Sixty-third General Assembly

Fifth Committee

6^th Meeting (AM)

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS SERIOUS MISMATCH EXISTS BETWEEN MANDATES,

RESOURCES TO ADVANCE DEVELOPMENT, AS BUDGET COMMITTEE TAKES UP ISSUE

Speakers Stress Importance of Giving Equal Attention to All

Three Pillars of UN Agenda -- Peace and Security, Human Rights, Development

Outlining the key proposals in a report on improving the effective delivery of United Nations development-related activities this morning, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) that a serious mismatch existed between mandated responsibilities and resources to advance development.

Ms. Migiro, who introduced the Secretary-General’s report, said proposals had been made on how to fill critical gaps in capacity and improve efficiency in the use of resources.  As the proposals focused on strategic planning and strengthening coherence and responsiveness, she said, they were not intended to provide for institutional restructuring in the development field.  They aimed to ensure that the Organization delivered more effectively on its considerably expanded development agenda, which continued to grow without a commensurate increase in the level of resources.

In the ensuing discussion, many speakers stressed the importance of giving equal attention to all three pillars of the United Nations agenda -- peace and security, human rights and development -- and emphasized the need to address critical gaps, which constrained the Organization’s ability to adequately implement its mandated development-related activities.

Speakers reiterated that world peace and protection of human rights would be endangered without development and emphasized that enhancing the Organization’s capacity in that area would allow it to further the Millennium Development Goals and respond to such global challenges as the current financial crisis, climate change and growing food and energy prices.  They also pointed out that strengthening the development pillar was an important component of the reform of the United Nations.

Several speakers welcomed the Secretary-General’s proposals -- which called for funding of some $50 million for a full biennium and 152 new posts -- as a step in the right direction, but others found the proposals not far-reaching enough and shared the concern of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), which found the document lacking in analysis and detail.

Angola’s representative, who spoke on behalf of the African Group, said the proposals encompassed modest but relevant organizational and funding ideas, that could help in linking normative and analytical bodies of the United Nations and to complement the activities of operational entities in dealing with development issues.  While welcoming such initiatives as the establishment of the MDG Africa Steering Group, he said, however, that they could not work without addressing development cooperation and the regional dimensions of development.

Speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, the representative of Antigua and Barbuda said that the Secretary-General’s proposals to increase the share of development activities in the regular budget for 2008-2009 to 18.2 per cent was insufficient to address the imbalance between the three pillars, or to bring that share back to the level it had enjoyed 10 years ago.  He also reiterated the importance of the Development Account, which -- 10 years since it was established -- was still far from achieving the proposed level of $200 million in financing.  He called for putting in place a viable system to ensure sustained funding of the Development Account.

Cuba’s representative said that, while modest compared with the immense budgets for peacekeeping, the proposal at least recognized the need to change the course on development.  Most important, however, would be concrete actions that would complement the efforts of developing countries.  She also reiterated the imperative of strict respect for the mandates of the General Assembly, and called the Secretary-General’s inclusion of the Special Adviser on Africa under the leadership of the High Representative on least developed countries a distortion, especially as it was undertaken without the consent of the membership.

Japan’s representative said that he wanted to see a comprehensive picture of the coherence and consistency of development activities in the United Nations system as a whole, and wanted to know how the proposal would bring effectiveness to the development pillar of the Organization.  He also emphasized the need to examine every post request to avoid unnecessary overlaps and reminded the Committee that the proposals represented additional requirements on top of the Organization’s 2008-2009 budget.

The representative of France, who spoke on behalf of the European Union, said that development-related sections accounted for $744 million in the 2008-2009 budget.  Given the challenges the United Nations faced in meeting the goals in the field of development, it was important to utilize those resources in the most efficient manner possible.  He, therefore, looked forward to a detailed debate on the roles and responsibilities of all departments and entities involved in development-related activities, as well as the use of existing resources in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and regional commissions.  That discussion should be aimed at ensuring that the Organization had the optimal structures in place to deliver as a whole, through fully exploiting synergies and without overlapping functions.

Also participating in the debate were the representatives of Mexico (on behalf of the Rio Group), Australia (also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand), Thailand, South Africa, Egypt, Malaysia, Brazil, Philippines, China, Bangladesh, Iran, Botswana, Indonesia, Sudan, Pakistan and the United States.  The report of the ACABQ was introduced by its Chair, Susan McLurg.

The Committee will take up the Board of Auditors’ reports at 10 a.m., Wednesday, 15 October.

Background

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to consider programme planning issues and development-related activities.

In his report on development-related activities (document A/62/708), the Secretary-General sets out the scope and rationale underpinning his proposals for improving delivery of development-related mandates of the United Nations Secretariat.

Owing in part to budgetary constraints, the resources for development activities have eroded, despite significant growth in related mandates, the report states.  As a result, critical gaps have arisen, which constrain the Secretariat’s ability to respond to new challenges and adequately undertake its key-mandated activities.  The proposal presented in the report involves strengthening capacities, as well as some structural changes and limited redistribution of functions and resources.  Efforts were made to ensure that additional resources proposed provide direct programmatic support and avoid duplication.

To reinforce advocacy and improve clarity and coherence of functions, the Secretary-General has undertaken to bring under the leadership of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States the functions currently entrusted to the Special Adviser on Africa, to support implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).  As a result of this initiative, the post of Special Adviser on Africa and a General Service post (Other level) would be discontinued, and related resources reprogrammed to strengthen the High Representative’s Office.

Adjustments are also proposed with respect to the division of labour between the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Office of the High Representative for the world’s poorest countries and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Secretary-General has designated the High Representative to serve as Special Representative to UNCTAD, placing under his leadership the UNCTAD Liaison Office in New York, as well as a focal point on all economic and social issues related to Africa at Headquarters.  The post of Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD (Assistant Secretary-General) is to be lent temporarily to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The Secretary-General’s proposals require additional resources amounting to some $25.58 million for the 18-month period from 1 July 2008 to 31 December 2009, distributed among a number of budget sections.  In this connection, the Assembly is requested to approve, effective 1 July 2008, the establishment of 152 new posts, reclassification of one post; and redeployment of four posts within respective budget sections.

The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), in a related report (document A/62/7/Add.40), recommends approval of a total of some $16.24 million for the year 2009, out of the $25.6 million proposed by the Secretary-General for the period from 1 July 2008 to 31 December 2009.  That estimate is partly based on the assumption that, while proposed to be effective from 1 July 2008, the new posts will not be reviewed by the Assembly before the main part of its sixty-third session, and the costing basis should be adjusted accordingly.

On the evolution of appropriations and staffing levels of the development-related budget over the past 10 years, the Advisory Committee notes that combined initial regular budget appropriation for development-related activities went from $551 million in 1998-1999 to $744 million in 2008-2009.  As a percentage of the total budget, however, it decreased from 21.8 per cent to 17.8 per cent over the same period.

While recognizing that limited time was available to prepare the report, the Advisory Committee finds the document lacking in analysis and detail.  Better clarification should have been provided on the division of roles and coordination among such entities as the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNCTAD, UNCTAD/World Trade Organization (WTO) and the regional commissions.  The ACABQ also points to the lack of clarity on how proposed organizational arrangements, especially those relating to the Office of the High Representative for the world’s poorest States and the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, would facilitate effective implementation of mandates.  Therefore, information on coordination issues should be provided in the context of the 2010-2011 budget proposals.

The report also notes that proposed changes for the Office of the High Representative and the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa are inconsistent with the Assembly’s decisions.  As presented, the Secretary-General’s initiative does not provide rationale for the realignment of such a range of mandates and disparate functions.  The ACABQ is concerned that the initiative could undermine dedicated high-level attention, which is needed to address the special needs of the poorest groups of Member States.  The Advisory Committee also recalls that, in its resolution 62/236, the Assembly took note with serious concern of the Secretary-General’s decision to temporarily lend the post of Assistant Secretary-General from UNCTAD to the United Nations Office at Geneva and requested the Secretary-General to restore the post and fill it as a matter of priority.  The ACABQ requested, but did not receive, information on the status of implementation of that request.  Therefore, such information should be provided at the time the report is considered.

Commenting on the Secretary-General’s request for 17 posts to deal with climate change, the Advisory Committee, while aware of the global nature of climate issues, recommends that the Secretary-General be requested to submit details on coordination mechanisms for ensuring a coherent approach in implementing climate change mandates in the context of the next budget proposal.

Aware of the fact that a more effective means of capturing and disseminating information is needed, the Advisory Committee states that it should not be assumed that additional capacity is implicitly required to use new technology.  It is important to clearly define what knowledge management entails and to ensure that knowledge management is harmonized within the Organization.

In connection with the proposal to strengthen statistical functions across several sections, the ACABQ recalls that supporting the global statistical system is one of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ core areas of work.  Collaboration between the Department and other parts of the United Nations, such as UNCTAD and regional commissions, would allow the Organization to respond to the demands from Member States more effectively and utilize existing capacity more efficiently.  The Advisory Committee recommends that the Secretary-General be requested to present, in the context of the 2010-2011 budget, arrangements for coordination in the area of statistics.

On programme planning -- a process that allows the Organization to translate intergovernmental mandates into concrete programmes -- the Committee had before it the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) (document A/63/16), which details that Committee’s work during its forty-eighth session, at which time it took up the programme performance of the United Nations for the biennium 2006-2007, a proposed strategic framework for 2010-2011, and the issues of evaluation and coordination, as well as the means of improving its own working methods and procedures.  The Committee also had before it the strategic framework proposal itself (documents A/63/6, Prog. 1-27).

Commenting on the performance for 2006-2007, the Committee recommended that modifications be made to the Regulations and Rules governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation, with the goal of moving beyond results-based budgeting towards genuine results-based management.  It further recommended that programme managers be held accountable for the achievement of results through preparation of compliance reports at the subprogramme level.  Future performance reports should include comprehensive information on all relevant cross-cutting issues, as well as more detail on the outcome of monitoring and evaluation at the departmental and executive levels, with particular regard to how lessons learned were shared and applied in planning activities.

The CPC also provided recommendations on the proposed strategic framework for 2010-2011 -- the United Nations principal policy directive for the biennium.  Replacing a four-year plan to bring programming in line with the Organization’s two-year budget cycle, the first strategic framework was prepared on a trial basis for 2006-2007.  While the presentation of the biennial programme plan has been generally successful since then, difficulties were encountered regarding the plan outline.  Both for 2006-2007 and 2008-2009, the Assembly approved only the programme plan, taking no decision on the plan outline of the framework.

During its previous session, the Assembly, by resolution 62/224, endorsed last year’s recommendations of the CPC, deciding to maintain the strategic framework as the principal policy directive and to continue to include the plan outline in it.  However, the Secretary-General was requested to improve the format of part 1 and the reflection of the longer-term objectives therein by, among others, elaborating on the priorities of the United Nations agreed to by the Member States.

During its session this year, the CPC noted the changes in the format and narrative of the proposed 2010-2011 strategic framework and reiterated the importance of the Organization’s long-term objectives.  It recommended that the plan outline reflect those objectives, pursuant to all relevant Assembly resolutions and based on all mandates by Member States.  It also stressed the need for coordinated effort by the Secretariat to better formulate suitable expected accomplishments, so that all mandated activities and outputs could be included at that stage of budget preparation.

The report further recommends that programme managers should be requested to ensure that all legislative mandates are accurately translated into programmes and subprogrammes, and encouraged to improve qualitative aspects of achievement indicators to enable better evaluation of results.  Indicators should be defined to ensure clear measurability.

The CPC recommended approval of all but one programme narrative (Human Rights) with some modifications and recommendations.  There was insufficient time to review amendments proposed by delegations, so it was recommended that the conclusions and proposed amendments to the Human Rights narrative be transmitted, at the sixty-third session, to the Chairman of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), to which it should be allocated.

And finally, the Committee had before it the Secretary-General’s report on the Secretariat’s programme performance during the biennium 2006-2007 (document A/63/70), which examines the output, the traditional measure of performance and the extent to which expected accomplishments have been achieved.

According to the document, the production of outputs was maintained at the levels described in previous reports, and in terms of expected accomplishments, the Organization was able to achieve very important results during the biennium.  The analysis also showed that there were differences between the parts of the programme budget, some of which were due to the nature of the programmes and some to problems in formulating and measuring performance.

The Secretary-General also points out that, while the presentation of results is more complete than in the previous biennium, methodological problems persist.  They include inadequate drafting of expected accomplishments in measurable terms, confusion of outputs with outcomes, inadequate specification of performance targets and difficulties in systematically acquiring and recording performance data that show the connection between outputs and outcomes.  The report recommends that the CPC take note of the report, endorse its methodological conclusions and use the detailed performance information from 2006-2007 in its review of the proposed strategic framework for the period 2010-2011.

Introduction of Documents

Deputy Secretary-General ASHA-ROSE MIGIRO introduced the report of the Secretary-General (document A/62/708), saying it underscored a serious mismatch between mandated responsibilities and available resources.  The world had been presented with challenges that pushed the Organization to accelerate development  -- the devastating effects of climate change, the impact of the food and energy prices, and the global financial downturn.  Those challenges required global responses.  The implementation of the recommendations in the Secretary-General’s report had thus acquired a renewed urgency.  The immediate future was uncertain.  There would no doubt be setbacks in the efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and internationally agreed development goals.  Global concerted efforts were needed to redress that and to avoid more problems down the road.  The interests of all countries could be articulated by the United Nations.

The challenges were interrelated and required enhanced United Nations short-, medium-, and long-term action, she continued.  The report before the Committee outlined a number of key proposals on how to fill critical gaps in capacity and improve efficiency in the use of resources.  It had a particular focus on strategic planning and strengthening coherence and responsiveness.  Yet, the proposal was not intended to provide for a restructuring of the current institutional arrangements in the development field.  It aimed to ensure that the Organization delivered more effectively on its considerably expanded obligations in the development agenda.  That agenda continued to grow, yet there had been no commensurate increase in the level of resources for the Secretariat.  That had led to resources being spread too thinly over a broad range of activities, with shortfalls in important areas.

Continuing, she said that she had led an extensive consultation process within the Secretariat to ensure that the comprehensive proposal would strengthen synergies and coherence.  That was rooted in a firm understanding of the complex multi-stakeholder environment in which the United Nations operated, often in conjunction with other United Nations and non-United Nations partners, such as civil society and the private sector.  The Secretary-General made it clear in his review where he situated the proposal within the wider context of his overall endeavour to improve the delivery of mandates and strengthen system-wide coherence.  The proposed strategic integration and planning capacity was aimed at improving the coherence and effectiveness of the Secretariat’s development work, including through the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs.  The Secretariat recognized that the interrelatedness of today’s development issues required an efficient leadership response, backed with strong partnerships and political support.

At the same time, quality analysis of cross-cutting issues was needed, which required strengthening the analytical and research capacity across the Secretariat, she said.  In that context, dedicated attention would have to be given to climate change, innovative financing, international migration and development, violence against women, and indigenous issues.  It was necessary to continue supporting national development strategies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals.  In addition, strengthened Secretariat capacities would more effectively support developing countries’ efforts in policy-making and capacity-building on a number of critical issues.

No doubt, it was also necessary to strengthen the normative and policy support to United Nations intergovernmental processes on development, she said.  The 2005 World Summit had placed new responsibilities on the Economic and Social Council and established the Annual Ministerial Review of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and internationally agreed development goals.  It had also established the high-level Development Cooperation Forum.  The Secretariat needed to have adequate capacity to carry out those important new functions effectively.

SUSAN MCLURG, Chairperson of the ACABQ, introduced a related report of that body, saying that the Advisory Committee had noted that the Secretary-General’s proposals aimed to address gaps in seven main areas of mandated activities or new and emerging issues, without modifications to the existing frameworks.

On the strengthening of the capacity of Secretariat entities dealing with development, she said that a total of 152 posts had been proposed.  The resulting implications for post and non-post resources for the current biennium would have amounted to $25.5 million.  At full costing for a complete biennium, the requirements would have risen to $52 million.  The additional resources proposed appeared to be allocated, more or less proportionately, across nine development-related budget sections.  However, different approaches to strengthening capacities had been taken:  some entities proposed to spread the resources requested across all areas of their work, while others had chosen to concentrate efforts in specific areas, or establish units for new and emerging tasks.  In making its recommendations on the matter, the ACABQ had taken into account the supplementary information it had received, as well as extensive additional information provided in response to its enquiries.

Of the 152 posts proposed, the Advisory Committee had recommended approval of a total of 135 new posts and one position to be funded from general temporary assistance.  The ACABQ had recommended that the posts be established from 1 January 2009, rather than 1 July 2008.  If adopted by the Assembly, the recommendations of the Advisory Committee would result in a total reduction of $9.33 million gross from the estimated of $25.5 million.

Statements

CONRAD C. HUNTE (Antigua and Barbuda), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that development should not be a privilege of the few, bur a right and interest of all peoples and nations.  The international community had affirmed the importance of development.  The United Nations’ development agenda was as important as its work in peace and human rights.  Those three areas were interlinked and mutually reinforcing, he stressed.  He asked whether the Organization’s capacities in preventing conflicts, building peace, countering terrorism, advancing human rights or consolidating principles of rule of law and democracy could be successful without strengthening development activities on an equal footing.  “Does it make sense to continue investing in the symptoms rather than the causes?” he asked.

The Charter emphasized that development, security and human rights were all equally imperative, he said, but that was not the state of affairs at the United Nations today.  The 2005 World Summit created major expectations that the United Nations would work to fill the gap between implementation and promises made for the Millennium Development Goals.  The current food and energy crises, and early stages of a serious global economic and financial crisis, compounded and exacerbated the effects of climate change, posing grave challenges to most developing countries’ efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

It was urgent for the Organization to address those growing and interrelated challenges to development, including improvements that would strengthen the United Nations’ position for substantive dialogue with other organizations working on development issues, he continued.  He noted the drop of resources allocated to implement the Organization’s development agenda, noting that the regional commissions had lost 220 regular budget posts, or more than 10 per cent of their capacity, as compared to an overall reduction in the Organization’s budget of 1.2 per cent.

He further regretted that consideration of the issue was overdue and said that the Secretary-General’s proposals to increase the share of development activities in the regular budget for 2008-2009 to 18.2 per cent was insufficient to address the imbalance between the Organization’s three pillars, or to bring that share back to the percentage it enjoyed 10 years ago.  He said that the development-related needs of the Secretariat must remain a priority.  He also reiterated the importance of the Development Account to the development pillar.  However, 10 years since it was established it was still far from achieving the proposed level of $200 million, and he said a viable system should be put in place to ensure sustained funding of the Account.

PHILIPPE BRUNEL (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that development was at the heart of the Organization’s agenda, to which the Union was committed.  The European Union provided over 50 per cent of all development aid worldwide.  In 2007, it had committed a collective $72 billion to development assistance.  The Union had agreed to increase its official development assistance (ODA) to 0.56 per cent of its gross national income by 2010 and was well on the way to achieving the target of 0.7 per cent by 2015.  Half of that additional aid would go to Africa, with special attention to fragile States and countries with low numbers of donors and poor people in middle-income countries.  As the European Union provided over 50 per cent of the voluntary contributions to United Nations funds and programmes, its commitment to the Organization and its work in the field of development also could not be in doubt.

Development-related sections accounted for $744 million in the 2008-2009 budget.  That was nearly 50 per cent of the front-line resources in the budget.  Given the challenges the United Nations faced in meeting the goals in the field of development, it was important to utilize those resources in the most efficient and effective manner possible.  He, therefore, looked forward to a detailed debate on the roles and responsibilities of all Secretariat departments and United Nations entities involved in the delivery of development-related activities and the use of existing resources in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and regional commissions.  That discussion should be aimed at ensuring that the Organization had the optimal structures in place to deliver as a whole in the best and most efficient manner, through fully exploiting synergies and without overlapping functions.  The Union looked forward to discussing the issue in detail and working constructively with all delegations in the course of informal consultations.

ISMAEL ABRAÄO GASPAR MARTINS ( Angola), speaking on behalf of the African Group, aligned himself with the statement of the Group of 77.  Africa had fulfilled its own political, economic and social commitments over the last decade, having ended many civil wars and reduced the number of inter-State conflicts, but peace would only endure if accompanied by economic and social development.  Democracy had also been deepening its roots across Africa, but would not endure without widely shared prosperity and opportunity.

World leaders reaffirmed their commitment to address the special needs of Africa in their political declaration during the recent high-level meeting on the development needs of Africa, he noted.  However, that could not be achieved while there was a constant decline in resources devoted to development, which constrained the Secretariat’s ability to adequately undertake its mandated activities in that regard.  He noted the gap in its ability to carry out older mandates due to a lack of financial and human resources, and wondered how new ones could be met when there was still a struggle to realize old ones.

Noting that the focus of the current session of the General Assembly was on the global food crisis, climate change and United Nations reform, he said that those crises threatened to undermine the progress made by developing countries, particularly in Africa, in their struggle against poverty.  To prevent conflicts and strengthen human rights, the rule of law and democracy, the United Nations must be able to respond more efficiently and effectively to ever-increasing challenges to development efforts.

He welcomed many initiatives towards that end, such as establishment of the MDG Africa Steering Group, but said that such initiatives could not work without addressing development cooperation and the regional dimensions of development.  The current proposals were an important step in the right direction for the relevant United Nations main organs in ensuring follow-up and assessing progress of outcomes.  They encompassed modest but relevant organizational and funding ideas that could help in linking normative and analytical bodies of the United Nations, so they could complement the activities of the operational entities in dealing with development issues.

CLAUDE HELLER (Mexico), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said that one of the main priorities in the present session of the Fifth Committee was definitely the strengthening of development structures in the Organization.  That exercise was aimed at balancing the treatment of the three pillars of the organization.  The imbalance had steadily increased in the last decade, and particularly in the budget proposal for 2008-2009.  The proposals by the Secretary-General intended to fill the critical gaps created after years of overstretching the staff with additional functions in such fundamental areas as the Millennium Development Goals, trade and development, South-South cooperation, gender, sustainable development and regional dimensions of development, to mention the most important ones.

Moreover, the proposal was aimed at implementing the mandate given by the 2005 World Summit, in which the world leaders had agreed to strengthen the Economic and Social Council, he continued.  Since that reform had been put forward, the Council, in addition to its regular functions, was now carrying out annual ministerial reviews on the status of the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals, as well as a biennial cooperation forum for development.  The Committee was responsible for ensuring that the Secretariat was adequately equipped to assist Governments in such an important task.

It was of particular relevance to the Rio Group that the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) be strengthened, he said.  Since it had been founded, the Commission had played a very significant role in promoting social and economic development in the region by providing technical assistance to Governments to enable them to fulfil the Millennium Development Goals.  Also of utmost importance to the Group was the strengthening of the Organization’s normative and analytical capacities in development.  The discussion within the Fifth Committee would focus on the existence of an appropriate justification for the resources, rather than on possible duplication or overlapping with other United Nations entities.  In any case, if overlap existed, delegations had to ask themselves why the respective entity was performing a function that fell under the purview of the Secretariat.  In that sense, it was necessary to point out that the proposal to be considered did not include resources for operational activities for development, since they had been already undertaken by other organs within the Organization, particularly the funds and programmes.

The Group would participate constructively in informal consultations with the aim to ensure that the Secretariat had the necessary resources to implement effectively the development mandates approved by the Assembly.

EDWINA STEVENS (Australia), speaking also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand, reaffirmed her commitment to development, noting that the countries she spoke for had committed around $7.5 billion in official development assistance (ODA), much of which was channelled through the United Nations, and had been working in partnership with developing countries to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

With an investment of that magnitude, she continued, great importance was attached to effective and efficient delivery of development mandates.  She noted the Secretary-General’s efforts to provide concrete proposals for the Secretariat to be able to deliver on its development-related mandates, with funding of some $50 million for a full biennium and by providing for 152 new posts.  She noted that there were other requests for funding before the Committee, as well, and said that each request would be considered on its merits.  She asked for more analysis on the potential for reallocating existing resources and further detail on how the additional resources would achieve outcomes, noting that the ACABQ report did not provide the analysis and expert guidance expected.

She called for greater complementarity and coordination of responses with the Organization’s development system to achieve greater and more sustainable social and economic development and poverty alleviation.  The Secretary-General’s report should be considered in terms of how the proposals related to sister agencies, both within the Secretariat and across the broader United Nations system, including the regional commissions.  Clarification should be made of what entities were working in partnership and what their differentiated roles were.

DON PRAMUDWINAI ( Thailand) said that in its resolution 62/236, the Assembly had recognized the need to strengthen the development pillar of the Secretariat and requested the Secretary-General to provide a comprehensive proposal on how to improve effective delivery of the development mandates.  The Assembly had also emphasized that the resources proposed by the Secretary-General should be commensurate with all mandated programmes and activities, to ensure their full and effective implementation.  He welcomed the analysis of the Secretary-General in the report before the Committee on the mismatch between responsibilities of the development-related departments and offices and the resources available to them, as well as the proposal to rectify the problem.  Indeed, the proposals were in line with his delegation’s views that the Assembly should approve a level of expenditures that was commensurate with mandated programmes and activities. In considering the budget, Member States must keep in mind that providing sufficient resources was a crucial determinant for effective programme delivery.

Continuing, he noted with concern the critical gaps in seven areas stemming from the imbalance between increased workload and adequacy of resources.  If left unaddressed, those critical gaps would even further constrain the ability of the Secretariat to adequately undertake its mandated development activities, particularly when new and vital mandates continued to increase.  His delegation saw the Secretary-General’s request for some $25.5 million and a net additional 150 posts as a reasonable first step in the Organization’s common effort to strengthen the policy, normative and analytical work of one of the main pillars of the United Nations system.  Given the complexity of development-related issues handled by various agencies, and the fact that merely adding resources and posts was insufficient to ensure fulfilment of mandates, he looked forward to seeing a long-term plan or vision to strengthen the effectiveness of the development pillar of the United Nations, in particular on the deepening of synergies among the Secretariat, funds and programmes.  According to UNCTAD’s 2008 report, development aid in productive sectors was a prerequisite for faster growth of valued added industries and employment.  However, the proportion of aid to those important sectors had been declining since 1990.  That trend should be urgently reversed.

Thailand had been playing an active role as a development partner of the United Nations, developed and developing countries, he said.  It was within that spirit that his delegation welcomed the proposals to strengthen the Secretariat’s work in the South-South cooperation area, including the enhancement of Section 12 (trade and development, subprogramme on globalization, interdependence and development).  If approved, he looked forward to working closely with the enhanced Secretariat within the context of South-South and trilateral cooperation.  He also supported the work of UNCTAD on its mandates of trade and development, as well as emerging issues severely affecting developing countries.

Turning to the important role of the regional commissions, he said that his delegation saw the need to strengthen the capacity of each of them.  In particular, he recognized the vital role of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as a comprehensive regional forum dedicated to economic and social development in the region.  He saw the merit in the Secretary-General’s proposal to assist ESCAP to better deliver its mandates to the countries of the region.

DUMISANI S. KUMALO ( South Africa) supported the position of the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, and said that development was a right and was central to the advancement of all humanity.  The United Nations needed to spare no effort in acquiring the necessary capacity to champion for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.  The development agenda was one of the most important tasks of the United Nations.  Striking a balance between the three pillars, namely peace and security, human rights, and development, was critical.  However, the inescapable reality was that a significant part of the work of the United Nations -- the development pillar -- lagged behind in terms of resources.  His delegation was convinced that paying sufficient attention to development-related activities, would help to make the United Nations more responsive to the needs of all peoples worldwide.

He said the 2005 World Summit had recognized the need to strengthen the development pillar of the United Nations, in order to help realize internationally agreed development goals that arose from major conferences and summits, including the Millennium Development Goals.  Before the start of the current market volatility, the realization of those goals was already in doubt for poor countries. The Outcome Document stated that Africa “is the only continent not on track to meet any of the goals of the Millennium Declaration by 2015”.  His delegation appreciated the Secretary-General’s initiative in having established the MDG Africa Steering Group, as well as the MDG Gap Task Force, led by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  He appreciated that, in September, the Secretary-General had hosted a high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, to find ways to bridge the implementation gap.

Continuing, he noted that resources allocated to implement the development agenda, in terms of the share of the regular budget and number of posts, had been consistently on the decline.  That also applied to the regional commissions, which had experience substantial reductions in development resources over the last decade.  That trend needed to be reversed as a matter of urgency.  The Secretary-General’s proposed resource levels signified the beginning of a process to address the current imbalances between the three pillars of the Organization.  He noted with concern that, 10 years since its inception, the Development Account was without adequate funds.  Its funding had consistently fallen far short of the proposed level of $200 million.  A sustainable funding source needed to be put in place for that important Account without delay.  The Organization was at a critical juncture in terms of confronting the challenges of poverty and under-development.  “Let us rise to the occasion by acting decisively to put this Organization on a sustainable path of strengthening its development-related activities”, he said.

MAGED ABDELAZIZ ( Egypt) supported the position of the Group of 77 and the African Group and said that there was an urgent need for systematic efforts to scale up the Organization’s capacity to deliver its mandates and respond effectively to new and emerging development challenges.  In the forefront of those challenges came the food and energy crisis, which emphasized the need to strengthen the role of the United Nations in setting the required policies to deal with those phenomena and follow up on their implementation.  To push that forward, Egypt, together with Chile and Indonesia, had presented an initiative to focus on that issue and its ramifications as a central theme of the general debate of this session.  He also welcomed the establishment of the task force on the matter and the strategy it had developed to deal with the crisis.

Also, he added, the response to the current financial crisis could not be but global, and decided upon within legitimate and trusted multilateral forums.  The United Nations, as the most representative organization, must have the capacity to provide a vigorous response to the grave threats the world faced.  In that regard, he supported the initiative of the General Assembly President to convene a high-level dialogue on the issue of reforming the Bretton Woods institutions.

On ODA, he said that reality showed that the developed countries’ promises had not been implemented.  That called for continuous United Nations action on many fronts, where the assistance fell short and a focus on the issues related to aid effectiveness.  The Organization should provide a platform for sharing experiences, innovations and lessons learned on aid effectiveness among a broad range of development actors and stakeholders.  The Accra meeting in September had been a step in the right direction, which should be followed by other concerted actions.  The workload in the area of financing for development had been increasing, as a result of new developments in relation to the Doha conference, as well as the emergence and expansion of new substantive areas of financing for development that could not continue to be met from within existing resources.  Additional resources were required to increase the organizational capacity to monitor, evaluate and provide recommendations on the variety of actual and potential initiatives related to financing for development, in particular in the area of innovative finance.

He went on to emphasize the need for a more balanced and just multilateral trading system, which would take into account the interests of developing countries.  The United Nations should be in a better position to address new and emerging barriers to trade expansion and liberalization, including non-tariff barriers, as well as to improve the interface between trade integration arrangements and the multilateral trading system, including through structural changes.  There were also major gaps and challenges in implementing previously agreed mandates, particularly in the area of Africa’s development.  Being the coordinator of that issue on behalf of the Joint Coordinating Committee of the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement, Egypt had participated actively in the discussion leading to the adoption of resolution 62/278.

Egypt had always advocated the need to strengthen linkages between the normative and operational roles of the United Nations in the field of development, he said.  Closing the gap in that regard was critical for promoting an integrated and coordinated implementation of the Organization’s development agenda.  That could only be done through strengthening the Secretariat’s capacity to define values, set goals, articulate strategies and adopt programmes of action in various dimensions of the development agenda.  All those challenges, and many others, showed the urgent need to strengthen the capacity of relevant parts of the Secretariat to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of the Organization in the field of development.  The Committee now had an unprecedented opportunity to deal with critical challenges the development role of the Organization was facing.  It should assume its responsibility and collectively support the Secretary-General’s proposals.

HAMIDON ALI ( Malaysia) associated his delegation with the statement made by the Group of 77 and China.  He said that all would agree that development was a central goal in itself and that its realization was a shared responsibility among all stakeholders.  Peace and security, development and human rights were interdependent and mutually reinforcing, he reiterated, and were the foundation for collective security and global well-being.  He further noted that, in addition to providing impetus towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR) called for actions to address emerging challenges such as the food and fuel crisis, as well as climate change, particularly by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Despite that consensus, he continued, he was alarmed that between the 1998-1999 biennium and the 2008-2009 biennium, development-related sections of total United Nations budget appropriations fell from 21.8 per cent to 17.8 per cent.  The proportions of Secretariat posts in those budget sections had also fallen during that period.  The imbalances between responsibilities and resources could no longer be addressed through more efficient utilization of resources, restructuring and redeployment.  Piecemeal attempts at increasing resources for development had generally been unsuccessful.  “The development pillar will perpetually be held hostage so long as a solution to the United Nations’ perennial financial crisis is not found”,  he said.  “This crisis ... is due to the late payment or default on payment of the assessed contributions of the major countries.”

While recognizing the importance of better utilization of resources, improved accountability and a results-based management framework, he believed that, to achieve greater overall effectiveness, mandates must be made clearer.  That entailed defining the objective and expected outcome of mandates; actions required to facilitate their implementation; and mechanisms for interaction and coordination with other entities, so as to follow through on implementation.

He agreed with the ACABQ that the Secretary-General’s report on development-related activities lacked analysis and detailed information on the activities related to that agenda.  The perpetual underresourcing of the development pillar would never be addressed if the internationally agreed development goals were constrained to spending within “existing resources”.  The problem could not be addressed through cost-savings and cost-cutting in other priority areas.  The developed world’s focus on earmarked funding created a difficult environment in which the Organization had to operate and execute mandates.  The lack of a systemic and objective resource allocation procedure, and of an effective accountability mechanism, had led to most resources going to special political missions.

There was a continuous imbalance between mandates and the resources allocated to development, he added.  He suggested a new approach to address that imbalance, which should include a mechanism to assess funding requirements for development activities and a follow-up process to ensure their implementation.  He further commended the ACABQ and supported most of their recommendations, noting that many of them were not new.  He said that commitments in the economic and social sphere should be considered as equal to the commitments in the political and security area.

PIRAGIBE DOS SANTOS TARRAGO ( Brazil) said that, since the General Assembly had requested that the Secretary-General present a proposal to achieve an effective and efficient delivery of the mandates of development-related activities of the United Nations Secretariat, the world economy had become gloomier, making it more difficult to achieve internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.  He noted that those with the least would suffer the most.  Against that background, the proposal by the Secretary-General was “a very modest” contribution towards understanding the development needs of the majority of the world’s peoples in the face of a looming economic crisis, which required Member States’ full attention and highest priority.

He further said that the proposal was an initial step to putting investment in the three pillars -- development, peace and security, and human rights -- on an equal footing.  The pillars were indivisible.  He also called for decreasing the dependence of the Secretariat on extrabudgetary resources, noting that extrabudgetary resources should not replace regular and predictable funding to the United Nations.  He called for the financial and budgetary independence of the Organization, urging that all core activities of the United Nations be financed by the regular budget.

He said that it was crucial to strengthen the Secretariat’s capacity to assist developing countries to integrate into the global economy, especially the least developed countries.  As new challenges and crises arose, it became more important to formulate trade and development policies that focused on the “bottom billion” in working towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.  He suggested trade and development opportunities in the area of biofuels and renewable energy sources as a possible area for focus.  He also named South-South cooperation as a priority, noting that the Secretariat should continue to monitor and analyse that activity, as well as regional and interregional initiatives, to support the formulation of a comprehensive development strategy that went beyond traditional North-South relations.  He also mentioned conservation efforts and sustainable use of forests as key elements in development strategies.  He also commended ECLAC for its outstanding contributions to regional development and said that the proposed resource allocation for the regional commission could be considered as an initial proposal.

HILARIO G. DAVIDE, JR. ( Philippines) expressed solidarity with the statement of the Group of 77 and China.  Economic and social development was key to achieving the goals of the Charter.  The development pillar of the United Nations must be strengthened, and the development agenda had not been given the attention it deserved.  He emphasized that there must be a balance among the three pillars, but that such balance was absent in the presentation to the Fifth Committee made on 3 October, where budget estimates for peace and security and human rights came to some $647.5 million, while only $16.2 million had been allocated for development.

He welcomed the Secretary-General’s proposal, known as the “Development Package”, to address the gaps in the United Nations’ promotion of development, such as the erosion of core analytical, research and monitoring capacity of all development-related United Nations entities.  The additional resources involved in the “Development Package” should enable those entities to deliver more effectively and efficiently on their mandates.  Its adoption took on greater significance in light of current global crises.  He said it was a pragmatic attempt to achieve a modicum of balance between needs and resources.

LIU ZHENMIN ( China) associated his country with the position of the Group of 77 and said that all States should attach importance to strengthening the development pillar of the United Nations.  Peace, human rights and development constituted the three pillars of the work of the United Nations, and today, with rapid globalization, those were even more closely interlinked.  Without development, world peace would be endangered and there would be no protection of human rights.  The United Nations must enhance its capacity-building in the area of development in order to play a greater role in furthering the Millennium Development Goals and effectively respond to various crises and challenges.  Strengthening the development pillar was also an important component of the reform of the United Nations.  For a long time, the Organization had been paying more attention to political issues, at the expense of development issues.  The Secretariat had failed to attach sufficient importance to development, be it in an institutional setting, resource allocation or programme implementation.

In recent years, prompted by Member States, especially the vast number of developing countries, the United Nations had started to turn its attention to development, which had led to certain improvements, he continued.  However, the attention remained inadequate, in view of the importance of the issue.  He hoped that, in the reform process, Member States would pay adequate attention to the development pillar.  Strengthening that pillar required continuous enhancement of the efficiency of the Secretariat.  Resource input in the area of development was a prerequisite for enhancing capacity-building.  Also required was greater coordination and better management within the United Nations system and higher efficiency in the Secretariat, so that resources could be effectively used to eradicate poverty, achieve development, and bring real benefit to the vast number of developing countries.

He said China supported the Organization’s efforts to enhance its leadership capacity-building in the area of development, with a view to playing a greater role in that regard.   China also supported United Nations reform in the area of development and favoured the initiatives aimed at strengthening relevant development agencies and ensuring the requisite resources.  He hoped that all sides, when considering the agenda item, would view it from a strategic perspective -- the need to maintain peace, promote human rights and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  He hoped all delegations would act in the spirit of understanding, cooperation and flexibility, so as to reach agreement on the relevant issues at an early date.

MUHAMMAD A. MUHITH ( Bangladesh) aligned himself with the statement of the Group of 77 and China.  He asked for in-depth analysis to understand and identify the underlying causes, the gaps and shortcomings in achieving development.  He pointed out that allocation of additional resources and provision of new posts was a means to an end.  Strengthening the development pillar should not be confined to only allocation of more resources, but should include review of existing machinery, so that it could better address the current global challenges.  He noted the well-documented disparity between mandates and resources.

Development issues must be seen in the context of the three pillars, he said, noting that they were interdependent and complementary and required balanced and adequate provision of mandates, capacities and resources.  He further expressed concern at the decrease in the percentage of the regular budget allocated to development between the 1998-1999 budget and the current budget.  He noted that the Organization’s development machinery was dysfunctional and needed an overhaul, with the injection of adequate resources to ensure it could achieve its goals.

Continuing, he said that the least developed countries, as the most vulnerable group of countries, deserved particular attention.  The Least Developed Countries Unit of the Office of the High Representative should be given adequate means to fulfil its intergovernmental mandate.  He said that NEPAD needed to preserve a separate leadership, and not be brought under the leadership of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.  The two entities were established through separate General Assembly resolutions and only the Assembly could change their mandates.  He shared ACABQ’s concerns about the lack of clarity in that regard and also believed that the proposed realignment would undermine the ability of both Offices to carry out their mandates.

He said the strength of the United Nations lay in its universality, legitimacy, transparency, accountability and a high standard of good governance.  Most important was the intergovernmental nature of its decision-making.  He also expressed the belief that entities within the Organization, such as the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNCTAD and the regional commissions, had a vital role to play in development.

ESHAGH AL-HABIB ( Iran) supported the position of the Group of 77 and said that the United Nations had to address human security and economic and social components with equal attention.  The efforts to prevent conflicts were meaningless if the economic roots of those conflicts were not addressed.  Development was closely related to stability, poverty alleviation, employment, economic growth and sustainable development.  “We all have common interests in ensuring that development is at the top of the UN agenda and activities”, he said.  He completely agreed with the view of the Secretary-General that, “if the development pillar of the UN is weak, the entire international system is weak” and that “a strong UN needs a strong development pillar”.  But, he doubted that the realities of the United Nations, including the allocation of resources in programme planning and budget setting, reflected the same vision.

For years, the allocation of resources in United Nations programme and budget had been in detriment to the development pillar and development-related activities, he continued.  That was an indication that the United Nations was not moving in the right direction.  Along with the majority of developing Member States, his delegation had lent its support to various proposals of the Secretary-General to reform the Secretariat, with the hope that delivery would be consonant with the wish and aspirations of the majority of Member States.  The outcome of the World Summit and numerous resolutions of the Assembly were vivid expressions of the prevailing political will of Member States to see a strengthened, efficient and effective mechanism for the delivery of development-related mandates in the Secretariat.  Today, there was an urgent need for systematic efforts to improve the capacities of the United Nations in the development pillar.  A system should be put in place, supported with adequate financial and human resources.  He welcomed the report of the Secretary-General before the Committee and his proposal to strengthen the development pillar, including the Development Account, as the very first important step to scale up the capacities of the Organization in the field of development.

ILEANA NUÑEZ MORDOCHE ( Cuba) supported the statement of the Group of 77 and China.  Further, she said that current world circumstances made the role of the United Nations in development more relevant than ever.  She pointed out that the financial crisis was irrefutable evidence that the capitalist model had failed and that the age where the market was considered to be omnipotent was over.  There was a need for a total restructuring of “the unjust and unsustainable world order ... which has dragged 80 per cent of the world population into poverty ...”.  She blamed that order for the halt in the Doha round, for preventing energy resources from being used sustainably, and said that it had caused irreversible damage to the world climate and to the environment.

She noted the drop in allocations for development in the regular United Nations budget over the last 10 years and the drop in the number of posts over that same period.  She said that delegations from developed countries had also worked to erode the work of the Economic and Social Council and the Second Committee during that time.  She reiterated the imperative of strict respect for the mandates of the General Assembly, and called the Secretary-General’s inclusion of the Adviser on Africa under the leadership of the High Representative of least developed countries a distortion, especially as it was undertaken without the consent of the membership.  She also awaited the proposals of the Secretary-General on the Development Account which was far from reaching the $200 million committed to make it effective.

Reform of the development pillar must be focused on the actions necessary to reinforce the development agenda of the United Nations, she said.  She noted that, while modest compared with the immense budgets for peacekeeping, the proposal at least recognized the need to change the course taken on development.  Most important would be concrete actions that would complement the efforts of developing countries.

CHARLES T. NTWAAGAE ( Botswana) associated himself with the position of the Group of 77 and the African Group and said that the United Nations must dedicate equal attention to the implementation of all its mandated programmes and activities.  He welcomed the Secretary-General’s recent efforts to ensure that the United Nations responded effectively to the challenges it faced.  He believed that appropriate initiatives in the area of peacekeeping, as well as ongoing work to reinforce the human rights machinery and designing effective response mechanisms for humanitarian emergencies, would result in meaningful achievements.  He regretted, however, the critical gaps in the area of development and agreed with the Secretary-General’s concern that the resources approved by the Assembly must be commensurate with the mandates entrusted to him by Member States.

In that connection, he reiterated that setting mandates and priorities of the Organization was the prerogative of the Assembly, and the biennial budget served as an important vehicle to implement those mandates.  Most importantly, the funding of the work programme of the United Nations was also a collective responsibility of Member States.  Once the budget was approved, Member States had to meet their financial obligations to the Organization in full and on time.  Like any institution, the United Nations must exercise financial prudence and ensure budget discipline, in the face of the priorities competing for scarce resources.  But, that could not absolve the Organization from effectively fulfilling its responsibilities under the Charter.  It was incumbent upon the Secretary-General, as the chief administrative officer, to ensure that there was adequate funding for all mandates through budget proposals.  It was also his responsibility to ensure that resources were utilized in a cost-effective manner and for the purposes for which they were approved.

The Organization’s work had to keep pace with new and emerging challenges, and he said that line mangers were in a better position to ascertain their resource needs and should not be unduly subjected to an artificial, zero-growth budget.  With African countries unable to meet the Millennium Development Goals and other agreed development commitments, the Secretary-General should effectively support the national efforts of Member States and provide better strategic guidance in norm and standard setting, to supplement the good work by other organizations of the United Nations.  In that context, he welcomed the Secretary-General’s substantive response to the request contained in resolution 62/236.  Member States must not miss the opportunity to rectify the unfortunate gaps identified by the Secretary-General and, in particular, rightfully elevate the Secretariat to assume its proper role in the global development agenda.  He also appreciated the favourable consideration and recommendations of the ACABQ, which should facilitate the Committee’s deliberations.

He also emphasized Africa’s acute special needs, saying that the continent should clearly remain a priority for the Organization.  He agreed with the Secretary-General that the countries of the region needed enhanced support to build capacity, embrace knowledge-sharing and adopt best practices, as well as mitigate the challenges of climate change.  He also supported the ongoing efforts to strengthen the subregional offices of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).  At the same time, he noted with concern the issues raised by the Advisory Committee concerning the initiatives relating to the Office of the High Representative on Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa.  He hoped that the Secretary-General’s initiative would not prove to be counterproductive.

MARTY M. NATALEGAWA ( Indonesia) supported the position of the Group of 77 and emphasized the strategic importance of the issue before the Committee.  That emphasis on development was not, however, intended to diminish the significance of the other two pillars.  But, it was a truism that without the existence of development, the other two pillars would never be sustainable.  Regrettably, the budget did not reflect that perspective.  Even today, he noted only a proposal to slightly increase the allocation for the development side of the budget.  While aware of the limited resources available, most Member States agreed that more could, and should, be done to finance United Nations development work.  There was no disputing the fact that development was seriously underfunded, when compared to the resources required for its achievement globally.

To date, only five developed countries had achieved the target of providing 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) for ODA, he continued.  In 1998, the Assembly had also established the Development Account, yet –- a decade later –- the proposed level of “only” $200 million had not been attained.  Those promises looked empty to the current generation, which witnessed today’s financial crisis.  “But as we speak, over a billion people have been living in extreme poverty, on less than a dollar a day, for decades”, he said.  “Clearly, we can and must provide more -- more of everything: time, attention, efforts and resources -- to the United Nations development pillar.”  Despite the exceptionally limited resources assigned to development-related activities, his delegation would work constructively with others to ensure optimal utilization of those additional resources requested by the Secretary-General.

ABDALMAHMOOD ABDALHALEEM MOHAMAD ( Sudan) joined the statements of the Group of 77 and China and of the African Group.  Development was a cornerstone for establishing a world of peace and security, as evidenced by an analysis of many conflicts around the world.  It had been SO since the establishment of the United Nations.  Many resolutions and conferences had resulted from that fact, and it was especially important for Africa’s realization of its dreams.  Member States had not lost hope in trying to meet the challenges of development, peace and security.

He reiterated that focus should be given to enhancing the Secretariat’s ability to plan for development.  Africa should be given priority in development, particularly through NEPAD, which must have sufficient resources to fulfil its mandates.  Balance needed to be struck between the Secretariat’s resources devoted to peacekeeping and development, taking into account the root causes of conflicts.  Further, the Development Account should be considered part of the regular budget, not financed from economies made elsewhere.  Lastly, he said that transparency and accountability were essential to the achievement of mandates.

AHMED FAROOQ ( Pakistan) aligned himself with the position of the Group of 77 and China and said that that Charter of the United Nations had committed itself to the promotion of economic and social progress and development, as well as solutions to the international economic and social problems.  Sixty years later, in 2005, world leaders had reiterated the Organization’s valuable role in mobilizing the international community at all levels, in that regard. They had further reaffirmed the need for the United Nations to play a fundamental role in the promotion of international cooperation for development, in order to support sustained economic growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development.  That was an apt recognition of the reality that peace, security and respect for human rights could not be ensured in the absence of economic development.  However, that acknowledgement had yet to be fully translated into action.

The ACABQ report painted a very stark picture of the utter neglect of that area, he continued.  In the past 10 years, the percentage of the regular budget allocated to development had declined from 21.8 per cent in 1998-1999 to 17.8 per cent in 2008-2009.  Similarly, the proportion of posts under those budget sections had gone from 33.5 per cent to 29.9 per cent for the same period.  While there had been reform in all the other sectors of the Organization, it had yet to reach the development sector.  As a consequence, critical gaps had emerged in the Organization’s capacity to deliver development-related mandates, and, for that reason, the Assembly, in its resolution 62/236, had requested the Secretary-General to provide a comprehensive proposal on strengthening of the development pillar.  Time had only proven the wisdom of that act of the Assembly.  The recent global economic crisis was showing no signs of an early let-up and only brought further to light the need to beef up the United Nations’ normative capacity for advising Member States, especially the most vulnerable ones, in such turbulent times.

The proposals of the Secretary-General were a step in the right direction and brought to light an issue long left unattended, he said.  However, if the gaps in the area of development were to be addressed in a meaningful manner, the proposals fell short of the actual requirements.  Moreover, those proposals had been overtaken by the global economic crisis.  “In this hour of turbulence, the United Nations cannot abdicate its role and abandon those most in need”, he said, also underlining the need to review, on a regular basis, the Organization’s development-related capacity, to avoid occurrence of such gaps in the future.  He also underlined the importance of the Development Account as part of the United Nations development activities.  Ten years’ experience had proven that the current method of financing the Account had failed to yield the desired results.  The time had come to finally put in place a viable mechanism to ensure financing of the Account on a sustained basis.

In conclusion, he said that development was not an issue of one Member State or a group of few countries.  Rather, it was, indeed, an issue that affected the whole Organization and went to the very heart of Member States’ commitment to save future generations from the scourge of war and ensure respect for human rights.

JUN YAMADA ( Japan) said that the resolution calling for the Secretary-General’s report under consideration stressed three key words:  comprehensive; effective; and efficient.  His Government wanted a comprehensive picture of the coherence and consistency of the development activities of the United Nations system as a whole, including clarification of the relationship of the United Nations with its funds and programmes and the roles of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNCTAD and the regional commissions.

Further, he wanted to know how the proposal would bring effectiveness to the development pillar of the Organization.  He joined the ACABQ in seeking further clarity and coherence on climate change, gender issues and statistics.  While he understood that streamlining should be addressed in the context of the next biennium, he believed that overlaps of posts and activities should be dealt with during the current biennium, as well.  He said that every post request by the Secretary-General would be examined on its own merits to ensure that there would be no unnecessary overlaps.

He reminded the Committee that the proposals represented additional requirements on top of the initial programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009, noting that additional expenditures that exceeded the resources of the Contingency Fund could only be included in the current budget through the redeployment of resources or modification of existing activities, according to established budgetary procedures.  Therefore, it was important to focus on high priorities and immediate needs in upcoming discussions.

CHERITH NORMAN ( United States) said that her delegation supported the United Nations development agenda and intergovernmental process behind it.  Recognizing that the United Nations was one of a number of organizations that provided guidance and direction on development policies, she believed the consideration of the report before the Committee provided an opportunity to evaluate and discuss the vision and appropriate role of the United Nations in development activities; the effectiveness and efficiency of current operations and practices; and the amount of resources required to further address development needs.  Having read the reports before the Committee, she looked forward to further consideration of the matter.

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