Fifth Committee Weighs Mission Budget Cuts as Delegates Voice Concerns over Peacekeeping Efforts Jeopardized by Unjustified Cost Reductions
As Haiti approached presidential and municipal elections, adequate international support was needed to avoid a security vacuum and a loss of gains made towards democracy and development, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) heard today as it weighed a substantial cut to the 2015/16 budget of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in that country.
The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) continued to play an essential role in assisting national authorities in strengthening security and stability and building the capacity of national institutions, that country’s delegate said. As the nation prepared to hold free, transparent and inclusive municipal, legislative and presidential elections, he continued, personnel in the military and police components in the Mission should be maintained at appropriate levels to prevent the emergence of a security vacuum and a squandering of gains made so far.
Ecuador’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said the bloc would scrutinize the proposed reduction of $110.52 million, or 22.1 per cent, to MINUSTAH’s 2015/16 budget. CELAC disagreed with any arbitrary reductions without technical justification in the resources allocated to the Mission, he said, reiterating the need for the provision of resources to ensure adequate technical, logistical and security support during the electoral process, a position supported by several other delegations.
The Committee also considered the financing of the following peacekeeping operations: United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).
Togo’s delegate, speaking for the African Group, stressed the importance of allocating adequate resources to each operation in general and specifically to those located in Africa, taking into account each mandate’s complexity and unique circumstances and the magnitude of challenges in the field. He said it was regrettable that unjustified cost reductions and across-the-board cuts continued to be presented to Member States, an approach that continued to have a negative impact.
Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, introduced the Secretary-General’s reports on 2014/15 budget performance and the 2015/16 budgets for those peacekeeping missions. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), presented his body’s related reports.
Also speaking today were representatives of Canada (also on behalf of Australia and New Zealand), China, Guatemala, Brazil, Syria, Colombia, France and Israel.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 14 May, to discuss the United Nations’ financial situation and its support account for peacekeeping operations.
Financing of Peacekeeping Operations
BETTINA TUCCI BARTSIOTAS, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, introduced the Secretary-General’s reports on 2014/15 budget performance and the 2015/16 budgets for several peacekeeping missions.
For the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (documents A/69/633 and A/69/805), she said that the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) had approved a commitment authority of up to $59.5 million for the period from 10 April 2014 to 30 June 2014 for the establishment of the Mission, which now had a complete uniformed personnel component. That amount had been spent and was now requested for appropriation. For 2015/16, a budget of $843.6 million, up 34.2 per cent from the previous year, had been proposed, including funding for a net increase of 166 civilian positions.
For the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (documents A/69/620 and A/69/797), a commitment authority of $38.6 million had been requested for the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, in addition to the $1.4 billion already appropriated, she said. Following an unexpected slowdown in joint operations with the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC), that amount had been reduced by $11 million to $27.6 million. For 2015/16, $1.37 billion had been requested, representing a decrease of 2 per cent from the previous year, due primarily to delayed deployment of military personnel and lower costs of contingent-owned equipment.
For the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) (documents A/69/619 and A/69/785), she said the Secretary-General was proposing to reduce the budget by 22.1 per cent to $389.5 million for 2015/16. The number of military contingents was being reduced from 5,021 to 2,370, a total of 268 posts were being abolished and 38 posts were being converted to national staff. Five liaison offices and the regional office in Jacmel would be closed, the Mission’s civilian air fleet was being reconfigured and the Santo Domingo Support Office was being progressively closed.
For the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) (documents A/69/667 and A/69/820), the Secretary-General withdrew his proposal for additional funding for 2014/15, she said. For 2015/16, $355.2 million had been requested, down 16.9 per cent from the previous year primarily due to a lower level of military and civilian staffing, as well as a reduction in facilities, infrastructure and ground and air transportation.
For the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) (documents A/69/593 and A/69/784), she noted that $936 million, or an increase of 12.7 per cent, was requested to reflect additional military and police personnel, a net increase of 108 civilian posts, higher costs for camp construction for the new force laydown structure, air transportation services and contractual arrangements for improvised explosive device awareness training for all military contingents.
For the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) (documents A/69/586, A/69/586/Corr.1, A/69/586/Corr.2 and A/69/732), she said that $52.3 million had been proposed for 2015/16, down 18 per cent from the previous year due primarily to the reduction of military contingent personnel and a cut of four international and 21 national posts.
Turning to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) (documents A/69/606, A/69/731 and A/69/731/Corr.1), she said that $517.5 million had been proposed for 2015/16, an increase of 1.6 per cent due mainly to the deployment of equipment and troops from two military contingent battalions and higher civilian personnel costs, which had been offset by reduced operation costs.
For the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) (documents A/69/677 and A/69/800), she noted that $1.1 billion, up 1.1 per cent, had been proposed for 2015/16 to reflect increased deployment of military observers, military contingents, United Nations police and formed police personnel to cope with the prolonged presence of more than 100,000 internally displaced persons. The increase was offset by reduced requirements for civilian personnel, international and national staff and United Nations volunteers.
For the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) (documents A/69/673 and A/69/808), she noted that $1.1 billion had been proposed for 2015/16, down 1.6 per cent from the previous year. Although costs for military and police personnel had increased, operational costs had been cut by 9.5 per cent due to the reduction of air transportation and related costs, hiring costs and of two rotary-wing aircraft in the fleet.
CARLOS RUIZ MASSIEU, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, introduced his body’s reports on budget performances for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 and the proposed budgets for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 for the following peacekeeping operations: MINUSCA, MONUSCO, MINUSTAH, UNMIL, MINUSMA, UNDOF, UNIFIL, UNMISS and UNAMID.
Sharing his observations and recommendations, he said the Advisory Committee did not concur with the Secretary-General’s proposal to charge missions for the entire costs relating to applications developed by the Office of Information and Communications Technology and the supply chain management initiative. It recommended that the proposed resource requirements in individual missions be reduced accordingly. That would result in a reduction for the missions concerned under information technology, consultancy services and official travel. Related upward adjustments were reflected in the Committee’s report on the support account, he said.
On vacancy rates applied to posts at the Regional Service Centre at Entebbe in line with the report of the Advisory Committee on the Global Field Support Strategy, he said that for missions that had contributed posts to the Centre, the Committee recommended that the vacancy rates of 17 per cent and 50 per cent be applied to national General Service posts and National Professional Officer posts, respectively.
Regarding official travel, the Advisory Committee identified a number of issues relating to trips planned for 2015/16, such as those to the same or nearby destinations and the need for more frequent use of video and teleconferencing. A consolidation of the travel requirements should be made and alternative means of communication should be used, he said, adding that the Committee recommended reductions to the proposed resources for official travel for the missions.
On MINUSCA, the Advisory Committee noted a lack of analysis of variances in the performance report of the Secretary-General, he said, noting that significant variances between expenditures and initial estimates for the period demonstrated the imprecise nature of planning estimates. The Committee, therefore, recommended that the Assembly request the Secretary-General to make further efforts to improve financial planning for future start-up missions. On the proposed budget for 2015/16, the Advisory Committee’s recommendations would entail a reduction of $14,667,100.
Turning to MONUSCO, he said the Advisory Committee’s recommendations would entail a reduction of $7,396,800 to the proposed budget of the Mission for the 2015/16 period. The Committee welcomed and encouraged continued efforts made by the Mission to proactively reprioritize its resources in order to minimize the extent of the budget shortfall. It also welcomed the progress made in completing the civilian staffing review, as well as the steps being taken to build national capacity.
Regarding MINUSTAH, Mr. RUIZ MASSEIU said the Committee’s recommendations would entail a reduction of $3,335,300 to the proposed budget for 2015/16. Under civilian staffing, the Committee did not object to the ongoing consolidation process of the Mission and recommended abolishing a post that had been vacant for more than two years.
Turning to UNMIL, he urged the Committee to defer consideration in view of the withdrawal of the Secretary-General’s note on that matter.
On MINUSMA, the Committee recommended a net decrease of $1,644,000 to the proposed budget for the Mission for 2015/16. The Committee expressed deep concern that MINUSMA continued to suffer a high number of fatalities and injuries and expected that the Secretary-General would make every effort to increase the safety and security of its military and civilian personnel.
With regard to UNDOF, the recommendation of the Advisory Committee would entail a net decrease of $40,478 to the proposed budget for 2015/16. He highlighted an inventory discrepancy in the number of armoured vehicles transferred from the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) to UNDOF. As those vehicles had a high acquisition value, the Committee expected the Secretary-General to provide an update on their status to the Assembly.
Turning to the proposed budget for UNIFIL, the Committee recommended a reduction of $3,493,900 to the proposed budget for 2015/16. The Committee expected that information relating to alternatives that were being developed to enable the mission to maintain its operations with the proposed staffing levels would be made available to the Assembly so that it could have the necessary assurance that any endorsement of those proposals would not have a detrimental effect on the provision of essential maintenance support services.
On UNMISS, the Advisory Committee’s recommendations would entail a reduction of $14,551,700 to the proposed budget. On staffing, the Committee recommended against the proposed establishment of the D-1 Deputy Director in the Human Rights Division and recommended the abolition of 26 posts that had been vacant for two years or longer.
On UNAMID, the recommendations of the Advisory Committee would entail a reduction of $2,249,300 to the proposed budget for the Mission. Under operational costs, the Committee recommended a reduction in the proposed budget for the rental of office space and facilities for the Regional Service Centre at Entebbe for the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services, with those costs to be reflected in the support account.
KODJOVI DOSSEH (Togo), speaking on behalf of the African Group, said he would be interested to learn in detail a number of key elements of budget implementation, particularly those related to facilities, infrastructure, accommodation, recruitment, human resources management and other mission support elements, during informal deliberations. With regard to the proposal for the financing of peacekeeping operations, the Group reiterated the great importance it attached to the allocation of adequate resources to each operation in general and specifically to those located in Africa, taking into account each mandate’s complexity and unique circumstances and the magnitude of challenges in the field.
The Group noted a small increase in the overall level of 0.4 per cent while acknowledging a number of proposed reductions across the missions despite the expansion of their mandate or the increase of the challenges they faced. Consideration of the peacekeeping budgets should not be taken as a simple cost-reduction exercise, but one driven by responsible mandate implementation and resource allocation. It was regrettable that unjustified cost reductions and across-the-board cuts continued to be presented to Member States, an approach that continued to have a negative impact. He requested that the Chef de Cabinet explain to the Committee some of its “unanswered questions” that involved senior managers in the Organization.
XAVIER LASSO MENDOZA (Ecuador), speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said MINUSTAH had made important progress in its support to the Haitian people’s efforts to consolidate stability and the rule of law and move forward on the path to social and economic development. Yet the situation in the country still presented several challenges. The proposed budget for the Mission for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 represented a decrease of $110,524,600, or 22.1 per cent, compared to the previous year. CELAC would thoroughly consider the new proposals to reduce the budget with a view to ensuring that the Mission would have the necessary resources to deliver its mandate and to help the Haitian Government in its reconstruction and development efforts.
CELAC disagreed with any arbitrary reductions without technical justification in the resources allocated to the Mission, he said, reiterating the need for the provision of resources to ensure adequate technical, logistical and security support during the electoral process. Community violence reduction programmes and quick-impact projects had proven to be critical tools in working towards sustainable peace and security and they needed appropriate financing, he said.
CONRAD LAMONT SHECK (Canada), speaking also for Australia and New Zealand, said that the Committee’s decisions should not put at risk the results achieved to date in Haiti, in particular, the ability of MINUSTAH to contribute to the stability and security during significant national events such as elections. He shared the concerns of Member States about the growing peacekeeping budget and the need to ensure that missions were mounted, resourced, maintained and eventually liquidated with a strong priority on efficiency and cost-effectiveness in mandate delivery. On MINUSTAH, he was particularly interested in issues related to the use of air assets in providing enhanced mobility for the Mission uniformed personnel in order to respond to requests for assistance, notably from the Haitian National Police, as well as the rationale for the utilization of Mission aircraft in medical evacuation scenarios. He noted the Advisory Committee’s concern that the Secretary-General had not complied with resolution 66/264 in his budget proposals for 2015/16 on the need to re-justify posts that had been vacant for two years or longer.
GUO XUEJUN (China), noting that his country was a major financial and troop contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping operations, said that his Government had no problem with increases in peacekeeping budgets as long as they were justified. With the budget of three peacekeeping missions exceeding $1 billion, however, he called for strengthening budget management. All parties should exercise realism when crafting the budget. Budget formulation should take into account that some missions were in the stage of drawdown under Security Council decisions and should address concerns of troop- and police-contributing countries, he said, adding that the United Nations should reimburse costs to them on time. Given that 42 per cent of missions operated in high-risk areas, the safety of personnel must be better secured.
DENIS RÉGIS (Haiti), aligning with CELAC, said his country had reached a decisive turning point in consolidating democracy and the rule of law. Remaining faithful to its commitment, the Government had taken all steps to hold free, transparent and inclusive municipal, legislative and presidential elections. Commending the efforts of Haitians and the international community to jointly overcome obstacles, he said the climate of trust bode well for the country. MINUSTAH continued to play an essential role in assisting Haitian authorities in strengthening security and stability and building the capacity of national institutions, he said, adding that the sustained and dynamic cooperation between the Government and the Mission was behind that positive trend.
As MINUSTAH proceeded towards a drawdown, Haiti expected the Mission to focus its attention and resources on critical areas, he said, stressing the need to consider realities on the ground while contemplating reconfiguration. Personnel in the military and police components in the Mission should be maintained at appropriate levels to prevent the emergence of a security vacuum and a squandering of gains made so far. After carefully considering the documents presented before the Committee, Haiti took particular note of the desire to boost regional cooperation towards achieving lasting stability in the country. He said his delegation was pleased to note the importance the Secretary-General’s report attached to the improvement of human rights in Haiti. Any peacekeeping operation of the United Nations was unique in terms of its context, he said, adding that each operation and transition needed to be adapted to the needs and priorities of the host country.
OMAR CASTAÑEDA SOLARES (Guatemala), aligning with CELAC, said continued and sustained support from the international community had led to considerable economic and social progress in Haiti. However, significant challenges persisted as the country worked towards national reconstruction and stabilization. It was not wise to proceed with budget cuts at a time when Haiti was facing new unrest and violence and was preparing to hold overdue municipal, legislative and presidential elections. All necessary support must be provided to the Haitian Government and people during that critical juncture. As the current mandate had not changed, it was essential to maintain resources at existing levels.
SÉRGIO RODRIGUES DOS SANTOS (Brazil), aligning with CELAC, said his country had continued to support the implementation of the MINUSTAH consolidation plan during the past year. Encouraging developments had taken place in the country during that period, including a steady decline in cholera cases and the promulgation of an electoral law to hold long overdue elections. Haitian authorities would require strong support from MINUSTAH, as well as from the country’s international partnerships in order to ensure the realization of legitimate, free and fair elections. A successful electoral process would be essential to enable a continued and sustainable drawdown of the Mission. Setbacks at the current sensitive stage may risk unravelling the security situation in the country and reversing the gains achieved since 2010. Therefore, it was crucial to adopt a responsible approach to financing the Mission’s activities for the next financial year.
ISMAIL BASSEL AYZOUKI (Syria) said that the Secretary-General’s report on UNDOF had ignored the realities on the ground. The report also ignored the reason for the deteriorating situation in the Syrian Golan that was occupied by Israel, which had acted in flagrant violation of international law. Disregarded Israel’s military activities and its support for terrorism, the report described the situation in Syria as “civil conflict”, he said, emphasizing that the current reality was that it was “a war against terrorism”. Those mistakes should be corrected, he said, adding that his delegation objected to the proposed cut of 21 national posts.
MIGUEL CAMILO RUIZ BLANCO (Colombia) stressed that it was important not to undermine the mandate of MINUSTAH and not to endanger the progress achieved so far. Reaffirming his delegation’s commitment that the Mission was equipped with sufficient resources to fulfil its mandate, he said the Mission should support the national authorities in addressing security challenges as Haiti was entering an electoral process.
VANESSA GOURET VERSCHUEREN (France) said her country had immediately responded to allegations of sexual abuse by French peacekeepers in Central African Republic, adding that an investigation was being undertaken with the United Nations. President François Hollande had repeatedly reiterated that, should the allegations be proven, punishment would be commensurate with the crime.
YOTAM GOREN (Israel), requesting the floor, said the Syrian delegate was attempting to rewrite history through his use of words. “Terrorism” occurred when a country bombed its own people. Peace was action as well as commitment, which Israel was fully committed to. The continuing politicization of the agenda in the Committee should be discontinued, he said.
Mr. AYZOUKI (Syria), taking the floor, said his comments were related to the Secretary-General’s report on UNDOF and the reasons for the current situation. It was Israel’s representative who was trying to politicize the issue by deflecting attention away from the reason why UNDOF was created in the first place.
Mr. GOREN (Israel), taking the floor for a second time, said the “ridiculous accusations” by the Syrian delegate did no service to the deliberations under way.