STATEMENT BY MR. MORTEZA MIRMOHAMMAD (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN),
ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA, ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REPORT OF THE PANEL ON UNITED NATIONS PEACE OPERATIONS, IN THE FIFTH COMMITTEE OF THE FIFTY-SIXTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

New York, 31 October 2001

Mr. Chairman,

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

2. I would like to express my appreciation to the distinguished Controller, Mr. Halbwachs, for introducing the Secretary-General’s statement on the programme budget implications of draft resolution A/C.4/55/L.23. I would also like to thank Ambassador Mselle for his presentation of the ACABQ report thereon.

3. The Group of 77 and China regard peacekeeping operations as an important function of the United Nations. It, therefore, attaches great importance to the provision of adequate resources to all peacekeeping activities. In the same vein, the Group maintains its view that adequate resources should be provided to all priority activities of the United Nations, in particular activities in the area of development.

4. The Group believes that the statement of programme budget implications of the comprehensive review should concentrate on providing information that justifies the totality of resources requested for peacekeeping support and not just additional requests for posts and non-staff costs. The Group remains concerned that according to the ACABQ the analysis that could provide such justification is still lacking. The Group supports the recommendation of the ACABQ for a complete rethinking of the way the Secretariat justifies resources for the support account when the results-based budgeting techniques are used in the next budget submission.

5. The Group notes that support account resources are intended primarily to provide backstopping support at headquarters for peacekeeping operations in the field. The support account should be strictly used for the purpose for which it was established and not for financing activities that fall under the programme of work of other relevant departments in the Secretariat which are not directly linked to peacekeeping operations. The number of associated posts under the support account must be reviewed regularly to justify the continuing need for them and the exercise should not been seen as a general opportunity to request resources that are not clearly and specifically related to the increase in peacekeeping needs.

6. The Group believes that the creation of small units in the DPKO fulfilling various functions that are primarily the responsibility of other departments must be avoided. The Group shares the concern of the ACABQ that an increase in the number of organizational units in the Department does not necessarily facilitate coordination nor enhance administrative and management capacity. In this regard and to avoid duplication, the Group notes that a dedicated public information unit is being requested within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and concurs with the opinion of the ACABQ that the Department of Public Information should have a dedicated technical unit to perform the functions described.

7. The potential for duplication of work of the political officers in the DPKO and the DPA would need to be eliminated so that the Organization utilizes the limited resources available to it in an appropriate manner. The Group stresses that greater effort should be made to further clarify the relationships and interactions between the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other offices in the Department of Management especially those dealing with personnel, financial administration and control management of procurement activities and monitoring of delegated authority.

8. The Group strongly believes that adequate resources should be provided to the claims unit and that the proposed restructuring of FALD should help the speedy resolution of the outstanding uncertified claims.

9. The Group concurs with the view of the ACABQ as reflected in paragraph 15 of its report on the proposals for reclassifications. The Group notes with concern that out of 93 posts approved in General Assembly resolution 55/238 on an urgent basis, only 89 posts were filled and only staff for 44 of those have reported for duty. In this regard, the Group urges the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts in recruiting candidates for posts in DPKO on as wide a geographical basis as possible, taking into account General Assembly resolutions on the representation of troop contributing countries in DPKO.

10. The Group welcomes the emphasis on training, planning and establishment of rosters which would provide capacity to manage and monitor personnel actions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Office of Human Resources Management. The Group concurs with the recommendation of the ACABQ on the utilization of Information Technology in reducing the current recruitment period below 180 days.

11. The Group is of the view that the implementation of the outcome of the negotiations on this issue as well as the previous General Assembly resolution 55/238 should be kept under review in the light of the complex structure and increasing resources of the DPKO, and taking fully into account the methodological aspects of results-based budgeting and also the need for an efficient and effective use of the resources provided to the Organization.

12. The Group is concerned about the safety and security of the UN personnel involved in peacekeeping operations and in this context is looking forward to the report of the Secretary-General to be submitted to the Fifth Committee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.