UN MANAGEMENT REFORM: SYG CALLS FOR "RADICAL

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000461 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC UNGA SUBJECT: UN MANAGEMENT REFORM: SYG CALLS FOR "RADICAL OVERHAUL", BUT THE GROUP OF 77 FOCUSES ON PROCEDURES ¶1. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented a comprehensive report on UN management reform (A/60/692) to the General Assembly March 7, telling delegates that "our present regulations and rules do not respond to current needs." In introducing the report, entitled, "Investing in the United Nations: For a Stronger Organization Worldwide," Annan said the exponential growth in UN activities during the past sixteen years now demanded an updated system that was appropriately equipped to address "our most important constituents," the world's people. Multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations, programs to reduce global poverty and spur development, and efforts to address transnational problems such as terrorism, HIV/AIDS, and natural disasters required a "deeper, more fundamental change" in UN operations. ¶2. Annan called for a "radical overhaul of the UN system" to create a more efficient, transparent and accountable organization. He noted these proposals were "not a cost-cutting exercise, a grab for power, or an attempt to placate one or more key contributing countries." The SYG compared the organization to the 56-year-old building housing the Secretariat, observing that both were in need of a thorough remodeling. Annan said past failures to invest in people and technology now needed to be rectified through investment in the UN's future. Annan said the world's people were the "true stakeholders" in the UN; "let us not fail them." ¶3. GA President Eliasson echoed SYG Annan's call for an organization that could effectively offer "global solutions to global problems." Eliasson stressed the importance of a UN that was "accessible" and "credible," capable of responding more effectively to the world's needs. Suggesting that the comprehensive nature of the SYG's proposals would require time for review and analysis, Eliasson said he would consult with management reform coordinators Rock (Canada) and Akram (Pakistan) as well as interested delegations in the coming days to determine next steps. He noted that both the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the Fifth Committee would have an important role to play in assessing the SYG's proposals. 4, Despite private assurances from the GA President's office and others that no speakers would follow the Secretary-General, current G-77 Chair Kumalo (South Africa) SIPDIS took the floor to note that "it was unusual for the Secretary-General to address Member States before the formal SIPDIS introduction of his report." He said established practices now dictated that the SYG's report on administrative and management issues be conveyed to both ACABQ and the Fifth Committee and requested that the report be reissued "for technical reasons" to include the relevant Fifth Committee agenda items. Given the multi-faceted nature of the report, Kumalo said the SYG's report could then be referenced and incorporated into ongoing Fifth Committee discussions on review of UN administrative and financial efficiency (agenda item #122),the biennium program budget (agenda item #124), and human resource management (agenda item #129). He said that while the G-77 remained committed to the UN reform process, it was imperative that the intergovernmental nature of the review process be respected and that established rules and procedures be maintained. ¶5. The EU, U.S. and Japan all responded in turn to Kumalo's unexpected statement. EU President Pfanzelter (Austria) stated that while ACABQ and the Fifth Committee had an important role to play in reviewing the SYG's recommendations, "the Plenary should have control over the process." Pfanzelter said the reform needed to be a "gradual process." Ambassador Bolton then rose to the podium and reiterated the SYG's call for "radical reform of the UN" and a "thorough strategic refit." Noting that we were told no speakers other than the Secretary-General would speak, Bolton said the Plenary would decide how to allocate consideration of a key report that was "far too important to get caught up in procedural wrangling." Japanese PermRep Oshima said that while the Fifth Committee would have to consider some of the technical aspects of the SYG's report, "the policy dimensions of the proposals will have to take place in the Plenary." ¶6. GA President Eliasson concluded the meeting by reiterating his intention to consult with interested parties, particularly management reform coordinators Rock and Akram, to determine when future discussions assessing the SYG's report would take place. BOLTON