UNGA 5TH COMMITTEE REVIEWS 2010-2011 BUDGET: G77

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001014 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC KUNR PREL UNGA SUBJECT: UNGA 5TH COMMITTEE REVIEWS 2010-2011 BUDGET: G77 AND OTHERS RAIL AGAINST SPM FUNDING INCLUSION IN THE REGULAR BUDGET AND DEPRIORITIZATION OF DEVELOPMENT ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On October 29, the Secretary General introduced his 2010-2011 proposed budget in a formal meeting of the Fifth Committee which continued Friday, October 30th. Developing countries called for increased funds to address poverty and to reach targeted spending goals on development. Many of the same countries attacked the inclusion of Special Political Missions (SPMs) in the regular budget, rejected arguments to cut spending in the wake of the financial crisis, and maintained that efficiency should not necessarily imply budget cuts. The E.U., CANZ, Japan, Mexico and several others provided a counter-balance urging delegates to control costs, particularly during the financial crisis. Several countries railed against the steep increases in SPM funding in recent years and suggested that SPMs be placed in a separate account apart from the regular budget (this idea was proposed earlier this year by the Secretary General in informal consultations with Member States on reforming the UN budget process). Ambassador Rice delivered the U.S. statement and stressed the need to allocate UN resources to the highest priority programs. She reminded the audience that the U.S. considers SPMs a critical piece of the regular budget. In addition to the Secretary General, the following 34 countries addressed the Committee: Sudan on behalf of the G-77, Sweden on behalf of the EU, Mexico on behalf of the Rio Group and in its national capacity, Australia on behalf of CANZ, Angola, Switzerland, China, Senegal, the United States, Morocco, Norway, Cuba, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Nicaragua, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Iran, Indonesia, Cameroon, Pakistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, Tanzania, Zambia, India, Argentina, Vietnam. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) SECRETARY GENERAL INTRODUCES BUDGET: Secretary General Ban Ki Moon asserted that the preparation of the budget had "my full involvement from the strategic framework to the budget outline" and claimed the proposals "reflect the priorities identified by the General Assembly." Ban Ki Moon outlined three priorities: ending micromanagement, consolidating the number of budget fascicles, and finding an "alternative funding mechanism" for SPMs. He also stressed the importance of funding ICT projects, implementing the Enterprise Resource Planning system, and the need to take the impact of the global financial crisis into consideration. ¶3. (U) ACAQB VOICES RESERVATIONS ON SPM FUNDING AND LACK OF INFORMATION: The Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) addressed shortcoming in the budget and noted concern that "a number of requirements that have been or will be addressed in separate reports" had not been included in the proposed budget. Some attention was devoted to addressing staffing needs with the ACABQ noting that "no entity in the United Nations Secretariat has a true picture of actual vacancies." The Chairman called for a review of the plans for new facilities and maintenance and seeks more information on "major management initiatives and structural changes." ¶4. (SBU) G77/CHINA URGE TRANSPARENCY AND A FOCUS ON DEVELOPMENT: Sudan , speaking on behalf of the G77, voiced concern over "efforts to restrain the growth of the budget," suggesting that the financial crisis is a "flawed argument" to advocate slashing budgets. Sudan stressed the importance of funding developing-world initiatives and called the proposed budget "unbalanced to the detriment of development related activities." Sudan urged delegates to correct a double-standard between the "privileged" mandates, which receive a "constant flow of resources from assessed contributions or voluntary assistance by donor countries" versus the "neglected" mandates that are typically "scrambling for a few crumbs of the regular budget." The G77/China are concerned over the portion of the regular budget dedicated to SPMs and "will not allow priority activities funded by the regular budget to be jeopardized by the aforementioned increase in SPMs." (NOTE: China specicially told the U.S. delegation that they oppose moving the SPM's to the regular budget) Sudan warned delegates away from "working out deals in small groups," calling the process disruptive and contributing to "mistrust and polarization." ¶5. (U) E.U. REJECTS ABILITY TO FUND CURRENT PROPOSED BUDGET, REFERENCING SCALES, AND CALLS FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY: Sweden, speaking on behalf of the E.U. and associated countries agreed that the "Organization should be provided with the necessary resources to implement its mandates," but added that given "this period of global financial crisis," it is critical for resources to be used "in the most effective and efficient way and that the same strict budgetary discipline is applied." The E.U. expressed reluctance to fund the current budget, which they note is $700 million more than the proposal for the current biennium, and added that "the European Union wants to stress clearly, this would be a very substantial increase which is more than we, as the largest contributor, are able to resource." The E.U. alluded to the ongoing scales of assessment debate (reftel),calling for "a fair and more balanced way to share the budgetary responsibilities of the United Nations." The E.U. also complained about the piecemeal fashion of the budget presentation and stated that proposed budget "is not complete." ¶6. (U) NO-GROWTH IS NO-GO FOR MANY: G77 members came out in force against attempts to prevent the budget from growing. Angola, on behalf of the Africa Group, stated that, "the application of measures that lead to the realization of zero-nominal growth in the budget of the Organization does not augur well and may actually impede the effective implementation of all the mandates given by member states." Angola does not support the reliance of "extra-budgetary resources", since those resources may not represent the collective priorities of the UN. Morocco added that the organization is being asked to take on more tasks, but cannot do so with "stagnant budget levels, particularly in the areas of economic and social development." Singapore agreed that members have "every right to demand the efficient use of resources and to stretch every dollar given to the Organization," but quickly added that "we should not confuse this entitlement with parsimony." Indonesia considers that "zero budget growth just for the sake of no growth, as an aim in and of itself, can hardly be perceived as an impressive management strategy." ¶7. (U) JAPAN, ROK, RUSSIA, AND OTHERS JOIN CALL FOR FISCAL DISCIPLINE: Several countries outside of the E.U. also called for fiscal responsibility. The Republic of Korea commented that "while adhering to strict financial discipline, the Secretary General must also be selective and focused in fulfilling the current mandates set by Member States" and made clear that the Secretariat "should follow appropriate financial discipline." Japan continued on the same theme, expressing that "additional expenditures must be contained within the previously agreed level of the contingency fund" and suggesting that "new budgetary requirements should be met first through redeployment." Russia stated that it will continue to focus on results-based budgeting and underscored the importance of enhancing effectiveness. Russia added that the size of the budget is "a matter of concern, particularly given the current economic recession." Turkey pointed out that spending choices must be logical and well-matched to the economic situation, but referred to the presented budget as "reasonable." ¶8. (U) DEVELOPING COUNTRIES STRESS DIRE NEEDS: Singapore noted that the "budget assigns less than a dollar to each of the world,s inhabitants." Brazil also rejected the idea that "human rights and development should be funded by voluntary contributions" and urged members to "strengthen the role, capacity, and effectiveness of the United Nations Secretariat in the area of development." Bangladesh declared that "it is unfortunate that the development account accounts for only a meager 0.38% of the regular budget reflecting a proportional decrease" and called on members to acknowledge that "sustainable development is inextricably linked to peace and security." Egypt stressed the need to fund development measures in Africa and said the current budget shows an "inequality concerning the allocation of the resources." Nicaragua added that "development is still the Cinderella of the regular budget" and claimed the imbalance reflects the lack of a global vision. Iran referred to development as "the cornerstone of this organization" and said the proposed budget shows that the pillar is being de-prioritized. ¶9. (U) CRITICISM OVER SPM SIZE AND INCLUSION IN RB: Singapore led a chorus of countries against the current SPM funding structure, and urged that "SPMs be considered as a separate exercise during our deliberations on the proposed program budget." India concurred, stating that "this increase in budget for Special Political Missions, which is drawn on the regular budget, gives the feeling that the regular budget is growing rapidly." India connected the SPM increase on the budget to the call for austerity measures and pointed out that "the axe of austerity normally falls on development-related issues. " ¶10. (U) MEXICO,S BALANCING ACT DEMANDS AUSTERITY AND DEVELOPMENT: Mexico,s Undersecretary for Management and Finance Julion Camarena Villasenor spoke on behalf of the Rio Group, but concluded by speaking his national capacity. Mexico engaged in a balancing act, calling for austerity measures, while at the same time emphasizing the need for the organization to help the most vulnerable. Villasenor urged member countries to fund "those programs aimed at achieving better life conditions for our peoples" and stressed the need to support development initiatives such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Villasenor targeted SPM funding, noting that "the Group is concerned about the considerable increase in financial requirements for Special Political Missions, which are the main cause of the budget growth." When speaking only for Mexico, Villasenor noted that "Mexico is committed to an austerity measure for public expenditures" and added that he expects the Secretariat to find ways of managing the growth. He stated firmly that the proposed program budget is "unacceptable for Mexico." ¶11. (U) AMBASSADOR RICE CALLS SPMS "CRITICAL" AND URGES PRIORITIZING RESOURCES: Ambassador Rice highlighted recent U.S. payments that "dramatically reduced" our regular budget and peacekeeping arrears and fully paid our 2009 peacekeeping assessments thus far. She said these payments are critical to the "new chapter of international cooperation" that the U.S. is spearheading. Rice explained that the U.S. position on the budget is focused on endorsing results-based budgeting, assuring that decisions reflect value for money, and prioritizing commitments in order to "determine appropriate priorities for today." Ambassador Rice stressed this final point, adding that "resources related to program activities based on prior UN priorities must be eliminated or reduced ) unless their continuing relevance and effectiveness can be clearly demonstrated." She referred to SPMs as "critical priorities" and an "integral component of the UN,s regular budget." Rice called on the Secretary General to present a full "comprehensive and transparent budget" as soon as possible and voiced "concern that we continue to receive the budget in a piecemeal manner." (Full text of Ambassador Rice,s remarks can be found at: http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/200 9/131074.htm) ¶12. (U) SUDAN/ANGOLA,S CRITISISM OF SYG,S ABSENCE IS QUICKLY REBUKED BY UNDERSECRETARY KANE: Sudan and Angola each spoke for a second time at the end of the formal meeting in order to criticize the absence of the Secretary General from the meeting. Sudan expressed "disappointment with the Secretary General for not listening to one member speech on his budget." Angola noted being "equally disappointed." Angela Kane, Undersecretary for Management, admitted that she was "a poor substitute for the Secretary General," but quickly reminded delegates that the Secretary General had been working to address a terrorist attack earlier in the week in Kabul, Afghanistan that had killed 6 UN staff. She said that the Secretary General had "fully planned to be here" and added that given the Secretary General's priority to the families of the victims and an emergency session on safety being held at the same time as the budget meeting, the decision not to attend "does not show any disrespect." Rice