BackgroundThe Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning was expected to continue its consideration of various reports on the administrative and budgetary aspects of peacekeeping financing (for more detailed information, see Press Release GA/AB/3566 of 19 May).
Also before the Committee was a Secretary-General’s report (document A/57/761) containing a
proposed budget outline for the International Trade Centre United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)/World Trade Organization (WTO) for the first year of activities for the coming biennium
(SwF 33.13 million) and a projection of requirements for 2005 (SwF 33.53 million). Those resources will be used to strengthen the capacity of the International Trade Centre in the fast growing area of trade in services and expand the number of country networks participating in the “World Tr@de Net” programme. The proposed outline represents an increase of 5.4 per cent in real terms. The change is mainly related to the creation of several posts (three P-4; two P-3; 1 P-2; and 5 G-level), as well as reclassification of three posts.
Statements
JEAN CHRISTIAN OBAME (Gabon), speaking on behalf of the African Group on the financing of United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), welcomed the efforts by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and invaluable support by all troop-contributing countries to the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Group appreciated the progress made so far in the deployment of both civilian and military components of the Mission, which was needed for the successful completion of phase 3. Also welcome were the achievements in ensuring a sustained political dialogue among the parties to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement and the support provided to the Neutral Facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue. The MONUC had played an important role with regard to political settlement, improved living conditions, increasing respect of human rights and facilitating a voluntary disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, repatriation and resettlement (DDRRR) process.
However, MONUC had proven to be one of the most complex missions in the United Nations’ peacekeeping history, he continued. For its achievements to be sustained, there should be a corresponding deployment of troops, which should keep the peace process interfaced with recruitment and training of civilian police to guarantee a smooth future exit strategy. Given the vastness of the territory, the volatility of the situation and the wide range of critical tasks before the Mission, MONUC needed to be provided with adequate resources to facilitate timely contingent troop deployments and to ensure full and successful implementation of its mandate. The Africa Group, therefore, viewed sufficient troop deployments as a prerequisite to the implementation of programmes leading to compliance with a ceasefire and disengagement plan, as well as progress towards voluntary DDRRR. Provision of adequate resources would also enable the Mission to fulfill the requests of the Council aimed at increasing the number of personnel in its human rights component and enhancing the capacity of the Mission.
He noted that the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) had recommended maintaining the budget and staffing of the Mission at their current levels and requested the Secretariat to submit a new budget before the end of 2003, which should reflect the changes to the existing mandate. The African Group wished to explore the merits of providing the Secretariat with a degree of flexibility to enable the establishment of important posts until the Committee had an opportunity to consider the new budget. Such commitment authority would ensure MONUC’s ability to fulfill its mandate in the field. It was also crucial in view of external variances, which were likely to affect the situation in the country. Recent unfortunate incidents at Ituri and Bunia highlighted the urgent need for enhanced performance of the Mission.
The Group remained concerned about the crippling and perennial issue of high vacancy rates, which ran as high as 38 per cent for international staff, 47 per cent for national staff and 45 per cent for military contingent deployments. The number of 47 per cent for civilian police grossly affected the overall objective of advancing the restoration of peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Therefore, he called on the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Office of Human Resources Management to redress that situation in the overall context of financing of all peacekeeping missions. The Group remained ready to consider any additional staffing and financial resources for MONUC in the context of the next budget.
Turning to the airfield services contract for MONUC, he recalled the recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the board of auditors and the ACABQ on the matter and noted that the oversight bodies continued to follow the issue. He welcomed the efforts of the Secretariat which had undertaken a detailed study and an exercise of replacing the existing airfield services contract in the Mission. That was a step in the right direction. He hoped that many of the shortcomings previously identified by the oversight bodies would be fully addressed. The Group called upon relevant Departments to take necessary measures to penalize contractors for non-performance, in accordance with the provisions contained in the contract.
Concerning procurement and contract management, the Group requested the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Office of Central Support Services to ensure strict respect for and enforcement of the procurement rules and regulations of the Organization. The importance of ensuring best peacekeeping practices, with a clearly defined code of ethics to guarantee transparency, fairness and accountability of all staff could not be over-emphasized.
NONYE UDO (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the African Group on the financing of United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) said UNAMSIL remained a flagship mission that all Member States could be proud of. The Organization’s commitment in stemming the tide of the conflict had helped to prevent the escalation of the crisis in Sierra Leone and had assisted the eventual return of peace to that country. Despite the apparent calm, however, serious security challenges persisted and needed to be addressed. The United Nations, therefore, should remain constructively engaged to ensure the maintenance of the hard-earned peace.
She noted five benchmarks outlined by the Secretary-General that needed to be filled in order to determine the extent of the Mission’s drawdown. They included: building the capacity of the army and police; reintegration of ex-combatants; and a cessation of hostilities in Liberia. In that connection, she noted that, in the second phase of the drawdown of troops in May, the number of troops would be some 13,000. In the third phase, from August 2003 to the end of 2004, the number of troops would drop from 13,000 to 5,000. It seemed as if the drawdown process was being accelerated. She wanted to know which benchmarks the drawdown strategy was following. Accelerated drawdown in itself would be desirable as long as it was matched with the development of national capacities required to ensure continued peace.
The final reduction to 5,000 troops was closely linked to the achievement of critical benchmarks, most significantly, the development of the Sierra Leone police and armed forces to maintain security, and was predicated on the much greater risks in phase 3. The Group urged the Secretariat to be guided by those considerations as it continued to monitor UNAMSIL.
The Group also wanted to know if the Secretariat had complied with Council resolution 1470 (2003) that requested the Secretary-General provide detailed plans for the remainder of the drawdown. She reiterated the need for the Secretariat to be guided in its formulation of an exit strategy while taking into full consideration of the security conditions both within Sierra Leone and the region as a whole. There was a need to develop adequate rule of law capacity by training civilian police, developing adequate infrastructure and strengthening the justice system.
Regarding the Mission’s budget, she said sufficient resources should be made available to UNAMSIL to address any operational changes that might occur during the implementation period. The Group trusted that no action would be taken regarding resource allocation that might prejudge the actions taken by the Council after it reviewed the Secretary-General’s recommendations in his report. The Group remained concerned by high vacancy rates in the Mission and wanted to know what steps the Secretariat was taking to remedy the situation. In that regard, the Group reiterated its support for the decentralization of authority to field missions for recruitment from local and regional levels to meet the Mission’s staffing needs. It was important to ensure that adequate staffing was retained that would be commensurate with the responsibilities required by the Mission.
SHINICHI YAMANAKA (Japan) said Japan was concerned with recent developments surrounding MONUC and continued to support the Mission’s activities. He noted that the Secretary-General would be reporting to the Security Council in May with recommendations for an expanded role for MONUC. He also noted the ACABQ recommendation that the budget and staffing table be maintained at the current level and that a new proposed budget was to be submitted for consideration in the fall. In that connection, he recalled General Assembly resolution 49/233A, which related to peacekeeping operations with budgetary requirements subject to fluctuation and the Assembly’s decision that budget estimates be approved twice a year -- for the periods from 1 July to 31 December and from 1 January to 30 June.
While he basically supported the ACABQ’s recommendation, he said MONUC was a case of peacekeeping operations with budgetary requirements subject to fluctuation. Resolution 49/233A should, therefore, be applied in the case of MONUC, and budgetary requirements should be approved only for the period from July to December. As the Committee responsible for administrative and budgetary issues, it should make a proper decision in accordance with the established framework. He expected that all posts would be fully justified in the new 2003/2004 budget in terms of the new concept of operation, organizational structure and workload.
On financing of MONUC, JOHN J. NG’ONGOLO (United Republic of Tanzania) said his country belonged to the Great Lakes Region and Southern African Development Community (SADC), as did the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His Government was very concerned over the developments taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which tended to undermine the progress already achieved by the United Nations in restoring peace and security there. He called upon the people of that country to refrain from any activities, which could undermine the efforts of the international community to restore peace there, as peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo meant peace and security in the region and also within the SADC.
Tanzania was a poor country struggling to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty, he continued. Despite its difficult situation, however, it had been granting refuge to people fleeing the neighbouring countries, whenever there was a political upheaval there. The influx of refugees was constantly overstretching the already meager resources and leading to environmental degradation in his country.
Restoration of peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a very important matter for the United Republic of Tanzania, and he associated himself with the position of the African Group on the matter, emphasizing the importance of increasing the resources provided to MONUC to enable the Mission to implement its mandates effectively. He was encouraged by the decision of the Security Council to send a mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi with a visit to the United Republic of Tanzania in June to assess, among other things, the situation on the ground. His Government was ready to cooperate with the United Nations in the restoration of lasting peace in the Great Lakes Region.
HAROLD ALDAI AGYEMAN (Ghana) said he fully shared the views of the African Group on MONUC, but he wanted to seek clarification on several issues. The ACABQ had recommended maintaining the budget and staffing of the Mission at their current levels and requested the Secretariat submit a new budget before the end of 2003. He wanted to know how the Secretariat envisioned the operations of the mission under current circumstances when some foreign troops had moved out of the eastern part of the country and MONUC’s presence there was not adequate. Also, some countries indicated that they would be sending troops to that area, and he wanted to know what the status of such an international force and its relationship to MONUC would be, at least until the Council took action on the issue.
Turning to the airfield contract for the Mission, he said the board of auditors had noted some instances of non-performance by the contractor, yet the contract had been renewed. He wanted to know how the contract had been renewed without an assessment of the performance of the contractor, while instances of non-performance had been noted. Why had the contract been granted to the same company? He also asked whether fair comparison had been ensured among various bidders. Noting that a request had been made to increase the number of United Nations volunteers, he asked about the current status of volunteers in the Mission and requested that a list by nationality be provided to the Committee in informal consultations.
