Sixty-second session Agenda item 125 Financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors Report of the Fifth Committee Rapporteur: Mr. Steven Ssenabulya Nkayivu (Uganda) I. Introduction 1. At its 3rd plenary meeting, on 21 September 2007, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the General Committee, decided to include in the agenda of its sixty-second session, and to allocate to the Fifth Committee, the item entitled: “Financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors: “(a) United Nations peacekeeping operations; “(b) Capital master plan; “(c) Voluntary funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; “(d) United Nations Office for Project Services”. 2. The Fifth Committee considered the item at its 4th and 16th meetings, on 10 October and 7 November 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.5/62/SR.4 and 16). 3. For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the following documents: (a) Financial report and audited financial statements for the biennium ended 31 December 2005 and report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations Office for Project Services; (b) Financial report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2006 and report of the Board of Auditors on the voluntary funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; (c) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors on the financial statements of the United Nations Office for Project Services for the financial period ended 31 December 2005 (A/61/214/Add.2); (d) Reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (A/61/350/Add.1 and A/62/355); (e) Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of its recommendations relating to the biennium 2004-2005 (A/62/120). 4. At the 4th meeting, on 10 October, the Director of External Audit of France and Chairman of the Audit Operations Committee of the Board of Auditors introduced the reports of the Board of Auditors (see A/C.5/62/SR.4). II. Consideration of draft resolution A/C.5/62/L.5 5. At its 16th meeting, on 7 November, the Committee had before it a draft resolution entitled “Financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors” (A/C.5/62/L.5), submitted by the Chairman following informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Egypt. 6. At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.5/62/L.5 without a vote (see para. 7). III. Recommendation of the Fifth Committee 7. The Fifth Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft resolution: Financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 50/222 of 11 April 1996, 51/218 E of 17 June 1997, 52/212 B of 31 March 1998, 53/204 of 18 December 1998, 53/221, section VIII, of 7 April 1999, 54/13 B of 23 December 1999, 55/220 A of 23 December 2000, 55/220 B and C of 12 April and 14 June 2001, 57/278 A of 20 December 2002, 60/234 A of 23 December 2005 and 60/234 B of 30 June 2006, 61/233 A of 22 December 2006 and 61/233 B of 29 June 2007, Having considered the audited financial statements and the report of the Board of Auditors on the voluntary funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the year ended 31 December 2006, the audited financial statements and the report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations Office for Project Services for the biennium ended 31 December 2005, the report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of its recommendations relating to the biennium 2004-2005, the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors on the financial statements of the United Nations Office for Project Services for the financial period ended 31 December 2005 and the related reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, Recalling paragraphs 8 and 9 of its resolution 61/233 A, 1. Accepts the financial report and audited financial statements and the reports and audit opinion of the Board of Auditors regarding the voluntary funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the year ended 31 December 2006_Ref182622649 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 1 and the audited financial statements and the report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations Office for Project Services for the biennium ended 31 December 2005;_Ref181780162 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 2. Endorses the recommendations of the Board of Auditors contained in its reports on the voluntary funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the year ended 31 December 2006 and on the United Nations Office for Project Services; 3. Also endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;_Ref181780235 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 5 4. Commends the Board of Auditors for the superior quality of its reports and the streamlined format thereof; 5. Notes the concerns of the Board of Auditors about the general financial situation of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, including the level of the reserves of the Office, requests the Office to continue to implement the recommendations of the Board of Auditors, and encourages Member States to respond in a timely manner to the appeal of the Office for resources; 6. Also notes the concerns of the Board of Auditors about the financial report and audited financial statements of the United Nations Office for Project Services for the biennium ended 31 December 2005,_Ref182622929 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 welcomes the measures taken by the Office to address the seriousness of its financial problems, and encourages the Office to implement all the recommendations of the Board and to report to the relevant governing bodies on progress made in this regard; 7. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors on the financial statements of the United Nations Office for Project Services for the financial period ended 31 December 2005_Ref181780356 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 4 as well as the report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of its recommendations relating to the biennium 2004-2005;_Ref181780406 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 3 8. Welcomes the efforts by the Secretary-General to carefully monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors; 9. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General and the executive heads of the funds and programmes of the United Nations to ensure full implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors and the related recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in a prompt and timely manner and to hold programme managers accountable for implementation of the recommendations; 10. Also reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to provide in his reports on the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors on the accounts of the United Nations as well as on the financial statements of its funds and programmes a full explanation for delays in the implementation of the recommendations of the Board, in particular those recommendations not yet fully implemented which are two or more years old; 11. Further reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to indicate in future reports an expected time frame for the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors, as well as the priorities for their implementation and the office holders to be held accountable. Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 5J (A/61/5/Add.10). Ibid., Sixty-second Session, Supplement No. 5E (A/62/5/Add.5). Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-second Session, Supplement No. 5E (A/62/5/Add.5). Ibid., Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 5J (A/61/5/Add.10). See A/62/120. A/61/214/Add.2. A/62/355 and A/61/350/Add.1. See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-second Session, Supplement No. 5E (A/62/5/Add.5), chap. II. Ibid., Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 5J (A/61/5/Add.10), chap. II. __________________ __________________  sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/62/534 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/62/534 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-58737 \* MERGEFORMAT 4 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-58737 United Nations A/62/534 General Assembly Distr.: General 7 November 2007 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 07-58737 (E) 121107 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0758737*