UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Statement by Mr Peter Hammerschmidt , Canadian Delegate to the Fifth Committee, on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Item 126: Administrative and Budgetary Aspects of the Financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations

New York 12 May, 2003

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of Australia, New Zealand and Canada. We would like to thank Controller Jean-Pierre Halbwachs for introducing the Secretary-General’s reports, as well as Ambassador Mselle for introducing the related reports of the ACABQ.

Mr. Chairman, we were encouraged by the update on peacekeeping finances provided by Ms Catherine Bertini last week. The significant decrease in arrears and the acceleration in the payment of obligations are positive trends that we hope will continue. Notwithstanding this progress, the level of peacekeeping arrears remains high and is a source of concern. We continue to urge all Member States to pay their assessments on time, in full and without condition.

Mr. Chairman, over the past few years our Committee has focused on enhancing the UN’s capacity for supporting peacekeeping operations here at Headquarters and in the field. We have accomplished many meaningful reforms.

The period of major strengthening of DPKO and other support account functions is, in our view, drawing to a close. With the major capacity-building stage nearly over, we must focus now on improving where possible the management of the overall peacekeeping program and the considerable resources provided to it. The items before us this session afford us this opportunity

We recall that the resources requested by the Secretariat last May would establish a Support Account capacity robust enough to effectively backstop peacekeeping operations. With a few exceptions, this capacity now exists. A new baseline has thus been set. From this point forward our delegations expect the general level of the Support Account to mirror roughly the operational tempo of UN peacekeeping.

The exceptions include some key support requirements that remain unfilled. Critical among them is management-level direction of DPKO’s information technology framework. Given the sheer scope of the IT infrastructure and the volume of projects under implementation, strong executive leadership is paramount. The impact of effective leadership in this area will not be limited to field communications. It will also improve recruitment, logistics and budgeting activities here in New York. We would welcome more specific information on how DPKO's IT activities fit within the UN's IT strategy that the Committee discussed in March.

Another requirement not filled to date is a UN capacity for addressing the very different needs of women and men in conflict and post-conflict situations in the context of peacekeeping operations. The case for a headquarters-based capacity to support gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping activities in the field has been made more solidly than ever this year. Indeed, the Secretary-General has recommended in his study on Women, Peace and Security that a dedicated Senior Gender Advisor should be created in DPKO headquarters. Once again, the proposal has the strong endorsement of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. The ACABQ has supported it this year. Our delegations welcome the gender strategy contained in A/57/731 and continue to strongly support the establishment of a dedicated capacity in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Mr. Chairman, our delegations also believe that an effective oversight capacity helps strengthen management of the overall peacekeeping program. It has already been demonstrated to make a material difference in the efficient and effective operation of peacekeeping missions. We see it as a wise investment – a way of protecting the even larger investment we have made in assessed contributions to peacekeeping missions.

As such, we support moving OIOS’s peacekeeping oversight resources to the Support Account. This should improve the transparency and administration of these resources. As for the increase requested by the Office, we look forward to receiving further details about the request during our consideration of the matter.

Mr. Chairman, improvements are possible and necessary on the financial management front as well. This session, our delegations see real opportunities to improve financial flexibility, streamline administration, and clean up the books. The Committee should consider three items carefully.

First, the issue of consolidating the peacekeeping accounts is of particular interest to our delegations. The potential benefits in switching to such a system are significant, and the Committee should give serious consideration to the issue. The Secretariat’s report on the matter is an excellent departure point for discussion, and we look forward to the debate on this item over the next few weeks.

Second, given the establishment of the Strategic Deployment Stocks and pre-mandate commitment authority, the purpose and level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund needs to be reviewed. If some or all of the monies are no longer needed in the Reserve Fund, they should be returned to member states. We are pleased that the Administration will review the Fund, as recommended by the Board of Auditors.

Third, the UN must redouble efforts to truly close the closed mission accounts and return un-needed funds to member states. Special attention is also required to improve the liquidation and claims reimbursement process once missions close. In this regard, our delegations are fully supportive of the Board of Auditors’ recommendations on the matter.

Mr. Chairman, effective management begins with a focus on objectives and results. In this regard, we commend the Secretariat’s continuing work on bringing peacekeeping activities into a results-based framework. The reports were timely and usable, and represent a major improvement. We look forward to seeing future budgets demonstrate stronger links between resources, expected accomplishments and outputs. We also look forward to seeing the combination of the budget and performance reports.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman