Jointly financed admin. activities – UNHCR/UNRWA – Proposed Prog. Budget (2000-2001)

Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000B2001*

Part X

Jointly financed administrative activities and special expenses

Section 29

Jointly financed administrative activities

(Programme 24 of the medium-term plan for the period 1998B2001)

CONTENTS

* The present document contains section 29 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000B2001. The complete proposed programme budget will subsequently be issued in final printed form as Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 6 (A/54/6/Rev.1).

Part X

Jointly financed administrative activities and special expenses

Section 29

Jointly financed administrative activities

Overview

29.1 Provisions under this section cover the requirements of five administrative organizational units financed on an inter-agency basis. They are the following:

(a) The International Civil Service Commission and its secretariat;

(b) The Joint Inspection Unit and its secretariat;

(c) The secretariats of subsidiary bodies of the Administrative Committee on Coordination concerned with administrative issues: the Information Systems Coordination Committee, the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions and the Consultative Committee on Programme and Operational Questions.

29.2 Provisions for all five bodies are proposed under the regular budget on a net basis and represent only the United Nations share in the budgets of the bodies. Nevertheless, the full budgets of the bodies are presented to the General Assembly for its consideration and approval.

29.3 The proposals for the appropriation made under the present section reflect an increase in requirements over the level of the appropriation approved for the biennium 1998B1999 in the amount of $2,349,400. The increase is attributable to the fact that, unlike in the bienniums 1996B1997 and 1998B1999, the United Nations share in the budgets of the five bodies would also include the components of costs relating to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the requirements for which have not been included in the programme budgets starting with the biennium 1996B1997.

29.4 It should recalled in this connection that a decision had been taken in 1995, at a time of preparation of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1996B1997, to estimate the United Nations share of costs in the budgets of jointly financed bodies, excluding a share of UNHCR and UNRWA in those costs. That decision was made on the assumption that UNHCR and UNRWA would each be responsible for a share in the costs of the jointly financed bodies. Proposals had accordingly been made in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1996B1997 under section 27, Jointly financed administrative activities, for a reduction of the 1996B1997 estimates for the United Nations share in the costs of the subsidiary bodies of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, namely the Information Systems Coordination Committee, the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions and the Consultative Committee on Programme and Operational Questions, to reflect the expectation that UNHCR and UNRWA could assume a share of the costs. With regard to the 1996B1997 estimates for the ICSC and the JIU, in line with the above-mentioned new arrangements, a reimbursement to the United Nations by UNHCR and UNRWA for payment of their share of costs had been budgeted under income section 2 of the proposed programme budget. The General Assembly had agreed with the proposals for the reduced United Nations share, in the context of approval of the programme budget for the biennium 1996B1997.

29.5 Neither UNHCR nor UNRWA agreed with the change in the arrangements, nor with the shifting to them of the financial responsibilities for the costs equivalent to their share in the budgets of the jointly financed bodies. The United Nations Secretariat was also unable to reach an agreement with those programmes on reimbursement of the expenditures which the United Nations incurred on behalf of UNHCR and UNRWA when paying their share of the costs associated with the activities of the jointly financed bodies.

29.6 The basis for participation of UNHCR and UNRWA in the activities of the jointly financed bodies has been reviewed in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000B2001. The participating organizations in each of these bodies are the same organizations of the United Nations system which participate in the activities of the Administrative Committee on Coordination itself. On that basis, it is understood that the United Nations represents the interest of both UNHCR and UNRWA in the Administrative Committee on Coordination and its subsidiary machinery. Accordingly, the financial responsibility vis-à-vis those bodies also rests with the United Nations.

29.7 The summary analysis of the overall regular budget estimates of the requirements by programme and object of expenditure is provided in tables 29.1 and 29.2.

Table 29.1 Summary of requirements by component

(Thousands of United States dollars)

(1) Regular budget

(2) Extrabudgetary resources

a Reflects total requirements of ICSC in accordance with arrangements prevailing in that biennium.

b Reflects total requirements of JIU in accordance with arrangements prevailing in that biennium.