FIFTH COMMITTEE TO RESUME CONSIDERATION OF BAN'S

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000877

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC PREL UNGA
SUBJECT: FIFTH COMMITTEE TO RESUME CONSIDERATION OF BAN'S
PROPOSAL TO STRENGTHEN DPA

REF: A. USUN 000261

B. USUN 000246

C. USUN 000226

D. STATE 029449

E. 07 USUN 001013

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY


1. Summary: The Fifth Committee (C5) is scheduled, on
October 17th, to resume its consideration of SYG Ban's
proposal to strengthen the UN Department of Political Affairs
(DPA) and the related report of the ACABQ. DPA is led by
Lynn Pascoe, the Under-Secretary-General for Political
Affairs. Consideration of the proposal was postponed at the
first resumed session of the 62nd GA in March 2008 based on
concerns expressed by the US, Japan and Russia. (See
Paragraph 3 below for a brief summary of the proposal.)


2. C5 consideration coincides with the proposal for
extra-budgetary support for DPA circulated on September 2nd
by USYG Pascoe (sent directly to Acting Assistant Secretary
Hook and Under Secretary Kennedy and faxed to IO/MPR) (see
paragraph 4),the statement by SYG Ban in the Security
Council on September 23rd calling for additional resources
for DPA's mediation efforts
(www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9452.doc.h tm),and the
presidential statement adopted at that meeting in which the
Council asked the SYG to submit a report, within six months,
on mediation and its support activities and to make
recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of UN
mediation (S/PRST/2008/36). Consideration of these proposals
will also coincide with C5 consideration of the SYG's
proposal to strengthen the UN Department for Economic and
Social Affairs (DESA) and the development pillar, which has
previously been linked to consideration of the DPA proposal.
End Summary.


3. Ban's DPA Strengthening Proposal: Ban's proposal, issued
on November 2, 2007 as A/62/521 and Corr.1, calls for an
almost across-the-board strengthening of DPA with an
additional 96 posts to: build the capacity of its regional
divisions, strengthen its policy planning and mediation
support functions by establishing an integrated Policy,
Partnerships and Mediation Support Division, augment its
Electoral Assistance Division, and reinforce the capacity of
its Executive Office. If the proposal would have been
adopted in full in late 2007, it would have cost $21 million
in the 2008-2009 biennium and $34 million in subsequent
bienniums. Adoption of the ACABQ's recommendations in
A/62/7/Add.32 at the March 2008 resumed session of the GA
would have reduced the cost for the 2008-2009 biennium to
$12.9 million with the creation of 60 of the 96 proposed
posts. (See Reftels E and B for a review of the proposal and
for reporting on its consideration at the March 2008 resumed
session.)


4. Extra-Budgetary Support for DPA: USYG Pascoe, on
September 2, 2008, sent a letter to the major contributors
and other Member States requesting support for his proposal
for voluntary contributions of over $13 million to augment
the UN Trust Fund in Support of the Special Missions and
Other Activities Related to Preventive Diplomacy and
Peacemaking to assist DPA during the period from July 31,
2008 to December 31, 2009 "in being more operational and in
responding quickly to unanticipated 'surges' in activities,
especially in the areas of mediation and elections."
Comment: The 44-page proposal is described as addressing
urgent, case-specific demands and providing funding for
projects of limited duration in the area of preventive
diplomacy and elections. However, the proposal addresses a
number of the ongoing, core activities of DPA covered in
Ban's strengthening proposal, including regarding mediation,
working relations with regional organizations, and
information management and other capabilities required to
manage the Department. End Comment.


5. Consideration of the SYG's proposal on DPA and the
development pillar is currently scheduled to begin on October
15th. USYG Pascoe does not indicate when he would like a
response to his request for support for his extra-budgetary
proposal.
Khalilzad