Sixty-second General Assembly

Fifth Committee

45^th Meeting (AM)

FIFTH COMMITTEE TAKES UP PROPOSED $477 MILLION BUDGET

 

FOR UNITED NATIONS CÔTE D’IVOIRE OPERATION

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) took up the financing of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), the African Group welcomed the mission’s proposed $477 million budget for 2008/09 and reiterated its longstanding position on the need for sufficient funding of all peacekeeping missions, to enable them to fulfil their mandates. 

Speaking on behalf of the Group, the representative of Algeria also welcomed the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) to convert more international posts to national positions, saying that the building of national capacities in host countries was central to long-term development and reconstruction in countries emerging from conflict.

He said the African Group noted the Operation’s mandate to support the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement and the activities relating to the holding of presidential elections scheduled for November.  The Secretary-General’s report reflected the need for funds so that UNOCI could provide logistical and technical support to the Government and electoral authorities in preparation of the elections; achieve the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, repatriation and resettlement process; and participate in the restoration of State authority throughout the country.  The Group welcomed the steps aimed at ensuring the successful conduct of the elections, noting that peace and stability in Côte d’Ivoire would have positive ramifications for the West Africa subregion as a whole.

He also insisted that no effort should be spared in addressing the Operation’s high vacancy rates, which were projected at 15 per cent for international staff, 11.4 per cent for national staff and 10 per cent for United Nations Volunteers for 2008/09.  The Group emphasized the General Assembly’s request, in resolution 61/276, to ensure that vacant posts were filled expeditiously and requested details on the measures taken by the Secretariat to fill short-term vacancies, as well as requested posts.  He also regarded the renewal of 40 quick-impact projects as an important step in the right direction.

Introducing the Secretary-General’s reports on UNOCI, United Nations Controller Warren Sach said that the Operation’s expenditures for 2006/07 had amounted to $450.8 million, resulting in an unencumbered balance of $22.1 million.  Compared with the current 2007/08 period, the mission’s proposed budget for 2008/09 represented an increase of $6.2 million, amounting to $477.1 million.

The Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, Susan McLurg, said that, with exception of some minor reductions, the Advisory Committee had recommended approval of the Secretary-General’s proposed budget for UNOCI.

With regard to civilian personnel, she added, ACABQ had recommended, in the interest of developing national capacity, that several proposed posts in the Communications and Public Information Office and Engineering Section be accommodated through the use of national staff.  The Committee had also recommended the establishment of eight national posts in the Human Rights Section.  Believing that there was room for even greater use of national personnel, the Advisory Committee trusted that the mission’s proposed budget for 2009/10 would contain proposals for the conversion of more international staff to national posts throughout the mission.

Noting that the Chief of the Human Rights Section in the Operation was also the representative of Côte d’Ivoire to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Advisory Committee believed that respective responsibilities of UNOCI and OHCHR required clarification.  It, therefore, requested the Secretary-General to review that matter and make proposals in the 2009/10 budget.  The Advisory Committee also welcomed anticipated efficiency gains, estimated at approximately $2.3 million, relating to reduced reliance on commercial air carriers for the rotation of United Nations military and police personnel and encouraged the mission to continue its efforts in that regard.

The representative of Côte d’Ivoire asked that all the resources requested for UNOCI be granted, so it could effectively play its role with regard to elections, peacebuilding and sustainable development of his country and the whole region.   Côte d’Ivoire was trying to come out of its crisis, but was also working on peacebuilding and sustainable development to eradicate the deep roots of the conflict.  The country was in a transitional phase, with activities carried out in the field relating to both peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

Thanking the United Nations for its ongoing support for the implementation of the Ougadougou Agreement and preparations for the elections, he said that, in April, his Government had requested that Côte d’Ivoire be included on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission.  Among other important events, he mentioned the Secretary-General’s visit to the country on 22 to 24 April and the Security Council’s forthcoming visit in June.   Côte d’Ivoire would also receive 130 members of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China as part of the meeting on south-south cooperation.

He said that the budget for 2008/09 required flexibility, as required by the situation in the country.  Following the recommendations of ACABQ, he also asked for a greater number of international posts to be converted to national positions, provided competencies existed.

South Africa’s representative expressed full support for the resource requirements for the Operation, saying that Côte d’Ivoire was on the verge of achieving significant milestones with elections on 30 November.  The country’s people were taking the leadership in the process and were asking the United Nations to work side by side with them, providing support for the elections and post-election period.

South Africa also shared other delegations’ concerns with regard to the budget of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) -– “the only Mission left hanging because of some politics”.  He hoped that the agenda item on MONUC would be considered today and that it would not “disappear and get linked to other issues”.

The issue of MONUC was also raised by the representative of Egypt, who said that, while agreement had been reached on all other peacekeeping mission budgets, the Committee had been stuck by firm opposition to the MONUC draft.  The position expressed was that a peacekeeping mission of the size of MONUC had to wait until a particular resolution was finished.   Egypt was worried about that tendency, and concerned that the Committee might have the same situation with regard to Côte d’Ivoire.  His delegation cautioned against following that approach, because it would affect other issues, as the budgets of the peacekeeping missions were time-bound issues.

Supporting that position, the representative of Brazil said that each item should be accorded priority, in order to finish relevant work by the end of the week.   Mission budgets should not be linked to any other resolutions, but should be judged on their own merits.

Algeria’s representative added that the kind of filibustering regarding MONUC that the Committee had witnessed over the weekend was not sending an appropriate message of seriousness, engagement and good faith.  Similarly, Syria’s representative, noting that there were only few days left and there were many issues on which the discussions had not started, appealed to all delegations to show flexibility and a spirit of compromise.

Slovenia’s representative, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that she was very happy that the weekend had gone the way it did and that delegations had been very cooperative.  The Union had raised a very serious issue, which it considered important.  In that regard, the Union would join those calling for compromise and flexibility.

All the speakers today also expressed serious concern regarding late issuance of documentation, as well as the fact that the ACABQ report before the Committee had not been interpreted into all official languages.  Delegates said that the situation was not acceptable and that the practice of not introducing reports in all the languages should not set a precedent.

In that connection, the representative of Côte d’Ivoire expressed hope that measures taken by the Committee to deal with the situation, particularly drawing up the work programme of ACABQ for 12 months, would resolve the situation.  He called for similar measures to be implemented in various parts of the Secretariat involved in the production of documents.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. Tuesday, 3 June.

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For information media • not an official record