54/19) had been produced and was currently being examined by the ACABQ. A similar additional report (document A/C.5/54/18) had been produced on printing costs, which stated, in essence, that printing costs would be reviewed at a number of duty stations and a report would be made to the Assembly’s fifty-fifth session. There were perceived shortcomings, he added, but often it was not the adequacy of resources that was at issue, but organizational problems. The delayed issue of documents was often due to author departments.

On differences in workload productivity of translators between New York, Geneva and Vienna, he had not seen the figures, he said. But they would not necessarily be equal, as their productivity would reflect the programming of meetings -- whether they were held in blocks or with large gaps between them. Exactly identical levels should not be expected.

On the absence of a permanent interpretation capacity in Nairobi, the Secretariat had said there was not a sufficient workload to justify an in-house interpretation team, he said, but for all meetings entitled to interpretation, it was provided. Interpreters were a scarce resource, and they were wasted if no meetings were held.

Regarding travel arrangements for the Special Committee on decolonization, he said, one Member State had asked why the proposed level of resources was not lower, and another why it was not higher, he said. The level of resources proposed was the same as that employed for 1998-1999. Nineteen ninety-six to 1997 had been an unusual biennium, where many activities had been subject to stringent limitations as a result of an earlier Assembly decision. Therefore, it was not a good source of comparisons for normal activities. Provisions proposed for this Committee were based on the likely level of requirements, taking requirements for the current biennium into account.

The purchase of laptops for interpretation services would result in a smaller expenditure on interpretation, he said, and this was reflected in the proposal.

Regarding the absence of indicators for self-evaluation, he said these were not addressed in any budget section. Self-evaluation of programme managers was a standing requirement. There were no departments exempted from this arrangement.

On the absence of statements of expected accomplishments for this section, he explained that in the preliminary attempt to use the new arrangements regarding expected accomplishments, the Secretariat had confined itself to providing them for substantive programmes. This section would indeed lend itself to statements of quantifiable outcomes, and he hoped such statements would be included for this section and all others in the next proposal.

He said he would revert to the questions on technological innovation in New York, on posts and on changes to the Spanish services in Geneva in informal consultations.

Regarding the question concerning the expenditure for improvement in Conference rooms, he said the Assembly had made a decision on this in March 1998, and a preliminary report had been issued at the end of that year. There had been additional work done in the summer of 1999. He would provide details at informal consultations, but he understood that the bulk of the resources had been dispersed or obligated.

On the cost-accounting system for conference services, he explained that this was currently being discussed by the Committee on Conferences. He understood phase two had now been reached and details were being worked on.

TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syria) said he was concerned about the shortage of conference services. On decolonization, the Secretariat had not proposed an increase while other less important programmes were granted increases -– this was a surprise. He believed remote interpretation should only be used for specific occasions when there were global conferences. On remote translation, he was not against new technology but was concerned that this might lead to reduction in language posts. On the allocation for disarmament, he was concerned that daily allowances for this programme had been reduced.

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) noted that questions her delegation had raised would be answered at a later stage. She asked for more detailed information about the overall budget reduction and for specific justification. She wanted information to truly justify the reduction. She also asked why there were no specific proposals for reclassification of posts to help career prospects for staff.

Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) asked for clarification from the budget director on the placement of interpreters in Nairobi.

Mr. SACH said, in response, that some delegations had expressed an interest in permanent interpretation service in Nairobi, but to base an interpretation team there just because there was space was not sensible.

Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) said he would follow up the issue at an informal meeting. It was a political decision that the Committee had to make. He did not think interpreters in Nairobi would be under-utilized.

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) asked whether the last questions raised by her delegation could be answered by the Secretariat now or moved to a second round.

Mr. SACH, speaking from memory and without the relevant documentation, said the Secretariat was to have submitted a report on the question of secretariats of different committees and this had been produced at the fifty- third session. He was not sure that there was requirement in place for annual reports.

On the reduction of established posts in the budget for the current biennium, he said the Secretariat had not submitted further post requests. With the same level of meetings, it was appropriate to maintain the same level of staffing support.

Mr. MSELLE, ACABQ Chairman, said with respect to career development in language services the Advisory Committee had called for another comprehensive review of the grading of language posts at all duty stations

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said her delegation would follow up on the issue of committee secretariats.

The FIFTH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN said the Secretariat would follow up requests for further information in writing and in informal sessions, and took note that Cuba was asking for a second formal session.

Other Matters

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said the Committee on Information was discussing a report of the Secretary-General on the enrichment of Web sites in all six official languages. He hoped discussion of this topic would take place within the Fifth Committee.

The CHAIRMAN said she would follow this up with the Bureau. The meeting was then adjourned.

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