Speakers in Fifth Committee Support 2016/17 Budget Proposal for New Office to Help Member States Implement Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
Delegates today expressed support for a budget proposal to establish a new counter-terrorism office, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) took up reports on the Organization’s Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and on peacekeeping missions in Abyei and Lebanon.
The new office would transfer the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre — both part of the Department of Political Affairs — into one separate entity as a way to strengthen the United Nations ability to help Member States implement the Strategy.
The almost $400,000 request for the move was fiscally prudent, said the United States’ representative, who looked forward to reviewing the full budget proposal for the new office in the upcoming 2018-2019 programme budget submission and expected that it would show further efficiencies through the consolidation of the staff and functions of those offices.
Ecuador’s delegate, on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said all mandates approved by intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations should be provided with adequate resources from the regular programme budget for their implementation.
Presenting another view, the Russian Federation’s representative said that while his delegation supported the draft resolution that would establish the new office, he hoped it would not lead to increases in costs.
Setting up the office would cost $390,600 and would be absorbed within the 2016-2017 regular programme budget, said Pedro Guazo, Acting Deputy Controller of the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts, who introduced a statement submitted by the Secretary-General on budget implications of adopting the draft resolution. In addition, it would require the establishment of two posts, including an Under-Secretary-General to head the new office and one P-3 to act as his Special Assistant.
Babou Sene, Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), presented his office’s related report.
The Fifth Committee then turned to financing of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), with Ethiopia’s delegate expressing concern about the United Nations failure to reimburse troop-contributing countries at a time when the mission was expected to do more in its mandate execution with less resources. “The message that the United Nations is sending by failing to reimburse amounts due is neither justifiable nor fair,” he said. “Avoiding the same mistakes in the future is not only a matter of principle, but that is the minimum expected from all of us and the United Nations.” Concurring with the Advisory Committee’s recommendation under paragraph 10, calling for cooperation with the Fifth Committee to endorse quick reimbursement of outstanding claims and resources to close financing gaps for the 2016/17 period, he reiterated a call for unity in the Fifth Committee, which had not been able to make progress in its current informal negotiations.
Ms. Costa introduced the Secretary-General’s related note, saying the General Assembly was asked to appropriate $11.3 million for 2016/17 in addition to the $268.8 million already appropriated and assessed under resolution 70/269 to maintain the mission over the coming year. The Advisory Committee endorsed that amount in its related report, introduced by Mr. Sene.
On the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Ecuador’s representative, speaking again for the Group of 77, said Israel had not paid the $1.12 million due as accounts receivable for UNIFIL, in relation to the tragic incident in Qana on 18 April 1996. The Group stressed that Israel should pay the amount due and it asked the Secretary-General to report on that matter to the General Assembly during its seventy-second session.
The representative of Israel said the Fifth Committee had an important role to play for United Nations peacekeeping missions and had prided itself on taking a professional and not a political approach in discussions. “Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case these past years with regards to this specific issue,” he said. “If we truly want to do the job we are here to do, let us all remember that repetition reinforces repetition, whilst change fosters more change.”
The representative of Sri Lanka, in his capacity as coordinator of the agenda item on UNIFIL, said that the Fifth Committee had been unable to reach consensus during negotiations.
In other business, the Fifth Committee decided to recommend that the General Assembly appoint Steve Townley (United Kingdom) to fill a vacancy in the Committee on Contributions following the resignation of Simon Hough effective 3 May 2017. Mr. Townley would complete the remainder of Mr. Hough’s term of office, to expire on 31 December 2017.
United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy: Programme Budget Implications
PEDRO GUAZO, Deputy Controller, introduced the statement submitted by the Secretary-General in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly (document A/C.5/71/22) on the programme budget implications of the draft resolution titled “Strengthening the capability of the United Nations system to assist Member States in implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy” (document A/71/L.66). He said the draft resolution would establish a new Office of Counter-Terrorism as a separate component of the United Nations regular programme budget.
Once approved by the General Assembly, the Secretary-General would appoint an Under-Secretary-General and transfer from the Department of Political Affairs to the Office of Counter-Terrorism the current Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, together with their programme budget and extra-budgetary resources, he said. Adoption of the draft resolution would give rise to additional resources of $390,600 for the biennium 2016-2017, comprising $162,700 under section 3, Political affairs, $210,500 under section 29D, Office of Central Support Services, and $17,400 under section 26, Staff assessment. However, that amount of $390,600 would be absorbed within the respective sections of the 2016-2017 programme budget. The General Assembly was requested to take note of the report and to approve the establishment of two posts (one Under-Secretary-General and one P-3), under section 3, Political affairs.
BABOU SENE, Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), presented its related report on programme budget implications of the draft resolution, saying that it recommended that the General Assembly approve the establishment of two proposed posts. Concerning the potential requirements for 2018-2019 for the Office of Counter-Terrorism, the Advisory Committee had been informed that, subject to the adoption of the draft resolution by the General Assembly, those requirements would be presented to the legislative bodies during their review of the proposed 2018-2019 programme budget requirements. The Advisory Committee would review the requirements arising from the draft resolution after they had been submitted by the Secretary-General.
AMÉRICA LOURDES PEREIRA SOTOMAYOR (Ecuador), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that the Group would consider positively the provision of the resources requested by the Secretary-General and endorsed by the Advisory Committee to establish the Office of Counter-Terrorism. All mandates approved by intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations should be provided with adequate resources from the regular programme budget for their implementation, she stressed.
CHERITH NORMAN CHALET (United States) said the financial request and Advisory Committee recommendation was fiscally prudent and her delegation supported a decision approving that recommendation. The draft resolution welcomed the creation of a new Office of Counter-Terrorism representing a consolidation of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre. She looked forward to reviewing the full budget proposal for the new office in the upcoming 2018-2019 programme budget submission and expected that it would show further efficiencies through the consolidation of the staff and functions of those offices.
DMITRY V. PODLESNYKH (Russian Federation) said his delegation supported the draft resolution. He expressed hope that the Fifth Committee would consider the text and that it would not lead to increases in costs. The Advisory Committee should make a positive recommendation with regard to the launching of the new office.
Financing of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei
MARIA COSTA, Director, Peacekeeping Financing Division, Office of Programme, Planning, Budget and Accounts, Department of Management, introduced the Secretary-General’s note on the financing arrangements for the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) for the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 (document A/71/876). The General Assembly, by its resolution 70/269, approved $286.6 million for the maintenance of that Mission during the 2016/17 period. Since the Assembly’s adoption of that text, exceptional deferred costs from the 2015/16 period and substantial changes in the assumptions that underpinned the 2016/17 budget had a significant impact on the approved budget, which resulted in additional resource requirements of $18.4 million for the 2016/17 period.
During that period, UNISFA had sought to reprioritize how it utilized its approved resources and it was expected that the Mission would be able to absorb $7.1 million of additional requirements from within its approved budget, she said. On operational requirements and expenditure projections, though, it could not meet the remaining costs from within existing approved resources. Additional resources of $11.3 million were requested to meet the associated costs for reimbursing the troop-contributing country for standard troop costs and related allowances, the costs of contingent-owned major equipment and self-sustaining reimbursement and ration costs for tank and artillery units for 2016/17, for which no provision was made in the approved 2016/17 budget for UNISFA.
The General Assembly was asked to appropriate $11.3 million for 2016/17 in addition to the $268.8 million already appropriated and assessed under resolution 70/269.
Mr. SENE, Vice Chair of the Advisory Committee, presented its related report (document A/71/913), recommending that the General Assembly authorize the Secretary-General to enter into commitments of $11.3 million, without assessment, for the maintenance of UNISFA during the 2016/17 period. The Advisory Committee also recommended that the Secretary-General provide detailed information on actual expenditures incurred in the 2016/17 period in his next budget performance report.
MAHLET HAILU GUADEY (Ethiopia) said the security situation in Abyei remained peaceful, but unpredictable, a clear testimony of the effectiveness of the mission’s mandate delivery. Unfortunately, while the mission was expected to do more in its mandate execution with less resources, “the message that the United Nations is sending by failing to reimburse amounts due is neither justifiable nor fair”, he said, adding that: “Avoiding the same mistakes in the future is not only a matter of principle, but that is the minimum expected from all of us and the United Nations.” Concurring with the Advisory Committee’s recommendation under paragraph 10, calling for cooperation with the Fifth Committee to endorse quick reimbursement of outstanding claims and resources to close financing gaps for the 2016/17 period, he reiterated a call for unity in the Fifth Committee, which had not been able to make progress in its current informal negotiations. He trusted that reaching agreements on justifiable and appropriate resource requirements for the functioning of the Organization and peacekeeping operations was a common responsibility. He strongly desired, as the African Group and Group of 77 were doing, to work in support of expediting the ongoing negotiations.
Financing of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
MADHUKA SANJAYA WICKRAMARACHCHIGE (Sri Lanka), in his capacity as coordinator of agenda item 160 (b) on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said that the Fifth Committee had been unable to reach consensus on that item during negotiations.
Ms. PEREIRA (Ecuador), speaking again for the Group of 77, highlighted that in response to General Assembly resolution 70/280, the Secretary-General stated that Israel had not paid the $1.12 million due as accounts receivable for UNIFIL, in relation to the tragic incident in Qana on 18 April 1996, nor had it received a response to his subsequent letters addressed to the Permanent Mission of Israel in that regard, the latest dated 16 January 2017. The Group stressed once again that the amount due from the incident should be paid by Israel, and the Secretary-General should report on that matter to the General Assembly during its seventy-second session.
YARON WAX (Israel) said that year after year, the Group of 77 had chosen to politicize the work of the Fifth Committee, choosing to single out Israel, the only Member State to be singled out in that manner. Expressing disappointment regarding that repetitive, biased conduct, which undermined the Committee’s integrity and professionalism, he said the Committee had an important role to play for United Nations peacekeeping missions and had prided itself on taking a professional and not a political approach in discussions. “Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case these past years with regards to this specific issue,” he said. “If we truly want to do the job we are here to do, let us all remember that repetition reinforces repetition, whilst change fosters more change.”