IMPORTANCE OF TIMELY, FULL PAYMENT OF UN CONTRIBUTIONS, ‘CAPACITY TO PAY’ PRINCIPLE REAFFIRMED, AS FIFTH COMMITTEE TAKES UP SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

5^th Meeting (AM)

IMPORTANCE OF TIMELY, FULL PAYMENT OF UN CONTRIBUTIONS, ‘CAPACITY TO PAY’

PRINCIPLE REAFFIRMED, AS FIFTH COMMITTEE TAKES UP SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning took up the scale under which Member States’ contributions to the budget of the United Nations are calculated, with delegations reaffirming the importance of:  paying assessed contributions on time, in full and without conditions; and the “capacity to pay” principle.

The United Nations scale of assessments was last reviewed in 2000, when the current scale (2001-2003) was adopted in resolution 55/5 B.  One of its main features was a reduction of the maximum rates (the ceiling) from 25 to 22 per cent.  The new ceiling was then applied to the Organization’s main contributor –- the United States -- and the points arising as a result of the change were distributed pro rata among other States, except for those affected by the “floor” and the least developed country ceiling.

In 2000 it was agreed that the methodology for the scale of assessments would remain in place until 2006.  This year the Committee on Contributions presented its recommendations for the scale for 2004-2006 on the basis of the elements of the current scale methodology.

In that connection, a number of speakers pointed out that application of the 2000 decision had resulted in significant increases in their dues.  While committed to paying their contributions to the United Nations, they would face serious difficulties in meeting their obligations if the same methodology was applied to the next scale.  Mexico’s dues, for example, would increase by some 75 per cent, the representative of that country said.

The representative of Syria, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said that following the adoption of the scale in 2000, the assessments of certain Arab countries had increased as much as 200 per cent.  The economic difficulties, including sanctions against some countries, and major currency fluctuations in recent years had had a serious impact on their capacity to pay.  It was important to identify the reasons that had led to the increases and remedy the situation in the future, to take account of the situation.

China’s representative said his country’s assessment for 2004-2006 would increase by 35.18 per cent over the last period.  He had no objection to reasonable adjustments derived from the methodology based on the principle of capacity to pay, as approved by the fifty-fifth session of the Assembly.  Not only had China fulfilled its financial obligations to the Organization, but as a permanent member of the Security Council it had also assumed additional financial obligations towards peacekeeping.  At the same time, although China had made great strides in its economic development, it was still a developing country with unique circumstances, which included a rather weak economic base and a large population.

The representative of Japan said his country had been faithfully paying its assessed contributions, but now doubts were emerging about the present methodology.  Why did Japan, out of 191 Member States, have to shoulder nearly 20 per cent of United Nations expenses? he asked.  He stressed that appropriate and equitable burden sharing among Member States was a prerequisite for achieving a system that could provide each and every Member State with a sense of legitimacy and fairness.  The scale of assessments should become more balanced, in conformity with each Member State’s actual economic performance, as well as with its status and responsibility in the United Nations, he stressed.

Turning to the measures to encourage payment of arrears by Member States, the representative of Italy, on behalf of the European Union, said that it was necessary to establish a practice that would do justice to those -– from all regional groups -– who did pay their contributions in full and promptly, without imposing burdensome provisions on those who had genuine difficulties in meeting their financial obligations, in order to ensure the financial health of the Organization.

Delegates also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the procedure for exemptions operated fairly and effectively and stressed that prompt, full and unconditional payment of contributions, in addition to the reimbursement of arrears, was essential.

The Committee also concluded its consideration of the pattern of conferences, focusing on the ongoing reform of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, quantitative measures of efficiency and productivity and development of methods and indicators for assessing the performance of conference services, which had been requested for the current session.

Delegates noted the importance of the provision of conference services for meetings and consultations of regional and other major groupings of Member States, and called upon the Secretary-General to continue providing those services to the regional groups.  Stressed in the debate was the need to provide equal resources for the provision of conference services at various duty stations and to fill interpretation vacancies at Nairobi on a priority basis.

Also addressing the Committee today were the representatives of Morocco (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China), New Zealand (on behalf of Canada, Australia, New Zealand (CANZ)), Peru (on behalf of the Rio Group), Thailand, Republic of Korea, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada (on behalf of CANZ), Nigeria and the Russian Federation.

Responding to questions and comments from the floor was Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, Jian Chen.  Documents were introduced by Chairman of the Committee on Contributions, Ugo Sessi, and United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 15 October, to continue its consideration of the scale of assessment.

Background

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning was expected to take up several reports related to the scale, under which Member States’ contributions to the budget of the United Nations are calculated, and continue its consideration of the “pattern of conferences” agenda item.  (For background on the latter see Press Release GA/AB/3575 of 13 October.)

Scale of Assessments

One of the main documents before the Fifth Committee this session is the report of the Committee on Contributions containing, among other things, the recommended scale of assessment for 2004-2006 (document A/58/11).  The report follows the sixty-third session of the Committee on Contributions last June.

The scale was last reviewed in 2000, when the current scale (2001-2003) was adopted in resolution 55/5 B.  Member States’ assessments are based on each country’s gross national income, which is converted to United States dollars after adjustments for external debt and low per capita income.  There are also minimum and maximum rates -- so-called “floor” and “ceiling” –- of assessment.  A maximum rate of 0.01 per cent is applied to the least developed countries (LDCs).

One of the main features of the scale adopted in 2000 was a reduction of the ceiling from 25 to 22 per cent, with the provision (resolution 55/5 C) that, at the end of 2003, the position would be reviewed, depending on the status of contributions and arrears.  The new ceiling was then applied to the Organization’s main contributor -– the United States -- and the points arising as a result of the change were distributed pro rata among other States, except for those affected by the floor (0.001 per cent) and the LDC ceiling.

In resolution 55/5 B, the General Assembly also decided that the elements and criteria used in constructing the scale for 2001-2003 would also apply to the scale for 2004-2006, subject to certain provisions.  Based on the Assembly’s decision, the Committee decided to conduct its review of the scale for 2004-2006 on the basis of the elements of the current scale methodology.  Any changes in the regular budget scale of assessments for 2004-2006, if approved by the General Assembly, would have an impact on the peacekeeping rates of assessment, as well.

Requested by the General Assembly in resolution 57/4 B to elaborate further on the criteria regarding as hoc adjustments of the rates of assessment outside the normal three-year review cycle, the Committee agreed that the circumstances surrounding such requests should be truly exceptional and extraordinary to warrant such a change and should be based on the fullest possible information on the nature of the action being requested, in order that the Committee and the General Assembly have a sound basis on which to base their conclusions.

Resolution 57/4 B also endorsed the Committee’s recommendations on multi-year payment plans, which represent a useful tool for reducing States’ unpaid contributions.  The Committee recommends that the Assembly encourage Member States in arrears to consider submitting such plans and recalls its recommendation that submission of a plan and its status of implementation should be taken into account as one factor when considering requests for exemption under Article 19 of the Charter.  At the same time, it was recognized that some countries are not in a position to submit plans, and consequently, they remain voluntary and are not linked to other measures.

Another document on today’s agenda was a report of the Secretary-General on multi-year payment plans (document A/58/63), which provides information on payment plans/schedules submitted by Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Sao Tome and Principe and Tajikistan and on the status of implementation of those plans at 31 December 2002.

Also before the Committee was a note by the Secretary-General on the outstanding assessed contributions of the former Yugoslavia (document A/58/189).  Referring to an earlier letter from the Secretary-General to the President of the Assembly (A/56/767), the document draws attention to the question of the treatment of the arrears of the former Yugoslavia following admission of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro) to the United Nations on 1 November 2000.  That decision automatically terminated the membership of the former Yugoslavia in the Organization.

At that point, the country still had outstanding assessed contributions to the United Nations in the amount of some $16.23 million.  The note provides updated information on the outstanding assessed contributions of the former Yugoslavia, which reflects the application of credits arising in 2002 and 2003.  At 30 June 2003 an amount of some $16.17 million was outstanding.

In making a decision on this matter, the Assembly has an option of approving a write-off of the arrears, consistent with the position of the five successor States -– Croatia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro).  Alternatively, it can seek full or partial payment from the successor States.  In that case, it also needs to decide on the treatment of the arrears, which arose following the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  The Assembly might also call on the successor States to negotiate an agreement regarding the amounts of their debt.  If an agreement cannot be reached, the United Nations might claim payment from each of the five States of an amount that it considers an equitable portion of the total.

Statements

UGO SESSI, Chairman of the Committee on Contributions, introduced the Committee’s report (A/58/11), highlighting the report’s findings in a number of areas, including multi-year payment plans, measures to encourage the payment of arrears, conversion rates, and the scale of assessment for the period 2004-2006.

JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, Controller, introduced the report of the Secretary-General on multi-year payment plans (document A/58/63), and the report of the Secretary-General on the outstanding assessed contributions of the former Yugoslavia (A/58/189).

KOICHI HARAGUCHI (Japan) said that at no time in history had the demand for United Nations reform been greater than today.  In Japan, a growing number of taxpayers were expressing their view that Japan was being treated unfairly in the United Nations.  The Government of Japan had been faithfully paying its assessed contribution, despite its extremely difficult economic and fiscal conditions.  Now, however, doubts were emerging about the present scale methodology, including the various reductions and the ceiling.  Why did Japan, out of 191 Member States, have to shoulder nearly 20 per cent of United Nations expenses?  That sense of unfairness had been aggravated further by the stagnation of the Security Council reform process, as well as by the retention in the United Nations Charter of out-of-date provisions, such as the so-called “enemy clauses”.

Japan was of the view that true United Nations reform must lead to a system of work governance that could provide each and every Member with a sense of legitimacy and fairness, he said.  In that regard, his delegation believed that appropriate and equitable burden sharing among Member States was a prerequisite for achieving such objectives.  The scale of assessment needed to become more balanced, in conformity with each Member State’s actual economic performance, as well as with its status and responsibility in the United Nations.

Turning to sections in the report of the Committee on Contributions concerning the scale of assessments for the period 2004-2006, he expressed Japan’s doubts about whether the Committee’s recommendations on exchange rates were completely consistent with criteria of the present methodology as stipulated in General Assembly resolution 55/5 B.  In terms of ensuring accountability, Japan was not pleased that the Committee, which should have made professional recommendations from a politically neutral standpoint, instead included political elements in its sixty-third session.  He wished to sound a clear alarm over the political nature of the action taken by the Committee.

ROBERTO MARTINI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that after complex negotiations in 2000, the Assembly had agreed that the methodology for the scale of assessments would remain in place until 2006.  Consequently, this year, the Assembly was scheduled to review the scale strictly on the basis of pre-set methodology, taking into consideration the effective gross national income data for the [1996-2001] base period.  As the Union had made clear at an organizational session a few days before, its strong preference would have been to deal with the regular budget and peacekeeping scales expeditiously and simultaneously, so as to allow the Committee to move onto other business.  He regretted that it had not been possible.

The criterion of the overall capacity to pay remained fundamental and should not be subject to requests for modification, he continued.  In that vein, the Union would also like to signal, well in advance of the start of the peacekeeping scale discussion, that it would insist on full application of all paragraphs of resolution 55/235, without exception.

Having acted on requests for exemptions from the application of Article 19 of the Charter, the Union reiterated the importance of ensuring that the procedure for exemptions operated fairly and effectively.  Prompt, full and unconditional payment of contributions, in addition to the reimbursement of arrears was essential.  Concerning the procedural aspects of Article 19 issues, the Union stressed the need for Member States intending to request a waiver to comply with the time limits set by the General Assembly.

Turning to the measures to encourage payment of arrears by Member States, he said that it was necessary to establish a practice that would do justice to those –- from all regional groups –- who did pay their contributions in full and promptly, without imposing burdensome provisions on those who had genuine difficulties in meeting their financial obligations, in order to ensure the financial health of the Organization.  Multi-year payment plans were, of course, very relevant in that context.  The Union encouraged those countries that had presented repayment plans to continue meeting their commitments.  At the same time, he urged Member States that were not keeping pace with the plans they had submitted to do their utmost to comply.  In that connection, the Union believed that either the Contributions Committee or the Fifth Committee should take the submission of payment plans and their status of implementation into account when considering request for exemption under Article 19 of the Charter.

AICHA AFIFI (Morocco), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, reaffirmed the legal obligation of all Member States to bear the financial expenses of the United Nations in accordance with the Charter and urged all Member States to pay their assessed contributions on time, in full and without conditions.  The Group further recognized the need to extend sympathetic understanding to those Member States that temporarily were not able to meet their financial obligations as a consequence of genuine economic difficulties.  She also reiterated the importance of the forthcoming negotiations on the scale for 2004-2006 and their swift conclusion, while reaffirming the principle of capacity to pay as the fundamental criterion in the apportionment of expenses of the United Nations.

The Group agreed with the report of the Contributions Committee, which had been adopted by consensus, she continued, and reaffirmed the role of that Committee as the sole expert body mandated to advise the Assembly on that issue.

The Group would like to underline its concern that many developing countries -- members of the Group -- had seen a huge increase in their assessments for the next triennium, while their economies were currently experiencing difficulties that undermined their capacity to pay.  Those countries were making extraordinary efforts to fulfil their obligations to the United Nations.

Emphasizing the importance of continuing the work of the Committee, she went on to reiterate that multi-year plans should remain voluntary and should not be linked to other measures.  The Group would also like to emphasize that discussions on the scale should be conducted in a comprehensive and transparent manner, in order to achieve a swift conclusion of the negotiations and concentrate the Committee’s efforts on the proposed budget for the next biennium.

FELICITY BUCHANAN (New Zealand), speaking on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand (CANZ), said that her delegations appreciated the Contributions Committee’s report and its recommendations on the scale.  The report made plain the vigour of the debate on some issues, especially concerning the application of price adjusted rates of exchange (PARE) to Argentina.  That issue had been hotly debated for good reason.  It was precisely because the objective facts could support more than one interpretation on the use of PARE that the role of the Committee was so important.  It might be helpful in the future for the Committee to work on more specific criteria to provide a clearer framework on the use of PARE and to ensure that recommendations emerged from the technical data.

In the present circumstance, however, the delegations of CANZ were able to accept the scale as recommended by the Committee in its entirety, she said.  They had found the exchange with the Committee on the question of criteria for ad hoc adjustments of the rates of assessment under rule 160 of the General Assembly rules of procedure particularly interesting and urged the Committee to return to the issue, because such criteria were needed to enable the Assembly to address future requests for such adjustments.

OSWALDO DE RIVERO (Peru), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, thanked the President of the Committee on Contributions for his presentation of document A/58/11.  The Group recognized the technical work of the Committee on Contributions as an independent organ, in charge of giving advice to the General Assembly on this item.  The proposal of the Committee was the result of updated economic information and the application of a methodology adopted without a vote by the General Assembly in resolution 55/5 B.  Although the methodology was capable of improvement, now was not the time to do so, he said.

NAJIB ELJY (Syria), speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, supported the position of the Group of 77 and China and said that the Arab delegations attached particular importance to the agenda item under discussion.  Stressing their agreement with the report of the Contributions Committee, the Arab countries wanted to present some comments, however.

Following the adoption of the scale in 2000, the assessments of certain Arab countries had increased as much as 200 per cent, he said.  The economic difficulties, including sanctions against some countries, and major currency fluctuations in recent years had had a serious impact on their capacity to pay.  It was important to identify the reasons that had led to increases and remedy the situation in the future to take account of the situation.  The Group stressed the need for all countries, especially major contributors, to pay their financial dues in full, on time and without conditions.  As for arrears of certain Member States, he stressed that multi-year plans should remain voluntary and not tied to other measures.

PRAVIT CHAIMONGKOL (Thailand) believed that the Committee on Contributions had conducted a review of the scale of assessments for the period 2004-2006 in a reasonably thorough and transparent manner and hoped that the Committee’s recommendations could serve as a basis for arriving at an agreement among Member States in setting the assessed rate of contribution over the next three years.  Continuing, he emphasized the importance of the principle of capacity to pay, which must continue to be upheld as a general rule.  Moreover, representation made by Member States facing severe economic crisis should be considered objectively and on the basis of merit.

His delegation was pleased to learn that the financial situation of the United Nations had improved markedly since the Millennium Declaration.  However, his delegation also noted with concern that last year the United Nations had experienced a shortfall of $1.68 billion of unpaid assessment.  In order for the United Nations to fulfil its mandates, all Member States must pay their contributions in full, on time and without conditions, he said.

LUIS ALFONSO DE ALBA (Mexico) said that the Committee would need to set an example of efficiency and effectiveness in its work in the difficult year of reform that lay ahead.   During the fifty-fifth session, the Assembly had carried out an exhaustive review of the financing of the Organization.  Part of the agreement was the decision to suspend the review of methodology for six years.  Based on that, the Contributions Committee had elaborated the proposed scale for 2004-2006.  As a result, it had recommended that Mexico’s contribution rise by some 75 per cent.  That would make his country the tenth highest contributor to the regular budget.

Mexico understood that the decision was the result of the collective decision taken in 2000 and a reflection of the development of its economy, he said.  Mexico had paid its contributions in full, on time and without conditions, even in the worst economic circumstances.  Its degree of commitment towards the Organization was high, and it expected the same from other Member States.  At the same time, Mexico in due course might advocate a review of the methodology with a view of ensuring that distribution of the financial burden was equitable and reflected the capacity to pay.  In the future, it would be necessary to review the indicators and any other elements of the scale that would allow the Organization to achieve such fair distribution.

YOON SEONG-MEE (Republic of Korea) assured the Committee of her delegation’s full cooperation and thanked the Contributions Committee for its report.  Stressing the importance of the principle of the capacity to pay, she said that the PARE should be used only in exceptional situations.  Her delegation was concerned about the link between Argentina’s economic crisis and its exchange rate during the base period.  However, she recognized some Members’ sympathetic view that, even before 2001, the artificially fixed exchange rates had caused that country to suffer severe distortions in the value of its currency.  Under those circumstances, the application of PAREs for two years out of the six-year base period struck the right balance.

The multi-year payment plans were a useful tool, she continued, and her delegation expressed appreciation to those countries that were implementing such plans.  Regarding the criteria for ad hoc adjustment of the rates of assessment, her delegation looked forward to hearing the opinions of the Contributions Committee next year, after careful consideration of various aspects of that issue.

ZHANG YISHAN (China) said that the principle of capacity to pay was the general consensus among all Member States and had been reaffirmed by resolutions of the General Assembly year after year.  It was also the foundation of the methodology of the scale of assessments, which had worked well and stood the test of time.  Having served the Member States well, it should be maintained.  Only by adhering to the principle of capacity to pay could the Committee achieve positive results in its deliberations on the scale for 2004-2006.  Since all States had a vital stake in the adjustment and determination of the new scale, the matter must involve the entire membership of the Organization and ought to be resolved by all members through democratic consultations on an equal footing.

According to the figure provided by the Committee on Contributions, China’s assessment for 2004-2006 would increase by 35.18 per cent over the last period.  China would have no objection to reasonable adjustments derived from the methodology based on the principle of capacity to pay as approved by the fifty-fifth session of the Assembly.  As a Member of the United Nations family and a permanent member of the Security Council, his country was fully aware of its responsibility towards the United Nations and towards peace and security of the world.  Not only had it fulfilled its financial obligations to the Organization, but as a permanent member of the Council it had also assumed additional financial obligations towards peacekeeping.

Although China had made great strides in its economic development, he said, it was still a developing country with unique circumstances, which included a rather weak economic base and a large population.  The country’s fight against SARS had also taken a heavy toll on the country’s economy.  Nevertheless, China had still managed to pay in full and on time its assessment for 2003.  The new scale of assessment was an important agenda item before the Fifth Committee, and he hoped its members would demonstrate flexibility and a spirit of cooperation in a serious dialogue on the basis of genuine equality and thorough, in-depth discussions.

CIHAN TERZI (Turkey) thanked the Chairman of the Contributions Committee for his comprehensive report, which had proved a useful tool in understanding current methodology.  His delegation believed in the merit of keeping the current methodology in effect until 2006, he said, to allow enough time and data to discuss the methodology thoroughly.  He also stressed that, in order to preserve the vitality of the United Nations, full and timely payment of contributions was essential.  He agreed that multi-year payment plans should be encouraged and used to help States pay their assessments.

MILOS PRICA (Bosnia and Herzegovina), speaking on behalf of the five successor States of the former Yugoslavia, addressed the Committee on the amount of assessed contributions of the former Yugoslavia.  The former Yugoslavia had ceased to exist and had been followed by five successor States that did not follow the same political, legal or economic schemes.  Although that State had been dissolved, the former Yugoslavia continued to be assessed for its contributions and, in the mean time, the five successor States had also paid their contributions.

That issue had to be dealt with great sensitivity, he said.  The dissolution of the former Yugoslavia had been a continuing process and each successor State had come into being at a different time.  Consultations among the relevant representatives of each State were currently under way, he said, and he requested that the General Assembly postpone the issue until its fifty-ninth session.

Mrs. AFIFI (Morocco), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, emphasized the importance it attached to the improvement of the current methodology, so it would reflect the holding of informal consultations or any other elements affecting the utilization of conference services and facilities.  The Group noted with concern the observation of the Secretary-General contained in document A/58/194, proposing consideration of reducing the time frame of a number of fully-serviced meetings or the reduction of allocated services.  Any decision that would alter the situation in regard of fully serviced meetings was the responsibility of intergovernmental bodies.

Continuing, she welcomed the Contribution Committee’s affirmation that the provision of conference services for meetings and consultations of regional and other major groupings of Member States, to the maximum extent possible, facilitated the work of the Main Committees and other bodies.  In that regard, she called upon the Secretary-General to continue providing those services to the regional groups.  The Group was concerned that the rate of interpretation services and conference facilities to the regional and other major groups had recently declined from 98 to 92 per cent.  Another source of concern was the apparent inadequacy of resources for conference services at Nairobi and Vienna.

She also drew the Committee’s attention to the Assembly’s request in resolution 57/283 B for a report on the cost implications of providing more predictable and adequate conference services to the regional and other groupings of Member States.  While noting the Secretary-General’s proposals in that respect and reserving the right to pronounce itself on their merit in the future, the Group considered that those proposals did not fulfil what the Assembly had asked for.

Noting the improvement in utilization of the facilities and services and the high occupancy rate at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), she endorsed the request of Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) for substantial procurement of equipment, so as to take advantage of the opportunities provided by meetings of other organs and bodies.  The Group was concerned over the delay in the filling of vacancies in the interpretation section in Nairobi and emphasized the importance of ensuring equal treatment of all duty stations.  She called on the Secretary-General to bring services at the Nairobi Office on par with those at other duty stations.  Appropriate measures also needed to be taken to address current disparities in the level of services provided to delegations at various duty stations.

Noting an improvement in the timely issuance of documents, she pointed out that late issuance of some documents was still a matter of concern.  In that connection, the Group wanted to reiterate its position on the need for strict compliance with the six-week rule for issuance of documentation and with the ten-week rule for the submission of documents for processing by author departments.  She also emphasized operative paragraph 20 of resolution 57/300, which stipulated that any consolidation of reports should be decided on by Main Committees of the General Assembly.  Also, any reduction in the length of reports should not affect either the quality of presentation, or the content of the reports.

She went on to say that timely, easy and rapid access to documents in the six official languages of the Organization was an essential element for the success of intergovernmental processes.  It was also very important to preserve the institutional memory of the United Nations.  For that reason, it was necessary to expedite the issuance of summary and verbatim records in all official languages.  The Department for General Assembly and Conference Management needed to be strengthened in order to fulfil its mandates in an efficient manner.

JERRY KRAMER (Canada), speaking on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand (CANZ), said that the main point that the delegations of CANZ wished to convey was their strong support for the implementation of the reform strategy for the Department, set out by the Secretary-General in his report A/57/289.  The progress report (A/58/213) provided a sense of the efforts being made on all fronts.  It also indicated that the rates of actual progress had been variable.  While slippage could be disappointing, however, that was not in itself a cause for inordinate concern, given the range and complexity of issues.  The key was to remain committed to the systematic implementation of the measures that the Secretary-General had charted out.

The strategy paper last year had included two pillars:  to improve services to Member States; and to increase efficiency, cost-effectiveness and productivity, he continued.  The CANZ delegations were puzzled, therefore, that the progress report was silent on that theme, both in terms of gains realized or sought.  Member States and the Secretariat should affirm that efficiency and productivity gains were explicit objectives of the reform process.

He also wished to emphasize the importance of quantitative measures of efficiency and productivity.  The progress report did not even refer to the requests that the General Assembly had made last year for the development of methods and indicators for assessing the performance of conference services, which had been requested for the current session.  Client surveys could be part of the performance assessment toolbox, but they were not a substitute for quantitative analysis.  The United Nations must have ways of measuring how its efficiency and productivity changed over time, he stressed.

NONYE UDO (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the African Group, stressed the need for full consultation with Member States before implementation of changes and particularly the need to avoid actions that could have adverse effects on those aspects that directly impacted the intergovernmental process.  Turning to the United Nations Office in Nairobi she said that the African Group welcomed efforts being made to improve the utilization of conference services at the Office.  The projections indicated an encouraging trend that she hoped would be sustained.  The African Group called on the Secretary-General to sustain concerted efforts to further strengthen the role of that Office and to accord it equal status as other United Nations duty stations.

She said in the report of the Contributions Committee, it had been noted that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) held the special session of its governing council in alternate years, in different regions, on a rotational basis.  However, the African Group wished to recall several resolutions of the General Assembly stressing the need for all United Nations bodies and agencies to adhere to the headquarters rule.  That was even more important with the ongoing efforts to reform the United Nations where full and maximum utilization of United Nations facilities should be encouraged.

Furthermore, she added, it was also the view of the African Group that the current move towards global management of conferences at all United Nations offices should be undertaken with the clear understanding that all United Nations offices should be given equal treatment in the allocation of resources.  The Group urged that steps be taken to institutionalize the integration of modern technology at the Nairobi Office.  The continuing delay in the process of filling the remaining vacancies in the interpretation section at that Office was also of great concern, and the African Group would like to know what measures would be undertaken to resolve that unacceptable situation.

VLADIMIR A. IOSIFOV (Russian Federation) said that his delegation was ready to adopt the draft calendar of meetings for 2004-2005 and noted with satisfaction that the Secretariat had taken into account the provisions of resolutions 53/208 A and 56/244 regarding Orthodox Good Friday.

On some points of principle related to conference services, he stressed the need for optimum utilization of conference resources.  He also welcomed the positive steps by the leadership of the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management in that regard.  His delegation attached particular importance to translation- and interpretation-related matters.  It was necessary to fully comply with the rules on the use of the Organization’s six official languages, providing equal services in terms of quality and value to all delegations.  The problem of late issuance of documentation continued to be a source of concern, and he advocated an effective system of responsibility and accountability as far as submission of documents was concerned.  He was glad that a slotting system had become operational.

Regarding continued reform of the Department, he gave a positive assessment to its efforts to improve conference activities, as well as strengthen the system of accountability and financial resources management.  Improved coordination under the global management system would allow the Organization to ensure full dialogue and coordination between various duty stations, particularly in the field of budgeting and staffing.  It appeared that it was exactly what the Department’s efforts were aimed at.  He also welcomed the practice of conducting meetings with Member States on terminology.

In conclusion, he said that the Contributions Committee at its session had prepared a draft on the pattern of conferences, which could be adopted as a whole, thereby speeding up the work of the Fifth Committee.

Mr. ELJY (Syria) associated his delegation’s position with that of the Group of 77 and China.  He believed that conference services should be provided in accordance with existing mandates.  It was also necessary to strike a balance between timely issuance of documents and their quality.  Stressing the importance of the principle of multilingualism, he emphasized the importance of issuing all documents in all official languages at the same time.  Provision of interpretation in all the languages was a pre-requisite of success of any negotiations, and equitable conditions were needed for all delegations, big and small.

Regarding the reform of the Department, he said that the only way to achieve success was strict adherence to existing mandates and fostering dialogue with Member States.  Reform did not mean restructuring to achieve savings.  It was important to respond to the needs of Member States and manage the conference services efficiently to carry out the existing mandates.  The question of the allocation of resources within the Department was ambiguous, for any redistribution might have an adverse effect on the mandates.

Continuing, he encouraged the use of technology, given its potential positive impact on the services.  Introduction of modern technology was not an end in itself, however.  Rather, it should help enhance the implementation of existing mandates and improve the provision of services.  Noting the use of voice-recognition systems and computer-assisted translation, he said that with many new programmes, quality control was of particular importance, as they required close monitoring to avoid mistakes.

Printing-on-demand represented a qualitative improvement in the context of reform, he said.  While it was necessary to avoid waste, it was also necessary to continue distributing all documents in all languages to Member States.  Printing-on-demand should not affect the number or quality of documents available to States.

Providing the reason for late issuance of summary records, the report on the reform of the Department referred to inadequate means to translate materials into all official languages.  Such reasoning could not be accepted logically, for the budget was prepared on the basis of the estimates provided by the Department.  His delegation was also concerned over the fact that the administration had argued extensively in favour of modern technology, which could replace summary records.  The slow progress in filling the interpretation vacancies in Nairobi was unjustifiable.  The number of documents issued in Arabic at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) was still a source of concern, as well.  It was necessary to redouble the efforts to achieve 100 per cent issuance of documents in Arabic there.

EIJI YAMAMOTO (Japan) said that with regard to the report of the Secretary-General on the pattern of conferences, his delegation had noted paragraphs 58 to 62, relating to advance copies of the report and of other documents.  His delegation appreciated the current practice of the distribution of advance copies of certain documentation in order to facilitate the work process.  That practice should be maintained, he said.  His delegation also welcomed the reduction of vacancies in translation services, although there was still room for improvement.  He suggested that the mobility of translation staff could be enhanced.

WANG XINXIA (China) noted that the overall utilization of conference resources in 2002 had been 75 per cent, a slight increase over 2001.  The Chinese delegation took great interest in the reform measures of the Department, she said, and commended the efforts of the Department towards reform.  The late issuance of documents had long been a matter of concern for delegates.  This year the Department had started to implement the slotting system, and all those concerned were gaining an understanding of the system.  Concerning the implementation of restriction on the length of documents, she noted that 95 per cent of reports this year had complied.  She also hoped that problems concerning translators and language staff could be overcome.

Responding to comments from the floor, CHEN JIAN, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, expressed his gratitude for the high level of interest and support expressed by the delegates.  The Department would regard their contribution as encouragement to continue to pursue reform.

Turning to the issue of underutilization of conference facilities and services, he said that the best chance to increase efficiency was to improve planning on the part of intergovernmental organizations, as well as advance notification of cancellations.  The Contributions Committee had requested the Secretariat to make proposals on scheduling of sessions for those bodies, which had consistently underutilized the facilities.  One option would be to reduce the overall time frame in terms of number of days allotted to committees that had underutilized conference services resources.  It was also possible to reduce the number of formal, fully serviced meetings.  The bottom line was that it was for the intergovernmental bodies to make that decision.

On the “perennial” question of timely issuance of documents and related issues, he stressed that the reform was geared towards improving the service the Department provided to Member States and bodies.  Priorities included timeliness, quality and cost-effectiveness of service.  Through better planning and slotting, the Department had tried to improve its previously bad record as far as timeliness was concerned.  Initial improvement could be seen in that regard.  The aim was to eventually achieve compliance with the ten- and six-week rules for submission and issuance of documentation.  That required cooperation of all parties concerned.

Regarding quality of service, he said that more surveys would be conducted to gauge the level of satisfaction and see how to improve.  The performance-measurement study that the Department was launching was also geared at quality control.  As far as cost-effectiveness was concerned, he said that, at the current stage of reform, the Department was aiming at overall productivity.  Individual productivity would be addressed at a later stage.  Reduction of waste and staff costs, while maintaining the same level of service, was the current goal.

Turning to on-demand printing, he said that it was not meant to eliminate hard-copy documents, but to complement that service and match demand and supply.  While encouraging Member States to take advantage of online resources, the Secretariat would make documents available to delegations.  The role of technology was not to reduce service, but improve it.  The Department would invite Member States to reduce their needs for hard copy and think of incentives.  No limits would be imposed on the number of copies needed by delegations, however.

Regarding services to regional groups, he said that they were provided on an ad hoc basis, for which no specific resources were earmarked.  While the Department had done its utmost, in particular through reallocating resources, that still left some 10 per cent of requests unmet.  To be frank, within the present mandate, the situation would continue to improve, but he could not guarantee 100 per cent service for non-calendar meetings.

On workload standards, he said that enhancing productivity was among the Department’s priorities.  Language-staff workloads had been formulated years ago and did not reflect new developments, including introduction of technology.

Speakers had pointed out that reduction of the length of reports should not affect their quality -– that was one of the guidelines for undertaking the review of the situation, he said.  The purpose was to make the reports more focused and action-oriented, with clear recommendations.  The Department intended to pursue that effort without differentiating between intergovernmental bodies, or issues.  It would be selective on the basis of the guidelines provided by Member States as far as the number of pages was concerned.  The question of the consolidation of reports would be addressed in the same manner.

About the filling of vacancies at the Nairobi Office, he said that Chinese, French and Russian booths were fully staffed.  The English was missing one staff member, who had already been recruited and whose appointment was now processed.  The Spanish booth was missing two people; one was under recruitment, and one would be recruited soon.  The situation at the interpretation section at Nairobi was satisfactory, with the exception of the Arabic booth.  All means of staffing that booth were being explored, including establishing a training programme with universities to obtain qualified interpreters.  It was also necessary to ensure full utilization of conference services in Nairobi.

Regarding summary records, he said that there was a serious problem of backlog.  As all records had to be issued simultaneously in all languages, some of them had been held up because some of the language translations were not ready.  That could be explained by inadequate capacity in the translation services, particularly for Arabic and Chinese.  The solution of the problem on a sustainable basis would require either strengthening translation services staffing, or outsourcing.  Another option was to replace summary records with digital sound recording.

Ms. UDO (Nigeria) said that she had noted the Under-Secretary-General’s comments on the correlation between the staffing of the language posts and the upgrading of the facilities, and that the staffing of the posts would speed up the upgrading of the facilities.  She also pointed out that her delegation had sought clarification as to the status of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on improving and modernizing conference services at the Nairobi Office, and was wondering if action could be taken to expedite its production.

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