Sixty-first session Agenda items 123 and 132 Human resources management Administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse and comprehensive report prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 59/296 on sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, including policy development, implementation and full justification of proposed capacity on personnel conduct issues Report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions 1. The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions has considered the report of the Secretary-General on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (A/60/861) and the comprehensive report of the Secretary-General prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 59/296 on sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, including policy development, implementation and full justification of proposed capacity on personnel conduct issues (A/60/862). 2. Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was provided with information on the status of measures relating to sexual exploitation and abuse measures and of conduct and discipline activities. In the paragraphs below, the Committee makes further comments on a number of issues. 3. The Advisory Committee was informed that conduct and discipline activities have been structured in a three-pronged approach: (a) Prevention, i.e. uniform standards, training and awareness-raising, public information and outreach, staff welfare and recreation; (b) Enforcement, i.e. investigations, monitoring and follow-up and data management; and (c) remedial, i.e. assistance and compensation to victims and repair to the reputations of wrongfully accused personnel. 4. The Advisory Committee was also provided with a breakdown of existing general temporary assistance positions relating to conduct and discipline for the period 2006/07, as summarized below: Table 1 Missiona Total International National MONUC 14 7 7 UNMIS 10 5 5 UNMIL 7 4 3 MINUSTAH 7 4 3 UNOCI 7 4 3 UNMIK 7 5 2 ONUB 6 3 3 UNIFIL 6 5 1 UNMIT 5 4 1 UNMEE 3 2 1 UNAMA 2 1 1 UNOMIG 2 1 1 MINURSO 2 1 1 UNAMI 2 1 1 UNIOSIL 1 1 0 UNMIN 1 1 0 Totalb 82 49 33 a MONUC = United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; UNMIS = United Nations Mission in the Sudan; UNMIL = United Nations Mission in Liberia; MINUSTAH = United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti; UNOCI = United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire; UNMIK = United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo; ONUB = United Nations Operation in Burundi; UNIFIL = United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon; UNMIT = United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste; UNMEE = United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea; UNAMA = United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan; UNOMIG = United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia; MINURSO = United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara; UNAMI = United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq; UNIOSIL = United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone; UNMIN = United Nations Mission in Nepal. b The Advisory Committee was informed that all conduct and discipline general temporary assistance positions were currently filled, with the exception of UNOMIG, UNAMI and UNMIN. 5. There are two categories of misconduct. Category I includes high-risk and complex matters, including serious criminal cases and cases of sexual exploitation and abuse; category II includes lower risk matters, such as personnel matters, contract disputes and basic management issues. 6. With regard to category I misconduct, the Advisory Committee was provided with updated information on sexual exploitation and abuse, as set out in the table below. Table 2 Year Number of reported category I allegationsa 2004 105 2005 340 2006 357 2007 43 (first quarter of 2007) Total 845 a Allegations related only to sexual exploitation and abuse. As of the first quarter of 2007, investigations had been completed on 396 personnel (74 military personnel, 24 police personnel and 98 civilian staff members). 7. The Advisory Committee notes from table 2 above that although the number of sexual exploitation and abuse cases went up during the first two years after the establishment of the conduct and discipline team the number is now declining. The Committee also notes from the recent report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on its investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Ituri region (Bunia) in the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (A/61/841) that allegations of 217 instances had been received but that despite what collectively was a clear pattern of exploitation, it had became virtually impossible to substantiate specific instances of sexual exploitation and abuse by conclusive evidence. The investigation report concluded that only one of a total of 217 allegations could be substantiated. The Committee trusts that the implementation of the strategy set out in the report of the Secretary-General (A/60/862), which provides, inter alia, for the training of military, police and civilian personnel, will lead to a significant decrease in the number of cases of serious misconduct. 8. With regard to category II misconduct, the Advisory Committee was informed that a total of 416 allegations were made against personnel of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in 2006. As of the first quarter of 2007, 132 allegations of category II misconduct had been reported. This represents an increase of 26 per cent compared with the same period in 2006. 9. In paragraph 52 of its recent report on the report of the Redesign Panel on the United Nations system of administration of justice (A/61/815), the Advisory Committee noted that it will comment on the Panel’s recommendations concerning disciplinary measures when the report of the Secretary-General on the outcome of the intersessional working group of the Staff-Management Coordination Committee is submitted. The formulation of disciplinary measures for misconduct is in the process of development. Serious misconduct, especially with respect to sexual exploitation and abuse, deserves to be highlighted within the context of the redesign of the internal system of justice in order to ensure that an effective Organization-wide framework is developed and implemented. Conclusion 10. The actions to be taken by the General Assembly at its sixty-first session in connection with the administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of United Nations peacekeeping operations are indicated in the reports of the Secretary-General (A/60/861, para. 22, and A/60/862, para. 64). The Advisory Committee recommends that the General Assembly take note of the reports.   sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/61/886 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/61/886 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-32547 \* MERGEFORMAT 4 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-32547 United Nations A/61/886 General Assembly Distr.: General 30 April 2007 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 07-32547 (E) 020507 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0732547*