Sixty-first General Assembly

Fifth Committee

24^th Meeting (AM)

BUDGET COMMITTEE APPROVES TEXTS ON PATTERN OF CONFERENCES,

 

RENOVATION OF SECRETARY-GENERAL’S RESIDENCE

 

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today approved a pair of draft resolutions concerning the pattern of conferences and the renovation of the Secretary-General’s residence.

The Committee approved, without a vote, a five-part draft resolution on the pattern of conferences, which contained the Committee’s recommendations on the calendar of conferences and meetings; utilization of conference-servicing resources; the impact of the Capital Master Plan on the meetings at Headquarters; integrated global management of conference services; documentation and publication-related matters; and questions related to interpretation and translation.

The text on the renovation of the Secretary-General’s residence was also approved without a vote.  The draft resolution authorized the Secretary-General to enter into commitments up to $4.49 million under the 2006-2007 programme budget for the renovation.  It further requested that the Secretary-General expedite the inclusion of a clause on the Secretary-General’s residence within the Headquarters Agreement between the United Nations and the United States.

Also today, the Committee was presented with the revised budget of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) for the financial period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007, in the amount of some $145.52 million.  The budget reflected a reduction in the Mission’s military strength (from 3,404 to 2,300) and civilian personnel (from 228 to 205 international staff and from 74 to 68 United Nations Volunteers), which resulted in a decrease of about $29.16 million (gross) from the current appropriation of $174.68 million (gross).

The Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) called for a reduction of the revised estimates submitted by the Secretary-General by some $8.13 million, due to the ban on helicopter flights that had been imposed by Eritrean authorities, delays in deployment of military personnel, lower-than-budgeted incumbency rate among civilian personnel and potential savings from diesel restrictions for generators and vehicles.  He noted that, if the ban on helicopter flights were to be lifted before 30 June 2007, all or part of the relevant amount of $6.69 million could be restored.

The Committee also heard a statement from the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Management regarding the investments of the Organization’s Pension Fund.

Statements in explanation of position on the draft resolutions were made by representatives of South Africa (on behalf of the Group of 77 and China), Finland (on behalf of the European Union and associated States) and the United States.

The Committee will meet again at a date to be announced.

Background

This morning, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was expected to take action on two draft resolutions, continue its consideration of the report of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board and take up a revised budget for United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).

A revised budget for UNMEE (document A/61/521) for the financial period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 totals some $145.52 million.  The budget reflects a reduction in the Mission’s military strength (from 3,404 to 2,300) and civilian personnel (from 228 to 205 international staff and from 74 to 68 United Nations Volunteers), showing a decrease of about $29.16 million (gross) from the current appropriation of $174.68 million (gross).

The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), in a related report (document A/61/575), recommends that the appropriation decided upon by the General Assembly in its resolution 60/272 for the maintenance of the Mission for the 12-month period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 be reduced from some $174.68 million to $137.39 million.

The reduction of the revised estimates submitted by the Secretary-General by some $8.13 million results from the impact of the ban on helicopter flights that has been imposed by Eritrean authorities; delays in deployment of military personnel; lower-than-budgeted incumbency rate among civilian personnel; and potential savings from diesel restrictions for generators and vehicles.  Should the ban on helicopter flights be lifted before 30 June 2007, ACABQ expects that a proposal to restore all or part of the relevant amount of $6.69 million would be supported by the latest budget implementation data.

The Advisory Committee also points out that information in support of a number of proposals included in the revised budget is inadequate and lacking precision.  For example, although there is a substantial reduction in the military component, no rationale is given in the budget as to why the civilian component should be reduced by only 23 international posts and 6 United Nations Volunteer positions; and the rationale for the redeployment of posts should have been explained more clearly. 

In this connection, the Advisory Committee trusts that information on the full impact of the reconfiguration on the overall staffing requirements of the Mission, the redeployment of posts and the relationship between the military, substantive and support components will be provided in the proposed budget for UNMEE for the financial period 2007-2008.  Moreover, ACABQ expects that the performance report for 2005-2006 will include specific data on the workload of the Conduct and Discipline Team at UNMEE, as well as quick-impact projects for which the implementation of a previous recommendation of the Advisory Committee is still outstanding.

United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea

As the Committee took up the budget of UNMEE, United Nations Controller, Warren Sach, introduced the Secretary-General’s report on the matter.

Presenting the related ACABQ report, the Chairman of that body, RAJAT SAHA, said that the Advisory Committee had made a number of observations that should be taken into account by the Mission in preparing its financial performance report for 2005-2006 and the next proposed budget.  For example, ACABQ expected that information would be provided on the specific workload of the Conduct and Discipline Team, as well as quick-impact projects.  Moreover, information should be included on the full impact of the reconfiguration of the overall staffing requirements of the Mission, the redeployment of posts and the relationship between the military, substantive and support components.

He added that the Secretariat estimated potential savings from delays in deployment, diesel restrictions and the continuing ban on helicopter flights at $8.1 million.  Accordingly, ACABQ recommended that the revised estimates be reduced by that amount.  Should the ban be lifted before 30 June 2007, a proposal to restore all or part of related funds should be supported by the latest implementation data.

United Nations Pension System

Mr. SACH, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Management, recalled that the Advisory Committee, in its report, had supported the recommendation of the Investment Committee and the Pension Board for passive management of the North-American equity portfolio, but differed on the issue of whether such management should be undertaken in-house, or would benefit from external management.  The Investment Committee and Board had endorsed external management of the North-American equity portfolio on a passive basis.  ACABQ had indicated that, should the activity be outsourced, information should be provided to the General Assembly on the resources required for passive management and for a comprehensive review and timetable for orderly implementation.

A separate paper had been provided in informal consultations last Monday, he continued.  In summary, the paper showed external management to have cost advantages over internal management by $625,000 a year.  It was also expected that it would provide lower tracking errors and, therefore, more precise management of the portfolio, thereby avoiding deviations of +/- $30 million per year.  The Investment Committee, at its meeting on 13 November, had revisited its recommendation on indexation and external management thereof, in light of the ACABQ’s comments.  It had reaffirmed its recommendation that passive management should be handled externally.

Action on Drafts

The Committee approved without a vote the five-part draft resolution on the pattern of conferences (document A/C.5/61/L.6), which contained the Committee’s recommendations on the calendar of conferences and meetings; utilization of conference servicing resources; the impact of the Capital Master Plan on meetings at Headquarters; integrated global management of conference services; documentation and publication-related matters; and questions related to interpretation and translation.

According to the text, the Assembly would note with satisfaction that the overall utilization factor at the main duty stations of conference-servicing resources had increased to 85 per cent in 2005 from 83 per cent in 2004.  While reaffirming that, in the use of conference rooms, priority must be given to the meetings of Member States, it would note with concern the difficulties resulting from the lack of conference services for some meetings of regional and other major groupings.  Recalling that meetings of those groups had so far been provided with interpretation services on an ad hoc basis, in accordance with the established practice, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to continue to explore innovative ways to address the problem, urging intergovernmental bodies to “spare no effort” to take the groups’ needs into account at the planning stage.

Noting with satisfaction that all meetings of Nairobi-based United Nations bodies had taken place in Nairobi in 2005, the Assembly would reiterate the need for continued vigilance in that respect.  It would also ask the Secretary-General to continue to explore means to increase the utilization of the conference centre at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), bearing in mind the headquarters minimum operating security standards.

In connection with the Capital Master Plan, the Assembly would request all the bodies that normally met at Headquarters to take into consideration the limitations and inflexibility of the conference facilities throughout the renovation period.  The Secretary-General would be asked to ensure that implementation of the Capital Master Plan would not compromise the quality of conference services provided to Member States and the equal treatment of the language services, which should be provided with equally favourable working conditions and resources.

On the integrated global management initiative, the Assembly would, among other things, note with appreciation the progress achieved in integrating information technology into meetings management and documentation-processing systems and the global approach to sharing standards, good practices and technological achievements across all duty stations.  In that connection, it would reaffirm that the major goals of the reform of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management were to provide high-quality documents in a timely manner in all official languages, as well as high-quality conference services to Member States at all duty stations, and to achieve those aims as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

On documentation, the Assembly would note with concern the continued high level of late submissions by author departments, and request the Secretary-General to report on impediments to achieving full compliance with the rules for the issuance of pre-session documents, including proposed measures to address such impediments.  It would welcome the new accountability mechanism set up in the Secretariat for the submission, processing and issuance of documentation and request a report on that issue to the Committee on Conferences, so it could provide concrete recommendations on the matter.  Among other things, it would also reaffirm the priority nature of the documents on planning, budgetary and administrative matters requiring urgent consideration; advocate the inclusion of summaries, consolidated conclusions and relevant background information in all reports; encourage steps to improve the quality and accuracy of meeting records in all six official languages; and note the efforts of the Secretariat to clear the backlog in the issuance of summary records, while noting with concern that some delays in issuance still occurred.

The Secretary-General would be requested to continue his efforts to ensure the highest quality of interpretation and translation services and to make sure that the Organization’s terminology reflected the latest linguistic norms.  He would be asked to ensure that all language services were given equal treatment and were provided with equally favourable working conditions and resources, with full respect for the specificities of the six official languages and taking into account their respective workloads.  The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to continue to seek Member States’ evaluation of the quality of the conference services, including through the language-specific informational meetings held twice a year, and to ensure that such measures provided equal opportunities to Member States to present their evaluation in the six official languages.

On other aspects of translation and interpretation, the draft asked for several reports, including one on the impact of the high reliance on freelance interpretation in Vienna.  It also noted the proposal to develop a comprehensive methodology for performance measurement and management from a full-system perspective; requested the Secretary-General to address, as a matter of priority, the high vacancy rate in the interpretation and translation services in Nairobi, particularly in the Arabic Interpretation Unit; and requested the Secretary-General to provide at all United Nations duty stations the adequate staff and grade level with a view to ensuring appropriate quality control for external translations.

And finally, the Assembly would note the plans to address the issue of succession planning by enhancing training programmes, developing staff exchange between organizations and participating in outreach to institutions that trained language staff for international organizations.  To fill current and future vacancies in language services in a timely manner, it would request the Secretary-General to hold competitive language staff examinations sufficiently in advance and to inform the Assembly at its sixty-second session of efforts in that regard.

KAREN LOCK ( South Africa), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, explained the Group’s position on draft resolution A/C.5/61/L.6.  She attached great importance to the establishment of clear lines of accountability in the Secretariat for the submission, processing and issuance of documentation, and was concerned that the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management had not provided sufficient information on that matter in the consolidated report of the Secretary-General, which undermined the Committee on Conference’s ability to submit concrete recommendations to the General Assembly on ways to improve accountability.  She expected that the next report of the Secretariat would contain sufficient information to enable the Committee on Conferences to fulfil its mandate.

She remained concerned with failures to issue all parliamentary documents in all official languages, such as the recent consolidated annual report, which had only been issued in one language, as well as the publication requested in the Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism adopted in 1994, which had only been published in English and French.  She expected the Secretariat and the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management to comply fully with the mandates on that matter.  She stressed the importance of ensuring that summary and verbatim records were issued on time, in hard copies and in all official languages simultaneously.  She looked forward to receiving further information from the Secretariat on the development of the project on integrated global management.

The Committee without a vote recommended to the Assembly for adoption of the draft resolution on renovation of the residence of the Secretary-General (document A/C.5/61/L.8).  The text took note of the report of the Secretary-General on the subject and endorsed the observations and recommendations of ACABQ contained in its report.  Regret was expressed that the proposal to renovate the residence of the Secretary-General had not been submitted as part of the proposed 2006-2007 programme budget.  The text authorized the Secretary-General to enter into commitments up to $4.49 million under the 2006-2007 programme budget for the renovations.  It also requested that construction, alteration, improvement and major maintenance activities be completed within the envisaged time schedule, and that the Secretary-General ensure transparency in the procurement processes.  It further requested the Secretary-General to ensure that targeted mitigation measures were put in place pursuant to established minimum operating security standards.  Finally, it requested that the Secretary-General expedite the inclusion of a clause within the Headquarters Agreement between the United Nations and the United States on the Secretary-General’s residence.

Speaking in explanation of position, Ms. LOCK ( South Africa), on behalf of the Group of 77, said that the renovation of the Secretary-General’s residence should have been addressed sooner, in order to avoid cost escalations and ensure that the Secretary-General and his family lived in a comfortable and safe environment.  The Group had consequently supported the approval of the project and the authorization of additional resources.  Initially, the Group had been concerned by the observation of ACABQ expressing hope that the Secretariat might be able to absorb the costs of the project.  It had, however, joined the consensus on the text after it had received assurances from the Secretariat that attempts to absorb the cost would not lead to delays in projects that the Assembly had approved under section 32 of the programme budget for 2006-2007.  Furthermore, the Group had been assured that the expenditures would be reported in the context of the second performance report, when the expenditures pattern would become clear.

She stressed that the Group expected the Secretariat to adhere to the time schedule for projects financed under section 32 of the budget to avoid cost escalations for the Organization in the longer term.  The Group also expected that every effort would be made to conclude the negotiations with the host country referred to in paragraph 2 of the ACABQ report.  With the adoption of the draft, the Group trusted that the Secretariat would be able to proceed expeditiously with long overdue renovations to the residence of the Secretary-General.

KATJA PEHRMAN ( Finland), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, welcomed adoption of the resolution and trusted that every effort would be made to absorb the full cost of the renovation and security upgrade within the approved appropriations for the programme budget for 2006-2007.  She looked forward to returning to the issue in the context of the second performance report for the current biennium.

KHUSHALI PARIKH SHAH ( United States) expressed concern with the current condition of the Secretary-General’s residence and supported the proposal on its renovation.  She endorsed ACABQ’s observations and recommendations that the project should adhere to the established time schedule, and that the full cost should be absorbed within existing appropriation.

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For information media • not an official record