Sixty-fifth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

26^th Meeting (AM)

Fifth Committee Takes Up Budget Implications of September 2011 High-Level

 

General Assembly Meeting on Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases

 

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met today to consider the financial implications of a General Assembly high-level meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases slated for September 2011.

While the total additional resources needed for the two-day meeting in New York were estimated at $360,000, the actual charge against the biennium’s 2010-2011 contingency fund would be $152,600, said Sharon Van Buerle, Director, Programme Planning and Budget Division.

The remaining conference costs of $208,000 would be shifted from other budget sections, said Ms. Van Buerle as she introduced the Secretary-General’s statement (document A/C.5/65/13) on the programme budget implications of General Assembly resolution A/65/L.50, on the scope, modalities, format and organization of such a meeting.  One factor behind the Secretariat’s ability to absorb some of the conference costs was that the Assembly was not meeting on 19 September 2011.  The high-level meeting was scheduled for 19 and 20 September 2011.

Nearly $127,000 of the $152,600 net conference costs would fall under section 2, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management, while $25,800 would fall under section 28D, Office of Central Support Services.

Ms. Van Buerle said the total resources of $360,600 needed to stage the two-day conference would include $78,800 for interpretation services in all six official languages for seven meetings; $141,000 for verbatim records services in the six official languages for four plenary meetings; and $115,000 to meet documentation services requirements.

The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) recommended approval of the Secretary-General’s course of action, said Chairperson Susan McLurg, as she presented its oral report on the issue.

In May 2010, the Assembly adopted resolution 65/265, “Prevention and Control of non-communicable diseases”, which aimed to boost international efforts to address the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes.

In that resolution, the Assembly recognized the threat those diseases posed to the economies of many Member States, while threatening the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.  It also decided to convene the high-level meeting, meant to draw heads of State and Government.

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For information media • not an official record