UNIFIL financing – Fifth Cttee debate – Press release (excerpts)

Fifty-fifth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

35th Meeting (PM)

FIFTH COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT RESOLUTION ON REPORTS OF UN AUDITORS

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this afternoon recommended the General Assembly accept the 1999 financial reports and audited financial statements for United Nations system bodies examined by the Board of Auditors, with the exceptions of those of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), and the Fund of the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP).

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Although scheduled to take action on the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) this afternoon, the Committee deferred a decision on that subject until tomorrow.

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Draft Resolutions before Committee

By the terms of a draft resolution submitted by Nigeria on financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (document A/C.5/55/L.11), the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to that Force as at 31 October 2000, including the outstanding contributions in the amount of $139.4 million, representing some 3.9 per cent of the total assessed contributions since the inception of the mission.  It would also note that some 21 per cent of Member States have paid their assessed contributions in full, and urge all others concerned, in particular those in arrears, to ensure the payment.

Expressing its deep concern that Israel had not complied with resolutions 51/233, 52/237, 53/227 and 54/267, the Assembly would stress the need for that country to strictly abide by them.  It would also reiterate its request to the Secretary-General to take necessary measures to ensure full implementation of relevant resolutions, stressing that Israel must pay the amount of some $1.28 million resulting from the incident at Qana on 18 April 1996, and request the Secretary-General to report on this matter at the resumed fifty-fifth session.

Urging all Member States to make every possible effort to ensure payment of their assessed contributions to the Force in full and on time, the Assembly would also express concern about the financial situation with regard to peacekeeping, in particular as far as reimbursements to troop contributors are concerned, and about the delay in deploying and providing adequate resources to some recent peacekeeping missions, in particular those in Africa.  It would emphasize that all future and existing peacekeeping missions shall be given equal and non-discriminatory treatment and provided with adequate resources.  

The Secretary-General would be requested to ensure that the Force is administered with maximum efficiency and economy and to continue efforts to recruit local General service staff for the Force.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate to the Special Account for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon the amount of some $86.76 million gross ($86.3 million net) for the expansion of the Force for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001, in addition to the amount of some $146.83 million gross ($141.89 million net) already appropriated in resolution 54/267.  

Taking into account some $61.18 million gross already apportioned for the period from 1 February to 30 June 2001, the Assembly would apportion among Member States an additional amount of some $36.15 million gross, subject to the decision of the Security Council to extend the mandate of the Force beyond 31 January 2001.

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By the terms of the draft resolution submitted by the Committee's Chairman (document A/C.5/55/L.12), the Assembly would accept the financial reports and audited financial statements and the reports and audit opinions of the Board of Auditors regarding the major bodies of the United Nations system audited in 1999, with the exception of those for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Fund of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP).

[For 1999, the Board of Auditors presented reports on the United Nations, the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO, the United Nations University, the UNDP, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the voluntary funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Fund of the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation, the Fund of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, the United Nations Office for Project Services, and the International Tribunals for Rwanda and Former Yugoslavia.]

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