UNRWA/Special Coordinator – Programme budget 2000-2001 – Press release (excerpts)

UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR 2000-2001 WOULD

BE SOME $2.536 BILLION BY BUDGET COMMITTEE TEXT

Fifth Committee, Concluding Work for Main Part of Fifty-fourth

Session, Approves Seven Draft Resolutions and Five Draft Decisions

The United Nations programme budget for 2000-2001 would be some $2.536  billion — a  0.2 per cent increase over 1998-1999 — according to one of  seven draft  resolutions and  five draft decisions approved by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this  evening, as it completed its work for the main part of the Assembly's fifty-fourth session.

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Among other drafts the Committee recommended  to the Assembly were orally amended and revised resolutions on the second performance report for  1998-1999 and on the pattern of United Nations conferences.  Draft decisions  on revised estimates for special political missions (notably the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Middle East), on the level of the contingency fund given  revised estimates and programme budget  implications of resolutions already adopted by the Assembly, and  on the programme budget implications of a draft resolution on the Third  United Nations  Conference on  Least  Developed Countries  were among those approved, as were drafts on  issues to be taken up  at the Committee's resumed session, and on the Committee's 2000-2001 programme of work.

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Committee Work Programme

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Under section 24  (Palestine refugees),  the Assembly would decide to restore six extrabudgetary international  posts at the United Nations Relief and Works  Agency for  Palestine Refugees in the Near East  (UNRWA) to  the regular budget.

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The Committee then turned to consider a draft decision on revised estimates under budget section 3, Political affairs, relating to the Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East.  By its terms, the Assembly would take note of the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates under section 3, Political affairs, and section 5, Peacekeeping operations and the related recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), and approve the charge of total requirements of almost $3.76 million against the provision proposed for special political missions under section 3 and concur that the related provision for the Office of the  United Nations Special Coordinator be transferred from section 5 to section 3.

The representative of Norway said it had been agreed by all Member  States to use the  title as it occurred in document A/C.5/54/40 — the Office of the Special Coordinator for  the Middle East Peace Process and the  Special Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.

The Committee approved the decision with that change without a vote.

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