STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY H.E. MR. JAN ELIASSON

AFTER THE ADOPTION OF THE DRAFT RESOLUTION ON

"INVESTING IN THE UNITED NATIONS: FOR A STRONGER ORGANIZATION WORLDWIDE"

UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS NEW YORK 8 MAY 2006

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, The General Assembly has just concluded its consideration of several reports of the Fifth Committee and adopted the recommendations contained therein. The draft resolution on "Investing in the United Nations: for a stronger Organization worldwide" was adopted by a recorded vote, following the pattern of the Fifth Committee. While a vote could be viewed as a normal procedure by the General Assembly, we all know that draft resolutions recommended by vote are not the normal practice of the Fifth Committee. This action today should therefore be regarded as a deviation from a long standing practice of the Fifth Committee. For nearly two decades, resolutions emanating from the Fifth Committee have been adopted without a vote. The consensus mechanism is the hallmark of the work of the Committee. This tradition of consensus for decisions on budgetary and administrative matters has been generally accepted and welcomed. It serves to safeguard the long-term interest of the United Nations as well as that of all Member States; large or small, rich or poor. Against this background, like the Secretary-General, I regret that it was not possible for the General Assembly to reach consensus on the resolution just adopted, in spite of all the efforts made to reach a negotiated agreement in the Fifth Committee. I want to thank all of you for your tireless work, day

1

and night, to come up with creative ideas to reach consensus during the last few weeks. However, we must not let this lead us to inaction and a pointless discussion of why we failed to agree or what went wrong. Instead, we must look forward and join forces in fulfilling the tasks our leaders entrusted us with at the 2005 World Summit. It is essential that we restore the consensus mode of decision-making in the Fifth Committee. We must continue to work for the broadest possible agreement on all the reform issues before us. So far, we can be proud of our achievements. Through open, transparent and inclusive negotiations the 60th General Assembly has established the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council. Later this afternoon, the General Assembly is expected to take a decision on a draft resolution on "Election of seven members of the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission". By that we will take a further step forward to making peacebuilding a reality in the field. Tomorrow, we proceed to the historic first election of the 47 Members of the Human Rights Council. Negotiations on ECOSOC reform and Development follow-up are hopefully in their concluding stages. Consultations on environment and revitalization of the General Assembly have also been initiated. Later this week informal consultations on the elaboration of a counter-terrorism strategy will start. Thus, the reform process is continuing in all its aspects. In order to effectively comply with the principles and objectives of the Charter, our leaders at the 2005 World Summit recognized that we need an
2

efficient, effective and accountable Secretariat. In the coming months our efforts will increasingly focus on these issues. It is imperative that we move forward and address Secretariat and management reform in a positive spirit. It is also important that all Member States are involved and are fully engaged in the work. It is my strong belief that genuine progress can be achieved on the following three tracks: During the next few weeks the Secretary-General will prepare detailed reports on various issues in pursuance of the resolution just adopted. These will be submitted in different phases. The first phase, due in a few days, will address Accountability, Information and Communication Technology, Reporting Mechanisms, Budgetary and Financial Management. In the second phase, in June, the Secretary-General will report on Procurement, Monitoring and Evaluation issues. The third phase, in September, will focus on reforms in human resources management. In accordance with established procedures, these reports will first be taken up by the Advisory Committee on Budgetary and Administrative Questions (ACABQ) and then considered by the Fifth Committee. These reports will provide Member States with essential background information for substantive decisions on important aspects of Secretariat and management reform. I strongly urge all delegations to actively and constructively engage in the work of the Fifth Committee on these issues, as well as on several important

3

administrative, financial and human resources management issues the Fifth Committee will be taking up during the course of 2006. Under the skillful leadership of the two Co-Chairs, Ambassador Akram of Pakistan and Ambassador Rock of Canada, the informal consultations on the Secretary-General's report "Mandating and delivering: analysis and recommendations to facilitate the review of mandates" is proceeding well and according to schedule. The Presidents of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council have already initiated procedures to conduct the review of mandates in their respective areas. I have requested that, to the extent possible, they harmonize their respective programmes of work with that of the Plenary. A programme of work through the month of June has been presented by the Co-Chairs. It is my expectation that some initial results on the mandate review could be achieved in this period. I appeal to all Member States to continue their close cooperation with the Co-Chairs in this process. The ongoing review on governance and oversight structures in the United Nations aims to enhancing the ability of the Organization to function well and live up to the high expectations of Member States. The review will build on progress made in strengthening of the oversight functions, including the development of the independent Audit Advisory Committee to assist the General Assembly in discharging its oversight responsibility. I firmly believe we can achieve results on these three tracks in the near future. Recent experience shows that reform is possible. This was
4

demonstrated by the decision of the General Assembly, at the initiative of the Secretary-General, to create an Ethics Office which is now in operation. In addition, the Secretary-General has already undertaken a number of reforms under his own authority, such as protection of staff against retaliation for reporting misconduct. These are indeed positive achievements and, as our leaders stated in the 2005 World Summit Outcome, "We commend the Secretary-General's previous and ongoing efforts to enhance the effective management of the United Nations and his commitment to update the Organization". Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, I have said this many times: we are facing a test of multilateralism. We need to make the United Nations stronger and better equipped to deal with the urgent problems and needs in the world around us. To achieve this, we must work together. We must deepen the dialogue between delegations and different groups at the United Nations. We must listen to each other, gain a better understanding of each other's positions and move from polarization to cooperation. A climate of trust and confidence must be established and guide our endeavours. It is in our common interest and in the interest of the United Nations. Therefore, I encourage each and every one of you to reach out to your colleagues and start a constructive and forward-looking discussion of what

5

we must do to make this Organization - our United Nations ­ work better for the benefit of our peoples. If we do this in a positive spirit and create the right conditions for fruitful negotiations in good faith, I am hopeful we will see concrete results in Secretariat and management reform during the coming months. Let us go to work.

6