Speakers Argue against Proposed Cuts to Missions in Sudan, Somalia, as Fifth Committee Examines 2017/18 Budget Outlines for Peacekeeping Operations
Speakers today emphasized the need to give the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia the resources they needed to fulfil their mandates, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) continued its consideration of the financing of peacekeeping missions.
They took the floor as the Committee heard the introduction of reports of the Secretary-General on proposed 2017/18 budgets for those two missions and the soon-to-close United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), together with corresponding reports from the Advisory Board on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
Mahley Hailu (Ethiopia) said UNISFA had not only won the trust of Sudan and South Sudan, but helped to prevent war. Its success would not have been possible without the “heroic sacrifices of our armed forces” as well as the resilience of the mechanisms implemented to address several risk factors, she said. It would, therefore, only be fair if all the required financial and material resources for 2017/18 were availed by the United Nations, after rationalizing each item.
Asking why the ACABQ was recommending a reduction of $3.62 million in the Secretary-General’s proposed 2017/18 budget for the Interim Force, she said an overemphasis on saving resources should not get in the way of peacekeeping missions delivering on their mandates. Turning to UNSOS, she said a blanket budget cut did not take into account resources for life-support activities. She went on to hope that the Committee would not allow unnecessary ambition for resource-saving at the expense of compromising life and security.
Youssouf Aden Moussa (Djibouti) focused on UNSOS’ proposed budget, emphasizing that the logistical support it provided to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) under a Security Council mandate was crucial for the region. While the situation had improved recently, Somalia remained a country in conflict, he said, and with the Support Office working to ensure good elections, it needed appropriate funding to work in cooperation with the African Union, other parts of the United Nations, and police- and troop-contributing countries. Underscoring that AMISOM was underfunded and understaffed, he said support was needed to turn it into a fully fledged peacekeeping operation.
Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, introduced the Secretary-General’s reports on the budget performance for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, and the budget for the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018 for UNISFA (documents A/71/624 and A/71/767), UNOCI (documents A/71/732 and A/71/886) and UNSOS (documents A/71/630 and A/71/788).
On UNISFA, she said a budget of $278 million was proposed for 2017/18, representing an increase of 3.5 per cent compared to the approved resources for 2016/17. She said the Interim Force would continue to support mediation and inter-community dialogue in order to address tensions between the communities in Abyei. It would also continue to support the work of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, thus improving relations between Sudan and South Sudan and building confidence between those two States.
On UNOCI, she said the mission was meeting deadlines set by the Security Council in resolution 2284 (2016) towards its full closure and liquidation by 30 June. All military and police contingents had departed Côte d’Ivoire by mid-February, while civilian substantive staff had been significantly reduced, with the exception of a small complement that would focus on finalizing residual tasks associated with the mission’s liquidation. She went on to note that the mission had instituted a programme to help national staff in particular to obtain employment after UNOCI, adding that the withdrawal plan facilitated the reduction in the mission’s footprint and allowed for a timely and environmentally responsible closure of camps and other liquidation activities.
Turning to UNSOS, she said the proposed 2017/18 budget of $619.3 million reflected an increase of 7.8 per cent compared with approved resources for 2016/17. The Support Office would continue to provide logistical support for AMISOM, including through the expansion of mission enabling units to all sectors, she said. Such units, embedded in AMISOM, included heavy transport, combat engineering, explosive management and security elements. UNSOS would expand mission enabling units with additional mentors while continuing to ensure that AMISOM received an adequate level of support to address the evolving threat of improvised explosive devices.
CARLOS RUIZ MASSIEU, ACABQ Chair, introduced its related reports on UNISFA (document A/71/836/Add.13), UNOCI (document A/71/886) and UNSOS (document A/71/836/Add.6).
On UNISFA, he said the Advisory Committee’s recommendations would reduce the Secretary-General’s proposal for 2017/18 by $3.62 million by addressing the proposed reassignment of posts, conversions of positions funded under General Temporary Assistance, construction projects, external consultants and official travel. He also noted that the Interim Force’s estimated vehicle holdings were above standard ratios, leading the ACABQ to recommend that it comply with prescribed standard ratios.
On UNOCI, he said the Advisory Committee noted an 88 per cent budget implementation rate, as well as instances of incorrect recording of expenditures, which hindered a proper comparison and analysis of expenditure patterns. He went on to say that the ACABQ had requested, but did not receive, sufficient information on the reasons for a 22 per cent over-expenditure under national staff.
With regard to the 2015/16 performance period, he continued, the Advisory Committee noted the potential sale of UNOCI assets of approximately $7 million and the projected unencumbered balance of $3.2 million for 2016/17. It was not convinced of the need for the Operation to retain the unencumbered balance for 2015/16 of approximately $48.7 million, and other income in the amount of $16.5 million, as requested in the Secretary-General’s report. Instead, he said, the Advisory Committee recommended that those amounts — totalling $65.2 million — be credited to Member States in full and without delay.
On UNSOS, he said the Advisory Committee’s recommendations would reduce by $40.4 million the Secretary-General’s proposed budget for 2017/18. He noted that increases of $18.7 million for military personnel, and $7.4 million for police personnel, for 2017/18 had been proposed for reimbursement for self-sustainment and under a ration contract amended during the 2015/16 period. In that regard, the ACABQ was concerned that information on those increases lacked clarity and justification, in addition to being inconsistent in a number of cases.
Recognizing the challenging environment in which the Support Office was operating, and its need to adjust to operational requirements, he said the Advisory Committee approved the proposed redeployment of 112 post and positions. However, he added, it was not convinced by the reasons given for the reassignment of a further 42 posts and positions and, therefore, recommended that they be abolished.
Recalling UNSOS’ long-standing dependency on consultants, he said the Advisory Committee had noted a significant increase in the number of such persons that would be engaged in the 2017/18 period. It had also commented on a lack of clarity concerning the respective functions and locations of staff, consultants and individual contractors. With regard to air operations and medical services, the Advisory Committee questioned the need for a new airplane for UNSOS with higher seating capacity when the actual number of passengers per flight was significantly lower during 2016.
The Fifth Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Monday, 8 May, to fill vacancies in its subsidiary bodies and to discuss cross-cutting issues related to the administrative and budgetary aspects of financing peacekeeping operations.