Sixty-fifth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

14^th Meeting (AM)

Budget Committee Recommends Appointments to Subsidiary Bodies

 

As it moved to fill upcoming vacancies on five bodies that support its work in overseeing the Organization’s human resources and budget, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today recommended six people, whose names it will send to the General Assembly, to fill slots opening up in January on the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions.

The Committee also recommended candidates, for appointment by the Assembly, to fill upcoming vacancies on the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the Committee on Contributions, the Investments Committee and the Board of Auditors.

The 16-member Advisory Committee, also known as the ACABQ, plays a crucial role in helping the Fifth Committee manage the Organization’s vast human resources and keep its financial house in order.  The Committee recommended by acclamation the appointments of Carlos Ruiz Massieu of Mexico from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; Peter Maddens of Belgium and Richard Moon of the United Kingdom, from the Group of Western European and other States; and Namgya C. Khampa of India, Akira Sugiyama of Japan, and Zhang Wanhai of China, from the Group of Asian States.  Upon approval by the Assembly later this year, the candidates’ three-year terms of office will begin 1 January 2011.

In the case of the four candidates running for the three seats allotted to Group of Asian States on the ACABQ, the Committee voted as follows: Imtiaz Hussain of Pakistan received 114 votes; Namgya C. Khampa of India received 164 votes; Akira Sugiyama of Japan received 147 votes; and Zhang Wanhai of China received 130 votes.  There were 190 ballots cast; no invalid ballots; 190 delegations voting; and a required majority of 96.

Committee delegates at this morning’s meeting first turned their attention to pending vacancies on the International Civil Service Commission, a 15-member independent body that coordinates the conditions of service for the Organization’s staff.  The Commission had recently made a series of broad-reaching recommendations to the Committee as part of the Organization’s efforts to overhaul how the staff is hired, trained and paid.

The Committee recommended the five four-year appointments, beginning 1 January 2011, of Daasebre Oti Boateng of Ghana and Kingston Papie Rhodes of Sierra Leone, from the Group of African States; Carleen Gardner of Jamaica from the Group of Latin America and Caribbean States; Marie-Françoise Bechtel from the Group of Western European and other States; and Eugeniusz Wyzner from the Group of Eastern European States.

Voting was by secret ballot to fill the one vacancy allotted to the Group of Eastern European States.  Eugen Mihut of Romania received 75 votes and Eugeniusz Wyzner of Poland received 110 votes from the 182 delegations that voted.  A majority of 93 votes were needed.  There were 3 abstentions.

By acclamation, the Committee then recommended that the Assembly appoint Mr. Rhodes as Commission Chairman, a position he now holds.

The Committee then turned to its recommendations for the six three-year slots for the Committee on Contributions.  These terms would begin 1 January 2011.  The candidates elected by acclamation were:  Joseph Acakpo-Satchivi of Benin and Juan Ndong Mbomio Manuge of Equatorial Guinea, from the Group of African States; Bernardo Greiver del Hoyo of Uruguay and Pedro Luis Pedroso of Cuba, from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Gordon Eckersley of Australia and Thomas Schlesinger of Austria, from the Group of Western European and other States.

The Committee then recommended by acclamation four candidates to fill the four vacancies on the Investments Committee.  Simon Jiang of China, Achim Kassow of Germany, and William J. McDonough of the United States, were recommended for three-year terms beginning 1 January 2011, while Hélène Ploix of France was recommended for a one-year slot, also starting the first of the year.

The Committee also followed past practice with the appointments of ad hoc members.  It proposed to reappoint Ivan Pictet of Switzerland and appoint Hilda Ochoa Brillembourg of Venezuela as ad hoc members of the Investments Committee.  These one-year terms would also begin at the start of January.

Finally, turning to the three vacancies on the Independent Audit Advisory Committee, the Committee recommended by acclamation the appointments of Vinod Rai of India from the Group of Asian States; Vadim Vadimovich Dubinkin of the Russian Federation from the Group of Eastern European States; and Adrian Patrick Strachan of Jamaica from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.  These three-year slots will begin on 1 January 2011.

The Fifth Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 10 November, to discuss the Administration of Justice and take action on draft resolutions on financial reports and the pattern of conferences.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record