Fifth Committee Recommends Six Candidates to Serve on International Civil Service Commission, Approves Nominees for Five Other Subsidiary Bodies

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today sent the General Assembly six nominations — including Larbi Djacta (Algeria) as Chair — for the International Civil Service Commission, an independent body that regulates service conditions for thousands of staff throughout the United Nations common system, while delivering 22 additional recommendations for five other bodies, including the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).

Delegates first turned their attention to nominations to the Commission, which included a secret ballot to select the designation of the Commission Chair from two candidates.  In the first round of balloting, Mr. Djacta drew 121 votes, while El Hassane Zahid (Morocco) drew 64 votes.  Mr. Djacta will begin his four-year term of office on 1 January 2023, subject to a corresponding extension of his term as a Commission member.

The Fifth Committee also sent the names of five other candidates for appointment or reappointment for four-year terms to the Commission that begin 1 January 2023.  They are Andrew Gbebay Bangali (Sierra Leone) and Ali Kurer (Libya), from the Group of African States; Boguslaw Winid (Poland), from the Group of Eastern European States; João Vargas (Brazil), from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Xavier Bellmont Roldán (Spain,) from the Group of Western European and other States.

Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions

For the 16‑member Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, which plays a crucial role in helping the Fifth Committee examine the Organization’s budget and manage its employees, the Fifth Committee sent the Assembly eight nominations by acclamation.

Ji Haojun (China), Ji-sun Jun (Republic of Korea) and Matsuda Yukiko (Japan), from the Group of Asia-Pacific States; Olivio Fermín (Dominican Republic), from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Udo Klaus Fenchel (Germany) and Carlo Jacobucci (Italy), from the Group of Western European and other States, were nominated for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2023.  In addition, two candidates were selected to fill vacancies:  Stephani Scheer (United States) for a one-year period that begins 1 January 2023 and ends on 31 December 2023; while Surendra Kumar Adhana (India) will fill a vacancy beginning on the date of the Assembly’s appointment and ending on 31 December 2023.

Committee on Contributions

For the 18‑member Committee on Contributions, which advises the Assembly on the distribution of the Organization’s expenses among Member States, delegates recommended by acclamation the appointment or reappointment of six people for three-year terms starting 1 January 2023.

They are Cheikh Tidiane Dème (Senegal) and Joseph Musyoka Masila (Kenya), from the Group of African States; Helena Concepción Felip Salazar (Paraguay) and Bernardo Greiver del Hoyo (Uruguay), from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Gordon Eckersley (Australia) and Marcel Jullier (Switzerland), from the Group of Western European and other States.

Investments Committee

For the nine‑member Investments Committee, which advises the Secretary‑General on investment strategy and reviews the investments of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, the Fifth Committee sent the Assembly, by acclamation, the names of five candidates.  They included Michael Klein (United States) and Luciane Ribeiro (Brazil) for reappointment as regular members for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2023.  For a one-year term as a regular member that begins on the same day, the Fifth Committee sent the Assembly the name of Simon Jiang (China).  It then approved by acclamation the appointment of Jens Fricke (Germany) as a regular member for a slot that begins 1 January 2023.  Finally, the Committee sent the Assembly the name of Macky Tall (Mali) as an ad hoc member for a one-year term that begins with the new year.

Independent Audit Advisory Committee

For the five‑member Independent Audit Advisory Committee, which serves in an expert advisory capacity and helps the Assembly fulfil its oversight responsibilities, the Committee sent the Assembly two names for three-year terms starting 1 January 2023:  Suresh Raj Sharma (Nepal), from the Group of Asia-Pacific States; and Anton V. Kosyanenko (Russian Federation), from the Group of Eastern European States.  The Committee will consider a remaining vacancy, to be filled from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, on 15 November 2022.

United Nations Staff Pension Committee

For the United Nations Staff Pension Committee, which helps administer the Joint Staff Pension Fund, the Committee sent the Assembly the name of Jun Yamada (Japan), from the Group of Asia-Pacific States, to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Tomoya Yamaguchi (Japan).  Mr. Yamada will fill the vacancy for the remaining period, which runs until 31 December 2024.

Before voting on their recommendations, delegates considered the Secretary-General’s notes on the appointments of members of the International Civil Service Commission (documents A/77/104, A/C.5/77/8 and Add.1); Advisory Committee (documents A/77/101/Rev.1, Add.1, Add.2 and A/C.5/77/5); Committee on Contributions (documents A/77/102 and A/C.5/77/6/Rev.1); Investments Committee (documents A/77/103 and A/C.5/77/7); Independent Audit Advisory Committee (documents A/77/105 and A/C.5/77/9); and United Nations Staff Pension Committee (documents A/77/323, A/77/107 and A/C.5/77/10).

The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Monday, 7 November, to consider an agenda item under the proposed programme budget 2023, regarding a subvention for the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.