2. The Group wishes to thank Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, Assistant Secretary-General, Controller, Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget, for introducing the report of the Secretary-General. We also thank Ms. Julia Maciel, Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing its related report.

3. From the outset, the Group of 77 and China acknowledges the Committee on Conferences for highlighting the condition of the conference facilities in UNON through its previous resolutions. In this regard, the group welcomes the Report of the Secretary General submitted pursuant to paragraph 29 of General Assembly resolution 73/270 on the pattern of conferences. The report contains a detailed analysis and findings of a review of the conference facilities at the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

Mr. Chair,

4. The Group remains concerned by the deteriorating condition of the Nairobi conference centre, which is severely hampering the capacity to provide conference services, especially for the regular calendar meetings of the United Nations bodies, headquartered in Nairobi namely; the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

5. It is evidently clear from the analysis contained in the Secretary General's report that participation in, and the complexity of hosting, both the Environment Assembly and the UN-Habitat Assembly meetings have increased at every session. The Group has taken note that attendance at the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly held in March 2019 surpassed the 5000 accredited participants and the 109 meetings were held in temporary structures or other spaces adapted for use as meeting rooms. Similarly, the inaugural UN-Habitat Assembly, held in May 2019, drew more than 4,000 accredited participants and 43 meetings were held in temporary structures or other spaces adapted for use as meeting rooms. In both cases, the numbers in terms of participants and meetings are expected to grow in future within the context of implementing the new governance structures of both UNEP and UN-Habitat programmes.

6. This growth is essentially a sign of confidence and appreciation on the part of Member States and reflects the growing importance of environmental and urban-related multilateralism.

7. The United Nations Office at Nairobi has responded to this demand by using and converting corridors, walkways and car parks and installing temporary tented structures across the complex. This is not only unsustainable, but introduces unacceptable risk and additional cost to conference organizers, not to mention the disruption to United Nations offices and programmes in the complex.

8. The Group also takes note that these conditions in which the meetings are serviced pose considerable risks to the successful outcomes of the United Nations Environment Assembly, the UN-Habitat Assembly and the other intergovernmental meetings of the organizations in Nairobi, which due to these conditions, does not uphold the prestige and dignity that the United Nations is premised on.

9. Besides capacity concerns, considerable expenditure is incurred by those organizations, and the Member States are forced to conduct informal negotiations in substandard and inaccessible rooftop rooms in which the interpretation and audio-visual equipment is outdated and prone to failure. This situation is made worse by the fact that Nairobi is not able to attract language experts compared to other UN stations.

Mr. Chair,

10. The Group therefore emphasizes the need to approve the proposed next steps, bearing in mind the objective of bringing the Nairobi duty station up to par with New York, Geneva and Vienna as a center for multilateralism.

11. In closing, Mr. Chair, the G77 and China assures you of its commitment to engage constructively on this agenda item in order to reach a timely conclusion.

I thank you.

At the outset, the Group wishes to thank Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, Assistant Secretary-General, Controller, Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget, as well as Ms. Julia Maciel, Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing their respective reports.

The Group of 77 and China continues to reiterate its strong support to the work of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone. We wish to recall that since the commencement of its operations in January 2014, the Court has continued to carry out important residual functions of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, including supporting witness protection, supervising the enforcement of sentences, assistance to national prosecuting authorities, and the management and preservation of archives. In addition, the Court conducts ad hoc proceedings, and has the power to prosecute the remaining fugitive, if arrested, or to refer his case to a competent national jurisdiction for trial. In this regard, the Group attaches great importance to ensuring the adequacy of resources for the effective implementation of the Court's mandate.

Mr. Chair,

The Group notes with concern, again this year, the insufficiency of voluntary contributions, despite the intensive fundraising endeavors by the Secretary General, the Oversight Committee and the principal officials of the Court. With no prospects of predictable and reliable voluntary contributions in the current budget period, effective implementation of the mandate of the Court is at risk. While the Group supports the approval of the full amount of the subvention requested by the Secretary General, we remain mindful of the fact that subvention is only a temporary measure. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China reiterate the need for a long-term sustainable funding mechanism for the Court, preferably, through assessed contributions from Member States.

The Group is encouraged by the measures taken by the court to reduce expenditure with the view of increasing value for money, and effective use of the commitment's authority as well as actions pursued to secure additional voluntary contributions for the court. The Group would like to convey its profound thanks and appreciation to the Government of Sierra Leone for her sustained support and effort towards the functioning of the Court, as well as, other Member States and partners for their invaluable support towards the work of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.

In conclusion, the Group would like to assure you of our readiness to engage constructively in the consideration of this agenda item with a view to reaching a conclusion in a timely manner.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.

2. At the outset, the Group of 77 and China would like to express its appreciation to Mr. Patrick Carey, Director, Division of Administration (New York), Department of Operational Support, and to Ms. Julia Maciel, Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing their respective reports.

Mr. Chair,

3. The Group of 77 and China recognizes the impact of transformational initiatives of the Organization that contribute to the United Nations being more effective, adaptable and modern. Nevertheless, the G77 and China is convinced that such initiatives should be implemented in a manner that acknowledges the financial constraints the Organization faces, as well as its evolving work practices and the needs of staff.

4. The Group appreciates the update provided on the implementation of the flexible workplace project at the United Nations Headquarters, and the steps that have been taken since the last progress report. The Group notes that 17 out of the projected 26 floors of the Secretariat have been reconfigured as of August 2019, with an overall additional capacity of 994 staff and an estimated 374 remaining. We support the recommendations of the Board of Auditors and the Advisory Committee on the need for the Administration to closely monitor and conclude the project in 2020, within the estimated cost.

5. As this additional capacity increases, the Group looks forward to receiving more detailed information on the status of the termination of leases in commercial buildings, on the relocation of staff, the potential reduction in rental costs arising from the relocation and the related impact on the proposed resource level for the relevant section in the proposed programme budget for 2020.

6. The Group notes that the project is expected to finalize by the end of 2020 as previously envisioned in the Second Progress report, and with an overall projected cost that remains at $54,981,400, of which over $34 million were incurred during the period 2015-2018 and $13,049,200 are estimated for the completion of the project schedule in 2019. The Group therefore acknowledges that the Secretary-General is requesting the remaining $7,931,700 of the overall cost as an appropriation for the conclusion of the project in 2020, taking into account that there will be no rental savings in the course of that year.

7. However, the Group feels the need to reiterate that a well-substantiated, reliable, and predictable business case is essential for the Committee's consideration of costly major transformation initiatives, especially when expenses are planned to supersede the overall projected cost of the project, and self-financing options are not to be implemented. We are also concerned about the decline in the scores in productivity compared to the previous years, as reflected in the latest post-occupancy staff survey in May on flexible workplace strategies.

8. In this regard, while the Group remains supportive of an independent evaluation of the project, we will consider the utility of the evaluation being conducted by an external consultancy given that the project is in its final stage. We will also consider the merits of the use of in-house expertise, while being cognizant of the heavy programme of work of the Office of Internal Oversight Services and the Board of Auditors

Mr. Chair,

9. The Group reiterates that flexible workplace should never simply be a matter of space management, but a holistic arrangement of physical space, information and communication technology, human resources and other support programmes. The successful implementation of flexible workplace requires not only reconfiguration of workspace, but enhanced information technology support and revised human resources policies.

10. The Group looks forward to discussing the lessons learned to date on the implementation of flexible workplace as well as the relation it has with flexible working arrangements, and in this regard recognizes the Secretary General's efforts in updating the Secretariat with the recent Bulletin and Information Circular on flexible working arrangements.

11. In closing, Mr. Chair, the G77 and China assures you of its commitment to engage constructively on this agenda item while considering it against the backdrop of all construction projects amid the current financial constraints.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.