Sixty-seventh General Assembly

Fifth Committee

18^th Meeting (AM)

Fifth Committee Takes Up Proposed $5.34 Billion Programme Budget

Outline for Biennium 2014-2015

 

Secretariat officials today unveiled a $5.34 billion outline to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) that will provide the basis early next year for the Secretary-General’s proposed programme budget for the 2014-2015 biennium.

Assistant Secretary-General and Controller María Eugenia Casar, who introduced the outline, said it comprised $4.23 billion for regular budget established activities and $1.11 billion for special political missions.  As highlighted in the report itself, the estimate for real growth in regular budget-established activities was 1.5 per cent less than the approved appropriations and related provisions for the 2012-2013 budget cycle.

The Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), Collen Kelapile, who introduced that body’s related report, told the Committee that, after accounting for $220.6 million in re-costing due to inflation and fluctuations in currency exchange rates, the overall 2014-2015 budget would be 3.7 per cent higher than the $5.15 billion budget for the current biennium.

In scrutinizing the reports, some delegates faulted the Secretariat for not doing enough to control the Organization’s budget growth, while others criticized it for attempting to shift resources vital for implementing the development agenda to other issues.

The representatives of the European Union, Japan and the United States said that the protracted global economic slowdown made it all the more necessary to seek efficiencies, eliminate obsolete or ineffectual programmes, reform the budget-making process, and prevent a return to unabated growth of the Organization’s budget from one biennium to the next.

“The Organization cannot resume the unsustainable path we rejected a year ago,” the United States representative said, referring to the Committee’s historic move in 2011 to approve, for the first time in decades, a cut over the previous biennium’s budget.

But, Algeria’s representative, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, reiterated the importance of having adequate resources to implement the development agenda.  Further, the Committee was not the place to make changes to established budget procedures, as the Assembly was the only authorized body to do so.  He was concerned that the proposed budget outline contravened resolutions 41/213 (1986) and 42/211 (1987), which stipulated how the budget would be prepared and under what terms the Committee would negotiate it.

Cuba’s representative stressed that global economic woes were not an excuse for changing the re-costing methodology or slashing the resources needed to carry out the Organization’s mandate.  She was also concerned that the percentage increases in the 2014-2015 budget outline did not directly correspond to priorities set by the Assembly, but rather to overall policymaking, direction and coordination, safety and security, and internal oversight.

Responding to the delegates’ concerns, Ms. Casar admitted that the Organization’s budgetary analysis had become more complicated and she offered to meet with delegates in informal consultations to clear up any confusion over the preliminary figures.

Also today, Ms. Casar introduced a document concerning the 2013 resource requirements for implementing a draft resolution on the human rights situation in Myanmar.  Mr. Kelapile introduced the related ACABQ report on the subject, which supported the Secretary-General’s request for allocating $1.4 million net ($1.52 million gross) to the Secretary-General’s good offices to aid the process of national reconciliation and democratization in that country.

The representatives of Republic of Korea and Mexico also spoke today.

The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 13 December, to elect a bureau member and to consider the 2012-2013 programme budget for special political missions, and safety and security, as well as revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its resumed 2012 substantive session.

Background

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met today to consider the proposed programme budget outline for the biennium 2014-2015 and the programme budget implications of the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

On the first topic, the Committee had before it two reports.  The Secretary-General’s report on the proposed programme budget outline for the biennium 2014-2015 (document A/67/529 and Corr.1) is submitted in accordance with Assembly resolution 41/213, in which the Assembly asked the Secretary-General to submit in off-budget years an outline of the proposed budget for the following biennium.  The report sets out a preliminary estimate of $5.34 billion for the next biennium.  That amount includes $4.23 billion for regular budget established activities – 1.5 per cent less than the approved appropriations and related provisions of the biennium 2012-2013 – as well as $1.11 billion for special political missions.  Those figures include the deferred post-related re-costing for inflation and exchange rates in the biennium 2012-2013.

The figure for the special political missions is $30.2 million higher than the $1.08 million for the biennium 2012-2013, due to the continuation of missions set up in 2012.

The proposed budget is subject to revision on the basis of decisions by the Assembly during its consideration of those reports currently before it and foreseeable items yet to be issued for its review, as reflected in annex II.  Those reports, when considered and if adopted by the Assembly, will impact the budget level for the next biennium.

The Secretary-General also recommends that the contingency fund — which is set for each biennium to absorb additional expenditures derived from legislative mandates not provided for in the programme budget — be maintained at 0.75 per cent of the proposed budget, or $40.1 million, for the biennium 2014-2015.

The report proposes that the programme budget manifest the same eight priorities of the proposed strategic framework for the 2014-2015 period, namely:  maintenance of international peace and security; development of Africa; promotion of human rights; effective coordination of humanitarian assistance efforts; promotion of justice and international law; disarmament; and drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism.  Annex I of the report sets out the proposed distribution of resources by budget part.

Weighing in on the budget outline with its own report (document A/67/625), the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) asks the Assembly to take into account the updated information set forth in the ACABQ report’s annex, which contains a detailed account of the impact of items before the Assembly and foreseeable items yet to be considered on the proposed programme budget outline for the biennium 2014-2015.

The ACABQ backs the Secretary-General’s recommendation to maintain the contingency fund at 0.75 per cent, and expects that he will ensure that all departments, offices and decision–making bodies are informed of that level.  The ACABQ stresses the need to adhere strictly to Assembly resolutions 41/213 and 42/211 on the fund’s use.  The Advisory Committee welcomes the Secretary-General’s efforts to seek further efficiencies.  But, it underscores that such efforts should be sustainable, not ad hoc or reactive, and that the effectiveness of implementing mandates should remain paramount.  It also reiterates its concern about the need to go beyond incremental budgeting and to evaluate and consider the entire quantum of resources needed to enact Assembly-mandated activities.

The ACABQ, noting that the financial implications of some items in the Secretary-General’s report are listed as “to be determined”, while others are specified, believes that for the purposes of consistency of presentation, the potential impact of the proposed outline of all items yet to be considered by the Assembly should be reflected in the report in the same manner.

On programme budget implications, the Committee considered two reports.  In the first, on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (document A/C.5/67/14), the Secretary-General lays out the requirements for implementation of draft resolution A/C.3/67/L.49/Rev.1, including an extra $1.40 million net ($1.52 million gross) for the 1 January to 31 December 2013 period to continue the Secretary-General’s good offices, through his Special Adviser on Myanmar, to facilitate the process of national reconciliation and democratization in that country.  Those requirements would be charged against the provision for special political missions under section 3, political affairs.

Weighing in on that situation with its own report (document A/67/621), the ACABQ supports the Secretary-General’s request for allocating the $1.40 million net ($1.52 million gross).

Review of Administrative and Financial Functioning of United Nations

MARÍA EUGENIA CASAR, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, said the proposed programme budget outline for the 2014-2015 biennium, after approval by the General Assembly, would provide the basis for the Secretary-General’s proposed programme budget for 2014-2015 early next year.  It was a preliminary estimate of resources at a high level of aggregation.  The budget presented next year would provide more detailed information on the proposed requirements.

She said the preliminary resources estimate started with the initial $5.15 million appropriation for 2012-2013 approved pursuant to resolution 66/248 A-C (2011).  That starting point had been adjusted by a number of factors:  full provision for the continuation of the newly established posts approved in 2012-2013; removal of one-time costs in 2012-2013; provision of resource changes in the 2014-2015 biennium; inclusion of the deferred post-related re-costing for inflation and exchange rates; and inclusion of additional requirements for special political missions.

She went on to say that the full biennial provision in 2014-2015 for 126 newly established posts in the 2012-2013 biennium would require an additional $15.7 million.  One-time costs in 2012-2013 of $19.3 million that were no longer required for 2014-2015 had been removed.  The proposed provisions for resource changes in the 2014-2015 biennium included $4.6 million for mandated conferences whose modalities were known to date, and a $63.1 million decrease related to efforts being undertaken to increase service delivery efficiency.

Recalling that, in resolution 66/246 (2011), the Assembly decided to defer consideration of post-related re-costing for inflation and exchange rate projections to the first performance report on the 2012-2013 biennium, she said the deferred amount had been included in the preliminary estimate for planning purposes, based on established practice.  Further adjustments, due to variations in the rates of inflation and exchange, standard costs, vacancy rates assumed at the time of the initial appropriation, and unforeseen and extraordinary items, were provided in the first performance report on the programme budget for the 2012-2013 biennium, and reflected in the updated annex of the Advisory Committee’s report on the budget outline.

Preliminary indicative requirements for special political missions reflected a $30.2 million increase, she said, versus the initially approved appropriations for the 2012-2013 biennium, due in the continuation, in 2014-2015, of new missions established in 2012.  The preliminary estimates might be subject to change.  For example, given the uncertainty of the Mission in Syria’s mandate in 2014-2015, no estimates had been included for the Office of Joint Special Representative for Syria at this time.

She said information on initiatives before the Assembly and foreseeable items that had yet to be issued that might impact the budget outline were reflected in paragraph 26 and detailed in Annex II of the report.  Annex II was evolving as inputs were considered, and updated information would be provided to reflect the latest information.  An updated Annex II, as of 6 December 2012, had been provided to the Advisory Committee and included in its report.  Any further changes available at the time of the Fifth Committee considered that item during the informal consultations would be provided to the Committee.  Those items, if adopted by the Assembly, would have a bearing on the level of the proposed programme budget for the 2014-2015 biennium.  As regards the contingency fund, it was recommended that the level be maintained at 0.75 per cent, or $40.1 million, for the 2014-2015 biennium.

COLLEN KELAPILE, Chair of the ACABQ, introduced that body’s related report (document A/67/625).  According to the Secretary-General, growth in real terms reflected an estimated decrease of $62.1 million, or 1.5 per cent, from the approved appropriation for regular budget established activities from the current biennium.  But, when taking into account the full estimated biennial provision of $1.11 billion for special political missions, as well as of the indicative deferred post-related re-costing totalling $220.6 million, the $5.34 billion estimate for the next biennium would represent an increase of $188.7 million, or 3.7 per cent, over the approved appropriation of $5.15 billion for 2012-2013.  The ACABQ agreed with the adjustments proposed by the Secretary-General to reflect the delayed impact of regular budget posts in 2014-2015 and the non-requirement for resources provided in 2012-2013 for one-time costs.

With regard to the proposed provisions for resource changes in the biennium 2014-2015, which amounted to a net decrease of $58.5 million attributable to efforts to increase cost-effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery in several areas, the ACABQ welcomed the Secretary-General’s efforts to seek further efficiencies, he said.  The report’s annex detailed the possible impact of items before the Assembly and foreseeable items yet to be considered on the proposed programme budget outline for the biennium 2014-2015.  If the budget outline were to include the estimates of those items, the preliminary estimate would likely increase by approximately $154.4 million.  The ACABQ recommended approval of the Secretary-General’s proposal to maintain the contingency fund at 0.75 per cent of the overall resource level; it intended to comment further on the fund’s use during the current biennium in its report on the first performance report on the programme budget for 2012-2013.

Statements

MOURAD BENMEHIDI (Algeria), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said the $4.23 billion preliminary resource estimates, before inclusion of special political missions, represented a $158.5 million increase over the $4.07 billion approved appropriations for the 2012-2013 biennium, relating primarily to the inclusion of deferred post-related re-costing for inflation and exchange rates.  Despite the overall increase in the total budget, he expressed concern over the total net projected decrease in programme resources of 1.5 per cent, or $61.1 million, and the 2.8 per cent, or $30.2 million, increase over the estimated biennial provision for special political missions.

He said the proposed programme budget for the 2014-2015 biennium might be higher or lower than the preliminary estimates before the Committee today, reiterating the great importance of having adequate resources for the Secretariat to implement the development agenda.  He asked how much of the resource change in those areas had been accounted for by technical delayed impact adjustments.  He agreed with the proposal to maintain the contingency fund at 0.75 per cent of the preliminary estimates for the 2014-2015 biennium.  However, he was concerned that the Secretary-General’s report contravened resolutions 41/213 (1986) and 42/211 (1987), which stipulated how the budget would be prepared and under what terms the Fifth Committee would negotiate it.

He emphasized that the Assembly was the only body authorized to approve the United Nations budget, stressing that staff should be appointed by the Secretary-General under regulations established by the Assembly.  The Group would be guided in its approach by Articles 17, 97, 100 and 101 of the United Nations Charter, rule 153 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, and by rule 5.9 of the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation.  In sum, he reminded other Main Committees to refrain from using the phrase “within existing resources” in their resolutions, as doing so would contravene rule 153 of the Rules of Procedure.

CARMEL POWER, representing the delegation of the European Union, said that in the current difficult economic climate, it was more important than ever to apply the same strict budgetary discipline to the United Nations budget that Member States applied to their respective national budget.  In outlining the budget, the Secretary-General was obligated to make a true strategic assessment of resource needs and not simply list additions to the current budget.  The latter approach led to automatic budget growth.  That was neither affordable nor sustainable in the current global economic and financial context, but the current budget outline appeared to do just that.  The Secretary-General’s preliminary estimate of $5.34 billion represented an increase of $188.7 million, or 3.7 per cent, over the total approved appropriation for 2012-2013.  But, the latest figures indicated that would increase by at least another $154.4 million when accounting for the impact of initiatives currently before the Assembly and the foreseeable items.  “Budget growth of this magnitude has to be tackled as an imperative,” she said.

The current practice of re-costing was no longer sustainable, including re-costing as a basis for United Nations budgeting, and it must stop in the interest of greater discipline, transparency and flexibility, she said.  Inflation costs must be better controlled through reform of the post-adjustment system and the cost of exchange rate fluctuations must be better managed.  Creation of a United Nations culture focused on finding new, creative working methods was essential to deliver mandates more effectively and use resources more sustainably.  The business-as-usual approach did not address the scope of the United Nations current financial challenges.  She noted the new measures outlined in the Secretary-General’s report aimed at increasing cost-effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery and would result in a $58.5 million net reduction for the projected 2014-2015 budget.

She noted that further reviews of operational requirements would be undertaken.  She looked forward to hearing more about that impact when the Secretary-General presented his budget proposal for the next biennium.  She lauded the Secretary-General’s efforts to that end and urged him to continue seeking efficiencies.  She shared the ACABQ’s concerns that such exercises must be sustainable and not ad hoc or reactive, and agreed that it was necessary to go beyond incremental budgeting and to consider the entire resource picture required to carry out programmes and activities.  “It is time to seriously overhaul the current budget process and to reprioritize rigorously so that resources are freed up from low priority work.  In this regard, we are clear that the proposal before us today does not go far enough,” she said.

JUN YAMAZAKI (Japan) recalled that last December, Member States had agreed on the regular budget for the current biennium of $5.152 billion, about 5 per cent lower than the previous $5.416 billion budget.  As the economic and fiscal situation of most Member States had not significantly improved, “we cannot afford to go back to the expanding trend seen in the United Nations regular budget,” he said, which had more than doubled over the last decade before this biennium.  If either the current or the next biennium budget exceeded the historical high of $5.416 billion, the commitment to strengthen budgetary discipline embodied in the Secretary-General’s determination to “do more with less” would be in great jeopardy.

He said the next biennium budget should be formulated, not on the basis of extending the 2012-2013 budget, but on the basis of a “fresh look at needs”.  While Japan welcomed that the estimate included $63.1 million in savings, as a result of efforts for increased cost-effectiveness in the delivery of services, that represented a modest level of ambition and little real departure from incremental budgeting.  He shared the concerns of the ACABQ on the need to go beyond incremental budgeting and consider the entire quantum of resources necessary for mandate delivery.

All the more, he said the level indicated in the budget outline document could, at the end, represent an increase of about half a billion dollars over the currently agreed budget level, since the total estimate presented did not include expected additions for the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, treaty body strengthening, or any projection of inflation or exchange rate costs for 2014-2015.  Japan would participate in consultations on this agenda item so that the Secretary-General and his senior staff would be able to produce for the sixty-eighth session a well-thought-through proposed programme budget for 2014-2015 that reflected more efficient and effective resource deployment.

DAE-JONG YOO ( Republic of Korea) said his Government recognized that the Secretary-General had introduced new measures aimed at making the United Nations more transparent, effective and efficient.  He had reduced $59 million through resource change and adjusted $83 million in the special political mission budget.  The ACABQ underlined in its report that the efficiencies introduced as a result of the review exercises were not ad hoc or reactive, but sustainable.  He encouraged the Secretariat to step up its efforts to further promote efficiency savings.

He said the main factor of the budget increase related to re-costing, which considered fluctuations in exchange rates and inflation in the budget figure.  Re-costing alone accounted for $221 million, exceeding resource change gains, and that was a reminder of the need to revise the re-costing practice.  That should be done with a view to keeping the budget outline from continuing to grow.  The Republic of Korea, like many, was absorbing the exchange rate change and inflation within the approved budget.  As a global organization, the United Nations should be permitted to factor in the foreign currency rate movements.  Otherwise, its programme continuity remained vulnerable.

He said the budget outline served as a guideline for drafting the future programme budget.  Member States would be required eventually to pay their assessed contributions.  As the outline directly related to the Membership’s purse, it should reflect both ongoing State efforts to strengthen financial discipline and the Secretariat’s efforts to enhance the United Nations’ effectiveness.  In the medium- and long-term, the budget outline should be more binding than a guideline, so that the incremental approach to the programme budget would not be taken for granted.  The Secretariat would take the outline as a “ceiling” for the budget, with add-ons absorbed, in principle, within that ceiling.  At the same time, the Secretary-General should be allowed to exercise flexibility in drafting the programme budget within the mandate.

JOSEPH TORSELLA (United States) expressed regret that such an important agenda item as the biennium budget outline was introduced so late in the session.  He also expressed deep concern that the preliminary 2014-2015 budget was almost $190 million, or 4 per cent, over the approved appropriation for the current biennium.  The proposed budget outline was already out of date, as it did not include the $154 million in additional resources that could be required, as noted in the ACABQ report.  2011 had been a historic year, with the Secretary-General’s 2012-2013 budget submission including a bold proposal to achieve near-term efficiencies resulting in 3.7 per cent savings without impacting mandate delivery.   The Committee had acted equally responsibly to reverse decades of continuous growth in the United Nations regular budget.  The Secretary-General pledged a year ago that those efficiencies would be a first, not a last step.  He lauded the Secretary-General’s efforts to increase cost-effectiveness and service delivery under programme support, conference management, public information and reprioritization of capital projects, and to identify $63 million in savings in that regard.  Further, he praised, as well, his commitment to review programme outputs in line with regulation 5.6 in order to eliminate obsolete, marginally useful or ineffective programmes.  But, that was not enough.

“The 2014-2015 preliminary budget estimate risks taking us back, not forward,” he said.  Pending final review and decisions on the 2012-2013 budget, the budget outline for the next biennium represented continued growth of the United Nations budget during a time of continued financial pressure on Member States.  Its savings represented less than 1.2 per cent of its overall $5.34 billion cost.   Member States must acknowledge their responsibility for adding or expanding mandates outside the budget process, and stop supporting efficiency in the abstract, but opposing it for priority programmes.  They must make a commitment to “pay as you go” by specifying which expenses to reduce or obsolete mandates to eliminate in order to fund new spending requirements.  “The United Nations budget process is deeply flawed.  We have separated decisions about policy priorities from decisions about the resources to carry them out.  We have enabled subsidiary bodies like the International Civil Service Commission to effectively rewrite out budgets midstream,” he said, warning that “the Organization cannot resume the unsustainable path we rejected a year ago.”

NORMA GOICOCHEA ESTENOZ ( Cuba) backed Algeria’s statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.  Assembly resolution 41/213 was the basis for establishing agreement on the Organization’s budget.  But, since its passage there had been pressure, particularly by one Member State, to change the established practice.  The difficult global financial situation had been used as an argument to pressure other Member States to approve new budget-setting procedures.  Developing countries understood it was imperative to give the Organization the requisite resources to carry out its mandate.  Many resolutions endorsed the validity of resolution 41/213.  But, the programme budget for 2012-2013, and many provisions of resolution 66/246, seemed to call into question the validity of that legal instrument.  She noted the preliminary $5.34 billion budget for 2014-2015 had, as a starting point, the amount approved by the Assembly in resolution 66/248.  That analysis was out of kilter from the outset, because it was based on a lower budget for the current biennium, as well as arbitrary cuts decided on during difficult negotiations.  The proposal also included a new calculation for re-costing.

It was imperative to stick to the methodology approved by the Assembly, she said.  The Secretariat should explain in more detail how the proposed change to re-costing would affect the first performance report.  Preliminary estimates for the special political missions reflected a 2.8 per cent increase from the current biennium’s budget.  Those missions should be financed by applying the same scale as was applied to peacekeeping operations.  While supporting the Secretariat’s efforts to increase efficiency, Cuba was concerned by the content of paragraphs 11 and 12 of the Secretary-General’s report, which appeared to solicit a “blank check” from the Assembly to apply $61.3 million in budget cuts without Member States being privy to the details of those cuts.  A conference room paper should be presented during informal consultations, with detailed information about those steps, their budgetary impact and guarantees that the Organization was continuing an intergovernmental approach, not a corporate one.

Turning to annex 1 to the report, she said although the 2014-2015 budget outline was preliminary, it would be important to know the growth level the Secretariat foresaw as a result of the Rio+20 process and other important decisions.  The percentage increases in the 2014-2015 budget outline did not directly correspond to priorities set by the Assembly.  Rather, they corresponded to programme I, on overall policymaking, direction and coordination; programme IX, on internal oversight; and programme XII, on safety and security.  The Committee should not use negotiations on the budget outline to make changes to the established budget procedure.  Such a change would require thorough debate in the Assembly.

NOEL GONZÁLEZ SEGURA ( Mexico) agreed with the ACABQ vis-à-vis the outline, the need to account for deferred effects, and the fact that 2012-2013 resources assigned would not be necessary for recurring costs.  He also agreed that efforts to seek further efficiencies in service delivery should be sustainable, not ad hoc or in response to special circumstances.  “We should expect nothing less of the United Nations,” he said.

He hoped that efficiency in the implementation of mandates would be the primary consideration.  Mexico attached the greatest importance to estimates of increases, paying particular attention to the resources needed for programmes and activities approved by the Assembly.  He applauded the Secretary-General’s efforts to provide Member States with a picture that reflected reality as much as possible.

He noted that the area which had seen the biggest budget increase was the special political missions, which registered a $158.5 million increase.  Mexico had taken note of the Secretary-General’s comment with regard to the impossibility of estimating those costs for the biennium.  In order to create more certainty and transparency in the budgetary process, he called for addressing the challenge of the financial arrangements for special political missions as quickly as possible.

Responding to those statements, Ms. CASAR said the use of numbers in the budget outline was very complicated, due in part to the re-costing.  Some increased costs were due to initiatives proposed by Member States after the budget outline was presented.  She understood that was creating a lot confusion regarding the procedure used for coming up with the budget numbers.  Her team would work hard to clarify the numbers.  During discussions about the 3 per cent reduction, there was strong pressure from Member States regarding the issue of how inflation and exchange rate fluctuations would impact the budget.  The whole budgetary analysis had become more complicated.  She assured delegates her team was ready to clarify any figures they may find difficult to understand at first sight.  She offered to hold informal meetings with any delegates on that matter.

Programme Budget Implications of Draft Resolution A/C.3/67/L.49/Rev.1

Ms. CASAR introduced the statement of programme budget implications contained in document A/C.5/67/14 concerning the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (A/C.3/L.49/Rev.1).  She said that under the terms of paragraph 21 of the draft resolution, the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to continue to provide his good offices and to pursue discussion on the human rights situation, the transition to democracy and the national reconciliation process with the Government and people of Myanmar, involving all relevant stakeholders.  The additional $1.40 million net ($1.52 million gross) in resource requirements that would result from the text’s adoption, included a staff complement of one Under-Secretary-General-level Special Adviser, two P-4 and one P-3 Political Affairs Officers, and one General Service administrative assistant, as well as other operational requirements.

Mr. KELAPILE then introduced report A/67/621, which provided the ACABQ’s recommendation on the statement submitted by the Secretary-General in accordance with rule 153 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure on the programme budget implications of the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (document A/C.3/67/L.49/Rev.1).  The ACABQ recommended that the Fifth Committee inform the Assembly that, should it adopt that resolution, $1.40 million net ($1.51 million gross) would be required for the 1 January to 31 December 2013 period for the continuation of efforts by the good offices of the Secretary-General relating to the situation in Myanmar.

He also drew attention to the fact that those requirements, which would be charged against the 2013 appropriation for special political missions under section 3, political affairs, of the 2012-2013 programme budget, had already been submitted to the Assembly at its current session.  The ACABQ’s relevant observations and recommendations were contained in its related report (document A/67/604).

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