Procurement opportunities for vendors from developing countries?

$7 BILLION FOR FINANCING 15 PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS.

$172.84 MILLION FOR UNMIT

13 June 2008

General Assembly

GA/AB/3858

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Sixty-second General Assembly

Fifth Committee

51st Meeting (PM)

BUDGET COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS $7 BILLION FOR FINANCING 15 PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS, AS IT CONCLUDES SECOND RESUMED SESSION

Texts Also Address Peacekeeping Support Account, Procurement Reform, Recommendations on Changes to Contingent-Owned Equipment Reimbursement Rates

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) recommended an appropriation of almost $7.08 billion for the financing of United Nations peacekeeping, as it concluded its second resumed session this afternoon.

With the peacekeeping financing year running from 1 July to 30 June each year, the amounts to be approved for the maintenance of the Organization’s 15 active missions in 2008-2009 are as follows (including prorated shares of the support account and the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy):
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-- $180.84 million for the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT);
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The Committee recommended approval of support account requirements for 2008-2009 in the amount of $273.92 million, including 1,122 continuing and 98 new temporary posts. The total amount for the United Nations Logistics Base would amount to $45.77 million.

By the terms of a draft resolution on the support account, the Assembly would reaffirm the need for adequate funding for the backstopping of peacekeeping, as well as the need for justification for that funding. It would also request the Secretary-General to ensure a clear chain of command, accountability, coordination and an adequate system of checks and balances, while also emphasizing the importance of interaction with troop-contributing countries.

In relation to the ongoing reform of United Nations peacekeeping, the Assembly would request detailed information on mechanisms in place and measures taken to address the management challenges in connection with the new organizational structure of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and newly-established Department of Field Support, and the improvement that the new structure has brought about. The Assembly would also emphasize that ongoing management reforms must be fully taken into account when presenting additional proposals for reform and reaffirm that the support account funds shall be used for the sole purpose of backstopping and supporting peacekeeping operations at Headquarters.

By a separate draft, the Committee also addressed the issues of procurement reform, including procurement governance, internal controls, accountability, ethics, vendors, procurement opportunities for vendors from developing countries, ensuring best value for money, awarding of contracts, competitive bidding process, sustainable procurement, delegation of authority, outsourcing, human resources management, enterprise resource planning and other matters.

The Assembly would reaffirm the need for the procurement system to be transparent, open, impartial and cost-effective, based on competitive bidding and fully reflecting the international character of the United Nations. It would note ongoing improvements made by the Secretary-General in procurement reform at Headquarters and in the field missions, while also noting with concernpossible weaknesses in the internal control environment, owing to the splitting of procurement responsibilities between the Department of Management, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support. The Secretary-General would be requested to take concrete steps in that regard and encouraged to further strengthen the internal control framework within the Procurement Division.
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In connection with the financing of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor, the Committee approved a draft resolution (document A/C.5/62/L.37), recommending that the Assembly take note of the status of contributions to that Mission and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor as at 31 March 2008, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of $10 million.

The Assembly would further decide that Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission would be credited their respective share of the net cash available in the Mission’s account in the amount of $3.85 million as at 30 April 2008, from the unencumbered balance and other income in the amount of about $31.84 million in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2006. Those States would be encouraged to apply those credits to any account where they have outstanding assessments. The credits of those Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission would be set off against their outstanding dues.

Prior to action on that draft text, Controller WARREN SACH said that, should the Assembly adopt the draft, the Secretariat would adjust the amount of Member States’ respective share of credits for the period ended 20 June 2006. Those shares had been previously approved in resolution 61/282 and the Secretariat would inform Member States individually of the impact of those adjustments on the amount of their outstanding assessments for the Mission where applicable. The adjustment would supersede actions taken earlier in respect of the disposition of credits and would be reflected in the status of contributions schedule and financial statements of the Mission for the period ending 30 June 2008.

Also without a vote, the Committee approved a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (document A/C.5/62/L.43), by which the General Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to that Mission as at 31 March 2008, including the outstanding contributions in the amount of $61.3 million, and the fact that only 76 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would then decide to appropriate $16.44 million to the Special Account for the Mission for its maintenance for the period 2007-2008, in addition to the $160.6 million already appropriated for the same period under the terms of its resolution 61/249 C.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $172.84 for the maintenance of the Mission [UNMIT] for the period 2008-2009.