Fifty-Ninth General Assembly

Plenary

104^th Meeting (AM)*

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS $3.2 BILLION 2005-2006 PEACEKEEPING BUDGET;

STRESSES NEED FOR STRONGER MANAGEMENT DURING SURGE IN OPERATIONS

Other Texts Address Elimination of Sexual

Exploitation on Peacekeeping Operations, UN Language Parity

Acting on the recommendations of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the General Assembly this morning adopted a record-breaking $3.2 billion 2005-2006 peacekeeping budget for 14 ongoing missions and emphasized the need for budgetary discipline, improved management and adequate controls over budget implementation in the face of the current unprecedented surge in peacekeeping operations.

As the financial year of peacekeeping operations runs from 1 July to 30 June, their budgetary and administrative needs are customarily assessed by the Fifth Committee during its late spring session, which concluded on 8 June this year.  Most of the texts adopted by the Assembly today address, therefore, various aspects of peacekeeping, including budgets of individual missions, the financing of the Logistics Base and the peacekeeping support account.

Adopting a 22-part consensus draft on cross-cutting issues relating to peacekeeping -- the highlight of the Budget Committee’s second resumed session -- the Assembly sought to elaborate a coherent and focused approach to peacekeeping management and provide guidance at Headquarters and in the field on the policy to deal with the growth in the number of complexity of missions.  The text addresses all aspects of peacekeeping, ranging from budget presentation and training to the conditions of service, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, procurement and recruitment in the field.

Among the actions envisioned by this draft is an annual overview of peacekeeping financing, which should include information on trends in the size, composition and funding of missions, relevant developments, efforts to improve the missions’ functioning, and management priorities for the coming year.  The Assembly also expressed concern over the unevenness in the quality of the presentation of missions’ budgets, reiterating its request to the Secretary-General to fully justify his budget submissions.  Under the draft’s terms, the submission of budget proposals would now become part of the leadership and accountability functions of the head of mission/special representative. 

The text also draws attention to the importance of budgetary discipline and the need to enforce adequate controls over budget implementation. The Assembly requested the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), as a matter of priority, to carry out a comprehensive management audit to review the practices of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and identify risks of duplication, fraud and abuse of authority.  In the light of increasing demands on the Department, the Oversight Office would also be entrusted with a review of the Department’s management structures, paying particular attention to its cooperation and interaction with other departments, offices, relevant funds and programmes.

Acting on the individual mission budgets for 2005-2006, the Committee approved the following amounts:

MINURSO (Western Sahara)	$47,948,400
MINUSTAH (Haiti)	494,887,000
MONUC (Dem.Republic of the Congo)	403,408,500
ONUB (Burundi)	307,693,100
UNAMSIL (Sierra Leone)	113,216,400
UNOCI (Côte d’Ivoire)	386,892,500
UNDOF (Israel-Syria Disengagement)	43,706,100
UNFICYP (Cyprus)	46,512,600
UNIFIL (Lebanon)	99,228,300
UNOMIG (Georgia)	36,380,000
UNMEE (Ethiopia and Eritrea)	185,993,300
UNMIK (Kosovo)	252,551,800
UNMIL (Liberia)	760,567,400
UNMISET (Timor-Leste)	1,757,800
Total	$3,180,743,200

The appropriation for each mission includes a prorated share for the Support Account and the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi.  The total requirements for the Support Account amount to some $130.4 million, and for the Logistics Base to $29.07 million.

All but one of the drafts -- that on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) -- were adopted without a vote. The UNIFIL text was adopted by a vote of 126 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 1 abstention (Tonga) (Annex II).

A separate vote was held on several paragraphs of the text relating to the call for Israel to pay for the damages resulting from an Israeli assault on the UNIFIL base at Qana in southern Lebanon on 18 April 1996.  The Assembly adopted those paragraphs by a recorded vote of 77 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 47 abstentions (Annex I).

By the text on special political missions, good offices and other political institutions authorized by the Assembly and the Security Council, the Assembly appropriated some $24.2 million for the United Nations Political Office for Somalia and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

To provide for the continuation of design work and other pre-construction projects under the Capital Master Plan, the Assembly converted $17.8 million of existing commitment authority into an appropriation with assessment for the current year and renewed the existing commitment authority for the balance of $8.2 million for 2006.  As many parameters of the Plan remain unclear, the Secretary-General was requested to report on all its aspects during the next session.

By the terms of a resolution on the reports of the Board of Auditors, the Assembly accepted the audited financial statements on the United Nations peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004; endorsed related recommendations of the Board of Auditors and the Advisory Committee; and requested the Secretary-General to indicate an expected time frame and priorities for the implementation of those recommendations, as well as the office holders to be held accountable.

Also adopted was a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), whose mandate expired on 31 December 2002.  By another text, the Assembly took note of several reports on the disposition of the assets of the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Mission.

In other action, the Assembly took note of various reports taken up by the Fifth Committee, addressed reformed procedures for determining reimbursement to Member States for contingent-owned equipment, and deferred to its sixtieth session several issues and related documents, including those on the outstanding assessed contributions of the former Yugoslavia; the use of gratis personnel; and possible changes in the number of posts subject to the system of geographical distribution.

The Assembly also adopted a draft resolution recommended by its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) on a comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations.  It welcomed the report submitted by the adviser to the Secretary-General on the matter and endorsed recent proposals and recommendations and conclusions of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.  Those include enforcement of uniform standards of conduct, as well as training in those standards for both military and civilian personnel.  The report emphasizes that managers and commanders must lead by example and ensure that all those under their supervision are aware of the Secretary-General’s policy of zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and abuse.  Those found culpable must be punished by their supervisors.

[By related paragraphs of its cross-cutting peacekeeping resolution, the Assembly also emphasized the need to develop a comprehensive, well defined and coherent policy to prevent and address sexual exploitation and abuse in all United Nations activities.  It also stated that the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy and procedures towards acts of sexual exploitation and abuse should be clearly defined as a core management function, also addressing clear lines of responsibility and accountability relating to non-enforcement of codes of conduct, policies and preventive measures.] 

And finally, the Assembly adopted a draft resolution, by the terms of which it emphasized the paramount importance of the equality of the six official languages of the United Nations and requested the Secretary-General to ensure effective multilingual communication among Member States representatives in intergovernmental organs and members of expert bodies equally in all official United Nations languages.  It also reaffirmed the need to achieve full language parity on the United Nations website and took note of the work done by the United Nations information centres to reach the widest possible spectrum of audiences and extend the United Nations message to all the corners of the world through publications in languages other than the six official languages of the Organization. 

At the sixty-first session, the Secretary-General was requested to report on measures that can be taken within the United Nations system to strengthen the protection, promotion and preservation of all languages, in particular those spoken by persons belonging to linguistic minorities and languages facing extinction.  

Introducing the text, the representative of France said that it was both ambitious and balanced.  It was ambitious in striving, for the first time, to implement fully resolutions and linguistic rules of the common house, both regarding the working and official languages of the United Nations.  It was also ambitious in that it did not limit itself solely to the official languages.  The text was also balanced, as it did not alter the overall philosophy of the rules governing the United Nations and reflected the two principles governing negotiations on the text -- transparency and collegiality. 

Statements on the multilingualism draft were made by the representatives of the United States, Russian Federation and Burkina Faso, and representatives of Japan and the Republic of Korea spoke in explanation of position.

Statements in explanation of position after the adoption of two peacekeeping financing texts were made by representatives of South Africa (on behalf of the African Group) and Syria.  The Budget Committee reports were introduced by
Denisa Hut’ănová (Slovakia), the Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee.

Also today, the Assembly took note of the fact that Togo, Mauritania and the Republic of Moldova had made the necessary payments to reduce their arrears below the amount specified in Article 19 of the Charter, under which the Member States whose arrears equal or exceed the amount of their dues for two full years are not allowed to vote in the General Assembly.

Action on Drafts

DENISA HUT’ĂNOVÁ (Slovakia), Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee, introduced that Committee’s reports in one intervention.

The first text to be adopted today, without a vote, was a draft resolution on the reports of the Board of Auditors (document A/59/588/Add.1).  By its terms, the Assembly accepted the audited financial statements on the United Nations peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004; endorsed related recommendations of the Board of Auditors and the Advisory Committee; and commended the Board for the quality and streamlined format of its report.

Also by the text, the Secretary-General was requested to indicate an expected time frame for the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors, as well as the priorities for their implementation, including the office holders to be held accountable, and report to the Assembly at its next session on measures undertaken in that regard.  The Assembly also asked the Secretary-General to ensure full, prompt and timely implementation of the Board and Advisory Committee’s recommendations on such issues as management of air operations and rations in peacekeeping missions.

The Assembly then took up two texts related to the programme budget for the current biennium (2004-2005), which are contained in Fifth Committee report A/59/448/Add.4.

The first one of those was a two-part draft resolution on special subjects and questions relating to the programme budget for the 2004-2005 biennium.  By the terms of part I, on strengthened and unified security management system for the United Nations, the Assembly would take note of the Secretary-General’s report and endorse the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) in its related report.

By the terms of section II, estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political institutions authorized by the Assembly and/or the Security Council, the Assembly would appropriate an amount of some $24.2 million under section 3, Political Affairs, of the 2004-2005 programme budget for the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) and for the subvention to the Special Court for Sierra Leone.  It would also decide to appropriate some $377,200 under section 34, Staff Assessment, to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section I, Income from Staff Assessment, of the 2004-2005 budget.

The Assembly would, by the terms of the text, approve the budget for the UNPOS in the amount of $5.4 million gross for the period from 1 June to 31 December 2005.  Noting the Secretary-General’s request for an additional subvention of $13 million to supplement the Special Court’s financial resources for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2005, the Assembly would authorize the Secretary-General, as an exceptional measure, to enter into commitments in an amount not to exceed $13 million to supplement the financial resources for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2005, on the understanding that any regular budget funds for the Court would be refunded to the United Nations at the time of the Court’s liquidation, should sufficient voluntary contributions be received.  The Secretary-General would also be requested to provide relevant information regarding the use of funds appropriated from the Court’s regular budget in the context of the second performance report for 2004-2005 and to keep Member States informed about the Court’s completion strategy.

The Assembly adopted the draft resolution without a vote.

The Assembly then adopted, without a vote, a draft resolution on the Capital Master Plan (also contained in document A/59/448/Add.4)

By its terms, the Assembly decided to convert $17.8 million of the existing commitment authority into an appropriation with assessment for the year 2005 and to renew the existing commitment authority for the balance of $8.2 million for 2006, to provide for the continuation of design work and related project management and management of pre-construction services.

By further terms of the text, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report during the main part of the sixtieth session on all aspects of the Capital Master Plan, including current estimate of costs and time line for implementation of the Plan; viable options for swing space during construction, including the costs of all such options; the status of UNDC5; and an assessment on the viability of constructing a permanent building on the north lawn of the United Nations Headquarters premises to be used as a swing and/or consolidation space.  The Secretary-General was also asked to report on the range of financing options for the Plan and overall cost and full analysis of such options, taking into account that direct assessment would be the simplest and cheapest option for meeting the costs of the Plan, the progress of design and pre-construction work and proposals for a working reserve fund.

Peacekeeping Financing

Five draft resolutions and two draft decisions were contained in the Fifth Committee report on the administrative and budgetary aspects of peacekeeping financing (document A/59/532/Add.1).

The first draft resolution on this agenda item was a 22-part text on cross-cutting issues, which covers the all aspects of peacekeeping, ranging from budget presentation and mission subsistence allowance to the conditions of service, a global audit of field security management and regional investigators.

Expressing appreciation for the efforts of all peacekeeping personnel in dealing with the current unprecedented surge in peacekeeping operations, the Assembly, by the terms of the draft, would request the Secretary-General to submit an annual overview on peacekeeping financing, including information on trends in the size, composition and funding of missions, relevant developments, efforts to improve the missions’ functioning, and management priorities for the coming year.

The Assembly would also express concern over the unevenness in the quality of the presentation of missions’ budgets, reiterating its request to the Secretary-General to fully justify his budget submissions.  In the context of the overview report, the Secretary-General would also be requested to provide detailed information on major policy changes impacting on resource levels, human resources management or operational requirements that needed the Assembly’s approval.

Also emphasized in the draft is the importance of budgetary discipline and the need to enforce adequate controls over budget implementation.  The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to entrust the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) with a business process review of the preparation of peacekeeping budget proposals, including respective roles of staff in missions and Headquarters.  Submission of such proposals should constitute part of the leadership and accountability functions of the head of mission/special representative.  To ensure cost-effectiveness, the Secretary-General would be requested to review the functions of the posts as an ongoing exercise and to determine their level according to changing requirements, as well as actual responsibilities and functions performed.

Recalling its previous request for complex peacekeeping operations to review their structures, bearing in mind the specificities of each, the Assembly would further request the Secretary-General to ensure that the remaining complex operations conduct such a review and streamline their structures.  It would also ask the Secretary-General to monitor the evolution of structures in individual operations to avoid duplication and an excessive proportion of higher-grade posts, bearing in mind the mandates and specificities of each mission.

As a matter of priority, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) would be entrusted with a comprehensive audit to review the practices of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and identify risks and exposures to duplication, fraud and abuse of authority in the areas of finance, human resources and information technology.  The Assembly would also request an OIOS report reviewing the management structures of the Department, while taking into account the Security Council mandates and existing recommendations by the Office and the Board of Auditors, and paying attention to interaction, coordination and cooperation of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations with other departments and offices, as well as relevant funds and programmes.

To achieve economies in resources, the Secretary-General would be requested to review, streamline and simplify procedures, on a continuing basis, and to recommend changes to regulations and rules in order to support more effective and efficient administrative processes.  The Assembly would also note the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions’ observation regarding the need for full and timely implementation of recommendations of all oversight bodies, and urge the Secretary-General to expedite the establishment of the high-level follow-up mechanism towards that end.

Also addressed by the text is the need to improve cooperation and coordination between the missions and Headquarters with regard to lessons learned and areas of common interest.  The Secretary-General would be requested to take additional measures to ensure safety and security and finalize the process for the establishment of guidelines for the enforcement of basic standards of conduct and behaviour for all personnel.

The Assembly would support strengthening coordination of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes in an integrated approach; note that reinsertion activities are part of the process; and stress the importance of a clear description of respective roles of peacekeeping missions and all other relevant actors.  When submitting future budget proposals containing mandated resource requirements for disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion, the Secretary-General would be requested to provide clear information on these components and associated costs.

In its staff-related paragraphs, the draft deals with such issues as training, recruitment and staff in the field, also addressing vacant peacekeeping posts; the practice of hiring individual contractors or individuals on procurement contracts to perform functions of a continuing nature; and the criteria used for recruitment to support account posts.  The Assembly would emphasize the importance of finalizing a comprehensive training strategy and request the Secretary-General to report on that, along with the framework of the evaluation of training, at its sixtieth session.  Until the strategy is finalized, away-from-mission/Headquarters training of civilian personnel would be restricted to training specific to the implementation of the mandate of the mission, its effective functioning, the function of a post, or where it is cost-effective.

On recruitment, the Assembly would recall that, in its resolution 59/266 of 23 December 2004, it has decided to establish an overall target of no more than 5 per cent of authorized General/Field Service posts across missions, with the exception of missions in a start-up phase, and other exceptional circumstances, to be filled by staff on assignment from Headquarters, and request the Secretary-General to report on the progress towards reaching this target.  Locally recruited staff may be recruited as international staff only through the normal recruitment process in which they compete with other external candidates.  The highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity should serve as the paramount consideration in the employment of staff, with due regard for the principle of equitable geographical distribution.

Pending receipt of information on the staffing of field missions, including the use of 300 and 100 series appointments, the Assembly would decide to continue to suspend the application of the four-year maximum limit for appointments of limited duration under the 300 series in peacekeeping operations until 30 June 2006.  It would also authorize the Secretary-General to reappoint under the 100 series those staff whose service under 300-series contracts has reached the four-year limit by that time, provided that their functions have been found necessary and their performance has been fully satisfactory.  However, noting that 278 of 346 eligible staff were judged to have performed “fully satisfactorily”, the Assembly would insist on rigorous application of the criteria set out in its resolution 59/266.  The Secretary-General would be requested to continue the practice of using 300-series contracts as the primary instrument for the appointment of new mission staff.

On sexual exploitation and abuse, the Assembly would emphasize the need to develop a comprehensive, well defined and coherent policy to prevent and address allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in all United Nations activities.  The implementation of a zero-tolerance policy and procedures towards acts of sexual exploitation and abuse should be clearly defined as a core management function, also addressing clear lines of responsibility and accountability relating to non-enforcement of codes of conduct, policies and preventive measures. 

The text also includes provisions to improve transparency and efficiency of procurement, ensure harmonization of Headquarters and mission procurement databases, and increase procurement opportunities for developing countries and countries with economies in transition.  On asset management, the Assembly would commend the efforts to increase cooperation between missions, particularly those in the same region, and stress that any agreement on the loan or sharing of assets be clearly understood and documented by the missions involved, bearing in mind that individual operations should remain responsible for preparing and overseeing their own budgets.

Draft resolution I was adopted without a vote.

Also adopted without a vote was a draft resolution on the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund (resolution II in document A/59/532/Add.1), by the terms of which the Assembly decided that the excess balance of $13.79 million in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2004 would be to the Support Account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006.

The Assembly then turned to draft resolution III on reformed procedures for determining reimbursement to Member States for contingent-owned equipment.  By this text, the Assembly would regret that the 2004 Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment was unable to reach consensus on several issues, including a review of the rates of reimbursement for contingent-owned equipment and self-sustainment and components for inclusion in the troop-cost reimbursement methodology, and approve the Secretary-General’s proposal that the next Working Group, scheduled to meet in 2008, should carry out a comprehensive review of the contingent-owned equipment system.  The Secretary-General would be urged to explore the possibility of holding the Working Group meeting earlier than 2008, if feasible.

The Assembly would further decide that the next Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment should consider, without prejudice to the comprehensive review of the contingent-owned equipment system, the fact that there was no revision of reimbursement rates for the period 2004 to 2008, owing to the lack of consensus on an increase in the rates and on the methodology of the 2004 Working Group.  It would also note that, in addition to maintaining all existing components of the current methodology, the Secretary-General had proposed the inclusion of peacekeeping-related training costs and post-deployment medical costs in the troop-reimbursement methodology.

Also, noting that the report on the rates of reimbursement to the Governments of troop-contributing countries (document A/57/774) did not address all the elements in paragraph 8 of resolution 55/274, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report on the matter during its next session.  In preparing that report, the Secretary-General would be able to utilize external expertise, as appropriate.  Also in context of that report, the Assembly would decide to review the daily allowance for troops.  And finally, a channel of communication would be set between the Secretariat and MemberStates on the contingent-owned equipment system, strictly for the exchange of information and for seeking clarification, and not for reaching decisions that are within the mandate of the Working Group and relevant intergovernmental bodies.

The Assembly adopted the draft without a vote.

Draft resolution IV deals with the financing of the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy.  By this text, the Assembly would approve the cost estimates for functioning of the Base for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 in the amount of $31.51 million and note the proposal of the Secretary-General to expand the Logistics Base.  The Secretary-General would be requested to include detailed information on the financial and legal implications, as well as on the expected benefits that may arise from the expansion in his budget submission for 2006/2007.  Further analysis should be undertaken of how the Base could best be utilized to provide efficient and economical services, including those in the field of information technology.

The Assembly would also reiterate, as a matter of priority, the need to implement an effective inventory-management standard, especially in respect of operations involving high inventory value.  A request to the Secretary-General to ensure the fulfilment of existing policies and procedures relating to stock control and inventory and replenishment would also be made in connection with the management of strategic deployment stocks, which were introduced in resolution 56/292 to improve the Organization’s rapid deployment capacity.  Among other decisions in that respect would be the approval of the use of savings derived from the liquidation of prior period obligations and the unspent balance of the strategic deployment stocks to cover losses on currency exchange and replenishment of the stocks.

Acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted the text.

Fourth Committee Text

The Assembly then turned to a draftresolution recommended by the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) (document A/59/472/Add.2) on a comprehensive review of a strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

By the terms of this text, it would welcome the report submitted by the adviser to the Secretary-General on the matter and endorse the proposals, recommendations and conclusions of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations contained in section II of the report on its 2005 resumed session (document A/59/19/Add.1).  Those include enforcement of uniform standards of conduct, as well as training in those standards for both military and civilian personnel.  The report emphasizes that managers and commanders must lead by example and ensure that all those under their supervision are aware of the Secretary-General’s policy of zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and abuse.  Those found culpable must be punished by their respective supervisors.

The Assembly adopted the draft resolution without a vote.

[In connection with this agenda item, the Assembly also had before it a Fifth Committee report on programme budget implications of the Fourth Committee draft (document A/59/840) on a comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations.]

Further Fifth Committee Reports

As the Assembly returned to its consideration of administrative and budgetary aspects of peacekeeping, it adopted, without a vote, draft resolution V on the support account for peacekeeping operations, which is contained in document A/59/532/Add.1.  By its terms, the Assembly approved the Support Account requirements in the amount of some $141.98 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including 761 continuing and 70 new temporary posts and their related post- and non-post requirements.

Those requirements would be financed through applying to the 2005-2006 period the unencumbered balance of $874,800 for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 and other income of some $1.87 million related to the period ended 30 June 2004, to be applied to the resources required for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, in addition to the amount of $13.79 million in excess of the authorized level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund in respect of the period ended 30 June 2004.

While approving several proposed posts, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to rejustify several other positions and ensure that delegation of authority to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the Secretariat and field missions is in strict compliance with relevant resolutions and rules and procedure.  He was also asked to entrust the OIOS with conducting an audit of standard costs applied to Headquarters overheads such as furniture and rental of premises, providing comparative costs on current market prices for these items, and to submit its findings during the second part of the Assembly’s resumed sixtieth session.

The Assembly also decided that all future requests for additional Headquarters capacity linked to new or expanded missions must be accompanied by an analysis of spare capacity created by any downsizing or liquidation of other missions.  Following the end of mandate of missions, mission-specific posts in the Office of Operations of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations should be dis-established or redeployed and reflected accordingly in the next Support Account proposal.  The Assembly decided not to provide $350,000 requested by the Secretary-General for the independent review of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, as well as funds for Enterprise Content Management and Customer Relationship Management pilot projects, with the exception of the resources of $149,000 sought for the Archives and Records Management Section.

Also before the Assembly was draft decision I (also contained in document A/59/532/Add.1) on the programme budget implications of the draft resolution on cross-cutting issues, in which the Fifth Committee informs the Assembly that should it adopt that draft resolution, an additional appropriation of $466,600 would be required for the peacekeeping Support Account for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 for the OIOS.

The draft was approved without a vote.

The Assembly then adopted, also without a vote, draft decision II on the updated financial position of closed peacekeeping missions, taking note of several reports on the matter and deciding to revert to the financial position of closed peacekeeping missions as at 30 June 2005 in the main part of its sixtieth session.

Speaking in explanation of position after the adoption of draft resolution I on cross-cutting issues, the representative of South Africa, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said that the resolution represented an important step towards increased oversight by the Fifth Committee of the management and functioning of peacekeeping operations.  It would also form a point of departure for future consideration of, and approach to peacekeeping policy issues.  The Group, therefore, believed it important to place on record its position on some of the matters contained in the text.

She reaffirmed the principle that each and every peacekeeping budget submission should be considered on the basis of financial justifications contained therein, and with full recognition of specificities and complexities of each mission, its mandate and unique environment that it functions in.  That had been a long-standing position of the Group and the basis for its negotiations in the Committee.  She was encouraged that the Committee had maintained that approach in its consideration of the cross-cutting issues.

The Group also welcomed the recognition that disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, where mandated by the Security Council, were critical to the success of peacekeeping and required a coordinated approach in the field.  She trusted that all relevant actors would make every effort to further refine their respective roles and improve coordination.  She underlined that the note of the Secretary-General defining disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion activities for budgetary purposes, was necessary to ensure that the Fifth Committee took informed decisions when it received budgetary requests, taking into account the ongoing discussion aimed at further developing those concepts.  The Group emphasized the need for further refinement of the concept of integrated peacekeeping missions to ensure greater clarity among various actors in the field.

The Assembly then adopted, without a vote, a draft decision related to the financing of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission and the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (document A/59/831), by the terms of which it decided that updated information on the financial position of those closed missions should be included in a report on the updated financial position of closed missions, which it would consider at its sixtieth session.  It would also decide to eliminate from its agenda the item entitled “Financing of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission and the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola”.

The Assembly also adopted, without a vote, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), whose mandate expired on 31 December 2002 (document A/59/832).  The administrative closing of UNMIBH was undertaken in the period from 1 January to 30 June 2003.

By this text, the Assembly took note of the Secretary-General’s proposal that the cash balance of some $7.18 million available in the UNMIBH account as at 30 June 2004 be retained.  Noting his intention to report on the matter at its sixtieth session, the Assembly decided to postpone the return of that cash balance.

Next before the Assembly was a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) (document A/59/770/Add.1), by the terms of which it would decide to appropriate some $46.51 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including $44.2 million for the maintenance of the Force, $1.9 million for the Support Account, and $424,500 for the United Nations Logistics Base.  Regarding this appropriation, the Assembly would note with appreciation that a one-third share of the net appropriation, equivalent to $14.7 million, would be funded through voluntary contributions from the Government of Cyprus, and the amount of $6.5 million from Greece’s Government.

The Assembly adopted the draft without a vote.

The Assembly then adopted, again without a vote, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) (document A/59/771/Add.1), by the terms of which it authorized the Secretary-General to enter into commitments in the amount not exceeding $383.2 million for the maintenance of the Mission for the period from 1 July to  31 October 2005.  An amount of $20.22 million would be appropriated for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, comprising $16.53 million for the Support Account for peacekeeping operations and $3.7 million for the United Nations Logistics Base.

The Assembly next took up a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) (document A/59/531/Add.1), which it adopted without a vote.

By the terms of the text, the Assembly decided to appropriate the amount of $1.76 million, including $1.66 million for the administrative liquidation of the Mission for the period from 1 July to 31 October 2005, $78,200 for the peacekeeping Support Account, and $17,400 for the Logistics Base for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006.

The draft was adopted without a vote.

The Assembly then took up a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) (document A/59/833).  By the text, it would take note of the Secretary-General’s report on the Mission’s financial performance for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 and decide to appropriate the amount of $185.99 million for the maintenance of the Mission in 2005-2006, including $176.66 million for the Mission’s maintenance, $7.63 million for the Support Account, and $1.70 million for the United Nations Logistics Base.

The draft resolution was adopted without a vote.

By the terms of the next draft resolution, on the financing of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) (document A/59/834), the Assembly would take note of the report of the Secretary-General on the financial performance of the Mission for the 2003-2004 period and decide to appropriate the amount of $36.4 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, inclusive of $34.56 million for the maintenance of the Observer Mission, $1.5 million for the Support Account for peacekeeping operations, and $331,400 for the United Nations Logistics Base.

That text was adopted without a vote.

Also acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted a draft decision (document A/59/835), by the terms of which it took note of several reports on the disposition of the assets of the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Mission.

Next up was a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (document A/59/772/Add.1), by the terms of which the Assembly would appropriate to the Special Account for UNMIK the amount of $252.55 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including $239.88 million for the maintenance of the Mission, $10.4 million for the Support Account for peacekeeping operations, and $2.31 million for the United Nations Logistics Base.

The Assembly adopted the text without a vote.

The Assembly then adopted, also without a vote, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) (document A/59/836).  By the terms of the text, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to entrust his Special Representative to intensify coordination and collaboration efforts with the agencies, funds and programmes in Liberia and to develop a workplan containing an integrated list of priorities, and report to it on actions taken, as well as progress made in the context of the Mission budget for 2006/2007.

Taking note of the Secretary-General’s report on the financial performance of the Mission for the period from 1 August 2003 to 30 June 2004, the Assembly, by further terms, decided to appropriate the amount of $760.6 million for the maintenance of UNMIL during the 2005-2006 financial period, including $722.42 million for the Mission’s maintenance, $31.2 million for the Support Account, and $6.95 million for the United Nations Logistics Base. 

The Assembly then took up a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) (document A/59/837), by the terms of which it would take note of the report of the Secretary-General on the financial performance of the Force for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 and appropriate the amount of $43.71 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including $41.52 million for the maintenance of the Mission, $1.78 million for the Support Account, and $398,300 for the United Nations Logistics Base.

The Assembly adopted that text without a vote.

The Assembly then took up a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is contained in document A/59/838).  By the terms of the text, it would take note of the financial performance of the Force for 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 and appropriate to the Special Account for UNIFIL some $99.23 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including $94.25 million for the Force’s maintenance, $4.1 million for the Support Account, and $907,000 for the United Nations Logistics Base.

Expressing deep concern that Israel did not comply with General Assembly resolutions, the Assembly would stress, once again, that Israel should strictly abide by those resolutions.  Endorsing relevant conclusions and recommendations of the ACABQ on the matter, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to take all necessary action to ensure that the Force is administered with maximum efficiency and economy.

Also by the text, requesting the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to ensure full implementation of prior resolutions -- the latest being resolution 58/307 -- the Assembly would stress, once again, that Israel shall pay the amount of some $1.12 million resulting from the incident at Qana on 18 April 1996.

The Assembly adopted preambular paragraph 4, and operative paragraphs 3, 4 and 13 by a recorded vote of 77 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), and 47 abstentions (Annex I).

It then adopted the resolution as a whole by a recorded vote of 126 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), and 1 abstention (Tonga) (Annex II).

Speaking in explanation of vote after the vote, the representative of Syria said his country had joined in the consensus on adopting the resolutions on the financing of UNDOF and UNIFIL based on the principle that it had always invoked, namely that responsibility for the financing of the two Forces should rest with the aggressor party, which was in keeping with the basic principles of General Assembly resolution 1874 of 27 June 1963.

The Assembly then took up a Fifth Committee report, which contains a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) (document A/59/527/Add.1), by the terms of which it would decide to appropriate to the Mission some $113.22 million, including $89.61 million for the Mission’s maintenance for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2005, $17.93 million for the Mission’s liquidation for the period from 1 January to 30 June 2006, $4.64 million for the Support Account, and $1.04 million for the Logistics Base.

The draft resolution was adopted without a vote.

Next before the Assembly was a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) (document A/59/839).  By the terms of the text, the Assembly would decide that the posts of Chief of Staff, Legal Officer, Information Officer, Assistant in Facilities Management Services and Information Technology Assistant, which are filled, respectively, at the levels of D-1, P-4, P-3, G-7 and FS-5, shall be budgeted at those levels, pending the management review.

Also according to the text, the Assembly would take note of the Secretary-General’s report on the financial performance of the Mission for the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 and decide to appropriate to the Special Account for the Mission the amount of $47.95 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including $45.54 million for the Mission’s maintenance, $1.97 million for the Support Account for peacekeeping operations, and $439,000 for the Logistics Base.

The draft was also adopted without a vote.

The Assembly next took up the Fifth Committee report containing a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) (document A/59/528/Add.1), adopting the text without a vote.  By its terms, the Assembly would appropriate some $49.71 million previously authorized and apportioned for the establishment of the Operation for the period from 21 April to 30 June 2004 in resolution 58/312.  It would also appropriate the amount of $307.7 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, inclusive of $292.3 million for the maintenance of the Operation, $12.61 million for the Support Account for peacekeeping operations, and $2.81 million for the United Nations Logistics Base.  The Assembly would invite voluntary contributions to the Operation in cash and in the form of services and supplies acceptable to the Secretary-General, to be administered in accordance with established practices. 

The draft resolution was adopted without a vote.

The next draft before the Assembly was a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) (document A/59/529/Add.1), by which the Assembly would take note of the expenditure report for the period from 4 April to 30 June 2004.  It would decide to appropriate to the Special Account for UNOCI the amount of $386.89 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including $367.51 million for the Operation’s maintenance, $15.86 million for the peacekeeping Support Account and $3.53 million for the Logistic Base.  It would decide to apportion among Member States the amount of $386.89 million at a monthly rate of $32.24 million.

The resolution was adopted without a vote.

Also before the Committee was a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINISTAH) (document A/59/530/Add.1), by which the Assembly would take note of the expenditure for the period from 1 May to 30 June 2004, and decide to appropriate to the Special Account for the Mission the amount of $494.88 million for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, including $470.1 million for the Mission’s maintenance, $20.3 million for the Support Account, and $4.52 million for the Logistics Base.  The Assembly would also decide to apportion among Member States the amount of $494.88 million at a monthly rate of $41.24 million.

Noting paragraph 20 of the ACABQ’s report, the Assembly would, by other terms, request the Secretary-General to address as a matter of urgency structural and management problems that remain to be thoroughly resolved.  It would also decide that the protocol functions shall be absorbed within the Mission’s existing staff strength.  The Secretary-General would be requested to use existing expertise within the United Nations system that could support the Mission in carrying out substantive activities mandated by the Security Council.

The draft was adopted without a vote.

The Assembly adopted a draft decision contained in document A/59/652/Add.2, by which it deferred to its sixtieth session several issues and related documents, including those on the outstanding assessed contributions of the former Yugoslavia; the use of gratis personnel; and possible changes in the number of posts subject to the system of geographical distribution.

And finally, the Assembly took up a draft resolution on multilingualism (document A/59/L.62), by the terms of which it would take note of the reports of the Secretary-General and the Joint Inspection Unit on the issue, as well as the appointment of a new coordinator for multilingualism.  Emphasizing the paramount importance of the equality of the six official languages of the United Nations, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to ensure, through the provision of documentation, meeting and publishing services under conference management, including high-quality translation and interpretation, effective multilingual communication among Member States representatives in intergovernmental organs and members of expert bodies equally in all official United Nations languages. 

Noting with satisfaction the Secretariat’s willingness to encourage staff members -- in formal meetings with interpretation -- to use any of the six official languages of which they have a command, the Assembly would recall its resolution 59/266, by which it reaffirmed the need to respect the equality of each of the two working languages of the Secretariat, reaffirm also the use of additional working languages in specific duty stations as mandated and, in that regard, request the Secretary-General to ensure that vacancy announcements specify the need for either of the working languages of the Secretariat, unless the functions of the post require a specific working language. 

The Assembly would also recall that in its resolution 59/266 it requested the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Galaxy e-staffing system is available in both of the Organization’s working languages.  It would also reaffirm the need to achieve full language parity on the United Nations website and take note of the work done by the United Nations information centres, including the regional United Nations information centre, in favour of the publication of United Nations information materials and the translation of important documents into languages other than the United Nations official languages, with a view to reaching the widest possible spectrum of audiences and extending the United Nations message to all the corners of the world. 

By other terms of the text, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to report to it at its sixty-first session on measures that can be taken by international organizations within the United Nations system to strengthen the protection, promotion and preservation of all languages, in particular those spoken by persons belonging to linguistic minorities and languages facing extinction.   

The draft was introduced by the representative of France, who emphasized its importance both for the work of the Organization and for the principles it represented.  Reinforcing multilingualism meant defending itself against the risk of uniformity and uniting in respect for each one’s identify.  Linguistic and cultural diversity brought together without eclipsing, uniting without replacing.

The General Assembly would be adopting a resolution that was ambitious and balanced, he said.  It was ambitious in that it stressed for the first time to implement fully resolutions and linguistic rules of the common house, both regarding the working languages and the United Nations official languages.  Although not exhaustive, the text covered all of the questions relating to languages in the Secretariat.  The text was also ambitious in that it did not limit itself solely to the official languages.  Member States also noted efforts by the United Nations information centres.  The text was also balanced, as it did not alter the overall philosophy of the rules governing the United Nations.  It was also balanced in that it reflected the two principles governing negotiations on the text, namely transparency and collegiality.  The meetings had been open to all, and everyone had been able to make his or her added value to the text. 

He said he was pleased at the large number of delegations attending informal meetings, for it was testimony of Member States interest to the question of multilingualism.  He was pleased to have been able to keep alive multilingualism, which was the cornerstone of the Organization, combining intellectual components with the power of consensus. 

The representative of the United States said the United States was a country of great ethnic diversity.  As such, it fully appreciated multilingualism.  Nearly 47 million Americans spoke a language other than English at home.  In fact, English was just one of over 176 languages spoken in the United States.  Residents of Queens, New York, constituted the greatest level of ethnic diversity anywhere in America.  There, some 46 per cent were born abroad, coming from over 100 countries.  Nearly 138 languages were spoken in Queens, making it one of the most diverse places in the world.  In no other similar area would one find represented so many homelands, ethnicities and cultures.

Continuing, he said the United States respected the principal of multilingualism and relevant United Nations rules and regulations.  He noted, however, that the application of multilingualism in the United Nations context did not equate with universality or cultural diversity.  When considering multilingualism, the United Nations should keep in mind the needs of those whose principle language of education was not one of the six official languages.  Member States should be careful to take decisions having the effect of diminishing the universal and multicultural character of the Organization.

The representative of the Russian Federation said multilingualism in the United Nations was the foundation of the Organization’s universality and an important way to achieve the purposes of the United Nations Charter.  The Organization’s 60 years of experience had shown that, unless due attention were paid to maintaining linguistic diversity, the harmonious integration of a growing number of countries in the United Nations activities would not be possible.  Ensuring parity was intrinsic to promoting genuine diversity of languages in the Organization and unimpeded communication between MemberStates through high-quality conference services and the United Nations internet sites. 

He also noted the disturbing trend of chronic delays in the issuance of United Nations documents in all official languages, and the issuance of advance copies of documents in English only.  Specific and immediate action was needed.  The strengthening of the principle of multilingualism was also the sine qua non for ensuring that the peoples of the world had full knowledge of the Organization’s work.  The item on multilingualism was not restricted to questions related to official languages.  The resolution rightly recalled provisions for the rights of linguistic minorities.  Russia attached great importance to genuine multilingualism as a way of exchanging knowledge, values and positive experience for mutual intellectual enrichment in the context of dialogue among countries.  The text was a serious step forward in achieving the Organization’s purposes.  He called on Member States to support the draft.

The representative of Burkina Faso said communication had always been the best way for people to exchange ideas.  The importance of the resolution reflected that spirit.  For an organization such as the United Nations, multilingualism was a powerful vehicle for the defence of linguistic diversity and a special tool for dialogue among cultures.  Burkina Faso was proud to have some 60 languages in its country, reflecting the freedom and cultural richness of its people.  His delegation was ready to take part in any initiative to strengthen multilingualism in the Organization and called on all delegations to unreservedly support the draft.

The draft was then adopted without a vote.

Speaking in explanation of vote after the text’s adoption, Japan’s representative said he was pleased that the resolution had been adopted by consensus.  As mentioned in the preamble, Member States recognized that the United Nations pursued multilingualism as a means of promoting and preserving linguistic and cultural diversity.  Genuine multilingualism promoted unity in diversity and international understanding.  As such, multilingualism was an important item on the Assembly’s agenda, which required careful consideration and time.  As part of efforts to streamline the Assembly’s agenda, Japan had suggested that the agenda item be triennialized.  That suggestion was not reflected in the text before the Assembly.  He hoped that such suggestions would be revisited during the sixty-first session.

Also speaking in explanation of vote after the adoption of the text, the representative of the Republic of Korea said that he had joined the consensus on the draft, as it reflected concerns of some countries, including his own.  He fully supported the points made by the United States and Japan.  His delegation believed that in order to realize genuine multilingualism, it was necessary to give consideration to languages other than the official languages of the UN.  He hoped the next resolution on the matter would take that aspect on board and be more balanced.

ANNEX I

Vote on Separate Paragraphs/Lebanon Financing

The fourth preambular paragraph and operative paragraphs 3, 4 and 13 of the draft resolution on financing the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) (document A/59/838) was adopted by a recorded vote of 77 in favour to 2 against, with 47 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Israel, United States.

Abstain:  Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tonga, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay.

Absent:  Albania, Angola, Australia, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu.

ANNEX II

Vote on Lebanon Force Financing

The draft resolution on financing for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) (document A/59/838) was adopted by a recorded vote of 126 in favour to 2 against, with 1 abstention, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Israel, United States.

Abstain:  Tonga.

Absent:  Albania, Angola, Australia, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Swaziland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu.

* *** *

*     The 103^rd Meeting was covered in Press Release GA/10355 of 13 June 2005.