Sixtieth session Agenda items 124 and 71 (c) Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007 Human rights questions: human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives Situation of human rights in Myanmar Programme budget implications of draft resolution A/C.3/60/L.53 Eighteenth report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions 1. The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions has considered the statement submitted by the Secretary-General in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly on the programme budget implications of draft resolution A/C.3/60/L.53, on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (A/C.5/60/17). 2. As indicated in paragraph 2 of the Secretary-General’s statement, under the terms of operative paragraph 5 of draft resolution A/C.3/60/L.53, the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General (a) to continue to provide his good offices and to pursue his discussions on the situation of human rights and the restoration of democracy with the Government and the people of Myanmar, including all relevant parties to the national reconciliation process in Myanmar and to offer technical assistance to the Government in that regard; (b) to give all necessary assistance to enable his Special Envoy for Myanmar and the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Myanmar to discharge their mandate fully and effectively; and (c) to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-first session and to the Commission on Human Rights at its sixty-second session on the progress made in the implementation of the resolution. 3. The activities related to the implementation of the requests are described in paragraphs 4 to 6 of the statement of the Secretary-General. Paragraphs 7 to 9 contain information on the estimated resource requirements. The Advisory Committee notes that the Secretary-General estimates that the costs of continuing the good-offices efforts through his Special Envoy for Myanmar for a one-year period (1 January to 31 December 2006) amount to $254,000 gross ($210,400 net). 4. A summary statement of the costs was provided to the Advisory Committee upon request. Resource requirements include salaries for the Special Envoy, at the rate applicable on a when-actually-employed basis, and for a General Service (Local level) staff member to provide support to the Special Envoy as and when required ($108,000). It also includes provision for travel of the Special Envoy ($50,900), the services of a consultant ($46,200), commercial communication costs ($2,300) and miscellaneous services in support of the mission ($3,000). The Committee trusts that efforts to achieve savings will be made wherever possible and the results reflected in the performance report. 5. The request contained in the last part of paragraph 5 (a) of the draft resolution concerning technical assistance to the Government would be accommodated within the technical cooperation activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The request in paragraph 5 (b) of the draft resolution regarding assistance to the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights does not require additional resources, since provision for this type of activities, considered to be of a perennial nature, is already included in the programme budget for 2004-2005 and the proposed programme budget for 2006-2007. 6. Bearing in mind what is stated in paragraphs 10 and 11 of the statement of the Secretary-General, the Fifth Committee may wish to inform the General Assembly that, should it adopt draft resolution A/C.3/60/L.53, a total of up to $254,000 gross ($210,400 net) would be required for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2006 for the continuation of the good offices of the Secretary-General relating to the situation in Myanmar. These requirements would be charged against the provision of $355,949,300 proposed for special political missions under section 3, Political affairs, of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007 (A/60/6 (Sect. 3)).   sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/60/7/Add.17 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/60/7/Add.17 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 05-63809 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 05-63809 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 United Nations A/60/7/Add.17 General Assembly Distr.: General 12 December 2005 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 05-63809 (E) 131205 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0563809*