The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) debated the financial situation of the United Nations today, with the representative of the United States — responding to criticism from developing countries — asserting that her country remains committed to the Organization and is fully meeting its financial commitments, albeit later in the year than other Member States.
While welcoming the overall financial soundness of the United Nations, delegates at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) meeting today expressed concern about the moderate pace of carrying out recommendations by the Organization’s main auditing body, hiring practices and the finances of the United Nations agency serving Palestine refugees.
Speakers in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today welcomed a 5.2 per cent reduction in the projected cost of replacing semi‑permanent office blocks at the United Nations Office at Nairobi that date back to the 1970s, but expressed concern that a seismic mitigation retrofit and life‑cycle replacements project at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) premises in Bangkok is running the risk of going over budget.
The cash position of the Organization’s regular budget is precarious, the United Nations senior management official told members of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today as she laid out the Organization’s key financial indicators for 2018.
Delegates to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up a recommendation from the Secretary-General that human resources management at the United Nations be split into two departments — one focused on strategic aspects of staffing the Organization and the other dedicated to operational factors.
Delegates at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today asked the Secretariat for a comprehensive analysis of its proposal to fortify the independence of the United Nations Ethics Office.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) resumed its consideration of the scale of assessments for the United Nations regular and peacekeeping budgets, with the representatives of the United States and the European Union proposing significant changes to the way in which each Member State’s share of peacekeeping financing is tallied up.
Members of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today urged one another to work harmoniously to tackle a complex agenda that includes management issues, the Secretary-General’s reform agenda and the possible readjustment of a methodology used to assess Member States’ contribution to the regular budget as well as its peacekeeping operations.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) elected Gillian Elizabeth Bird (Australia) as Chair on 5 June.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today sent 25 draft resolutions and 1 draft decision to the General Assembly, asking it to adopt significant management reforms — including the creation of two new departments focused on political and peacebuilding affairs and four stand-alone divisions for Africa — aimed at streamlining the Organization’s operations.
