10. The Advisory Committee recalls that the budget outline, as defined by the General Assembly in its resolution 41/213 of 19 December 1986, provides Member States with preliminary estimates for the Secretary-General's proposed biennial programme budget. In considering the future of the outline, it would be essential to take into account its importance as a tool for early involvement of Member States in the planning and budgeting process of the Organization.

11. The Secretary-General proposes to expand the budget outline to include additional information on key programmatic changes, as well as additional information on changes in resource requirements to reflect those programmatic changes (see A/58/395 and Corr. 1, para.23). The Advisory Committee cautions against the possibility of loading the budget outline with excessive additional information, thus transforming it into a preliminary programme budget. The Advisory Committee, therefore, requests that the content and format of the new budget outline be clarified in the mock-up documents referred to in paragraph 7.

12. With regard to the question of timing, the Advisory Committee notes the porposal of the Secretary-General that both the biennial programme plan and the budget outline be considered concurrently by the General Assembly (ibid., para. 16). The Advisory Committee is of the view that it would be preferable if the budget outline could be prepared after review and approval of such plan instrument as the General Assembly may wish to establish. The Advisory Committee therefore requests that the timing for the submission and consideration of both parts of the "startegic framework" should be clarified in the report containing he mock-ups requested above.