Sixty-second General Assembly

Fifth Committee

44^th Meeting (AM)

BUDGET COMMITTEE TAKES UP FINANCING OF UNITED NATIONS LOGISTICS BASE,

HEARS FROM NEW HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF FIELD SUPPORT

 

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up the financing of the United Nations Logistics Base and welcomed the newly appointed head of the Department of Field Support, while also saying goodbye to the Organization’s top management official.

In her first address to the Committee, Under-Secretary-General Susana Malcorra thanked the members for ensuring that peacekeeping missions could deliver on their mandates.  Her Department had the responsibility to make sure that the Organization was ready to support both peacekeeping and political missions and that those missions were prepared to deliver on the core services entrusted to them.  She would be working very hard on defining a strong identity for the Department and, in doing so, would be working very closely with the Department of Management and other departments.

She added that her Department team was fully involved in the preparation of the issues before the Committee, which were increasing in number and complexity.  The United Nations was facing enormous tasks in trying to keep up with challenges brought on by new peacekeeping missions.  There were now more missions, which were also increasingly complex, and the Organization was faced with different types of propositions on how to deliver.  In doing that, the Committee could count on her continued personal engagement.

Alicia Bárcena, who will be taking the post of Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), expressed appreciation to the Fifth Committee -- “the Committee with teeth” -- for its hard work and dedication, saying that she had received great support from its members during her year and a half as the Under-Secretary-General for Management.  Among her most memorable experiences with the Committee, she mentioned the work on the Capital Master Plan and administration of justice, as well as an all-night meeting on the budget of the United Nations at the end of December.

Introducing the Secretary-General’s reports on the Logistics Base, she said that the Base’s proposed budget for 2008/09 amounted to $45.8 million, representing an increase of $5.4 million (13.5 per cent), compared to the approved resources of $40.4 million for 2007/08.  Additional resources would be required for 17 additional General Service posts for the Security Office and Logistics Support Services, as well as three new international posts.  There were also increased operating requirements for the maintenance of 6 additional buildings and 12 open areas transferred to the Base by the Government of Italy, as well as higher information and communications technology requirements.

The Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), Susan McLurg, said that the recommendations of ACABQ would entail a reduction of $58,400 in the proposed budget for the Base.  The Advisory Committee underscored the importance of the longer-term perspective in clarifying the concept and functions of the Base.

She said ACABQ recommended approval of the Secretary-General’s staffing proposals, with a few exceptions.  In particular, it recommended that seven additional security posts be funded under general temporary assistance, pending the outcome of discussions on safety and security with the host Government, which provided perimeter security and rapid response to any incident within the Base. The Committee recommended against the establishment of a P-4 Medical Officer post, in view of existing medical facilities in the vicinity of the Base.

Regarding nine personnel who had been contracted by the Base for three years and would have to be terminated after July 2009 under Italian law, ACABQ had no objection to converting their positions into General Service and general temporary assistance posts, but recommended that the Base explore options similar to those in other entities in Europe, which obtained continuing services through contracts with service providers, not labour agencies.  While welcoming the fact that the Geographical Information System Centre had become operational and had provided mapping and support services to such missions as the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Advisory Committee pointed out that the Secretary-General had not responded substantively to a request for an analysis of the Centre and Engineering Design Unit.  Such an analysis should be submitted in the context of the Base’s budget for 2009/10.  The ACABQ report also contained recommendations on training and the pilot project for an off-site recruitment and outreach unit.

The representative of Antigua and Barbuda, on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, expressed concern that the ACABQ report before the Committee had not been translated into all official languages of the United Nations.  Due to time constraints, the Group would not object to the introduction of the agenda item, but wanted to make it clear that it should be an exception to the rule.  The Group remained committed to the legislative requirement to have all documents in all official languages before their formal introduction.

He expressed deep appreciation to Ms. Bárcena for her commitment to the Organization and excellent work to improve the management of the United Nations.  He recognized her tireless efforts to present Member States with concrete proposals on many issues of extreme importance, like human resources management, administration of justice and the Capital Master Plan.  He assured her that the Group of 77 would continue to work closely with her to ensure that ECLAC received the needed resources and support from Member States, so that it was able to implement its mandate effectively.

He also welcomed the newly appointed Under-Secretary-General for Field Support and assured her of his strong support and intention to work in a spirit of partnership and cooperation.

Similar sentiments were expressed by representatives of Slovenia (on behalf of the European Union), Mexico (on behalf of the Rio Group), Canada (also on behalf of Australia and New Zealand), Algeria (on behalf of the African Group), Chile, Brazil (also on behalf of Argentina), United States, Portugal, Egypt, Nicaragua, South Africa, Sudan and Venezuela, as well as the Chair of the Committee, on behalf of the Bureau.

On the programme of work, Slovenia’s representative said that, with several peacekeeping reports still outstanding, the extension of the session was taken for granted.  However, the European Union could not agree to that, unless it had clarity about what would be done next week.

Following suspension of the meeting for consultations, the Committee decided to extend the session until the end of next week.

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For information media • not an official record