BUDGET COMMITTEE IS TOLD DEPLOYMENT OF UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN LIBERIA SHOWS IMPROVEMENT OVER PAST

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

20^th Meeting (AM)

BUDGET COMMITTEE IS TOLD DEPLOYMENT OF UNITED NATIONS

MISSION IN LIBERIA SHOWS IMPROVEMENT OVER PAST

Financing of Efforts in Côte d’Ivoire, Peacekeeping

Operation in Democratic Republic of Congo also Discussed

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning continued its consideration of financing of United Nations missions, it focused on the operations in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (MINUCI), Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts and United Nations Controller, said that when the Mission had been established last May, its budget for the first six months had been presented on an assumption that it would function as a peacekeeping mission.  Subsequently, after an exchange of letters between the President of the Security Council and the Secretary-General, it was extended as a Special Political Mission. 

In this connection the representative of the United States stressed the importance of financing MINUCI out of the proper appropriation.  As was customary with such missions, it would be included in the regular budget under the Secretary-General’s discretionary authority.  Because of lingering imprecision, the Council had explicitly underscored that point in resolution 1514 (2003). 

On the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the representative of Canada, speaking also for New Zealand and Australia, pointed to a number of ways in which its deployment represented an improvement over the past.  Investments in new and expanded capabilities –- for example, establishing key posts and bolstering support capacity in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations -- had demonstrated value in such areas as strategic and operational planning, and information-sharing with troop contributors.

Other speakers highlighted the importance of close coordination with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union.  It was said that in order to ensure a system-wide United Nations approach to the many subregional issues, UNMIL must also work closely with other United Nations missions in West Africa as well as with the United Nations Office for West Africa.  The representative of Botswana hoped, however, that the coordination of efforts would not be turned into a cost-cutting measure.

Agreeing with the need for UNMIL to draw upon the expertise of other United Nations entities, Japan’s representative said it was important to involve those bodies in a coordinated approach to the implementation of the mandate.  He agreed with the assessment that full deployment of nearly 15,000 military contingent personnel in Liberia by the end of March 2004 could be over-optimistic, and said the organizational structure of the Mission should be reviewed.

The representatives of Italy (for the European Union) and Uruguay also spoke.

Documents were also introduced by Catherine Pollard, Director of the Peacekeeping Financing Division, and Conrad S. M. Mselle, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). 

The Committee will continue its work on Monday next, 24 November at 9.30 a.m.

Background

This morning, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was scheduled to take up the budgets of United Nations missions in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.  It was also to continue its consideration of the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  (For background information, see Press Release GA/AB/3592 of 17 November.)

According to the Secretary-General’s report on the budget for the United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (MINUCI) for the period from 13 May 2003 to 30 June 2004 (document A/58/370), the estimates for the functioning of this new mission total some $29.88 million.  Of this figure, the amount of $1.01 million represents expenditures incurred by MINUCI for the period from 13 May to 30 June 2003, and the amount of $28.87 million covers its estimated requirements for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004.

Two other documents before the Committee (documents A/58/535 and A/C.5/58/12) contain an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, according to which the Côte d’Ivoire Mission was established by Council resolution 1479 not as a peacekeeping operation.  Therefore, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is to administer MINUCI as a Special Political Mission for budgetary and other purposes and take appropriate action to ensure that all issues related to MINUCI are so acknowledged.

In the course of upcoming consultations on the renewal of the mandate of MINUCI as it nears its November expiration, Security Council members will review, among other issues, the possible designation of MINUCI as a peacekeeping mission and will evaluate possible reinforcement of the United Nations presence in Côte d’Ivoire.

Also before the Committee was a report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on the Proposed budget for the United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (document A/58/538).  The ACABQ is of the view that there are too many organizational units in the Mission, and some have not been adequately justified in terms of the number and levels of the proposed posts.  The Advisory Committee urges the Mission to re-examine its structure, with a view to rationalizing it by consolidating some units and revising grade levels.

Furthermore, in the Division of Administration, the proposed post levels for heads of units are higher than what the Committee believes is justified in terms of the responsibilities described in the budget proposal.  Further efforts should be made to fully justify resources and to link them to the mandate implementation plan.  The Committee trusts that there will be close cooperation and coordination with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and special rapporteurs of the Commission on Human Rights so as to avoid the potential for overlapping responsibilities and duplication of efforts and resources.

The Advisory Committee recommends approval of the estimate of $28,872,000 for MINUCI for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004.  It is for the General Assembly to decide whether or not a special account will be established for MINUCI.

Also before the Committee was a note by the Secretary-General on the budget for the United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (document A/58/598).  Should the Assembly decide that MINUCI should be financed under the regular budget, resources amounting to some $13.87 million gross for the period 13 May 2003 to 31 December 2003 would be required for appropriation under the programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003.  This would be in addition to the requirements identified in the second performance report.  Further, for the period 1 January to 4 February 2004, resources amounting to some $2.34 million gross would arise under the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2004-2005, which would be met within the provision for special political missions already sought under paragraph

3.56 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2004-2005.

The Secretary-General’s report on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (document A/58/539) contains the budget for the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for the period from 1 August 2003 to 30 June 2004, which amounts to some $564.61 million, including budgeted voluntary contributions in kind totaling $120,000.  Of this amount, $9.69 million represents expenditures incurred by UNMIL for the period from 1 August to 30 September 2003, and $554.93 million covers its estimated requirements for the period from

1 October 2003 to 30 June 2004.

In a related report (document A/58/591) the ACABQ recommends appropriation of the amount of $564,494,300 gross for the operation of the Mission for the 11-month period from 1 August 2003 to 30 June 2004.

Statements

FELIPE PAOLILLO (Uruguay) expressed his country’s commitment to the difficult undertaking of maintaining and restoring peace in the conflict regions, and said it had taken part in more than 20 missions.  In the case of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), Uruguay had 1600 people deployed in six different regions.  He expressed satisfaction with the submission of budget documents for peacekeeping within a results-based budgeting format.  The General Assembly must take into account, when improving the budget, the many and diverse characteristics of the operation to ensure that the wide range of delicate activities obtained the necessary resources for their implementation.

Of particular concern to his Government were the criteria used to determine reimbursements, he said.  The process had been simplified and now operated more efficiently, but there were still discrepancies.  For example, Uruguay had received reimbursements for certain areas within the six months timeline, but other amounts had not been reimbursed.  The Organization had held debts to his country for many years over its participation in Cambodia.  It was important for the Secretariat to have accountability in this matter, he said, and he asked for clarification as to why his country had not been reimbursed. 

JEAN-PIERRE HALBWACHS, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts and United Nations Controller, said the Secretariat was not always able to reimburse troop-contributing countries as swiftly and completely as they would like, because assessments were not always paid on time and in full.  In terms of the Congo, the Secretariat had paid quarterly according to what funds were available.  In October all the claims that had been certified by the end of September had been paid.  Those received after September would be paid by the end of December.

Regarding Cambodia, reimbursements were being paid in two parts therefore not all countries had been paid in the first round.  The balance would be paid today, if not, on Monday, and Uruguay would be part of that. 

Introduction of Documents

Mr. HALBWACHS introduced reports of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire, and said that last May, the Mission had been established for an initial six months, and the initial budget had been presented on an assumption that MINUCI would function as a peacekeeping mission.  Subsequently, there had been an exchange of letters between the President of the Security Council and the Secretary-General, in which the President of the Council expressed the view that MINUCI should be administered as a Special Political Mission.  On 13 November, the Council had extended the mandate of MINUCI as a Special Political Mission.  Thus, the Assembly should make a decision on the matter.

The Chairman of the ACABQ, CONRAD S. M. MSELLE, introduced a related report of that body, saying that the Advisory Committee had recommended the approval of the estimate of some $28.87 million for MINUCI for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004.  One of the issues addressed in the report was related to the establishment of a special account for the Mission.  That was a policy decision that needed to be made by the Assembly.

Statements

CHRISTOPHER WITTMANN (United States) said his country fully supported the objectives of the United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire.  It was important to finance MINUCI out of the proper appropriation, and he endorsed the recollection of the Council, expressed in its President’s letter to the Secretary-General, that the Mission should be administered a Special Political Mission for budgetary and other purposes.

In adopting resolution 1429 (2003), the Council had decided that the situation in the country called for military liaison officers to better meet the needs of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General.  Accordingly, those unarmed military advisers were approved with a mandate to provide liaison, observe and report.  There was no provision for organized military campaigns.  They were not peacekeepers -– they were peace facilitators, and that was a significant difference.

It was for that reason, he continued, that the Council had taken the unusual step of informing the Secretary-General of its views, when it became clear that MINUCI was being financed as a peacekeeping mission.  It was the Council’s understanding that MINUCI would in fact be categorized as a Special Political Mission and, as was customary with such missions, would be included in the regular budget under the Secretary-General’s discretionary authority.  Because of lingering imprecision, the Council had explicitly underscored that point in resolution 1514 (2003).

His delegation did not object to involvement of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in planning or administering the Mission.  It had done so in such cases as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).  But he felt it was important that the Committee, as it sought more creative ways to finance support for peace and conflict prevention, act in concert with the mandate approved by the Security Council as a key guideline for the Mission.  Information in document A/58/598 regarding the apportionment of costs was sufficient to take a decision on the appropriate course of action.

Introduction of further documents

CATHERINE POLLARD, Director of the Peacekeeping Financing Division, introduced the report of the Secretary-General on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (document A/58/539).

Mr. MSELLE introduced the related report of the ACABQ.

Statements

COLLEN VIXEN KELAPILE (Botswana), speaking for the African Group, said he welcomed the Secretary-General’s proposed budget and resource requirements for Liberia, and the use of results-based budgeting mechanisms.  He spoke of the usefulness of close cooperation between the United Nations and regional groups such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and stressed the need for the coordination of efforts and collaboration by all actors to address the interlinked nature of West African conflicts.  However, he added, the coordination of efforts should not be turned into a cost-cutting measure.

The elaborate organizational structure of UNMIL was a reflection of its complex mandate, he said, and he therefore welcomed the distinct separation of the various aspects of the mandate into clearly defined components.  He urged the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to be actively involved and to contribute to the human rights component of the Mission. 

He said the African Group welcomed the steps being taken to establish an electoral advisory unit and hoped this would lead to free and fair elections in Liberia in 2005.  Due consideration should be given to utilizing United Nations volunteers in this area.  Attention should also be paid to the recruitment of qualified civilian staff from the region.

ROBERTO MARTINI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union, welcomed the intention of UNMIL to work in the areas of institution building, justice, human rights and gender policy, child protection, disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation.  The key for the success of peacekeeping operations was the coordination between all the sections of missions.  Therefore, the European Union believed that numerous sections and units should work together in order to avoid duplication.  The European Union supported the observations and recommendations of the ACABQ on the structure of the civilian component of the Mission, and stressed the importance of a review of the organizational structure of the Mission with a view to streamlining it.

Consideration of the different conflicts in West Africa was also of the utmost importance for the European Union, he continued.  He expected UNMIL to coordinate closely with ECOWAS and the African Union.  Furthermore, in order to ensure a system-wide United Nations approach to the many subregional issues, UNMIL must also work closely with the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), MINUCI and the United Nations Peace-building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS), as well as with the United Nations Office for West Africa.

He said the European Union shared the ACABQ’s observation that a really coordinated approach required that all United Nations entities be involved in the process of management of any resource.  For this reason, the European Union supported the establishment of a programme to that end.

PETER HAMMERSCHMIDT (Canada), speaking also for Australia and New Zealand, said the establishment of UNMIL was a critical step in the daunting goal of restoring peace to Liberia and alleviating the humanitarian situation in that country.  A milestone for the cause of peace for Liberia and its citizens, UNMIL was also something of a milestone for the United Nations and its Member States. 

It was the first major deployment since the establishment of the Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and since the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Brahimi report.  Given its scope and scale, UNMIL would provide Member States with their first opportunity to comprehensively assess the impact of the reform process and the effectiveness of their investments in it.  He said the delegations he represented were looking forward to a thorough analysis of UNMIL experience, and the Organization’s performance in supporting it. 

He said those delegations could already point to a number of ways in which UNMIL deployment represented an improvement over the past.  Investments in new and expanded capabilities -– for example, establishing key posts and bolstering support capacity in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations -- had demonstrated value in such areas as strategic and operational planning, and information-sharing with troop contributors.  The early mobilization of resources had been improved by the creation and employment of pre-mandate commitment authority and strategic deployment stocks.  And thanks to the flexible leveraging by the United Nations of ECOWAS, the Multinational Standby Forces High Readiness Brigade, UNAMSIL and the assets and capabilities of numerous Member States prior to start-up, UNMIL was able to deploy on a solid footing. 

Continuing, he also praised the Secretariat for preparing the budget within tight time-lines.  Despite the challenges, he said, the budget was well constructed and easy to interpret from a programmatic point of view.  To further fine-tune the reading of the budget forecast, he would appreciate an update on the progress of deployment in the Mission area.  He was also pleased that the budget reflected a sound results-based framework.  This would act as an excellent basis for making sure that resources were applied towards the implementation of overall objectives of the Mission.  

He noted that UNMIL was a new, large and complex mission, and the resources needed to achieve its goals were significant.  The budget could be expected to grow over the next 18 months as the Mission became fully operational.  For that reason, it would be important to set it on the right footing from the start, focusing on best financial practices in such areas as management of air operations, use of information technology, travel, training and ground transportation.  He encouraged the Secretariat to draw from lessons learned from other operations.  Given the geographical proximity, collaboration between missions in Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia should be strengthened.

HITOSHI KOZAKI (Japan) said peace and stability in Liberia were important for peace and stability in the region and on the entire continent, and he expected that UNMIL would contribute greatly towards that end.  His delegation basically concurred with the recommendations of the ACABQ, which pointed out, in particular, that full deployment of nearly 15,000 military contingent personnel by the end of March 2004 could be over-optimistic.  He also concurred with the view that the Mission should draw upon the expertise of other United Nations entities and involve them in a coordinated approach to implementing the mandate, rather than translating every aspect of Security Council mandate into requests for staff. 

He said he also supported the Advisory Committee’s view that it was necessary to review the organizational structure of the Mission, which tended to inflate the grade structure.  There seemed to be room for savings in the unit cost of rations, and of training and travel costs.  He said he fully supported, in particular, the recommendation that the total assessment should not exceed $450 million for the period from 1 August 2003 to 30 June 2004. 

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