Sixtieth session
Agenda items 46, 119, 120, 124 and 136

Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up 
to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and 
summits in the economic, social and related fields

Strengthening of the United Nations system

Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit

Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007

Administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of the 
United Nations peacekeeping operations



		2005 World Summit Outcome


Revised estimates to the proposed programme budget 
for the biennium 2006-2007 under sections 1, 2, 3, 11, 
16, 23, 28A, 28C, 28D, 28E, 28F and 29


		Revised estimates to the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006


		Fourteenth report of the Advisory Committee on 
Administrative and Budgetary Questions


	I.	Introduction


1.	The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions has considered the administrative and budgetary aspects of the revised estimates to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007 and to the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 (A/60/537), which the Secretary-General submitted following the adoption by the General Assembly of the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1).
2.	As noted in paragraph 1 of the report of the Secretary-General, a statement of programme budget implications (A/60/355) was provided at the time of the adoption of resolution 60/1 in which it was indicated that total requirements arising from the resolution were estimated at $80 million and, further, that a detailed statement of programme budget implications would be submitted to the Assembly for consideration in the context of its review of the programme budget for the bienniums 2004-2005 and 2006-2007, as well as for the support account. The above-mentioned statement of programme budget implications was not submitted to the Advisory Committee or the Fifth Committee for consideration. Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that this unusual procedure was necessary because the realities of the Summit negotiating process left insufficient time for consideration of the document by the Advisory Committee and the Fifth Committee between the securing of political consensus and the scheduled date for adoption of the resolution. The revised estimates in document A/60/537 thus represent the detailed programme budget implications referred to in document A/60/355. 
3.	The Advisory Committee notes that the Secretary-General’s intention, as indicated in paragraph 2 of his report, was to outline the programmatic and financial consequences of the actions mandated in the 2005 World Summit Outcome and the changes that would be required to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007 and the budget of the support account for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006. According to the Secretary-General, the report does not, however, include changes or resource requirements associated with actions that would require further study or of which the Assembly remains seized, such as arrangements relating to the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, reports and reviews to be conducted on strengthening the oversight capacity of the United Nations and expansion of oversight services to additional agencies or reviews and consultations relating to the Department of Economic and Social Affairs under paragraphs 17 to 68 and 155 of the Summit Outcome (but see para. 8 below). The implications of those actions will be provided as and when the decisions are taken or the reports are submitted to the Assembly in 2006.
4.	Taking the aforementioned considerations into account, the Secretary-General estimates regular budget requirements arising from the recommendations of the 2005 World Summit that do not require further study at $73,368,800. Resource requirements by budget section are shown in table 48 of the report of the Secretary-General (A/60/537). In terms of regular budget posts, the Secretary-General proposes an increase of 200 posts. The overall distribution of posts by grade is shown in table 2 of the report. For the support account, additional requirements relating to the Summit Outcome are estimated at $2,122,700 for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, and an increase of 27 posts is proposed (ibid., tables 3 and 4).
5.	As noted in paragraph 160 of the report of the Secretary-General, the activities called for in the 2005 World Summit Outcome are not reflected in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007. The Secretary-General indicates that, pending the outcome of the review of all mandates older than five years, it is not possible to identify activities that could be terminated, deferred, curtailed or modified to accommodate the requirements reflected in the revised estimates. 
6.	The report of the Secretary-General is complex owing to the scope of proposals submitted and their significance. In addition, in accordance with current procedures for the consideration of proposed programme budgets, the Advisory Committee received voluminous supplementary information. In keeping with past practice and rule 157 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, the Committee decided that the report of the Secretary-General required an in-depth, line-by-line examination in the same manner in which the Committee traditionally treats the proposed programme budget itself. 
7.	In the opinion of the Advisory Committee, the intense pressure under which the Secretariat prepared the report resulted in a document that is not totally coherent. One of the central difficulties experienced by the Committee is the fact that the report appears to be a catch-all for various types of proposals. 
8.	In the first place, some of the estimates relate directly to specific decisions of the General Assembly as contained in the Summit Outcome. Secondly, despite the assertion in paragraph 2 of the report of the Secretary-General that his report does not contain changes or resource requirements for actions that would require further study or for which the General Assembly remains seized (see para. 3 above), there are estimates projected for activities that have not as yet been fully defined in the intergovernmental deliberative process and, as such, are subject to modification as the result of further intergovernmental action or further reporting that has been requested of the Secretary-General. In connection with the latter, the Advisory Committee notes that a number of reports are pending, including documents that are to reflect the results of “comprehensive reviews”. Upon request, the Committee was provided with a list of reports that remain to be submitted (see annex below).
9.	Lastly, there are proposals of the Secretary-General that, although they are generally related to existing mandates, cannot in the opinion of the Advisory Committee be specifically tied to any particular decision reflected in the Summit Outcome, including at least one instance in which the General Assembly has “endorsed” or “approved” an “intention” of the Secretary-General to do something; clearly, the initiative in such an instance is with the Secretary-General.
10.	In this connection, on 28 November 2005, the Advisory Committee became aware of a report of the Secretary-General containing an overview of the functions, responsibilities, structure and location of an ethics office, as well as the terms of reference of the comprehensive review of governance arrangements, including an independent external evaluation of the auditing and oversight system, and the provisional terms of reference for an independent audit advisory committee (A/60/568). In the report, the Secretary-General replaces his previous “intention” to establish an ethics office with a proposal to establish such an office. Proposals concerning the conduct of an independent external evaluation of governance, oversight and auditing in the United Nations and the establishment of an Independent Audit Advisory Committee, including its mandate, composition, selection process and qualification of experts, appear to be in response to the requests contained in paragraphs 164 (b) and (c) of the Summit Outcome. Inasmuch as that report amplifies, and in some cases might even contradict, some of what is already included in the report on revised estimates, the Committee is of the view that it should have been given an opportunity to study the report carefully, have an exchange with representatives of the Secretary-General and to submit its views to the General Assembly. 
11.	The Advisory Committee has consistently cautioned against a piecemeal approach such as that taken in the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates. The consideration of multiple reports on the same subject makes the formulation of a clear path forward extremely difficult. Indeed, it appears that some elements of the report of the Secretary-General on the revised estimates will be overtaken by events and will have to be revisited at a later time. In the paragraphs below the Committee, in a number of instances, points to the need for further legislative decision-making or further elaboration and clarification on the part of the Secretariat. In a number of cases, in addition to what the Secretary-General himself indicates remains to be done (see para. 8 above), the Committee is recommending that certain matters be revisited for more comprehensive analysis and justification. The revised estimates cannot therefore be considered to be comprehensive. Under the circumstances, the Committee recommends that the Secretary-General be requested to prepare a follow-up report for submission to the General Assembly as soon as possible and not later than the main part of the sixty-first session, which should provide a comprehensive analysis and estimate of the resources necessary to implement the actions mandated by the 2005 World Summit in the light of any subsequent decisions taken by the General Assembly.
12.	The methodology employed in calculating the additional quantum of resources that would be necessary does not include any supporting justification for the base level, which is the proposed programme budget for 2006-2007. The Committee believes that a case can also be made for using the revised estimates for 2004-2005 as the starting point, since the 2006-2007 proposed programme budget has yet to be adopted and the total quantum of resources to be approved for the forthcoming biennium is still unknown; therefore, calculations could have been made on the same basis as the initial estimates themselves. The tables in the revised estimates should therefore have contained information on the 2004-2005 revised estimate level as approved by the General Assembly.
13.	The calculation of additional requirements should have taken into account fully and systematically the potential for carrying out new or different tasks and activities without requesting additional resources. The Advisory Committee regrets that the revised estimates lack convincing evidence that an effort has been made to accommodate new and expanded mandates through a redeployment of resources. Such an analysis should have been carried out, even on the basis of the existing mandates and prior to the review of all mandates older than five years mentioned in paragraph 160 of the report of the Secretary-General (see para. 5 above). 
14.	Another major issue is the question of the use of the contingency fund. General Assembly resolutions 41/213 and 42/211 are landmarks in the planning, programming and budgeting governance of the Organization and have stood the test of time. Under the circumstances, there should have been a thorough analysis of the issue and options for dealing with it. In paragraph 67 below, the Advisory Committee therefore presents possible options for consideration by the General Assembly.
15.	The Advisory Committee notes the frequent resort to consultants to implement the directives of the General Assembly. The Committee points out that procedures adopted by the Assembly for the use of consultants require that full account be taken of existing expertise and capacity before outside assistance is sought.
16.	As regards the estimates for the Office of Internal Oversight Services, for reasons explained in its first report on the proposed programme budget for 2006-2007,1 the Advisory Committee did not take up the fascicle pertaining to section 29 (A/60/6 (sect. 29)). Under the circumstances, the Committee fully expected a reworked fascicle for section 29, which would incorporate the approach of the new Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services as well as the financial implications of the portions of the Summit Outcome that relate to the Office of Internal Oversight Services. However, the Committee has now been informed that the “reworking” of section 29 will not be possible until sometime in 2006, when another set of estimates for the Office of Internal Oversight Services might be submitted subsequent to the completion of mandated reviews. In view of the special circumstances surrounding the estimates for section 29, the Committee will be issuing a separate report on the matter.


	II.	Revised estimates by section


		Section 1
Overall policymaking, direction and coordination


		Ethics office

17.	By paragraph 161 (d) of the 2005 World Summit Outcome, the General Assembly stated:
	[We] [w]elcome the Secretary-General’s efforts to ensure ethical conduct, more extensive financial disclosure for United Nations officials and enhanced protection for those who reveal wrongdoing within the Organization. We urge the Secretary-General to scrupulously apply the existing standards of conduct and develop a system-wide code of ethics for all United Nations personnel. In this regard, we request the Secretary-General to submit details on an ethics office with independent status, which he intends to create, to the General Assembly at its sixtieth session.
The Advisory Committee points out that the General Assembly’s request is made in reaction to a stated intention of the Secretary-General. As such, the establishment of an ethics office could be seen as an initiative of the Secretary-General. 
18.	Subsequent to its consideration of this matter, the Advisory Committee became aware of a report of the Secretary-General on an ethics office; a comprehensive review of governance arrangements, including an independent external evaluation of the auditing and oversight system; and an independent audit advisory committee (A/60/568; see also para. 10 above). The Committee notes that “the intention of the Secretary-General” is now a proposal for consideration by the General Assembly. In the present report, the Committee therefore makes comments and recommendations on the resource requests for an ethics office, but on the understanding that they may be subject to further review and revision in the light of the action which the General Assembly may take on the Secretary-General’s proposals contained in the aforementioned document.
19.	The Advisory Committee points out that the activity being provided for is not new; indeed, it should have been an integral part of the administrative structure of the Secretariat since its inception. The leadership and direction provided by the Secretary-General and the responsibilities he has under the Charter for the administration of the staff, as well as the obligations of staff assumed when they take their oaths of office, make adherence to strict ethical conduct obligatory. 
20.	The Secretary-General estimates the requirements for the creation of an ethics office at $3,801,100 and proposes a staffing establishment of 16 posts as follows:
	•	One Assistant Secretary-General, head of the office
	•	One D-1, Director of the office
	•	Four P-5 posts, Senior Ethics Officers (1 for New York and 1 each for liaison offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi)
	•	One P-4 and one P-3, Ethics Officers
	•	One P-3, Administrative Officer
	•	One P-2, Associate Ethics Officer
	•	One General Service (Principal level) post, Senior Administrative Assistant
	•	Five General Service (Other level) posts: one Personal Assistant to the head of the office and one Administrative Assistant each for New York and the liaison offices
The estimate also includes an amount of $1.1 million for consultants, of which $100,000 would be non-recurrent. The core functions of the office are to include administration of the financial disclosure programme; protection of staff against retaliation for reporting misconduct (“whistleblower protection”); provision of confidential advice and guidance to staff on ethical issues; and development of standards, training and education on ethics issues. 
21.	In paragraph 12 of his report (A/60/537), the Secretary-General proposes the creation of a post at the Assistant Secretary-General level for the head of the office. The Committee is not convinced that the strengthening of ethical conduct in the culture of the United Nations Secretariat would necessarily be enhanced by the creation of another Assistant Secretary-General post, especially since it is the Secretary-General who must personally provide leadership and guidance in this area and must be seen as doing so. Should further assistance be required in the development of a code of ethics, its dissemination and enforcement, those responsibilities could be carried out by an official at the D-2 level.
22.	The Advisory Committee points out that it is not possible at this juncture to predict the workload of the ethics office. The Committee was informed that the major work of the financial disclosure programme would be outsourced to ensure an independent review, leaving the administration of the programme to the ethics office itself. This approach is analogous to that adopted by other international institutions, including the World Bank, to ensure privacy and the independence of the review. The Committee was informed that the estimate involved start-up costs, which would decrease over time as the electronic system became fully operational and as staff became more aware of their obligations and more familiar with the filing system. Similarly, work involving standard-setting would logically be labour-intensive in the beginning and could taper off once standards were developed, supplemented or properly explained to staff and ethics training programmes had been put in place. 
23.	For the aforementioned reasons, the Advisory Committee recommends that, in addition to the D-2 post recommended in paragraph 21 above, one P-5, one P-4, one P-3 and two General Service (Other level) posts and general temporary assistance equivalent to three posts (1 P-3, 1 P-2 and 1 General Service (Principal level)) be approved for the Headquarters component of the ethics office, subject to such decision as the General Assembly may take with regard to the Secretary-General’s proposals contained in document A/60/568 and with the understanding that staffing requirements would be reviewed in the light of experience. 
24.	The Advisory Committee is of the view that the establishment of liaison offices is premature, given the uncertainties regarding the workload of the office. Furthermore, it appears to the Committee that even with the placement of liaison offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, many of the submissions received by the office would have to be dealt with online. Moreover, the establishment of regional liaison offices would not make it any more possible for staff in the peacekeeping operations, for example, to benefit from direct consultation with the ethics office, and standard-setting functions can be carried out anywhere. The Committee therefore recommends against the six posts (3 P-5 and 3 General Service (Other level)) proposed for liaison offices at this time; the need for the establishment of liaison offices may be revisited in the light of experience.
25.	The Advisory Committee points out that that many ethics-related activities are already carried out in different parts of the Secretariat, including the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Office of Human Resources Management, the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Office of Legal Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Secretary-General has not provided a clear picture of all the elements in the Organization that deal with ethics matters, nor is any attempt to redeploy resources apparent in the documents before the Committee. The Committee requests, therefore, that the Secretary-General describe, in his comprehensive follow-up report (see para. 11 above), the various ethics activities carried out by different organizational entities within the Secretariat, laying out a plan for coordination among them and exploring the possibility for redeployment of resources to the ethics office if needed. The Committee considers this essential to the planning of a rational structure for the ethics office.

		Independent oversight advisory committee

26.	The Secretary-General is proposing a “provisional” estimate of $1,172,500 for an independent oversight advisory committee (also referred to as the independent audit advisory committee to the United Nations (see A/60/568)). 
27.	The Advisory Committee notes from document A/60/537 that a comprehensive report on the independent oversight advisory committee was to be the subject of a separate report to be submitted to the General Assembly at its sixtieth session. The Committee in fact became aware of such a report (A/60/568) subsequent to its deliberations on this matter (see para. 10 above). The Committee notes from that report that the independent audit advisory committee would serve in an expert advisory capacity to the General Assembly. In the view of the Advisory Committee, it is for the General Assembly itself to decide upon such issues as the mandate, composition, selection process and qualification of experts of the new committee. Under the circumstances, the Advisory Committee is of the opinion that it is premature to consider resource requirements for the committee until the requisite policy decisions have been taken by the Assembly.


		Section 2
General Assembly and Economic and Social Council 
Affairs and conference management


28.	The Secretary-General proposes additional resources of $7,111,500 for conference management, of which $3,111,500 would be for New York and $4 million for Geneva. The Advisory Committee points out that most of the additional resources would be required for meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission (New York) and the Human Rights Council (Geneva), with the balance being for Economic and Social Council ministerial-level substantive reviews and the high-level Development Cooperation Forum, in accordance with paragraph 155 of the Summit Outcome (see A/60/537, paras. 21, 22 and 24). As the legislative process in respect of both the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council is still not complete, the Advisory Committee is of the opinion that it would be premature to consider resource requirements for them at this time.
29.	Furthermore, the Advisory Committee recalls that it has recommended an estimate of $590 million under section 2 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007. The absorptive capacity of that provision has not as yet been explored. Under the circumstances, the General Assembly may wish to consider two options — either to defer consideration of the amount and to request a resubmission based on such decisions as may be taken by the Assembly on the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council, or to decide that such additional resources as may be necessary be reflected in the relevant performance report(s) for the biennium 2006-2007. The latter option is especially relevant in respect of conference services for Economic and Social Council ministerial-level substantive reviews and the high-level Development Cooperation Forum, which also form part of the estimated requirements for New York.


		Section 3
Political affairs


30.	Estimated additional requirements under section 3 amount to $7,642,600, including 39 additional posts.

		Executive direction and management

31.	The Secretary-General proposes to strengthen of the policy analysis capacity of the Department of Political Affairs in response to actions emanating from paragraphs 88, 97 to 105 and 136 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome with regard to building capacity for peacebuilding, supporting democracy and combating terrorism. Estimated additional requirements for section 3 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007 under executive direction and management include the following staff changes:
	•	Three additional P-4 posts (one each to deal with the issues of peacebuilding, terrorism and democracy) to augment the existing staffing of the Policy Planning Unit and enhance its policy coordination and policy development capacity
	•	Reclassification of the Chief of Unit from P-4 to P-5 in view of the range of issues and the complexities that the Unit will be expected to handle
In view of the role played by the Policy Planning Unit in the development of policy for the Secretary-General in a range of areas, as well as the current level of staffing of the Unit, which is quite small (2 P-4 and 2 General Service (Other level) posts) in comparison with other similar units, such as those of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Advisory Committee recommends approval of these proposals.

		Subprogramme 1
Prevention, control and resolution of conflicts

32.	By paragraph 76 of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly recognized the role of the good offices of the Secretary-General, including in the mediation of disputes, and expressed its support for the Secretary-General’s efforts to strengthen his capacity in that area. In response, the Secretary-General proposes the establishment of a dedicated mediation support unit and the strengthening of the mediation support capacity of the regional divisions of the Department of Political Affairs. 
33.	The estimated additional requirements under subprogramme 1 include proposals for 15 additional staff for mediation support, as follows:
	•	Four P-5 posts for regional divisions
	•	One D-1, Director of the Mediation Support Unit
	•	Two P-5 posts, Senior Officers, Mediation Support Unit: one for mediation training and the other for best practices and operational support
	•	Two P-4 and two P-3 posts, Political Affairs Officers, Mediation Support Unit
	•	One General Service (Other level) post, administrative and research assistant, Mediation Support Unit
The Advisory Committee recognizes the importance of mediation support. The Committee is of the opinion that the concept behind the establishment of a mediation support unit needs to be developed, taking into account capacity within the Secretariat as a whole. Pending the further development of this concept, including details on the specific operational role of the unit, the Committee recommends that a core mediation support function be provided through the establishment of two posts, one P-5 and one P-4. In addition, the Committee recommends approval of the four P-5 posts requested for the regional divisions for the reasons given in paragraph 34 of the report of the Secretary-General (A/60/537).
34.	By paragraph 170 of the Summit Outcome, the Assembly expressed its support for a stronger relationship between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations. The establishment of a focal point within the Department of Political Affairs is proposed, with the following staffing:
	•	One D-1
	•	One P-3
	•	One General Service (Other level) post
The Advisory Committee recommends approval of these posts.

		Peacebuilding Support Unit

35.	By paragraph 104 of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General “to establish, within the Secretariat and from within existing resources, a small peacebuilding support office staffed by qualified experts to assist and support the Peacebuilding Commission”. The Secretary-General proposes a staffing establishment of 21 posts, as follows:
	•	One Assistant Secretary-General
	•	One D-2
	•	One D-1
	•	Three P-5 posts
	•	Five P-4 posts
	•	Five P-3 posts
	•	One General Service (Principal level) and four General Service (Other level) posts
No detailed description of the functions of the posts was provided. The Advisory Committee notes from paragraph 19 of the report of the Secretary-General on implementation of decisions from the 2005 World Summit Outcome (A/60/430) that the Secretary-General has already taken interim steps to set up a start-up element of the office, using posts currently available, so as to ensure that it is in a position to prepare for the pending establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission. The Committee points out that the General Assembly has not yet concluded its discussions on arrangements for the Peacebuilding Commission; when it does, a statement of programme budget implications should be issued in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly, at which time resource requirements for a peacebuilding support office may be considered. In the meantime, the Committee believes that the interim steps already taken by the Secretary-General will ensure that the most urgent needs of the Peacebuilding Commission for support in the start-up phase will be met. Accordingly, the Committee recommends that the Assembly defer consideration of resource requirements for a small peacebuilding support office until the deliberations on the arrangements for the Peacebuilding Commission have been concluded. 

		Section 11
United Nations support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development

36.	By paragraph 68 of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly reaffirmed its “commitment to address the special needs of Africa, which is the only continent not on track to meet any of the goals of the Millennium Declaration by 2015, to enable it to enter the mainstream of the world economy”. Estimated additional requirements under section 11 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007 amount to $195,400. The requirements reflect the proposed establishment of two posts (offset in part by a reduction of $130,000 in non-post requirements under consultants and experts), as follows:
	•	One P-4, Policy Analysis and Monitoring Unit, Office of the Special Adviser for Africa
	•	One P-3, Cooperation, Advocacy and Programme Development Unit
37.	On the face of it, the proposal for $195,400 to meet the special needs of Africa under section 11 appears to be inadequate. In the opinion of the Advisory Committee, it would have been helpful if a comprehensive system-wide plan had been elaborated in response to all elements of paragraph 68 of the Summit Outcome, which would have incorporated not only the activities of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, but also other relevant United Nations entities with activities pertinent to the United Nations role regarding the special needs of Africa. Upon enquiry, the Committee received limited information on a possible role for individual entities of the United Nations system. The Committee trusts that a further elaboration of such a plan will be forthcoming and requests that the Secretary-General report thereon to the General Assembly as soon as possible and no later than the main part of the sixty-first session. In the meantime, the Committee recommends approval of the two posts requested and expects that urgent measures will be taken to fill the post of Special Adviser on Africa, which has been vacant since 1 July 2005.
38.	With regard to a provision for consultants, in view of the delayed recruitment factor for new posts, which could be up to one year, it may be prudent to retain the provision for consultants, subject to review and rejustification in the report requested in paragraph 11 above. 


		Section 16
International drug control, crime prevention and criminal justice


		Subprogramme 2
Services for policymaking and treaty adherence

39.	The Secretary-General’s response to paragraphs 81 to 91 and 111 to 115 of the Summit Outcome is described in paragraphs 48 to 53 of the revised estimates (A/60/537). The Secretary-General proposes four additional regular budget posts, as follows:
	•	One P-3 in the Terrorism Prevention Branch to provide specialized substantive expertise in relation to the comprehensive United Nations counter-terrorism strategy
	•	One P-3 in the Terrorism Prevention Branch to provide specialized legal expertise on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism
	•	One P-3 in the Crime Conventions Section to provide specialized substantive expertise on the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto 
	•	One P-3 in the Crime Conventions Section to carry out substantive and specialized tasks of the secretariat of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention against Corruption
The Advisory Committee notes from paragraph 13 of the report of the Secretary-General on implementation of decisions from the 2005 World Summit Outcome (A/60/430) that he intends to submit proposals by early 2006 to the General Assembly and the Security Council, to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system to assist States in combating terrorism and to enhance the coordination of United Nations activities in this regard (and, in the understanding of the Committee, especially with regard to the Counter-Terrorism Committee). Accordingly, the Committee recommends deferral of consideration of the establishment of the two P-3 posts in the Terrorism Prevention Branch until the Secretary-General has submitted his proposals. The Committee recommends approval of the two P-3 posts proposed for the Crime Conventions Section.

		Subprogramme 3
Technical assistance and advice 

40.	The Secretary-General proposes 10 additional extrabudgetary posts (3 P-4, 3 P-3, 2 P-2 and 2 General Service (Other level)) to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to build and reform criminal justice systems and to support the rule of law, particularly in post-conflict and transitional societies. Upon enquiry as to the reason for the inclusion in the regular budget of requirements of $27,000 relating to travel of staff, the Advisory Committee was informed that the provision was for assessment missions to Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America in response to requests for assistance in the area of the rule of law. The estimate would cover five assessment missions of approximately two weeks each.


		Section 23
Human rights


41.	Estimated additional requirements under section 23 amount to $24,223,700, including 93 new posts.
42.	In paragraph 124 of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly stated:
	We resolve to strengthen the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, taking note of the High Commissioner’s plan of action, to enable it to effectively carry out its mandate to respond to the broad range of human rights challenges facing the international community, particularly in the areas of technical assistance and capacity-building, through the doubling of its regular budget resources over the next five years with a view to progressively setting a balance between regular budget and voluntary contributions to its resources, keeping in mind other priority programmes for developing countries and the recruitment of highly competent staff on a broad geographical basis and with gender balance, under the regular budget, and we support its closer cooperation with all relevant United Nations bodies, including the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council.
The Advisory Committee recalls that the High Commissioner’s plan of action was brought to the attention of the General Assembly, but not for a decision. With regard to the Assembly’s taking note of the plan of action, it is the Committee’s understanding that this is to be interpreted consistent with General Assembly decision 55/488, in which the Assembly pronounced itself on the meaning of the term “takes note”. Information on the implementation of paragraph 124, including how it is planned to “keep in mind” priority programmes for developing countries, should be included in the comprehensive follow-up report requested in paragraph 11 above. 
43.	There is no discussion in the report of the Secretary-General as to how the doubling of the resources of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the next five years is to be handled over the coming bienniums, nor is there a specific indication of the precise baseline against which future increases would be measured. Full details should be given, taking into account paragraph 12 above, so that the General Assembly can take an informed decision.

		Executive direction and management

44.	As noted in paragraph 74 of the report of the Secretary-General, in keeping with the Secretary-General’s reform plan and the OHCHR plan of action (see A/59/2005/Add.3), it is proposed to strengthen the New York office of OHCHR. In the plan of action, the argument put forward for this change is that most of the core United Nations departments and agencies are headquartered in New York, and the Executive Committees and subsidiary bodies convene in New York, as do the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. The New York-based work of the Office is expected to expand significantly (ibid., para. 123). Six additional posts are proposed for the New York office, as follows:
	•	One Assistant Secretary-General post, head of the New York office
	•	One P-4 to support expanded work in the field of rule of law
	•	One P-4 to support expanded work in the field of peace and security
	•	One P-4 to support expanded work in human rights aspects of the Millennium Development Goals
	•	One P-3 to support expanded work in the implementation and follow-up phases of action 2
	•	One General Service (Other level) post
It appears to the Advisory Committee that through this shift in emphasis to New York, what was formerly a liaison office would become a programme office. In this connection, the Committee notes that OHCHR intends to undertake a feasibility study to determine whether other functions and personnel might better be located in New York (see A/60/537, para. 74). The Committee recognizes the need for strengthening the capacity of the New York office; however, it is of the view that consideration of the proposal to establish an Assistant Secretary-General post for New York should be considered in the context of the feasibility study when it is completed and when OHCHR has a clearer picture of its structural needs and the functions envisaged for the New York office. The Committee notes, in this connection, that the current staffing of the New York office includes a D-2 Director. The Committee recommends approval of three P-4, one P-3 and one General Service (Other level) posts for the New York office of OHCHR.
45.	The Secretary-General proposes strengthening the Communications Unit of OHCHR through the addition of five posts, as follows:
	•	One P-4 to develop and manage the promotional publications programme and oversee the preparation of information products
	•	One P-3 to conduct research and produce information materials
	•	Three General Service (Other level) support staff
The Advisory Committee recommends approval of the P-4 and P-3 posts and one General Service post to assist the P-4 and P-3.
46.	In response to recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (see A/57/488), OHCHR is planning to create a policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation unit “to ensure that the strategic vision of OHCHR is translated into concrete priorities and operational plans” (A/59/2005/Add.3, annex, para. 117). The proposed staffing of the office is as follows:
	•	One D-1, head of the policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation unit
	•	One P-5 to provide policy direction on partnerships with civil society
	•	One P-5 to develop and support an office-wide evaluation approach and process
	•	One P-4 to work on strategic planning and development of internal policy
The Advisory Committee points out that much work has already been done on evaluation and processes, including work done by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, as noted above. In view of the continued importance of evaluation and monitoring, especially in the light of the restructuring and reform that OHCHR is undergoing, the Committee recommends approval of the D-1 post for the head of the unit, as well as the P-4 post for strategic planning and development of internal policy and one P-5 to be assigned at the discretion of the High Commissioner. 

		Subprogramme 1
Human rights mainstreaming, right to development, research and analysis

47.	The Secretary-General proposes 20 additional posts under subprogramme 1, as follows:

		Human rights mainstreaming

	•	Two P-4 posts to develop tools and materials to provide training and advice to United Nations country teams and support action 2 advisers
	•	One P-4 to ensure enhanced capacity to provide advice and training and to develop tools and materials for military peacekeepers and civilian police
	•	Two P-4 posts to establish and manage a programme on access to justice and advise on national accountability mechanisms and transitional justice

		Right to development

	•	One P-5 to head a unit on Millennium Development Goals and rights-based approaches
	•	One P-3 to provide expertise on rights-sensitive poverty reduction strategies, rights-based approaches to development and right to development

		Research and analysis

	•	One P-5 to formulate strategies and coordinate activities on economic, social and cultural rights, including legal protection
	•	One P-4 to ensure integration of economic, social and cultural rights issues in OHCHR country strategies and activities
	•	One P-3 to assist in developing expertise within OHCHR on rights to food, education and health

		Women’s human rights

	•	One P-5 to head the Unit on Women’s Human Rights
	•	One P-4 to conduct research, provide expert advice, develop programmes and support advocacy on women’s rights in development
	•	One P-3 to conduct research, provide expert advice, develop programmes and support advocacy on women’s rights in the private and family spheres
	•	One General Service (Other level) to provide secretarial assistance

		Investigations

	•	Two P-4 posts to provide legal expertise to support human rights investigations

		Global Human Rights Report

	•	One P-5 to lead the Global Report Unit
	•	One P-4 to coordinate research
	•	One P-3 to carry out research and review the work of external consultants
	•	One General Service (Other level) support post
The Advisory Committee recommends approval of all of the above posts, with exception of the four posts (1 P-5, 1 P-4, 1 P-3 and 1 General Service (Other level)) for the Global Human Rights Report. While the Committee recognizes that the report is a part of the OHCHR plan of action, which has been noted in the Summit Outcome, in the opinion of the Committee, the concept for such a report has not been adequately set out. Supplementary information provided to the Committee indicates that collaboration with others, including academic and research centres worldwide, will enhance the value of such a report; however, there is no description of how this collaboration would take shape. The Committee recommends that OHCHR further develop the idea and present it in a more comprehensive manner in the follow-up report requested by the Committee in paragraph 11 above. Estimated requirements for subprogramme 1 should also be reduced by $1,380,000 for non-post requirements relating to the Global Human Rights Report.2

		Subprogramme 2
Supporting human rights bodies and organs

48.	By paragraph 125 of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly resolved “to improve the effectiveness of the human rights treaty bodies, including through more timely reporting, improved and streamlined reporting procedures and technical assistance to States to enhance their reporting capacities and further enhance the implementation of their recommendations”. As noted in paragraphs 87 and 88 of the report of the Secretary-General, many States find the current reporting requirements onerous, as they are required to report separately to different treaty bodies, often on very similar or overlapping issues. Additional resources are proposed to support the work of the treaty bodies, develop strategies to harmonize working methods and streamline reporting procedures of treaty bodies, as well as to strengthen national capacity and engage in the treaty implementation and monitoring process. The Secretary-General proposes eight additional posts under subprogramme 2, as follows:
		Support for treaty bodies

	•	Three P-3 posts to support the work of all six Geneva-based treaty bodies

		Legal advocacy and advice

	•	One P-5 to direct and supervise legal research, advocacy and advice on international human rights law
	•	One P-3 to undertake research and provide assistance to the legal advocacy and advice unit coordinator

		Treaty implementation and development

	•	One P-5 to develop strategies to encourage the harmonization of working methods of the treaty bodies and streamline reporting and petition procedures
	•	One P-3 to support the P-5 through research
	•	One General Service (Other level) post

		The Advisory Committee recommends approval of the posts proposed under subprogramme 2

49.	On non-post requirements, the Advisory Committee notes from the supplementary information provided to it that, as an exception to General Assembly resolution 1798 (XVII), as amended, the Secretary-General requests an amount of $370,000 for travel for the participation of the least developed countries in the intergovernmental meeting of States parties on proposals for a unified standing treaty body. The Committee was informed that no provision had been made for this activity in the proposed programme budget for 2006-2007. A decision by the General Assembly on this matter is therefore required.

		Subprogramme 3
Advisory services, technical cooperation and field activities

50.	As indicated in paragraphs 91 and 92 of the report of the Secretary-General:
	It is mainly through action at the national level that international human rights obligations can be translated into reality. To this end, OHCHR will use a variety of tools, including technical cooperation and policy advice, monitoring, follow-up of recommendations and reports of special procedures and regional and country presences ... The OHCHR technical cooperation programme will be strengthened and more clearly built around clear, long-term strategies agreed with Governments and developed with the participation of civil society.
In order to engage effectively with countries, OHCHR proposes an expansion of geographic capacity at OHCHR headquarters, as well as in the field. It will also begin consolidating and strengthening its capacity to rapidly deploy human rights staff in crisis situations or other situations where there is a need for human rights expertise on short notice. The proposed additional requirements provide for 39 additional staff as follows:

		Geographic desks in Geneva

	•	Three P-5 posts to head geographic units in Geneva
	•	Five P-4 posts to develop subregional and country strategies and programmes in the geographic units in Geneva
	•	Four P-3 posts, Desk Officers
	•	Eight General Service (Other level) posts to support Desk Officers

		Regional and country offices

	•	Five P-5 posts to head regional offices
	•	Five P-4 posts to develop regional and country strategies and programmes
	•	Five P-3 posts to implement human rights activities, provide substantive expertise on thematic areas and develop partnerships with civil society

		Rapid response

	•	One P-5 to coordinate the work of a rapid-response unit
	•	One P-4 to develop options for a rapid response to given situations by OHCHR and to participate in rapid-response missions
	•	One P-3 to undertake lessons learned and develop good practices with regard to rapid response
	•	One General Service (Other level) post to provide administrative support
The Advisory Committee recommends establishment of the proposed additional posts for subprogramme 3. The Committee notes from the supplementary information provided to it that OHCHR is in the process of conducting a comprehensive review of its current field presences. The Committee expects that the review will be completed in a timely and expeditious manner. With regard to rapid-response capacity, the Committee trusts that there will be coordination and information-sharing with regional and country offices.
51.	Upon enquiry regarding the requirement under non-post costs of $44,000 for external printing and $800,000 under grants and contributions for subprogramme 3, the Advisory Committee was informed that provision for external printing related to the printing cost of human rights materials and publications relevant to the regions. The amount requested for grants and contributions would provide for a workshop in Geneva to analyse OHCHR experience in selected areas and develop good practices to improve the effectiveness of OHCHR field activities ($75,000); subregional workshops organized by the proposed five new regional offices on human rights issues of relevance to the regions ($629,000); and grants and fellowships to government institutions and civil society as part of the activities of the regional offices ($96,000).

		Subprogramme 4
Support for human rights thematic fact-finding procedures

52.	Under subprogramme 4, the Secretary-General requests the conversion of six P-3 extrabudgetary posts to regular budget posts. The Advisory Committee recommends approval of the conversions and is of the opinion that the option of conversion should be kept in mind when future proposals aimed at creating the desired balance between voluntary contributions and regular budget financing are being considered.

		Programme support

53.	As noted in paragraphs 102 and 103 of the report of the Secretary-General, the expansion of OHCHR activities in Geneva and the field, as well as the increased rapid-response capability, will need to be supported by adequate administrative and logistical structures. The Secretary-General proposed five additional posts under programme support, as follows:
	•	One P-5 to head the Information Technology Unit
	•	One P-5 to develop and coordinate staff training activities
	•	One P-4 Logistics and Procurement Officer to support field and rapid-response activities
	•	One P-3 to develop and maintain rosters of candidates for deployment to OHCHR field offices and meet other recruitment needs
	•	One P-3 to assess staff training needs and support the organization of staff training
The Advisory Committee notes from the supplementary information provided to it that OHCHR has nine stand-alone field offices, of which six are managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services. Additional resources are required in order to provide adequate logistical and other operational support to the offices, and the P-4 is requested in that connection. The Committee recommends approval of the proposed additional posts under programme support. 
		Section 28A
Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management


54.	As indicated in paragraph 110 of the report of the Secretary-General, as part of the management reform and efforts to strengthen accountability, a number of measures are foreseen to prevent fraud, and a plan of action has been developed to deal with the problem in the Secretariat. The Secretary-General states his intention to establish an office of fraud prevention within the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management and proposes the following additional posts for that purpose:
	•	One D-2, Chief Fraud Prevention Officer
	•	One D-1
	•	One P-5
	•	One P-4
	•	Three General Service (Other level) posts
The Advisory Committee recognizes the importance of effective measures to deal with fraud and corruption; however, the Committee points out that the establishment of the office is not directly called for in the Summit Outcome. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned that some of the functions of the Office may overlap with activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Office of Human Resources Management, the Secretary-General’s (internal) Oversight Committee, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the proposed ethics office. Therefore, the Committee considers it prudent to await the results of the comprehensive review of governance arrangements before establishing yet another unit to deal with such matters. Accordingly, pending the outcome of the review, the Committee recommends against approval of the seven additional staff proposed for the office, with a consequential proportionate reduction in operational requirements. 
55.	In paragraph 163 of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly called upon the Secretary-General to submit proposals for implementing management reforms in the Secretariat for consideration and decision in the first quarter of 2006. In paragraph 105 of A/60/537, the Secretary-General states that a follow-up mechanism is in place to develop proposals for a full review of the budgetary, financial and human-resources policies, regulations and rules under which the Organization operates. An amount of $132,500 is included in the revised estimates under consultants and experts to cover the cost of outside expertise to be employed for the review. The Advisory Committee points out that reviewing budgetary, financial and human resources policies, regulations and rules, including the manner in which they are implemented, is a basic responsibility of management which would normally be carried out on an ongoing basis, within existing capacity. If external support is required, however, then the Committee recommends that the resources be absorbed from within the existing provision in section 28. 
56.	In paragraph 164 (b) of the Summit Outcome, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to undertake an independent external evaluation of the auditing and oversight system of the United Nations and the specialized agencies, to be conducted within the context of the comprehensive review of governance arrangements. As noted in paragraph 107 of the report of the Secretary-General, the evaluation is expected to be completed during the first half of 2006; it will consist of a system-wide review of governance and oversight within the United Nations, funds, programmes and specialized agencies and an external evaluation of the Office of Internal Oversight Services. In this connection, the Committee notes from document A/60/568 that a proposal is made for the conduct of the independent external evaluation; the terms of reference for a comprehensive review of governance arrangements, including an independent external evaluation, are contained in annex II to that document. Should the review and evaluation be approved by the General Assembly, and taking into account information provided to the Committee on the budgetary requirements, the Advisory Committee recommends approval of $3,633,600 for the independent external evaluation. It expects that the required practice for international bidding will be fully respected in the selection process for the external consultants. The Committee also recommends approval of $126,000 for special projects related to fraud and corruption, as well as $286,400 in general temporary assistance for backstopping the independent external evaluation and travel and per diem of $177,300 for members of a steering committee overseeing the evaluation of the Office of Internal Oversight Services.
57.	An amount of $95,000 is estimated for travel of staff. The Advisory Committee recommends approval of $30,000 for travel related to the independent external evaluation; however, the amount of $65,000 for travel of staff of the office of fraud prevention should not be approved at this time for the reasons given in paragraph 54 above.


		Section 28C
Office of Human Resources Management


58.	An additional amount of $794,600 is proposed under section 28C. Of this amount, $225,200 is requested to undertake a review of the staff selection system, which was requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 59/266. The Advisory Committee is of the view that it is important for the review to be completed in time for the General Assembly’s consideration of human resources management issues at its sixty-first session (off-budget year); on this understanding, the Committee recommends approval of that amount. 
59.	In paragraph 163 (c) of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a detailed proposal on the framework of a one-time staff buyout to improve personnel structure and quality. The Advisory Committee does not object to a provision of $27,800 for a consultant to design the staff buyout programme, but it should be provided from within the resources available under section 28 of the proposed programme budget.
60.	Included in the estimates for section 28C is an amount of $541,600 relating to the costs of the ethics training programme, of which a non-recurrent provision of $105,600 is for the development of the programme and $436,000 for implementation of the programme Secretariat-wide. In this connection, the Advisory Committee notes from annex I, paragraph 21, of document A/60/568 that steps have already been taken to include ethics components in all of the Organization’s training programmes, that an Intranet-based module on integrity and ethics provisions for self-training called the Integrity Awareness Online Learning Programme was launched on 12 September 2005 and that a half-day ethics training programme entitled “Working together: ethics and integrity in our daily work” is currently being undertaken by all Department of Management staff and will be expanded to include all United Nations staff. Under the circumstances, the Committee is not convinced that all of the amounts requested are necessary, since much of this work is already being undertaken. Moreover, the Committee notes the statement in the same report that the ethics office will work with the Office of Human Resources Management to provide ethics training and education (see A/60/568, annex I, para. 18). The Committee finds no evidence that the request for training resources under section 28C has been made on the basis of such coordination. Accordingly, the Committee does not recommend approval of the requested additional resources at this time and requests that the matter be included and further elaborated upon in the comprehensive follow-up report requested in paragraph 11 above.


		Section 28D
Office of Central Support Services


61.	Additional requirements of $3,854,600 are estimated for section 28D to provide for the cost of office accommodation and office furniture for proposed new staff at Headquarters. The reductions in staff recommended in the paragraphs above would lead to a consequential reduction of $1,984,600 under support services. 


		Section 28E
Administration, Geneva


62.	Additional requirements of $1,607,000 are estimated for section 28E to provide for the cost of maintenance of premises, central communications requirements, supplies and office furniture and equipment for proposed new staff in Geneva, as well as the cost of additional services of 1 radio technician and 10 sound operators in support of the meetings of the Human Rights Council. The reductions in staff and other recommendations in the paragraphs above would lead to a consequential reduction of $397,300 under section 28E. 
		Section 28F
Administration, Vienna


63.	Additional requirements of $433,300 are estimated for section 28F to provide for the cost of office accommodation, supplies, office furniture and medical services for proposed new staff in Vienna. The reductions in staff recommended in the paragraphs above would lead to a consequential reduction of $57,700 under section 28F. 


		Support account


64.	By paragraph 92 of the Summit Outcome, the General Assembly endorsed the creation of an initial operating capability for a standing police capacity to provide coherent, effective and responsive start-up capability for the policing component of United Nations peacekeeping missions and to assist existing missions through the provision of advice and expertise. The Advisory Committee notes from the additional information provided to it that a working group was established in response to a request by the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations that the Secretariat develop the concept in conjunction with Member States.3 The efforts of the working group culminated in an informal concept paper, which puts forth the envisioned organizational and operational aspects of the standing police capacity concept and an initial operating capability of 27 personnel. The paper, which was agreed upon by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Member States of the working group as an informal guidance document, forms the basis of the proposal of the Secretary-General in document A/60/537. Estimated staffing requirements are as follows:
	•	One D-1, Director
	•	Two P-5 posts, Team Leaders
	•	Two P-4 posts, Senior Police Reform Advisers
	•	One P-3, Police Reform Adviser/Project Manager
	•	One P-4, Special Assistant, executive organizational activities
	•	One P-4, Legal Affairs Adviser
	•	One P-4, Detentions Adviser
	•	One P-4 and one P-3, Transnational Crime Advisers
	•	One P-4 and one P-3, Community Policing Advisers
	•	One P-4 and one P-3, Investigations Advisers
	•	One P-4 and one P-3, Public Order Advisers
	•	Two P-4 posts, Training Coordinators
	•	One P-4, Training Adviser
	•	One P-4 and one P-3, Policy and Planning Advisers
	•	One P-4 and one P-3, Police Communication and Information Specialists
	•	One P-3, Police Analyst
The Advisory Committee notes from the additional information provided to it that the working group and other interested Member States are expected to reconvene at a special workshop on the standing police capacity at the next session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, in February 2006, in order to finalize the implementation of proposals for the standing police capacity. Accordingly, the Committee recommends that requirements for the standing police capacity be reflected in the proposed budget for the support account for peacekeeping operations for 2006/07.

	III.	Conclusion


65.	In the paragraphs above, the Advisory Committee has made recommendations which would entail a total reduction of $25,490,500 gross from the additional estimate of $73,368,800 proposed by the Secretary-General. The reduction includes the related impact on operational and other non-staff costs of the Committee’s recommendations on posts. This is in addition to what has been specifically recommended by the Committee on non-staff costs. The reduction can be broken down as follows:

 Recommended adjustments
 Posts
Resources
Budget section (Thousands of United States dollars)


 1.	Overall policymaking, direction and coordination (10)
(2 141.2)
2.	General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management
 (7 111.5)
3.	Political affairs (27)
(5 189.2)
11.	United Nations Support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development —
130.0
16.	International drug control, crime prevention and criminal justice (2)
(263.0)
23.	Human rights (8)
(2 838.7)
28A. Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management (7)
(1 398.9)
28C. Office of Human Resources Management
 (569.4)
28D. Office of Central Support Services
 (1 984.6)
28E. Administration, Geneva
 (397.3)
28F. Administration, Vienna
 (57.7)
35.	Staff assessmenta
 (1 546.3)
	Total, regular budget (54)
(23 367.8)
	Total, support account (27)
(2 122.7)
	Grand total (81)
(25 490.5)

	a	To be offset by an equivalent amount under Income section 1.


66.	In paragraph 161 of his report, the Secretary-General points out that the additional resource requirements for the biennium 2006-2007 “might normally be considered to be potentially subject to the provisions governing the contingency fund” (see General Assembly resolutions 41/213 and 42/211). By its resolution 59/278, the Assembly approved a contingency fund for the biennium 2006-2007 in the amount of $27.2 million, as proposed by the Secretary-General. The estimated additional requirements of $73.4 million relating to the 2005 World Summit Outcome thus far exceed the level of the contingency fund. Furthermore, upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that as at 8 December 2005 the potential charge against the contingency fund was approximately $23.3 million. 
67.	Under the circumstances, the General Assembly may wish to consider the following policy options:
	(a)	To decide that procedures for the use and operation of the contingency fund shall be strictly applied, without exception. In this case, the Assembly would have to provide guidance to the Secretary-General on how the provisions of the contingency fund should be applied;
or
	(b)	To decide that revised estimates resulting from the Summit Outcome are to be considered outside the established procedures for the use and operation of the contingency fund, as proposed by the Secretary-General. In such a case, the Advisory Committee recommends that it be specifically stipulated that this is an exception which will not create a precedent for the consideration of the financial implications of future legislative actions. 


	Notes
	1	Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (A/60/7 and Corr.1).
	2	Broken down as follows: $480,000 under consultants and experts for an advisory panel of experts for the report and for the commissioning of 12 to 15 resource papers; $800,000 under contractual services for printing, translation, editing, layout and graphic design of report; and $100,000 for materials for the launching of the report.
	3	See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 19 (A/59/19/Rev.1), para. 83.
Annex

		Reports to be prepared pursuant to the 2005 World 
Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1) and the revised 
estimates (A/60/537)


Paragraphs in the Summit Outcome Reports to be delivered Timing


56 (f) Establishment of a worldwide early warning system for all natural hazards 
(see also para. 44 of the Summit Outcome implementation report (A/60/430)) Late March 2006, to be submitted to the Third International Conference on Early Warning
74 and 75 Assessment of the capacity of the United Nations system and other international actors to prevent violent conflicts (see also A/60/430, para. 10) 2006
88 Proposals to the General Assembly and the Security Council, within their respective mandates, to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system to assist States in combating terrorism and to enhance the coordination of United Nations activities 
in this regard (see also A/60/430, para. 13) Early 2006, to be submitted to the General Assembly and the Security Council
92 Standing police capacity (PBI to General Assembly)
Updates and recommendations on the way forward for standing police capacity and strategic reserves (see also A/60/430, para. 15) A/60/537 (PBI)

January 2006, to be submitted to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
93 Implementation of the 10-year process of sustained capacity-building support for African regional and subregional organizations (see also A/60/430, para. 16) 2006, to be submitted to the United Nations/ Regional Organizations High-level Meeting
134 Rule of law assistance unit (see also A/60/430, para. 24) Early 2006
144 Panel of eminent persons will submit report on dialogue among cultures, civilizations and religions to the Secretary-General (see also A/60/430, para. 26) End 2006
161 (d) Details of an ethics office with independent status to be created A/60/537 (PBI) and A/60/568
163 (a) (c) Proposals for implementing management reforms, including assessment of budgetary, financial, policies, regulations and rules (OPPBA); assessment of and human resources regulations and rules (OHRM); and design of one-time buyout (OHRM) (see also A/60/430, paras. 31 and 33) First quarter of 2006
163 (b) Review of mandates older than 5 years (see also A/60/430, para. 32) First quarter of 2006
164


164 (a)	Strengthening OIOS
(b)	Independent external evaluation of the auditing and oversight system of the United Nations, including the specialized agencies
(c)	Establishment of independent audit advisory committee A/60/537 (PBI)
A/60/537 (PBI); see also A/60/568

A/60/537 (PBI) and A/60/568
165 Initial proposals on a comprehensive approach to victims’ assistance (see also A/60/430, para. 38)
Comprehensive report on victims’ assistance (see also A/60/430, para. 38) By 31 December 2005


February 2006, to be submitted to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
166 Gender mainstreaming (see also A/60/430, para. 39) July 2006, to be submitted to the Economic and Social Council
169 Measures to complement funding of the Central Emergency Revolving Fund (see also A/60/430, para. 42) A/60/432

Note: 	This list does not include any statements of programme budget implications or revised estimates that may result from recommendations or decisions of the General Assembly on the above-mentioned reports.


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 United Nations
A/60/7/Add.13
 
 General Assembly
Distr.: General
8 December 2005

Original: English



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 A/60/7/Add.13


A/60/7/Add.13