CPC ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001315 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ABUD AMGT AORC KUNR UNGA SUBJECT: CPC ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING REF: A. STATE 84208 ¶B. USUN 936 ¶C. USUN 922 ¶1. SUMMARY: USUN Management Reform (M/R) officer represented the U.S. Delegation at a June 21st organizational meeting of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) to discuss preparations for the 46th CPC session, scheduled for August 14 - September 8, 2006. Jamaica was elected by acclimation to chair the 46th session, joined by Ghana as vice-chair and Belarus as rapporteur. Two other vice-chair positions - one from the Asia Group and the other from the WEOG, remain unfilled at this point. As instructed (ref a),USUN M/R Off raised several concerns about the provisional agenda (E/AC.51/2006/1) proposed for the 46th session, including the usefulness of CPC's review of the 2004-2005 program performance report, and the relevance of the CPC's review of the Joint Inspection Unit report on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). A number of delegations, among them South Africa, Cuba, Pakistan and Algeria, voiced strong support for the provisional agenda as proposed. The CPC Bureau, once the two remaining vice-chairmen positions are filled, will meet in the coming weeks to develop a detailed program of work for the August 14 - September 8, 2006 CPC session. END SUMMARY. ELECTION OF NEW CPC OFFICERS FOR THE 46TH SESSION -------------- ¶2. The Korean representative, who served as one of three vice-chairs during the 45th CPC session in 2005, opened the meeting by indicating that Jamaica's Norma Taylor Roberts had been proposed by the GRULAC group as chair of the 46th session. In the absence of objections, Jamaica was elected by acclimation. Ghana was proposed by the Africa Group to serve as one of the three vice-chairmen, while Belarus was nominated by the Eastern European Group to serve as Rapporteur. There were no announced candidates from either the Asia Group or the Western European Group to fill the other two vice-chairmanships - positions that eventually will need to be occupied before the start of the 46th session. PROVISIONAL AGENDA -------------- ¶3. Committee members then considered the provisional agenda proposed for the 46th session. USUN M/R Off raised a number of concerns, as per Department guidance, including the continued utility of CPC's review of past program performance reports, which typically have not been completed by CPC in a timely manner for their effective use in preparation of the next biennium budget. The representative from South Africa, supported by several other delegations, strongly argued in favor of retaining CPC's consideration of the 2004-2005 performance report in the agenda for the 45th session. ¶4. USUN M/R Off next questioned the rationale for selecting the Joint Inspection Unit report on NEPAD (proposed agenda item # 5) for inclusion on the CPC's 46th session agenda. M/R Off proposed that if a particular report, rather than other JIU studies, were to be the one identified for review by CPC, then perhaps the CPC's consideration of this report could be merged with the proposed agenda item on "coordination questions: New Partnership for Africa's Development" (agenda item # 4b). Again, the representative from South Africa, this time supported by the delegates from Cuba, Pakistan and Algeria, defended inclusion of both proposed agenda items #4b and #5 during CPC's 46th session, since the suggested merging of the two items would diminish the perceived importance given by the CPC to the NEPAD program and, separately, the work of the JIU. With no support from other delegations for U.S. concerns, M/R Off did not further debate the matter. ¶5. The newly-elected CPC Chair brought the meeting to a close by recommending that the proposed provisional agenda be used by CPC Bureau members, in coordination with Secretariat officials, to develop a detailed program of work for the 46th CPC session. Jamaica also requested that both the Asia Group and WEOG propose candidates to fill the remaining vice-chairmanships of the Committee prior to the mid-August commencement of CPC's substantive session. ¶6. COMMENT: USUN M/R Off was not able to win support from the representative of Japan to eliminate CPC consideration of the UN system Chief Executives Board for Coordination, as instructed, because Japan was not represented at the June 21 CPC organizational session. M/R Off also did not use the occasion of the June 21 meeting to announce the intention of the USG not to seek re-election to the CPC for the 2007-2009 term. Such an announcement can be made when the substantive sessions begins August 14, 2006. END COMMENT. BOLTON