I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

The Group takes this opportunity to welcome Ms. Inga-Britt Ahlenius on her appointment as the new Under-Secretary-General for the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). We wish to seize the opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Deleep Nair of Singapore for the efforts he exerted on behalf of Member States during his tenure as the Under-Secretary-General of the OIOS. The report before us is a testimony to that effect.

The Group wishes to make the following observations with respect to the Annual report of the OIOS on its activities for the period 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005 (A/60/346). The Group welcomes the information provided on the implementation of recommendations of OIOS. We remain convinced of the need for the full and effective implementation of oversight recommendations. In this regard, we are pleased to note the information in the report on the savings realized arising from OIOS recommendations. The Group notes with appreciation that the Office identified a total of US$35.1 million in recommended savings of which a total of US$18 million was actually saved and recovered. We are concerned, however, that a number of the recommendations of the OIOS have not been implemented by programme managers.

With respect to the investigations conducted by OIOS on sexual exploitation and abuse, the Group reiterates that the recommendations of the OIOS on this issue should be based on General Assembly resolution 59/300.

The Group would like to reaffirm the role of the General Assembly as the principal oversight organ of the Organization in accordance with resolution 54/244.

The Group wishes to stress that in resolution 59/272, the General Assembly reviewed the activities and reaffirmed the mandate of the OIOS. The Group is therefore concerned at the preoccupation with audit and investigation at the seeming expense of the critical area of evaluation. The Group wishes to recall that in paragraph 13 of resolution 59/272, the Assembly stressed “the vital importance of the evaluation function of the Office of Internal Oversight Services”. Evaluation is an integral part of the oversight function. The Group would therefore appreciate receiving the views of the OIOS on this inordinate emphasis.

The Group notes the statement by the Under-Secretary-General on the establishment of a high-level oversight coordination mechanism. The Group is of the view, that consistent with the provisions of resolution 59/272, the continued effective coordination and collaboration among the internal and external oversight bodies of the UN system is necessary in order to maximize the use of resources and share experiences, knowledge, best practices and lessons learned.

I thank you.