AUSTRRURNMISSIoN To THE Ururleo NRTIoT{s

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UnitedNationsGeneral Assembly:Fifth Committee
16 June2005

Items 122,124,128,129and 136:Investingin the

UnitedNations: a stronger for Organisation worldwide: detailed report
Statement H.E.the Hon. RobertHill by Ambassador and Permanent Representative Permanent Missionof Australiato the UnitedNations On behalfof Canada, New Zealandand Australia
(Checkagainstdelivery)
Mr Chairman I have the honour to speakon behalf of Canada,New Zealand and Australia. We thank Mr. Warren Sach, the UN Controller and Mr. Sahafor introducing the reports of the Secretary-General and the ACABQ. We thank also Mr Kenneth Herman, Chief Senior Advisor, Chief Executives Board Secretariatand InspectorJuanLuis Larrabure,Joint InspectionUnit for their presentations. Colleagues,we havebeenon the road to management reform for sometime now. Consequent to resolution 601260, now have before us the detailed reports which elaborateon someof the proposals we contained in the report "lnvesting in the United Nations" that the SecretaryGeneral submitted in March. We note that further reports on procurement,accountability and oversight will be submitted this session and look forward to receiving them in a timely manner. The detailedreports(N60/846, Addenda 1 - 4) beforeus address numerousissues. We will today make comment on the key themes,while reserving some of the specific proposalsfor the informal consultations.l,et me say from the outsetthat CANZ placesa high premium on results,and in our view, reforming the managementof the UN would enableit to better achieve results for the Organisationand its beneficiaries. CANZ thinks tangible results on managementreform during the remainder of the sessionare essential. Mr. Chairman The report of the ACABQ providessomeguidancefor the Committee'sdeliberations. someissues On such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and international accounting standards (IPSAS), the ACABQ providesa helpful guidepost,while on others,we would have welcomedmore explicit recommendations. The GeneralAssembly will of courseuse its own judgementin all these areas.But beyond adviceon specificproposals, ACABQ makesa particularly important contribution the

--through its comments on accountability in paras 6-9 of its report. We are reminded that accountability embracesmultiple elements,that its deepeningis a work in progress,that the presentproposals of the SG will support that deepening,while yet more work remains to be done. Among the key objectives of managementreform is to ensurethat resourcesare devoted to activities that matter, that their use is efficient and effective, and that member statescan connect theseresourceswith the outcomes we seek. Mr Chairman Our delegations view the modernization of information technology and the adoption of IPSAS as basic building blocks of productive organisationalchangeand managementreform. We strongly supportthe direction in which the Secretary-General proposesto go in theseareas. It is imperative to have an appropriately qualified Chief lnformation Technology Officer to provide unified leadershipfor the Organisation that cuts acrossdepartmentallines. This senior official will need to drive a processof major organizational change. It is a function that should be establishedand filled as soon as possible. As detailed analysis of the requirementsfor a new ERP systemgoes forward, it is imperative that the needs of peacekeepingoperationsand the functionality of the systemin the field be fully integrated.We agree with the ACABQ that businessprocessreview will form an integral part of the project. CANZ is strongly committed to increasing the managerialdiscretion of the Secretary-General. note We the Secretary-General'sproposalsin Addendum2 aremore limited than proposed last March, in accordancewith resolution N60/260. A major changeis that appropriationswould remain at the level of budget Section rather than budget Part. The Secretary-General would thus be accountablefor changes made, an accountability that would be dischargedthrough performancereporting. Our support for enhanceddiscretion is well known and we urge all colleaguesto addressthe real issue at hand: what is the best place for certain operationaldecisions to be taken? Frankly, we were puzzled, the ACABQ by advice on theseproposalsas it is at odds with positionsthe ACABQ has taken in the recentpaston this subject. We support greatermanagerial discretion for the Secretary-General and recognise the need for apposite accountability. We understandthe Secretary-General will soon provide us with more information regarding accountability. CANZ welcomes this additional information. Let me underline, however, that while CANZ believes thesetwo issuesare complementary,they are also very complex. Accountability should, however,not be usedas a sloganthat impedesdoing what makesmanagerialsense. Concerning the proposals on financial managementpractices set out in Addendum 3, we have already voiced our support for international accounting standards. The proposedconsolidation of peacekeeping accounts may appearcomplicated becauseof the many aspectsthe report identifies. But the central issue is clear: should we meet peacekeeping financial obligations from a single cash pool? We believe there are good argumentsfor doing so, as part of a comprehensivepackageof reform. We look forward to discussing this further in the informals. And finally, on improved reporting mechanisms. CANZ supportsreporting which presentsrelevant information to Member Statesand the public in a clearer, more accessiblemanner than is currently the case. It is within the Secretary-General's purview to pursue an annual report and we encouragehim to do so. We welcome the initiative to enhancepublic accessto UN documentationand are interestedin the proposedmodalities. CANZ has long recognisedthe need for a thoughtful and timely review of the Organisation's management. We now have the meansto take somepurposeful stepsto progressmanagementreform and we look forward to working with member statesin the coming weeks to achieve results, particularly on ICT, IPSAS and greater managerialdiscretion for the SG.