STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF TIIE GROUP OB 77 AI\D CHINA BY MS. KAREN LOCK PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA TO TIIE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM I24ZPROGRAMME
BUDGET FOR TIIE BIENNIUM 2006-2007 (PEACEBUILDING SUPPORT OFFTCE) FIFTH COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY New York, 15 March 2006

Mr. Chainnan, revised I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the programmebudget for for estimates the peacebuilding S.tpportOffice under agendaitem I24: the biennium 2006 -2007. The Group wishes to thank Ms. Sharon van Buerle, Acting Director: Programme planning and Bubget Division for introducing the report of the Secretary-Generalon the wish to thank the revised estimatesfor the PeacebuildingSupport Office (N601694). We also (ACABQ)' Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions on this matter Mr. Rajat Saha, for iniroducing the report of the Advisory Committee (N6ot7 tAdd. 36). finalised At the time of the adoption of General Assembly resolution 60/180, which that the Secretarythe establishment of the peaiebuilding Commission, it became clear to the Commission General would not be able to provide itre necessarySecretarialsupport consequently decided to revert to the The Fifth Committee from within existing ,"ro*r.r. from the Secretary-Generalon the status of the establishmentof matter based on information requirements of the the peacebuilding Support Office, including information on the resource to Office and proposedarrangements meet thoserequirements. in response The Group of 77 andChinawelcomesthe report of the Secretary-General, to ensuring that to the request of ine Fifth Committee, and wishes to reaffirm its commitment and financial resources to the peacebuilding Support Office receives adequate human PeacebuildingCommission. effectively suppoi tttr work of the newly established Mr. Chairrnan, China would appreciateclarification of the following aspects The Group of 77 and, and containedin the reports of the Secretary-General the Advisory Committee: Firstly, the Group notes that it is proposed that the additional resource requirements political missions for the Office be financed as a charge against the provision for special . will be recalled that under section 3 of the prograrnmebudget for the biennium 2006-2007 It of other World the additional resource requirements resulting from the implementation budget. The General to Summit decisionswere financed as revised estimates the programme provisions required for Assembly, furtheffnore, in 2005 approvedonly a portion of the total The Group the activities of the special pottlial missions for the 2006-2A07biennium.

thereforewould appreciatereceiving more specific information on the proposal to financethe resourcerequirementsfor the Office as a chargeto the provision for specialpolitical missions and not as a revised estimateto section 3 of the programmebudget. Secondly,the Group of 77 and China notesthat more than half of the staffing needsof the Office will be met either through redeployment of existing resources or through secondment of staff from other organtzations of the United Nations system. It would be appreciatedif we could receive an indication as to whether the redeployment will be done from existing resources in the Department of Political Affairs or from other Departments in the Secretanat through the 50 post redeployment experiment. Furthermore, we request an indication of the impact that the proposed redeployment may have on prograrnme delivery in the releasingsection or Department.We also requesta breakdown of the organizationsof the United Nations system that provided the posts, on a non-reimbursablebasis, to the United Nations Secretariat. Thirdly, the Group notes the reduction of US$ I,234,100 that may arise if the Assembly decides to endorse the recommendations of the ACABQ, &s contained in paragraphs and 10 to 12 of its report. The Group believes that careful considerationshould 8 be given to the impact that any reduction in the proposed resource level may have on the overall functioning of the PeacebuildingSupport Office and its ability to support the work of the Commission,in particular in the start-upphase. We would, therefore,appreciate receiving clarification as to what impact, if any, the proposedreductions may hold for the Office. In this context, it is not clear if the Office would be able to undertakeits functions through using other forms of communication, such as video-conferencing,in view of its planning, policy and analysis support functions. We note, in this regard,that video-conferencingmay at times offer a poor substitute for direct interaction with staff on the ground in the areasthat ought to be the focus of the PeacebuildingCommission'swork. Lastly, the Group would be interestedin hearing the rationalebehind the proposalthat the Office be headedat the level of an Assistant-Secretary-General. The Group, furtherrnore, to stress the importance of ensuring that the international character of the United wishes Nations is respectedin the recruitment and selectionof staff for the Office. The Peacebuilding Commission will benefit from drawing on the expertise of nationals from developing countriesand regions that are affectedby the type of challengesthat the Commissionhas been mandatedto address. The Group looks forward to a constructiveconsiderationof the resourcerequirements for the Peacebuilding Support Office. We fully support the work of the Commission. We believe that it is imperative for Member Statesto ensurethat the Commission receivesthe necessary recoursesto ensureits effective functioning. It is an important aspectof the overall efforts to strengthen the United Nations and deservesour support. We, therefore, trust that other Member Stateswill join us in respondingfavourably to the Secretary-General's request for additionalresourcesfor the Office. I thank you, Mr.Chaiffnan.