UN - STRENGTHENING DPA - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 001029

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2012
TAGS: AORC PREL UNGA
SUBJECT: UN - STRENGTHENING DPA - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

REF: A. STATE 146297

B. USUN 001013

Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro Wolff for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 4.


2. (SBU) During the course of Fifth Committee deliberations
this past week, Mission Experts have been approached by a
number of their counterparts in other Missions, including our
friends and allies e.g., UK, Germany, Japan and Australia,
regarding the SYG's proposal for strengthening the Department
of Political Affairs (DPA). These states refer to the many
questions that the proposal raises concerning
coordination/division of labor between DPA and DPKO as well
as other UN entities, such as the Peacebuilding Commission
and the Peacebuilding Support Office, as well as the
significant costs associated with the proposal during a time
of the largest growth in the UN budget in the history of the
Organization. These same states have also expressed the
concern that because the proposal relates to a Department
headed by an American, the USG, contrary to its usual
practice, will be tempted to endorse the proposal before
there has been an opportunity to address the significant
questions raised by the proposal. They have indicated, given
the late date on which the SYG submitted the proposal and the
numerous and complex issues raised by the budget and other
time bound matters that are before the Fifth Committee, that
the most practical and wisest approach would be to carry the
proposal over to the Resumed Session of the Fifth Committee
in March. Moreover, they expressed the concern that the
early endorsement of the proposal by the USG before the
Committee has an opportunity to address the outstanding
questions would complicate not only consideration of the DPA
proposal but also of the biennium budget and other important
matters before the Fifth Committee.


3. (SBU) During a meeting November 15 between the Chairman of
the Fifth Committee (Mr. Humidon Ali of Malaysia) and
Ambassador Wallace, the Chairman expressed the same concerns
regarding the impact that the SYG's proposal on DPA will have
on the work of the Committee. He said that the proposal was
presented too late, is too complex, and does not have the
support of the membership now. Continuing, he stated that
any effort to force consideration of the proposal in this
session could jeopardize action on other very important
matters before the Fifth Committee. These other matters
include not only the $4.8 billion dollar biennium budget, on
which we seek substantial savings, but also other important
matters, such as the continuation of the OIOS Procurement
Task Force.


4. (C) Mission renews its request for guidance and its
recommendation that the USG, while generally supporting the
need to enhance DPA, defer taking a position on the SYG's
proposal pending the examination of all organizational and
financial resource implications of the proposal (See USUN
001013).
Khalilzad