Sixtieth session Agenda item 125 Programme planning Report of the Fifth Committee Rapporteur: Ms. Katja Pehrman (Finland) I. Introduction 1. At its 17th plenary meeting, on 20 September 2005, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the General Committee, decided to include in the agenda of its sixtieth session the item entitled “Programme planning” and to allocate it to the Fifth Committee. 2. The Fifth Committee considered the item at its 19th, 22nd and 46th meetings, on 2 and 9 November 2005 and on 11 April 2006. Statements and observations made in the course of the Committee’s consideration of the item are reflected in the relevant summary records (A/C.5/60/SR.19, 22 and 46). 3. For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the following documents: (a) Report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on the work of its forty-fifth session; (b) Report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on proposals on the strengthening and monitoring of programme performance and evaluation (A/60/73); (c) Letter dated 20 October 2005 from the President of the General Assembly addressed to the Chairman of the Fifth Committee (A/C.5/60/11). II. Consideration of draft resolution A/C.5/60/L.32 4. At its 46th meeting, on 11 April 2006, the Committee had before it a draft resolution entitled “Programme planning” (A/C.5/60/L.32), which was submitted by the Chairman on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Jordan. 5. Before consideration of the draft resolution, the Secretary of the Committee orally corrected the draft resolution by deleting the words “that it may” and inserting the word “to” in operative paragraph 8. 6. Also at the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.5/60/L.32, as orally corrected, without a vote (see para. 8). 7. After the adoption of the resolution, the representative of Cuba made a statement in explanation of position. III. Recommendation of the Fifth Committee 8. The Fifth Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft resolution: Programme planning The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 37/234 of 21 December 1982, 38/227 A of 20 December 1983, 41/213 of 19 December 1986, 55/234 of 23 December 2000, 56/253 of 24 December 2001, 57/282 of 20 December 2002, 58/268 and 58/269 of 23 December 2003 and 59/275 of 23 December 2004, Recalling also the terms of reference of the Committee for Programme and Coordination as outlined in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 2008 (LX) of 14 May 1976, Having considered the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on the work of its forty-fifth session and the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on proposals on the strengthening and monitoring of programme performance and evaluation, Having received the letter from the President of the General Assembly transmitting the recommendations of the Second Committee concerning the evaluation of linkages between headquarters and field activities: a review of best practices for poverty eradication in the framework of the United Nations Millennium Declaration and on the in-depth evaluation of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 1. Reaffirms the role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination as the main subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council for planning, programming and coordination; 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination as contained in paragraphs 36 to 39, 135 to 139, 151 to 158, 165, 175 to 178, 186, 201 to 212, 227 to 237 and 248 of its report_Ref133060466 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 1 and the recommendations of the Second Committee concerning the evaluation of linkages between headquarters and field activities: a review of best practices for poverty eradication in the framework of the United Nations Millennium Declaration and on the in-depth evaluation of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme;_Ref133060494 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 3 3. Re-emphasizes the role of the plenary and the Main Committees in reviewing and taking action on the appropriate recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination relevant to their work, in accordance with regulation 4.10 of the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation; 4. Requests the General Committee to take fully into account resolutions 56/253, 57/282 and 59/275 in the allocation of agenda items to the Main Committees; Programme questions 5. Stresses that setting the priorities of the United Nations is the prerogative of the Member States, as reflected in legislative mandates; 6. Also stresses the need for Member States to participate fully in the budget preparation process, from its early stages and throughout the process; 7. Recalls paragraph 3 of its resolution 60/246 of 23 December 2005, and invites the Committee for Programme and Coordination at its forty-seventh session, in the light of its recommendations in paragraphs 118 to 120 and 122 of its report,_Ref133060466 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 1 to provide further comments on the various aspects of the review process referred to in paragraphs 12 and 13 of Assembly resolution 58/269 to facilitate the decision of the Assembly at its sixty-second session; 8. Requests the Secretary-General, as an exceptional measure and without prejudice to the provisions of General Assembly resolutions 41/213, 42/211 of 21 December 1987 and 58/269 or to the future scheduling of the sessions of the Committee for Programme and Coordination, and taking into account paragraph 4 of its resolution 60/246, to reschedule the forty-sixth session of the Committee to no later than September 2006 in order to consider the proposed strategic framework for the period 2008-2009 and other items on the Committee’s provisional agenda; Evaluation 9. Takes note of the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services,_Ref133060751 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 and encourages intergovernmental bodies to make use of the findings of the programme performance report of the Secretary-General and evaluation reports for planning and policymaking; 10. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly, as appropriate, on the measures taken to promote the strengthening of monitoring and evaluation in the Organization, as per the proposals contained in the annex to the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services;_Ref133060751 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 11. Concurs with the findings contained in paragraphs 16 and 17 of the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services,_Ref133060751 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 and requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly in the context of the overall information technology strategy on measures and resources needed to strengthen the use of information technology as a management and monitoring tool; 12. Notes with concern that the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services_Ref133060751 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 was not submitted to the General Assembly through the Committee for Programme and Coordination; 13. Welcomes the enhanced coordination between the Joint Inspection Unit and the Office of Internal Oversight Services as reflected in the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services,_Ref133060751 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 2 and encourages such coordination in the future; 14. Requests the Secretary-General to entrust the Office of Internal Oversight Services with reporting to the General Assembly at its sixty-first session on ongoing efforts and measures taken to strengthen its in-depth and thematic evaluation function, as well as to respond to ad hoc evaluation requests by programme managers to ensure that intergovernmental bodies are provided with high-quality professional and objective reports on the performance of programmes and activities; 15. Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-second session on the measures taken to strengthen self-evaluation by programme managers and ensure more extensive and uniform use of self-evaluation at the programme and subprogramme levels, as well as to develop and implement common professional standards and methodologies for self-evaluation throughout the United Nations system, in consultation with the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination; Other conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination 16. Welcomes the high priority that the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination continues to attach to ensuring effective and coordinated United Nations system support for Africa’s development and the implementation of the priorities and programmes of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development; 17. Requests the Secretary-General, with reference to the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination in paragraphs 227 to 237 of its report,_Ref133060466 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 1 to submit the recommended report to the General Assembly at its sixty-first session on further efforts made to ensure that support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development remains a priority of the United Nations system and that organizations represented on the Chief Executives Board increase their efforts in support of the New Partnership; 18. Also requests the Secretary-General to continue to enhance and monitor the effective coordination of system-wide efforts against hunger and poverty; 19. Recalls its resolutions 58/269 and 59/275, as well as discussions held at the forty-fifth session of the Committee for Programme and Coordination, and, in this regard, notes with concern that no conclusions or recommendations were agreed to on improving the working methods and procedures of the Committee for Programme and Coordination during its forty-fifth session, and emphasizes the need for the Committee, within the framework of its mandate, to improve its working methods and procedures without having a negative impact on the effective consideration of other agenda items, in particular the proposed strategic framework for the period 2008-2009, as matters of priority, during its forty-sixth session; 20. Recognizes the importance of ensuring the highest level of expertise that is most appropriate for the Committee for Programme and Coordination, and, in this regard, invites the Committee to consider at its forty-sixth session how best to achieve this objective. Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 16 and corrigendum (A/60/16 and Corr.1). Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 16 and corrigendum (A/60/16 and Corr.1). A/60/73. A/C.5/60/11. ST/SGB/2000/8. __________________ __________________  \* MERGEFORMAT 4 \* MERGEFORMAT 5 United Nations A/60/747 General Assembly Distr.: General 12 April 2006 Original: English 06-30938 (E) 170406 *0630938* A/60/747 A/60/747