Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 130, entitled Annual Report and Programme of Work for 2005 of the Joint Inspection Unit.

The Group would like to express its appreciation to the Chairman of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), Mr. Ion Gorita, for his introduction of the Report, A/60/34.

The Group of 77 and China has always attached importance to the JIU as the independent, external oversight body of the UN. It is on this basis as well as to ensure effective oversight, that the Group actively participated in the deliberations on the reform of the JIU, which led to the adoption by this Committee last December of General Assembly Resolution 59/267.

In this regard, the Group welcomes the Unit’s Annual Report for 2004 and the presentation of its Work Programme for 2005 in a single consolidated document. We note with appreciation that these have been prepared taking into account the provisions of General Assembly Resolution 59/267.

On the Unit’s Annual Report for 2004, the Group would like to make the following comments:

• We support the commendable progress made by the Unit in improving the quality, relevance and usefulness of its reports. This was evident in several of the Unit’s reports this year, but more so in the series of Reports on Results Based Management in the UN system which set clear “benchmarks” for measuring progress towards an effective implementation of results-based management in the UN system. The Group welcomes the fact that these reports were well received by the participating agencies as well as the Committee on Programme and Coordination, the latter of which in its Report at its recently concluded 45 th Session, A/60/16, recommended that the General Assembly, inter alia, endorse the bench-marking framework on RBM as proposed by the JIU in its Reports.
• Consistent with the provisions of resolution 59/267, the Group welcomes the inclusion of information on implementation and results achieved by the Organisation in their follow-up to the JIU recommendations as endorsed by their legislative bodies. We endorse the Unit’s approach to not only seek to ensure follow-up of its recommendations but more importantly to measure impact on the participating organizations.
• The Group would like to encourage the JIU, Board of Auditors and the OIOS, to continue to synergise their efforts to ensure greater collaboration and coordination.
• Finally, the Group has noted with concern the administrative issues highlighted by the Unit in relation to the matter of obtaining visas for official travel of some of its members. The Group therefore wishes to call on all host countries to facilitate the processing of visas so as to ensure that inspectors and members of staff of the Secretariat are not hampered in the effective discharge of their responsibilities.

Mr. Chairman, turning to the Unit’s Work Programme for 2005, the Group would like to thank the Unit for presenting a Programme of Work that is both relevant and useful.

We welcome the choice of topics, and note that they are consistent with the provisions of General Assembly resolution 59/267, including, inter alia, identifying means to improve management, promoting a system-wide approach and developing management criteria and the principle of accountability.

We note also that the topics chosen reflect not only an analysis of the commonalities in the agenda of the legislative bodies of its participating organizations, but incorporates the JIU’s own management assessments, as well as proposals emanating from the General Assembly and the Secretariats of the participating organizations.

Mr. Chairman, in conclusion the Group would like to reiterate the importance it attaches to the JIU as the sole system-wide, independent, external oversight body of the United Nations system.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.