Financing of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the Middle East:
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
Report of the Fifth Committee
Rapporteur : Mr. Santiago Wins (Uruguay)
I. Introduction
1. The previous recommendation made by the Fifth Committee to the General Assembly under agenda item 134 (b) appears in the report of the Committee contained in document A/56/722.
2. The Fifth Committee resumed its consideration of the item at its 54th to 56th and 60th meetings, on 13, 15 and 20 May and 17 June 2002. Statements and observations made in the course of the Committee’s consideration of the item are reflected in the relevant summary records (A/C.5/56/SR. 54-56 and 60).
3. For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the following documents:
(a) Report of the Secretary-General on the financial performance of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001 (A/56/822);
(b) Report of the Secretary-General on the budget for the Force for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003 (A/56/893);
(c) Reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (A/56/887 and Add.7).
II. Consideration of draft resolution A/C.5/56/L.70
4. At the 56th meeting, on 20 May, the representative of Nepal, Vice-Chairman of the Committee and coordinator of informal consultations on the sub-item, informed the Committee that no consensus had been reached during the informal consultations on this question.
5. At the same meeting, the representative of Venezuela, on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled “Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon” (A/C.5/56/L.70).
6. At the 60th meeting, on 17 June, the representative of the United States of America made a statement and requested that a recorded vote be taken in one block on the fourth preambular paragraph and on operative paragraphs 3, 4 and 13 of draft resolution A/C.5/56/L.70.
7. At the same meeting, the Committee adopted the fourth preambular paragraph and operative paragraphs 3, 4 and 13 of draft resolution A/C.5/56/L.70 by a recorded vote of 74 to 2, with 36 abstentions. The voting was as follows:
In favour:
Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against:
Israel, United States of America.
Abstaining:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay.
8. Also at the 60th meeting, the representative of the United States made a statement and requested that a recorded vote be taken on draft resolution A/C.5/56/L.70 as a whole.
9. At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.5/56/L.70 as a whole, by a recorded vote of 110 to 2 (see para. 11). The voting was as follows:1
In favour:
Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against:
Israel, United States of America.
10. After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by the representatives of Venezuela (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China), Spain (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the European Union and also on behalf of Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey), Australia (on behalf of Australia, Canada and New Zealand), Japan and Lebanon.
III. Recommendation of the Fifth Committee
11. The Fifth Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft resolution:
Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
The General Assembly,
Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon 2 and the related reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, 3
Recalling Security Council resolution 425 (1978) of 19 March 1978 regarding the establishment of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the subsequent resolutions by which the Council extended the mandate of the Force, the latest of which was resolution 1391 (2002) of 28 January 2002,
Recalling also its resolution S-8/2 of 21 April 1978 on the financing of the Force and its subsequent resolutions thereon, the latest of which was resolution 56/214 of 21 December 2001,
Reaffirming its resolutions 51/233 of 13 June 1997, 52/237 of 26 June 1998, 53/227 of 8 June 1999, 54/267 of 15 June 2000, 55/180 A of 19 December 2000, 55/180 B of 14 June 2001 and 56/214,
Reaffirming also the general principles underlying the financing of United Nations peacekeeping operations, as stated in General Assembly resolutions 1874 (S-IV) of 27 June 1963, 3101 (XXVIII) of 11 December 1973 and 55/235 of 23 December 2000,
Noting with appreciation that voluntary contributions have been made to the Force,
Mindful of the fact that it is essential to provide the Force with the necessary financial resources to enable it to fulfil its responsibilities under the relevant resolutions of the Security Council,
Concerned that the Secretary-General continues to face difficulties in meeting the obligations of the Force on a current basis, including reimbursement to current and former troop-contributing States,
Concerned also that the surplus balances in the Special Account for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon have been used to meet expenses of the Force in order to compensate for the lack of income resulting from non-payment and late payment by Member States of their contributions,
1. Takes note of the status of contributions to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon as at 30 April 2002, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of 112.8 million United States dollars, representing some 4 per cent of the total assessed contributions, notes with concern that only 27 Member States have paid their assessed contributions in full, and urges all other Member States, in particular those in arrears, to ensure payment of their outstanding assessed contributions;
2. Expresses its appreciation to those Member States that have paid their assessed contributions in full and on time, and urges all other Member States to make every possible effort to ensure payment of their assessed contributions to the Force in full and on time;
3. Expresses its deep concern that Israel did not comply with General Assembly resolutions 51/233, 52/237, 53/227, 54/267, 55/180 A, 55/180 B and 56/214;
4. Stresses once again that Israel should strictly abide by General Assembly resolutions 51/233, 52/237, 53/227, 54/267, 55/180 A, 55/180 B and 56/214;
5. Expresses concern about the financial situation with regard to peacekeeping activities, in particular as regards the reimbursements to troop contributors that bear additional burdens owing to overdue payments by Member States of their assessments;
6. Also expresses concern at the delay experienced by the Secretary-General in deploying and providing adequate resources to some recent peacekeeping missions, in particular those in Africa;
7. Emphasizes that all future and existing peacekeeping missions shall be given equal and non-discriminatory treatment in respect of financial and administrative arrangements;
8. Also emphasizes that all peacekeeping missions shall be provided with adequate resources for the effective and efficient discharge of their respective mandates;
9. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to make the fullest possible use of facilities and equipment at the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy, in order to minimize the costs of procurement for the Force;
10. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, 4 and requests the Secretary-General to ensure their full implementation;
11. Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary action to ensure that the Force is administered with a maximum of efficiency and economy;
12. Also requests the Secretary-General, in order to reduce the cost of employing General Service staff, to continue efforts to recruit local staff for the Force against General Service posts, commensurate with the requirements of the Force;
13. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to take the measures necessary to ensure the full implementation of paragraph 8 of its resolution 51/233, paragraph 5 of its resolution 52/237, paragraph 11 of its resolution 53/227, paragraph 14 of its resolution 54/267, paragraph 14 of its resolution 55/180 A, paragraph 15 of its resolution 55/180 B and paragraph 13 of its resolution 56/214, stresses once again that Israel shall pay the amount of 1,284,633 dollars resulting from the incident at Qana on 18 April 1996, and requests the Secretary-General to report on this matter to the Assembly at its resumed fifty-seventh session;
Performance report for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001
14. Takes note of the financial performance report of the Force for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001; 5
Budget estimates for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003
15. Decides to appropriate to the Special Account for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon the amount of 117,123,800 dollars for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003, comprising 112,042,500 dollars for the maintenance of the Force, 4,537,700 dollars for the support account for peacekeeping operations and 543,600 dollars for the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi;
Financing of the appropriation
16. Also decides to apportion among Member States the amount of 117,123,800 dollars at a monthly rate of 9,760,317 dollars in accordance with the levels set out in General Assembly resolution 55/235 of 23 December 2000, as adjusted by the Assembly in its resolution 55/236 of the same date, and taking into account the scale of assessments for 2002 and 2003 as set out in its resolution 55/5 B, also of the same date, subject to a decision of the Security Council to extend the mandate of the Force;
17. Further decides that, in accordance with the provisions of its resolution 973 (X) of 15 December 1955, there shall be set off against the apportionment among Member States, as provided for in paragraph 16 above, their respective share in the Tax Equalization Fund of 4,307,600 dollars for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003, at a monthly rate of 358,967 dollars, comprising the estimated staff assessment income of 3,641,300 dollars approved for the Force for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003, the prorated share of 617,900 dollars of the estimated staff assessment income approved for the support account for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003 and the increase in staff assessment income of that account for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001, and the prorated share of 48,400 dollars of the estimated staff assessment income approved for the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi for the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003 and the reduction in staff assessment income of that account for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001;
18. Decides that for Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Force, there shall be set off against their apportionment, as provided for in paragraph 16 above, their respective share of the unencumbered balance of 23,343,100 dollars and their respective share of other income of 12,482,000 dollars in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2001, in accordance with the levels set out in General Assembly resolution 55/235, as adjusted by the Assembly in its resolution 55/236, and taking into account the scale of assessments for the year 2001, as set out in its resolution 55/5 B;
19. Also decides that for Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the Force, their respective share of the unencumbered balance of 23,343,100 dollars and other income of 12,482,000 dollars in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2001 shall be set off against their outstanding obligations in accordance with the scheme set out in paragraph 16 above;
20. Further decides that the decrease in the staff assessment income of 420,200 dollars shall be set off against the credits from the unencumbered balance in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2001 referred to in paragraphs 18 and 19 above;
21. Emphasizes that no peacekeeping mission shall be financed by borrowing funds from other active peacekeeping missions;
22. Encourages the Secretary-General to continue to take additional measures to ensure the safety and security of all personnel under the auspices of the United Nations participating in the Force;
23. Invites voluntary contributions to the Force in cash and in the form of services and supplies acceptable to the Secretary-General, to be administered, as appropriate, in accordance with the procedure and practices established by the General Assembly;
24. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-seventh session, under the item entitled “Financing of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the Middle East”, the sub-item entitled “United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon”.
Notes
1/ The representative of Pakistan later stated that, had he been present during the voting, he would have voted in favour.
2/ A/56/822 and A/56/893.
3/ A/56/887 and Add.7.
4/ A/56/887 and Add.7.
5/ A/56/822.
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Document Type: Report
Document Sources: General Assembly, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
Subject: Peacekeeping
Publication Date: 20/06/2002