Madam Chair,

1. I have the honour to address this Committee on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Madam Chair,

2. Allow me, at the outset, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, to congratulate you on your election as Chair of this Committee and the other members of the Bureau and we would like to assure you that you will have the full support and cooperation of our Group during the deliberations of the Committee as we aim at bringing its work to a successful conclusion.

Madam Chair,

3. The Group of 77 and China attaches great importance to the issue of administration of justice, which is an integral part of an effective human resources management system and cannot be divorced from any process of reform of the system. We firmly support the reforms approved by General Assembly resolutions 61/261, 62/228 and 63/253, and we look forward to the comprehensive review of the new system that will take place during the current session of the General Assembly.

4. At this stage, the Group regrets the late submission of the Secretary-General's reports related to this item, which are submitted in response to General Assembly resolutions 63/253 and 64/233. This, in our view, would seriously constrain the quality of deliberations and the output of the Sixth Committee. In this regard, we look forward to receiving the report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Ombudsman, in order to fulfill the mandate conferred by the General Assembly on the Committee. The Group would like to reiterate its concern over the negative implications of late submission of reports on the work and output of the Committee. The Group would strongly urge that this issue may be fully and effectively addressed.

Madam Chair,

5. The Group of 77 and China would like to reiterate its support for the new system of the administration of justice in the United Nations. The Group believes that an effective system of administration of justice is imperative to ensure due process for and just treatment of staff. It also increases accountability and transparency in decision-making by holding managers accountable for their actions, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly.

Madam Chair,

6. The Group recognizes the necessity that all UN personnel need to have recourse to an effective and just dispute settlement mechanism. The Group of 77 and China is confident that Member States will work towards consensus on the outstanding issues as soon as possible.

I thank you, Madam Chair.