STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY H.E. MR. PETER THOMSON, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF FIJI TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND CHAIR OF THE GROUP OF 77, ON AGENDA ITEM 134: PROPOSED PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR THE BIENNIUM 2014-2015, REVISED ESTIMATES FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL; AND PROGRAMME BUDGET IMPLICATIONS OF DRAFT RESOLUTIONS A/C.3/68/L.31/REV.1, A/C.2/68/L.61 AND A/C.2/68/L.67, AT THE FIFTH COMMITTEE DURING THE MAIN PART OF THE SIXTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 18 December 2013)

Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 134, Proposed Programme Budget for the Biennium 2014-2015, in particular on the revised estimates for the Human Rights Council and on the programme budget implications of draft resolutions A/C.3/68/L.31/Rev.1, on support to the Human Rights Committee to deal with the backlog of communications under the first Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2014; A/C.2/68/L.61, on support required for the preparatory process of the UN conference on housing and sustainable urban development (Habitat III), and A/C.2/68/L.67, on conference services required for the successful staging of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States.
 

2. The Group would like to thank Mr. Jan Huisman, Director of Programme Planning and Budget Division, for introducing the report of the Secretary-General A/68/634 on the revised estimates to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2014-2015 relating to the Human Rights Council and the respective statements of programme budget implications submitted by the Secretary-General, in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. The Group also wishes to thank Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for his introduction of the relevant reports of the Advisory Committee.

Mr. Chairman,

3. The Group of 77 and China attaches great importance to the human rights pillar of the Organization and regrets that a significant part of its mandates relies on extra budgetary resources.

4. The Group notes the additional requirements in the amount of $5,139,100 for the biennium 2014-2015 arising from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council and fully supports the provision of the necessary resources to implement the decisions adopted by the General Assembly.
 
5. Furthermore, we note the information provided by the Secretary-General on the absorption of $1,225,500 during the current biennium and we will look for further clarification in that regard in the context of informal consultations.

6. With regard to the PBI arising from the draft resolution approved by the Human Rights Committee, the Group fully supports the provision of additional resources in the amount of $1,501,100 under the program budget for the biennium 2014-2015 to deal with communications under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Treaty bodies are facing significant and increasing backlogs in their work, since the meeting time allocated to them is evidently insufficient to comply with the increasing work assigned to them by the States. The provision of the requested amount is the minimum to ensure the Human Rights Committee addresses the most urgent cases.

Mr. Chairman,

7. An adequate preparatory process of the third United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development, Habitat III, in 2016 is of critical importance to the Group. Being one of the first global conferences after the post-2015 Development Agenda, it is an opportunity to discuss and chart new pathways in response to the challenges of urbanization and the opportunities it offers for the implementation of the sustainable development goals.

8. According to draft resolution A/C.2/68/L.61, the funding and support required for the preparatory process of Habitat III is to be met by regular budget and voluntary contributions. In this regard, the Group notes that out of the $12.9 million estimated for the preparatory process, only $3.7 million of this requirement is proposed to be financed from the regular budget. The Group shares the concern expressed by the ACABQ on the lack of clarity in the rationale for apportioning estimated funding requirements between the regular budget and voluntary contributions. The Group questions why not all of the core functions of the proposed resources for the preparatory process of Habitat III were proposed to be financed from the regular budget.

Mr. Chairman,

9. Embodied in the outcome document of the Rio+20 Conference, "The Future We Want", is the clear recognition of the urgent need for concrete, coordinated and integrated actions to address the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States. To this end, Heads called for the convening of a Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States in Samoa in 2014. A solid and well developed preparatory process is a critical element for the Conference to effectively address the sustainable development aspirations of SIDS. The Group fully supports the provision of adequate resources from the regular budget to ensure the success of the preparatory process, and services required for the successful staging of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States.

Mr. Chairman,

10. The Group of G 77 and China call for all mandates approved by intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations to be provided with adequate resources from the regular budget for their implementation.

11. In conclusion, I wish to assure you of the readiness of the Group of 77 and China to engage constructively on the negotiations on those very important agenda items.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.