Considering Draft Texts, Fifth Committee Speakers Debate Proposed Changes to Budget Presentations, Human Resource Management

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) heard the introduction this afternoon of draft texts on the terms governing entitlements for United Nations employees, as well as the annual budget recosting exercise and the Organization’s programme priorities for the 2016-2017 period.

By a draft decision on human resources management (document A/C.5/69/L.9), the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to withdraw document ST/SGB/2004/13/Rev.1, entitled “Personal status for purposes of United Nations entitlements”.  It would also request the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its seventieth session on the implementation of its resolution 58/285 in all its aspects for consideration and decision as appropriate.

Dmitry Chumakov (Russian Federation), introducing that text, said he regretted that it excluded any reference to staff nationality.  The Secretary-General’s 2004 determination of the personal status of staff members, which made reference to their nationality, formed the legal basis for conditions of service.  Since then, the Assembly had not considered the issue further, nor had the Secretary-General provided any instructions.  The policy set forth in the Secretary-General’s 26 June bulletin could create an additional financial burden and collusion when considering staff issues related to marriage, divorce and adoption.  The changes to United Nations human resource policies, especially ones with financial implications concerning conditions of service, he stressed, were the prerogative of the Assembly and should adhere to its established procedures

Dayana Rios (Bolivia), speaking for the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, introduced the draft resolution on the proposed programme budget outline for the biennium 2016-2017 (document A/C.5/69/L.10).  She expressed “grave concerns” at how the budget — one of the Committee’s most important items — had been presented in the past.  She said budget cuts in the outline would hinder the implementation of decisions to be adopted in the coming year.  The proposal being put forward today would help alleviate those concerns by providing estimates for the following biennium.

The text would have the Assembly decide that the proposed budget for that biennium shall contain provisions for recosting on the basis of the existing methodology, as well as lay out the Organization’s priorities for the biennium to be reflected in the Secretary-General’s proposed 2016-2017 budget.

However, Valeria Biagiotti (Italy), speaking for the European Union Delegation, said that very little time had been devoted to discussion of the issue.  She expressed disappointment at the presentation of a draft that pressured delegations to negotiate without having reached consensus, as had always been the tradition in the Committee.  Only in that way would every delegation have the opportunity to express its views before a draft was formulated.

Sho Ono (Japan) shared that disappointment.  He cited section 2 paragraph 7 of General Assembly resolution 41/213 stating that the Assembly, “considers it desirable that the Fifth Committee, before submitting its recommendations on the outline of the programme budget to the General Assembly in accordance with the provisions of the Charter and the rules of procedure of the Assembly, should continue to make all possible efforts with a view to establishing the broadest possible agreement.”

Jesse Levinson (United States), stressing that his delegation was ready to engage constructively in the budget negotiations, said the motion by Bolivia’s representative, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, undermined the practice of achieving consensus on the budget and put the Committee at risk for not doing so on time.

Nonetheless, Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota (Brazil) supported Bolivia’s statement, saying that, as the budget outline was a preliminary estimate, it was not a resolution with financial implications as such.  Consensus was an excellent basis to move forward, he said, stressing that all sides should be ready to negotiate.

Frantisek Ruzicka (Slovakia), Committee Chair, encouraged Committee members to constructively engage in negotiations, a stance expressed by Kodjovi Dosseh (Togo), who reiterated his delegation’s commitment to that end.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 24 December, to take action on all outstanding issues and conclude the main part of its sixty-ninth session.