DELAYS IN PAYMENTS TO TROOP-CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES WILL AFFECT FUTURE PARTICIPATION IN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS, BUDGET COMMITTEE TOLD

Resumed Fifty-fifth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

59^th Meeting (PM)

DELAYS IN PAYMENTS TO TROOP-CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES WILL AFFECT FUTURE

PARTICIPATION IN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS, BUDGET COMMITTEE TOLD

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) continued its general debate this afternoon, several speakers addressed the issues of peacekeeping financing and functioning, and human resources management.

Speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, the representative of Chile said that with the developing world being the largest contributor of troops to United Nations peacekeeping, delays in the payment of reimbursements imposed a heavy burden on countries, which were already facing myriad economic and social difficulties.  The persistence of that situation would no doubt affect the level of developing countries’ participation in future operations.  He hoped that, in accordance with the Secretary-General’s decision, most of the arrears to be paid by the Organization’s main contributor would be allocated to cover the debt to troop contributors.

Japan’s representative pointed out that as peacekeeping budgetary requirements continued to increase, a major issue was the non-submission of budgets for five peacekeeping missions in transition (Ethiopia and Eritrea, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo).  Whether commitment authority could be provided to the Secretary-General without such information also constituted an important problem.  He encouraged Member States to adhere to prescribed practices on budget apportionment for peacekeeping missions. 

The representative of Australia (also speaking on behalf of Canada and New Zealand) stressed the importance of regular and accurate forecasting of the budget needs of the missions, saying that greater certainty was needed for States to be able to pay in full and in time.  Current arrangements were not particularly satisfactory in view of the fact that they contained a significant element of surprise.

On human resources management, the representative of Sweden, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that the reform would be incomplete without taking into consideration the situation of young professionals.  There seemed to be more resignations at the low or medium level of professional staff than retirements, and there were doubts regarding the capacity of the Organization to fill the vacuum left by that attrition.  To meet future challenges, the Organization must form a new generation of staff with strong leadership skills.  Of particular importance was the need to provide improved conditions of service.

The representative of Libya stressed the need to be careful when using the term “systematic rejuvenation” of the United Nations.  While it was obvious that it would be commendable to promote broad development of youth within the international civil service, it should be equally obvious that specific requirements for certain jobs must be taken into consideration.  For example, it would be impossible to find a young person fresh out of school to fill some positions requiring a high level of technical experience.  One of the main requirements was to ensure continuous training of long-term employees, and he wondered if there was any overarching need to get rid of old blood to bring in the new at any cost.

Also speaking today were the representatives of Iran (on behalf of “Group  of 77” developing countries and China), Cyprus, Syria, India,

Canada and the Russian Federation.

Responding to questions and comments from the floor were the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Rafiah Salim; Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), Conrad S.M. Mselle; Inspector Francesco Mezzalama of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU); Director of the Peacekeeping Financing Division, Bock Chen Yeo; and James Mutiso of the Field Administration and Logistics Division (FALD).

The Committee will continue its work at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 9 May, when it is expected to address the JIU report on the review of the management and administration of the Registry of the International Court of Justice.

Background

This afternoon at its resumed second session, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met to continue consideration of issues which broadly address the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations.  It was also expected to continue its general debate, touching on a wide range of interrelated subjects, including the biennium budget, financing of peacekeeping operations, and human resources management.  For background on the session and the reports under discussion, see Press Release GA/AB/3440 of 7 May 2001.

Statements

Speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, MAGNUS LENEFORS (Sweden) addressed the issue of human resources management.  He said that any discussion on human resources reform would, indeed, be incomplete without taking into consideration the situation of young professionals.  The critical point was there seemed to be more resignation of the lower or medium level of professional staff than retirements, and doubts existed regarding the capacity of the Organization to fill the vacuum left by that attrition.  To meet future challenges, the Organization must form a new generation of staff with strong leadership skills.

The report offered a general picture comparing practices and making useful recommendations, he continued.  The proposed human resources management reform package contained measures to address concerns correctly identified in the report.  Of particular importance was the need to provide improved conditions of service.  In that context, he acknowledged the importance of allowing a career perspective and the continued development of mentoring, which would increase motivation of staff and encourage them to stay on. 

He went on to say that the resignations of qualified staff recruited through an extensive and costly process were a serious loss for the Organization.  It was essential to speed up recruitment, including from the roster, as recommended by the report.  Successful candidates in the National Competitive Recruitment Examination (NCRE) were not willing or able to wait for a call from the United Nations if other opportunities presented themselves.  It was necessary to address that problem.  A more modern approach was needed to human resources management.

SEYED MORTEZA MIRMOHAMMAD (Iran), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, welcomed the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and said that the Group endorsed most of its recommendations, with some reservations.  For instance, regarding the Inspectors’ recommendation that strict deadlines be imposed on the review of applications, he said that the deadline should not be so strict as to become counterproductive.  He then turned to recommendation 4 of the report, which suggested further efforts should be undertaken to accelerate the placement of successful NCRE candidates, reduce the number of candidates presently on the roster and optimize its use.  He would prefer it to be deleted, but the Secretary-General’s clarifications were needed first on its implications.

Regarding recommendation 8, on mobility not only within departments, but also between duty stations, he said that the question of mobility had been addressed in relevant Assembly resolutions.  The report before the Committee also contained a reference to managed reassignment programme, which implied that some concept of mobility was already in place, and he asked for clarifications in that regard.  He noted the statements in the report that zero growth had negatively impacted the ability of the Organization to take large initiatives in regard to orientation and induction programmes.  The need for an appealing culture for the workforce and spouse employment were among the areas of concern.

He asked why consideration of two reports previously included in the programme of work had been delayed.  Also, one of the Secretary-General’s reports was issued late and could not be considered as planned.

Responding to questions, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, RAFIAH SALIM, said that the reference to reassignment related to a voluntary reassignment programme introduced about two years ago for staff recruited at the P-2 level through the National Examination.  It was intended to widen career development opportunities for young staff.  As part of managed movement, for P-2 staff recruited since the beginning of 2000 there was a clause in the offer of appointment which stated that in the first five years they were expected to carry out various functions, preferably at two duty stations.  For those recruited before 2000, movement was strictly voluntary.  Other aspects of the mobility system had not been implemented pending the adoption of the Assembly resolution on the Secretary-General’s package of proposals.  She would have to research answers to several other questions before she could answer them.

In response to questions, CONRAD S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), said that there had been several comments on the non-availability of the ACABQ’s comments on the reports of the JIU, particularly on the recruitment of young professionals and the delegation of authority.  The ACABQ had met during the current session and decided that there were a number of issues that it would take up when it considered specific programme budget items related to those issues.  Further, the ACABQ had previously stated that the recruitment of young professionals was largely associated with the rejuvenation of the Secretariat.

He said it was important to note that the Secretary-General had also expressed a keen interest in that issue.  The position of the Secretariat, clearly stated in the report, was to promote the formulation and implementation of human resource action plans and the retention of younger staff, particularly in light of the age profile of the Organization.  So, there had been broad comments on the recruitment of young professionals, but the ACABQ would consider to pursue the item further under the appropriate budgetary agenda item.

Inspector FRANCESCO MEZZALAMA of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) said one of the merits of the JIU report on young professionals was that it presented a broad view of specific issues, which allowed various situations to be compared and solutions identified.  He wished to dispel the notion that the Unit was attempting to impose rigid rules and strict principles.  Indeed, the Unit recognized that each component of the United Nations system required appropriate and specific measures.  The delicate and urgent problems concerning human resources management and the recruitment of young professionals needed to be tackled as soon as possible.  To its credit, he added, the Secretariat appeared to be moving ahead to address those problems.

He went on to say that he understood the representative of Iran’s assertion that strict deadlines for reviewing applications of possible new recruits might be more harmful than helpful to the hiring process.  But, at the same time, the Secretariat recognized that one of the problems in hiring young professionals was the considerable lag time between applying for a job within the Organization, taking the exam and receiving an offer of employment.  He added the management reassignment programme mentioned in the report was voluntary.

ABDALLA ABDALLA (Libya) said the JIU and staff of the Secretariat should be careful when using the term “systematic rejuvenation” of an organization such as the United Nations.  While it was obvious that it would be commendable to promote broad development of youth within the international civil service, it should be equally obvious that specific requirements for certain jobs must be taken into consideration in order to ensure that the Organization continued to adequately meet its myriad responsibilities.  For example, he said that if there were jobs requiring a high level of technical experience, it would be impossible to find a young person just out of school to fill such a position.

There was also a need to look within the Organization for qualified job applicants, he said.  One of the main requirements of any establishment was to ensure continuous training and retraining of long-term employees.  He wondered if there was any overarching need to get rid of old blood to bring in the new at any cost.  Indeed, there must be some way to reward many years of dedication to any organization.  He also wondered if the Inspection Unit had taken into account the issue of discrimination when its report was researched.  The Charter, he added, ensured the right of employment to all, regardless of age.

Mr. MIRMOHAMMAD (Iran) said that all the reports of the JIU before the Committee should be considered by the ACABQ in the near future, and he could not understand why the Inspectors’ report on the delegation of authority could not be taken up at this stage.

Inspector MEZZALAMA said that he wanted to assure the Committee that the JIU had no intention to violate the Charter of the United Nations.  The fact that young professionals were sought did not deny the right to employment to other people.  However, he did not think the United Nations should not be considered a charitable institution, and some selection was needed to recruit the best-qualified people.  Regarding rejuvenation, he said that what was meant by the Secretary-General in his report was that the people reaching the age of retirement should be replaced by young people.  There was no implication that older people should be “chased out” and “put in the middle of the street”.  Rejuvenation meant appropriate replacement of retired people in order to avoid creating a vacuum.

Mr. ABDALLA (Libya) said that he had never meant to imply that unqualified people should be hired by the Organization.  Paramount consideration should be given to qualification and efficiency.  A rigorous selection process, indeed, was needed.  Speaking about rejuvenation of the Secretariat, the question of vacancies through attrition did not give justification for giving preference to young people at the expense of others.  Automatic promotion had been cancelled, and people had to apply for vacancies.  If posts had to be given to young people under the new policy, then injustice would be done to older people.  The United Nations should be concerned about staff development and the welfare of the staff, and these should not be sacrificed for the sake of “bringing in new blood”. 

Mr. MIRMOHAMMAD (Iran) asked if, since there was no comment from the Secretariat on the inclusion of the report on the delegation of authority in the management of human and financial resources, it could be included in the programme of work.

The Committee CHAIRMAN said he saw no reason not to include the report.

ABDOU AL-MOULA NAKKARI (Syria) said that his delegation had hoped that the ACABQ would have been able to submit its report on the issue.  That was not the first time that the consideration of reports related to the human resources had been delayed because of the delay of the issuance of the reports of the ACABQ.   He supported the proposal to consider the report on the delegation of authority, which should be tackled within the context of human resources reform.  Taking up that report would help to strengthen administration.  He also wanted to put on record that the reports had been delayed, and he stressed that he would like the Inspection Unit reports to be issued on time.  He asked Ms. Salim for a more elaborate explanation of the Secretariat’s views on the JIU recommendation on delegation of authority.  A quick reading of the recommendation did not help him to understand if the Secretariat thought it appropriate and was going to act on it.  He hoped that Mr. Mselle would be present until the end of the meeting to comment on various reports before the Committee.  He also hoped that he would be present when he would make a statement on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), for he had many questions on that subject.

Ms. SALIM said that she wanted to evaluate recommendation 6, on delegation, in order to come back to that matter at a later date. 

The CHAIRMAN informed the Committee that Mr. Mselle would stay until the end of the meeting.

ALVARO JARA (Chile), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said that enhancing the functioning of peacekeeping operations required political will on the part of all Member States.  That will should be translated into the provision of adequate resources for all current peacekeeping operations to enable them to adequately fulfil their mandates.  He added that it was important for peacekeeping budgetary requirements to include provisions for the safety and security of mission personnel.

He also said that, at a time when the developing world was the largest contributor of troops to United Nations peacekeeping system, delays in the payment of reimbursements imposed a heavy burden on countries which were already facing myriad economic and social difficulties.  The persistence of that situation would no doubt affect the level of developing countries’ participation in future operations.  He hoped that, as had been decided by the Secretary-General, a significant portion of the assessment arrears to be paid by the Organization’s main contributor would be allocated to pay the debt owed to troop-contributing nations.  The Group looked forward to the release of the comprehensive review currently being undertaken by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations on its working methods.  On recruitment of personnel, he said that account should be taken of professionalism and adequate experience, as well as equitable geographical distribution.

SHINICHI YAMANAKA (Japan) said that peacekeeping operations continued to play an important role in international peace and security efforts.  At the same time, the budgetary requirements for those operations continued to increase.  With that in mind, a major issue before the Committee during this session was the non-submission of budgets for five peacekeeping missions –- in Ethiopia and Eritrea, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- and whether commitment authority could be provided to the Secretary-General without such information.  He encouraged Member States to adhere to prescribed practices on budget apportionment for peacekeeping missions. 

SOTIRIOS ZACKHEOS (Cyprus)said his Government welcomed measures undertaken by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) to enhance the efficiency of its operations, and encouraged continuous review of the operation in order to achieve the most cost-effective results.  Since 1992, he continued, Cyprus contributed nearly one third of the Force's budget and, although this was a heavy burden on the country, it would continue that practice.  The difficult situation had been exacerbated by the adverse effect of the conversion rate between the Cypriot pound and the United States dollar.  Another problem had been the substantial increase in the scale of peacekeeping assessments.  To that end, Cyprus was exploring ways to reduce its level of contribution.

He went on to remind the Committee that Turkey, whose continued military presence in Cyprus made the presence of UNFICYP essential, did not contribute in any way to helping solve any of those difficulties.  Neither was that country fulfilling its obligations to pay its assessed contributions, having not paid since 1993.  He further reminded the Committee of the Secretariat’s need to use correct terminology when referring to the Force’s political mandate, so that language would not deviate from the parameters set by the Security Council on the situation in Cyprus.

HENRY FOX (Australia), also speaking on behalf of New Zealand and Canada, said that annex II of the ACABQ report, setting out estimates for each peacekeeping operation was particularly illuminating.  The overall budgetary requirements for peacekeeping would amount to over $2.5 billion initially.  Additional requirements could bring it up to $2.6 to $3 billion.  Yesterday, the Controller had provided an even larger amount.  In that context, he wanted to stress the importance of receiving regular forecasts for the 12 months ahead.  For peacekeeping bills to be paid in full and in time, regular and accurate forecasting became all the more important.  Larger certainty was needed for States to be able to pay on time.  Current arrangements were not particularly satisfactory in view of the fact that they contained a significant element of surprise.  He noted the intention of the Secretariat to apply results-based budgeting to support account and other arrangements and welcomed such an approach.

Mr. NAKKARI (Syria) said that he wanted to address the financing of UNDOF, as described in documents A/55/778 and A/55/874/Add.1.  Although the documents reflected positive response to some of last year’s concerns, he nevertheless noted a lack of response to certain concerns, particularly those related to improving the working conditions of local staff in the Force.  That included the provision of allowances for difficulties resulting from relocating the Force from Damascus to Camp Faouar.  Many important questions still required attention by Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Office of Human Resources Management in that respect, for it was necessary to ensure equitable treatment of both international and local mission staff. 

Improving the working conditions of local staff in peacekeeping missions represented one of the main criteria for the success of any peacekeeping operation, he continued.  In paragraph 2 of its resolution 54/266, the General Assembly had requested the Secretary-General to continue the process of improving the working conditions of local staff, including by making allowances for difficulties resulting from the relocation of the headquarters of the Force.  The hardships of the local staff were also recognized in preambular paragraph 11 and operative paragraph 1 of that resolution.

The Secretariat did not contradict that understanding, also realizing such difficulties, he said.  Nevertheless, the Secretariat committed a big error when it considered that the matter had been taken care of, concluding that the inconveniences suffered by the staff had been addressed by factoring in a transportation benefit in the net salaries, in accordance with the salary survey methodology; and by providing free transportation to the new location from Damascus.  On the recommendation from the United Nations Security Coordinator and the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the Secretariat had also stated that the UNDOF working environment did not require such special measures as hazard pay.

In that regard, he wanted to put on record his strong reservation regarding what the Secretariat considered full implementation of the relevant Assembly resolution, requesting an allowance for local staff. The salary survey methodology did not constitute a response to resolution 54/266.  The salaries of the local and international staff had increased by 5 per cent starting on 1 March 1999, based on a salary survey that was conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  The survey and the increase had preceded the adoption of resolution 54/266 by the Assembly.  If the Assembly had believed that such an increase would constitute compensation for difficulties faced by the local staff, it would not have requested the payment of allowance following the relocation of the UNDOF headquarters.

As for transportation to the new location, he wanted to remind the Committee that it also did not constitute a measure in response to the resolution in question.  That was an inaccurate understanding by the Secretariat of the request contained in resolution 54/266, requesting the payment of allowances for difficulties due to the relocation of the Force. 

He went on to say that the Secretariat should have resorted to the proper mechanism to implement the resolution, instead of questioning the mandate through the advice from the Security Coordinator and the ICSC.  He did not object to seeking advise from those sources, but such advice should have been sought before the adoption of the resolution and not after.  He also noted that the ACABQ had repeated the Secretariat’s mistake by adopting the same views instead of correcting the error, as should have been expected. 

He also noted that the Secretary-General had referred to about 12 local staff recruited to work in other missions.  Also, both reports had failed to mention the number of international staff seconded by UNDOF to other missions.  The General Assembly had requested the Secretary-General in resolution 53/226 to make efforts to use local staff in General Service posts to reduce the costs.  He noted that no tangible measures had been taken so far to implement that mandate.  That was a clear violation of relevant resolutions, and he found it strange that the ACABQ had not tackled the issue. 

He asked for clarification of the phrase contained in the Secretary-General’s report that following a review of the matter, no conversion of General Staff posts into local was possible at this time. He wanted to know what prevented such a conversion.  He noted the administration of the Force’s commitment to continue dialogue with local staff to deal with their concerns.  However, the dialogue had not been completed, although its continuation would allow the mission to deal with current and future concerns of the staff.  The grades of local staff should be reviewed on the basis of 14 steps in order the equalize the treatment of staff in various missions.  Securing good working conditions for local staff was an important condition for the success of the Force, and local staff should enjoy their entitlements without discrimination.

RAMESH CHANDRA (India) said his delegation had taken note of the fact that the budget could increase by nearly 76 per cent over the next two years.  He said that his delegation welcomed changes in the Assembly that had resulted in the presentation of the budget in a more comprehensive and orderly fashion.  He agreed that there was an urgent need to place civilian personnel in mission posts and noted that document A/55/874 spoke clearly to that need.  He supported the notion that the unencumbered balance of some $172 million be credited to Member States.  There was a need to ensure the better management of liquidation of mission assets.  Where forecasts of peacekeeping budgets were concerned, he noted that the comprehensive review called for by the Brahimi Report might change any proposals that had been made.

He said his delegation had also taken note that none of the 93 posts approved by the General Assembly last year for the management claims section had been filled.  He looked forward to hearing that this problem had been corrected. He thanked Mr. Mselle for distributing his introductory statement and hoped that statement of the United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, could also be distributed.

Responding to comments and questions, BOCK CHENG YEO, Director, Peacekeeping Financing Division, agreed with the representative of Japan that the General Assembly called for two budgets to be submitted for mission budgets in fluctuation.  However, while a straight maintenance level budget for the five missions in transition mentioned in the report could have been presented, there had been general agreement that those provisions would have been immediately overtaken by events.  At the same time, however, he stressed this was an exceptional response to an exceptional situation, and was something that would hopefully not occur in the future.

He said he felt that the Secretariat had been quite accurate and transparent in its budget forecasts.  As he highlighted some of the expected requirements of missions in transition during the coming year, he noted that those forecasts were likely to be affected by any recommendations that emerged from the comprehensive review called for in the Brahimi Report.  The total level of peacekeeping was likely to be more than $3 billion.  He would challenge anyone to come up with a better estimate than that.  In response to a question on providing positions for civil service in missions, he said the intent of the Secretariat had been to address non-financial issues such as concerns of equitable treatment.  He agreed that the process might be considered “incomplete”, but it was, indeed, an ongoing one, which would be studied carefully.

JAMES MUTISO, Field Administration and Logistics Division (FALD), in response to questions on UNDOF, said the administration was committed to finding a dialogue with local staff to address their concerns.  There had also been attempts to encourage the mission to update its headquarters.  He hoped to provide further information regarding UNDOF during the current session after informal consultations.

Mr. YEO responded to the question regarding the conversion of general to local staff.  He referred to the table on page 8 of document A/55/778. The UNDOF was a very small mission with a total of 38 international staff and only six Professional and six General Service posts.  There was a limit as to how many General Service posts were needed. 

Mr. MSELLE said that the procedure followed prior to the adoption of General Assembly resolution 49/233 had caused enormous difficulties.  Then, every time the Council extended the mandate, even for a short period of time, a budget was prepared by the Secretariat.  More than 80 reports were discussed in one year, in particular.  On the advice of the ACABQ, a new cycle was adopted, delinking assessments from budget.  That meant that the Secretariat now prepared a budget for 12 months, unless there was a new mission.  The Assembly approved that budget for the same period, but legally the Secretary-General could not send a letter of assessment, until there was a mandate from the Council.  If the mandate was terminated after six months, there would be no assessment, even though the Assembly had approved a 12-month budget.  Such a procedure had helped Member States to have a long-term view of what was likely to be required to fund a peacekeeping mission.  However, that did not mean that an exact assessed amount would be provided.  That depended upon the action by the Council.

Referring to the “error” by the Advisory Committee, the representative of Syria had pointed to paragraph 33a of that body’s report regarding UNDOF’s local staff, according to which the inconvenience experienced by local staff “has since been addressed by the factoring in of a transportation benefit in the net salaries, in accordance with the salary survey methodology”.  That information had been provided to the Advisory Committee by the Secretariat.  It was for the Secretariat to further clarify the situation, whether the measures in question had been adopted prior to the adoption of resolution 54/266, or afterwards.

On the issue of secondment of staff from UNDOF to other missions, he said that the ACABQ paid attention to that factor every time it reviewed peacekeeping missions.  He wanted to draw the Committee’s attention to table 2 contained in document A/55/874 on mission staff on short-term loan for the start-up of new missions.  From that table, it followed that a total of six staff members were loaned from UNDOF to other missions –- three field service and one local level to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and one field service and one local to East Timor.

Mr. MUTISO, of the FALD, said that he had taken note of the numerous questions raised.  A comprehensive response would be provided in the informals.

Mr. NAKKARI (Syria) said that he was grateful for the responses provided.  He noted that practical measures had been taken in response to resolution 54/266. Nevertheless, he had a few comments on some of the responses by the Secretariat.  Mr. Mselle had put a question to the Secretariat today, which he wished had been asked during the consideration of UNDOF in the Advisory Committee.  However, he appreciated the efforts by the ACABQ. 

Regarding hardship allowance, he said that in the Assembly just an “allowance” had been discussed for relocation to the new site, and a mechanism to settle the matter had been agreed upon. Now, having received the reports on UNDOF, he noted an attempt to circumscribe the meaning of the word “allowance” in the interpretation of the matter.  The salary survey had made it possible to build the allowance into the net salary of the local staff.  However, the survey had been carried out by the UNDP prior to the adoption of Assembly resolution 54/266, so the increase was not in response to a new request by the Assembly for a new allowance.

As for the free transportation provided, he said that the bus transport should not constitute compensation for the allowance.  Now it was being said that local staff were not entitled to “hazard pay”, or “hardship allowance”.  However, the request for an allowance by the Assembly was not described as such.  Thus, the conclusions of the Secretary-General and the ACABQ were based on an erroneous understanding.  There had not been compliance with the mandate, and he would be discussing that matter further with his colleagues.

Returning to resolution 53/226, he said that it contained a decision to employ local people in the General Services category to cut the expenses of the mission.  A similar measure had been taken in the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM).  For that purpose, the current jobs of general staff would be carried out by local employees.  That would improve the efficiency of the Mission.  He had also not heard a response to the request to increase of the number of steps of general staff from 10 to 14.  He also asked for further clarifications regarding the number of UNDOF staff, including local and international, who had been attached to other missions.

Responding to questions, Mr. MUTISO said that the proposal to increase the number of grades for General Service staff positions from 10 to 14 was part of the package that would be considered during the Committee’s current session.

JOHN ORR (Canada) said his delegation had been involved in the negotiations of resolution 54/266 on improving the working conditions of the local UNDOF staff and that, in order to reach consensus, the language used had been necessarily vague as to whether any significant hardship was being incurred by that staff.  He was certain that the Secretariat and the officials in all peacekeeping missions were aware that all staff worked under difficult and trying conditions.  He hoped that was taken into account when the issue was reviewed further.

Mr. NAKKARI (Syria) did not agree that the wording of the resolution had been watered down.  If Canada felt that the negotiations or the subsequent resolution had been ambiguous, he should not have accepted them.  The wording of the resolution was, indeed, clear and explicit. 

VASILY GRUZDEV (Russian Federation) said his delegation had taken note that the 93 posts on which the General Assembly had agreed had not been filled.  During informals, he looked forward to hearing from the Secretariat about any progress that had been made in filling those positions.  He said that the Support Account related to efforts to strengthen the Organization’s overall peacekeeping operations.  In light of the critical nature of all peacekeeping activities, he stressed the importance of submitting revised resource requirements to the ACABQ and the Assembly in a timely manner.

The CHAIRMAN then announced the names of the coordinators of negotiations on the financing of the various United Nations peacekeeping missions.

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