Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 147, "Administrative and budgetary aspects of financing United Nations peacekeeping operations", specifically on the Support Account.

2. We thank the Officer-in-Charge, Office of Programme Planning Budget and Accounts, Mr. Chandru Ramanathan and the Chair of the ACABQ, Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, for introducing their respective reports.

3. The Group of 77 and China underlines the importance of providing all peacekeeping with adequate backstopping during all phases of operations to ensure that they perform their growing multifaceted functions properly.

4. While the Group recognizes that the level of the support account should broadly correspond to the mandate, number, size and complexity of peacekeeping missions, we note that Secretary General's budget of 327,3 million for the support account for 2014/2015 might not be sufficient to provide adequate backstopping to the expected surge in the number of personnel on the ground, serving in missions. We intend to seek clarification from the Secretariat on this issue.

5. The Group recalls para. 54 of General Assembly resolution 56/253 that reaffirmed that management decisions should not be taken to keep a certain number of posts vacant, as this action makes the budget process less transparent and management of human and financial resources less efficient, and looks forward to receiving a written explanation from the Secretariat on the view expressed by the Advisory Committee regarding lack of transparency in the information presented in the report of the Secretary General with respect to vacant posts.

Mr. Chairman,

6. We commend the Security Council for its inclusion of human rights mandates in various peacekeeping missions, thus making it an integral part of the flagship activity of the United Nations. The Group supports the proposal of the Secretary General to establish two new professional new posts to work in this domain under the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

7. As for the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), the Group supports the proposal of the Secretary-General to present its resources separately under the Support Account, since it operates with a high level of independence and has its expertise and administrative support.

8. The Group also strongly supports the redeployment of all the posts proposed by the Secretary General within the Support Account and to convert general temporary assistance positions that are of continuing nature to posts. We also encourage the Secretary General to continue to rationalize the use for consultants and to build and to use in-house capacity.

Mr. Chairman,

9. The Group is concerned that the staff from the troop and police contributing countries working in the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support had decreased as at January 2014, compared with the number of staff in February 2013, despite of the repeated requests of the General Assembly to the Secretary General to intensify his efforts to ensure the proper representation of these countries in the two departments, taking into account their contributions to peacekeeping. These repeated requests all went in vain.

10. We strongly believe that the representation of troop-contributing countries in all relevant departments, including on the support side at Headquarters, is essential to bring greater coherence between those who manage, direct and command operations, and those who provide invaluable human resources on the ground.

11. The Group stresses on the importance of interaction and close coordination with all members states particularly troop and police contributing countries, including by ensuring that these contributing countries have free and constant access to the Secretariat, in order to reflect the real and meaningful partnership that we all aspire for, between the Secretariat and troop and police contributing countries on all aspects related to peacekeeping operations,

Mr. Chairman,

12. The Group assures you of its constructive approach in these negotiations, with a view to providing the United Nations peacekeeping operations all the necessary resources to effectively deliver on their mandates.

I thank you Mr. Chairman.