Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 129, in particular on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 63/261 on the strengthening of the Department of Political Affairs, and on the revised estimates under section 5, Peacekeeping operations, related to a strengthened and unified security management system for the United Nations.

2. The Group of 77 and China wishes to thank Mr. Lynn B. Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, for introducing the report of the Secretary General on implementation of General Assembly resolution 63/261 on the strengthening of the Department of Political Affairs (A/65/161). The Group appreciates the statement delivered by Mr. Gregory B. Starr, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, and wishes to thank Mr. Jun Yamazaki, Controller and Assistant Secretary-General, for introducing the report of the Secretary-General on safety and security (A/65/320). The Group also wishes to thank Ms. Susan McLurg, the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for her introduction of the related reports of the Advisory Committee.

Mr. Chairman,

3. The Group of 77 and China attaches great importance to the strengthening of the United Nations and efforts should continue to be made to develop the Organization's full potential on the basis of priorities and mandates approved by Member States. The General Assembly adopted resolution 63/261 in 2009 with the objective of strengthening and rationalizing the Department of Political Affairs, including its supportive role in preventive diplomacy and resolution of conflicts, which must be carried out in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States. The resolution also asked the Secretary General to report back to the General Assembly in the framework of a "comprehensive report" on the efficiency and effectiveness of the new structure in fulfilling mandates and priorities approved by the Member States, including a report on programmatic delivery and improvements in administrative and management processes and efficiency gains.

4. The Group acknowledges that improvement in the capacity of United Nations to prevent and resolve conflicts is a better investment than dealing with the costs of armed conflicts and its aftermath. At the same time, the Group stresses that the root causes of such conflict are multidimensional in nature, thus requiring a comprehensive and integrated approach to prevention of armed conflicts.

5. The Group believes that the report of the Secretary General, as contained in document A/65/161, is mainly focused on the recounting various activities of the Department and lacks detailed information, clarity and comprehensiveness about the impact of the new structure and new posts on the overall functioning of the Department. More information is required to enable Member States to make an informed decision. We also wish to reiterate the importance of the principle of equitable geographical representation in the recruitment of staff Nationals of the concerned regions are the most knowledgeable of the specificities and the needs of their regions.

6. The Group wishes to reiterate the request made by the Committee for Programme and Coordination to the Secretary-General for presenting concrete measures to address the issue of imbalance in geographic representation and gender parity in the Department of Political Affairs in general and the roster of electoral assistance. This information was expected to be presented in the context of the present report and the matter was not addressed. We expect the Secretary-General to further tackle this issue in the programme budget for 2012-2013.

Mr. Chairman,

7. Turning to the revised estimates on safety and security in the programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011, the Group of 77 and China wishes to emphasize the importance we attach to the provision of safety and security for the United Nations staff, operations and premises at all its locations in Headquarters, main duty stations, and the field. The Group continues to support measures aimed at ensuring a coherent, effective and timely response to security-related threats and other emergencies. The Group has in the past emphasized the importance of evolving a comprehensive and integrated approach to the critical issue of safety and security.

8. The Group wishes to recall relevant provisions of General Assembly resolutions emphasizing that the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of United Nations staff and premises rests with the host country. The Group, therefore, believes that any provisions for safety and security of the United Nations cannot work in isolation. We note that all major activities of the United Nations follow a certain standard, which is still lacking in the field of safety and security. It is therefore, imperative to establish clear criteria for determining security needs and certain basic standards for evaluating threat perception and risk assessment on a world-wide basis to ensure that the Department of Safety and Security is able to respond to any emergency, bearing in mind that the level of risk and threats vary from one place to another.

9. In this context, the Group wishes to underline its concern that the Secretary-General has not yet complied with the General Assembly's request in its resolution 61/263 for a report on the comprehensive safety and security policy framework at the United Nations which provides the basis for the threat and risk assessment, cooperation with the host countries, cost-sharing arrangements and operations of the Department of Safety and Security.

Mr. Chairman,

10. The Group has noted the efforts undertaken by the Department of Safety and Security and the steering group of the Inter-Agency Security Management Network to review and update the framework for accountability. The shift in institutional mindset from a "when to leave" to a "how to stay" approach in security management entails greater managerial responsibility with clearer lines of accountability and decision-making at all levels, especially in the field.

11. As past experience has shown, duty stations in the Field remain relatively more vulnerable from a security and safety perspective. The Group wishes to emphasize the importance of ensuring that the requirements for safety and security of the Organization, particularly field missions, are fully met. The Group would follow up on result of the experience gained from the pilot approach.

12. As always, the Group assures you of its willingness to engage in a constructive and open manner in the discussions that lie ahead of us on this agenda item to facilitate a positive outcome.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.