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 recommendations made by the Fifth Committee to the General Assembly under agenda item 144 (b) appear in the reports of the Committee contained in documents A/61/657 and Add.1. 2. The Fifth Committee resumed its consideration of the item at its 52nd, 57th and 58th meetings, on 24 May and on 8 and 27 June 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.52, 57 and 58). 3. For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the following documents: (a) Report of the Secretary-General on the performance of the budget of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 (A/61/829); (b) Report of the Secretary-General on the budget for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 (A/61/870 and Corr.1); (c) Report of the Secretary-General on the comprehensive review of the Strategic Military Cell (A/61/883); (d) Related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (A/61/852/Add.16). II. Consideration of draft resolution A/C.5/61/L.53 4. At the 57th meeting, on 8 June, the 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.53). 6. At the 58th meeting, on 27 June, a recorded vote was requested on the fourth preambular paragraph and 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 the United States of America (see A/C.5/61/SR.58). 8. At the same meeting, the Committee voted on draft resolution A/C.5/61/L.53 as follows: (a) The fourth preambular paragraph and operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 20 were retained by a recorded vote of 84 to 5, with 47 abstentions. The voting was as follows: In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe. Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Palau, United States of America. Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, 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.53, as a whole, was adopted by a recorded vote of 136 to 2, with 1 abstention (see para. 12). The voting was as follows: In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, 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, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe. Against: Israel, United States of America. Abstaining: Australia. 9. After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by the representatives of Germany (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the European Union), the United States of America, Israel, Canada, Lebanon and Australia (see A/C.5/61/SR.58). 10. At the same meeting, after the adoption of the draft resolution, a representative of the Secretariat made a statement regarding the exercise of the right of reply (see A/C.5/61/SR.58). 11. After the statement by the representative of the Secretariat, statements in exercise of the right of reply were made by the representatives of the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon (see A/C.5/61/SR.58). III. Recommendation of the Fifth Committee 12. 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 reports 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 B of 2 April 2007, 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, 61/250 A of 22 December 2006 and 61/250 B, 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, 60/266 of 30 June 2006 and 61/___ of __ June 2007, as well as other relevant resolutions; 2. Takes note of the status of contributions to the Force as of 31 March 2007, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of 141.6 million United States dollars, representing some 4 per cent of the total assessed contributions, notes with concern that only thirty-one 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, 61/250 A and 61/250 B; 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, 61/250 A and 61/250 B; 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,_Ref168983606 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 and requests the Secretary-General to ensure their full implementation; 12. Recalls Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), reaffirms paragraph 12 of its resolution 61/250 B, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to measure the expected accomplishments of the Force fully in accordance with the Security Council mandate; 13. Takes note of the preliminary report of the Secretary-General on the Strategic Military Cell, and notes that the creation of the Cell reflects an approach that is different from the established structure and practices of the Secretariat and from the usual role of the Military Adviser; 14. Recalls paragraph 14 of its resolution 61/250 B, and requests the Secretary-General to report at its second resumed sixty-second session on the results of the comprehensive review of the Strategic Military Cell, including its recommended life cycle, a rationale for the current staffing level of the Cell, its relationship and modalities of coordination with the Military Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the Secretariat, its impact on the efforts to achieve the unity of command and the integration in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the cost-effectiveness of its functioning, the interaction with other parts of the Secretariat and the possibility of applying the approach to other missions, in particular the large-scale and complex ones; 15. Emphasizes the importance of close coordination and cooperation between the Director of the Strategic Military Cell and other senior managers of the Secretariat, in particular the Military Adviser; 16. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the full implementation of the relevant provisions of its resolutions 59/296, 60/266 and 61/___;_Ref168983702 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 3 17. Also requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary action to ensure that the Force is administered with a maximum of efficiency and economy; 18. Further 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; 19. Approves the proposed resources for the Strategic Military Cell, as an interim measure, pending its further review, as outlined in paragraph 14 above; 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 57/325, paragraph 13 of its resolution 58/307, paragraph 13 of its resolution 59/307, paragraph 17 of its resolution 60/278, paragraph 21 of its resolution 61/250 A and paragraph 20 of its resolution 61/250 B, 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 sixty-second session; Financial performance report for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 21. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the financial performance of the Force for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006; Budget estimates for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 22. Decides to appropriate to the Special Account for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon the amount of 748,204,600 dollars for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008, inclusive of 713,586,800 dollars for the maintenance of the Force, 29,773,200 dollars for the support account for peacekeeping operations and 4,844,600 dollars for the United Nations Logistics Base; Financing of the appropriation 23. Also decides to apportion among Member States the amount of 124,700,700 dollars for the period from 1 July to 31 August 2007, in accordance with the levels updated in General Assembly resolution 61/243 of 22 December 2006, and taking into account the scale of assessments for 2007, as set out in its resolution 61/237 of 22 December 2006; 24. Further decides that, in accordance with the provisions of its resolution 973 (X) of 15 December 1955, there shall be set off against the apportionment among Member States, as provided for in paragraph 23 above, their respective share in the Tax Equalization Fund of the amount of 2,538,500 dollars, comprising the estimated staff assessment income of 1,978,600 dollars approved for the Force, the prorated share of 505,100 dollars of the estimated staff assessment income approved for the support account and the prorated share of 54,800 dollars of the estimated staff assessment income approved for the United Nations Logistics Base; 25. Decides to apportion among Member States the amount of 623,503,900 dollars for the period from 1 September 2007 to 30 June 2008 at a monthly rate of 62,350,383 dollars, in accordance with the levels updated in General Assembly resolution 61/243, and taking into account the scale of assessments for 2007 and 2008, as set out in its resolution 61/237, subject to a decision of the Security Council to extend the mandate of the Force; 26. Also decides that, in accordance with the provisions of its resolution 973 (X), there shall be set off against the apportionment among Member States, as provided for in paragraph 25 above, their respective share in the Tax Equalization Fund of 12,692,300 dollars, comprising the estimated staff assessment income of 9,892,900 dollars approved for the Force, the prorated share of 2,525,500 dollars of the estimated staff assessment income approved for the support account and the prorated share of 273,900 dollars of the estimated staff assessment income approved for the United Nations Logistics Base; 27. Further decides that, for Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Force, there shall be set off against their apportionment, as provided for in paragraph 23 above, their respective share of the unencumbered balance and other income in the total amount of 18,027,100 dollars in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2006, in accordance with the levels updated in General Assembly resolution 58/256 of 23 December 2003, taking into account the scale of assessments for 2006, as set out in its resolution 58/1 B of 23 December 2003; 28. Decides that, for Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the Force, there shall be set off against their outstanding obligations their respective share of the unencumbered balance and other income in the total amount of 18,027,100 dollars in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2006, in accordance with the scheme set out in paragraph 27 above; 29. Also decides that the decrease of 637,200 dollars in the estimated staff assessment income in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2006 shall be set off against the credits from the amount of 18,027,100 dollars referred to in paragraphs 27 and 28 above; 30. Emphasizes that no peacekeeping mission shall be financed by borrowing funds from other active peacekeeping missions; 31. 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, bearing in mind paragraphs 5 and 6 of Security Council resolution 1502 (2003) of 26 August 2003; 32. 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; 33. Decides to keep under review during its sixty-second 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”. A/61/829, A/61/870 and Corr.1 and A/61/883. A/61/852/Add.16. See A/C.5/61/L.49. A/61/883. A/61/829. __________________ __________________  sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/61/657/Add.2 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/61/657/Add.2 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-40863 \* MERGEFORMAT 4 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-40863 United Nations A/61/657/Add.2 General Assembly Distr.: General 28 June 2007 English Original: Spanish jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 07-40863 (E) 120707 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0740863*