Sixty-first session Agenda item 144 (b) Financing of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the Middle East: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Report of the Fifth Committee Rapporteur: Mr. Diego Simancas (Mexico) I. Introduction 1. The previous recommendation made by the Fifth Committee to the General Assembly under agenda item 144 (b) appears in the report of the Committee contained in document A/61/657. 2. The Fifth Committee resumed its consideration of the item at its 42nd, 44th and 45th meetings, on 21, 29 and 30 March 2007. Statements and observations made in the course of the Committee’s consideration of the item are reflected in the relevant summary records (A/C.5/61/SR.42, 44 and 45). 3. For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the report of the Secretary-General on the budget for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 (A/61/766) and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (A/61/803). II. Consideration of draft resolution A/C.5/61/L.39 4. At the 44th meeting, on 29 March, a Vice-Chairman of the Committee, the representative of Greece, informed the Committee that no consensus had been reached during the informal consultations on this item. 5. At the same meeting, the representative of Pakistan, 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.5/61/L.39). 6. At the 45th meeting, on 30 March, a recorded vote was requested on the fourth preambular paragraph and on operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 20 of the draft resolution. A recorded vote was also requested on the draft resolution as a whole. 7. Before the adoption of the draft resolution, a statement was made by the representative of Israel (see A/C.5/61/SR.45). 8. At the same meeting, the Committee voted on draft resolution A/C.5/61/L.39 as follows: (a) The fourth preambular paragraph and operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 20 were retained by a recorded vote of 78 to 5, with 44 abstentions. The voting was as follows: In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Gambia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Palau, United States of America. Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (b) Draft resolution A/C.5/61/L.39, as a whole, was adopted by a recorded vote of 126 to 3, with 1 abstention (see para. 10). The voting was as follows: In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Against: Israel, Palau, United States of America. Abstaining: Australia. 9. After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by the representatives of Australia, Germany (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the European Union), the United States of America, Canada and Lebanon (see A/C.5/61/SR.45). III. Recommendation of the Fifth Committee 10. 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 report of the Secretary-General on the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, 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 1701 (2006) of 11 August 2006, by which the Council extended the mandate of the Force until 31 August 2007 and authorized an increase in the strength of the Force to a maximum of 15,000 troops, 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 61/250 of 22 December 2006, 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, 56/214 A of 21 December 2001, 56/214 B of 27 June 2002, 57/325 of 18 June 2003, 58/307 of 18 June 2004, 59/307 of 22 June 2005, 60/278 of 30 June 2006 and 61/250, 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, 1. Requests the Secretary-General to entrust the Head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon with the task of formulating future budget proposals in full accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolutions 59/296 of 22 June 2005 and 60/266 of 30 June 2006, as well as other relevant resolutions; 2. Takes note of the status of contributions to the Force as of 28 February 2007, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of 340.7 million United States dollars, representing some 8 per cent of the total assessed contributions, notes with concern that only twelve 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; 3. Expresses its appreciation to those Member States that have paid their assessed contributions in full, and urges all other Member States to make every possible effort to ensure payment of their assessed contributions to the Force in full; 4. Expresses 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, 56/214 A, 56/214 B, 57/325, 58/307, 59/307, 60/278 and 61/250; 5. 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, 56/214 A, 56/214 B, 57/325, 58/307, 59/307, 60/278 and 61/250; 6. Expresses concern at 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; 7. 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; 8. Emphasizes that all future and existing peacekeeping missions shall be given equal and non-discriminatory treatment in respect of financial and administrative arrangements; 9. Also emphasizes that all peacekeeping missions shall be provided with adequate resources for the effective and efficient discharge of their respective mandates; 10. 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; 11. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,2 and requests the Secretary-General to ensure their full implementation; 12. Recalls Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), and requests the Secretary-General to continue to measure the accomplishments of the Force, including expected accomplishment 1.1, fully in accordance with the Security Council mandate; 13. Notes the establishment of a Strategic Military Cell as an ad hoc mechanism to provide military strategic guidance for the Force, and emphasizes the need to ensure unity of command and Headquarters coordination in military planning; 14. Stresses the need for equitable treatment for peacekeeping operations with respect to their needs for adequate military planning capacity and logistical support, and requests the Secretary-General to undertake a comprehensive review of the Strategic Military Cell, including clarification of its role and functioning, its relationship with the Military Division and lessons learned for the military planning aspects of large-scale and complex existing and future peacekeeping operations, as well as proposals for strengthening the capacity of the Military Division, and to submit a report thereon to the General Assembly at the second part of its resumed sixty-first session; 15. Reaffirms its resolution 59/296, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure the full implementation of its relevant provisions and the relevant provisions of its resolution 60/266; 16. Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary action to ensure that the Force is administered with a maximum of efficiency and economy; 17. 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; 18. Notes the significantly increased size and the increased area of operation of the Force, and requests the Secretary-General to provide an analysis, to the extent possible, of the capacity required to undertake the Force’s mandated activities in the context of the budget proposals for the Force for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008; 19. Approves the proposed resources for the Strategic Military Cell, as an interim measure, pending rejustification of resource requirements in the context of the proposed budget for the Force for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008; 20. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures 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, paragraph 13 of its resolution 56/214 A, paragraph 13 of its resolution 56/214 B, paragraph 14 of its resolution 57/235, paragraph 13 of its resolution 58/307, paragraph 13 of its resolution 59/307 and paragraph 17 of its resolution 60/278, and paragraph 21 of its resolution 61/250, stresses once again that Israel shall pay the amount of 1,117,005 dollars resulting from the incident at Qana on 18 April 1996, and requests the Secretary-General to report on this matter to the General Assembly at its current session; Budget estimates for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 21. Decides to appropriate to the Special Account for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon the amount of 403,089,300 dollars for the expansion of the Force for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007, inclusive of the amount of 257,340,400 dollars previously authorized by the General Assembly under the terms of its resolution 61/250 for the period from 1 July 2006 to 31 March 2007, and in addition to the amount of 97,579,600 dollars already appropriated under the terms of its resolution 60/278 for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007; 22. Also decides to authorize the Secretary-General to extend the use of the commitment authority, as approved in paragraph 23 of its resolution 61/250, until 30 June 2007, and requests the Secretary-General to report actual expenditures in the context of the performance report for the peacekeeping support account for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007; 23. Further decides to approve the decrease in the total estimated staff assessment income approved for the Force under the terms of its resolutions 60/278 and 61/250 for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 from 6,844,200 dollars to 5,631,500 dollars; Financing of the appropriation 24. Decides, taking into account the amount of 97,579,600 dollars already apportioned under the terms of its resolution 60/278 for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 and the amount of 257,340,400 dollars already apportioned under the terms of its resolution 61/250 for the period from 1 July 2006 to 31 March 2007, to apportion among Member States the additional amount of 145,748,900 dollars for the expansion of the Force for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007, in accordance with the levels updated in General Assembly resolutions 58/256 of 23 December 2003 and 61/243 of 22 December 2006, and taking into account the scale of assessments for 2006, as set out in its resolution 58/1 B of 23 December 2003 and the scale of assessments for 2007, as set out in its resolution 61/237 of 22 December 2006; 25. Also decides that, in accordance with the provisions of its resolution 973 (X) of 15 December 1955, there shall be added to the apportionment among Member States, as provided for in paragraph 24 above, their respective share in the Tax Equalization Fund of the amount of 1,212,700 dollars, representing the decrease in the estimated staff assessment income approved for the Force for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007; 26. Emphasizes that no peacekeeping mission shall be financed by borrowing funds from other active peacekeeping missions; 27. 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; 28. 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; 29. Decides to keep under review during its sixty-first 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”. The delegations of Chile, Mauritania and the Sudan subsequently indicated that they had intended to vote in favour of the draft resolution as a whole. A/61/766. A/61/803. See A/61/766. __________________ __________________  sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/61/657/Add.1 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/61/657/Add.1 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-29093 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-29093 United Nations A/61/657/Add.1 General Assembly Distr.: General 30 March 2007 Original: Spanish jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 07-29093 (E) 300307 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0729093*