Sixty-first General Assembly

Fifth Committee

5^th Meeting (AM)

FIFTH COMMITTEE TAKES UP PERFORMANCE REPORT, BUDGET

 

FOR UNITED NATIONS OPERATION IN BURUNDI

 

The Fifth Committee today took up the Secretary-General’s proposed $144.62 million budget request for the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB), which was presented in preparation for its drawdown and subsequent replacement by a proposed follow-on mission as of 1 January 2007, to be called the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB).  The proposed budget for 1 July 2006 through 30 June 2007 was a decrease of $147.7 million, or almost 50 per cent from the previous year.

The Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), Rajat Saha, noted that the consideration of the proposal midway into the financial period had complicated matters, but allowed the Committee to see that the expenditure was well below the level of appropriation, and part of a persistent pattern of overbudgeting to which ACABQ had drawn attention.  ACABQ, therefore, recommended a $25 million reduction through 31 December 2006, he said, and the Secretariat had also recalculated the requirements during the liquidation phase, resulting in a $4.4 million reduction.  He called for cooperation between ONUB and the follow-on mission during the drawdown phase.

Speaking on behalf of the African Group, Nigeria’s representative said that the gains already achieved in Burundi could only be maintained through a phased and gradual disengagement.  She welcomed the fact that the proposed frameworks reflected the Mission’s continuing support to the peace process, national reconciliation, security sector reform and related processes, including the proposed establishment of BINUB.  ONUB could benefit a great deal from the lessons learned from other closed missions, including the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), she said.

Turning to the Advisory Committee’s recommendation of a reduction of $28.4 million from the budget proposal, she said that the African Group would seek a better understanding of the impact of those cuts.  In view of the difficulty in recruitment of adequate numbers of French-speaking staff, it would also seek clarification on the impact of recommended cuts on the crucial training needed for effective functioning of the Mission.  Also, a significant amount was still owed to Member States for contingent-owed equipment.  It was a matter of concern that there were still a few unpaid death and disability claims.  She hoped the claims would be settled expeditiously.

The representative of the United States looked forward to the successful completion of the Mission’s mandate, and expected all United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to work together to officiate a smooth transition, in order to facilitate BINUB’s important work in the areas of peace consolidation, reconstruction, national capacity-building and development.

However, he questioned the utility of establishing three new national officers posts at the current stage, saying that missions should truly scale back and not establish new posts when undergoing downsizing and liquidation.  He also had concerns regarding the Mission’s training programme, agreeing with ACABQ, which had questioned the necessity of conducting non-mission-specific training at this late stage.  ONUB should focus its training on the skills required to carry out its liquidation.  He had similar concerns about travel requirements, saying that, at this stage, the Mission’s personnel should remain in the Mission area.  Funding was also being requested for consultants to conduct training in hazardous waste disposal and transportation of dangerous goods, but it was necessary to draw upon the expertise that was already present in other missions in that area, for example UNAMSIL.

He also commented on consistent overbudgeting for ONUB.  The fact that the ACABQ had asked for, and received in short order, a reduction in requested expenditures of over $4 million led one to question the accuracy of other expenditure items in the proposed budget, he said.

Guatemala, which had contributed military observers to ONUB, expressed its satisfaction in seeing how Burundi had evolved successfully.

Responding to a question from Japan about applying unencumbered balances to after-service health insurance in the report, Mr. Saha said that subject was before the Committee, and its decision would have an impact on all peacekeeping budgets.  He was not asking for a suspension of the relevant rules for after-service health insurance, but he reminded the Committee that a decision was urgently required.

The Secretary-General’s budget request and performance report (documents A/61/305 and A/61/612) were introduced by Warren Sach, United Nations Controller.  Mr. Saha presented the ACABQ report (document A/61/485).

The Committee will continue its work at 10 a.m. on Monday, 16 October, to take up a series of reports concerning the 2006-2007 programme budget.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record