Questions Relating to the Proposed Programme Budget for the Biennium 2000-2001

A/RES/54/249View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 121 Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001, published in 2000.

What else is in this group?

22 documents · 1982–2018

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2018).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2018	A/RES/72/261	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2018-2019	5,126	–
2016	A/RES/70/247	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017	4,910	–
2014	A/RES/68/246	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2014-2015	2,150	–
2012	A/RES/66/246	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013	5,787	–
2010	A/RES/64/243	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011	6,861	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Financial Regulations Programme Evaluation Programme Planning Staffing

What’s in this document?

213 operative paragraphs

I

Reaffirms that the Fifth Committee is the appropriate Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters;

Reaffirms also rule 153 of its rules of procedure;

Reaffirms further the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation, and the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

Decides that no changes to the budget methodology, to established budgetary procedures and practices or to the financial regulations may be implemented without prior review and approval by the General Assembly, in accordance with established budgetary procedures;

Reaffirms the role of the General Assembly in carrying out a thorough analysis and approval of posts and financial resources, as well as of human resources policies, with a view to ensuring full implementation of all mandated programmes and activities and the implementation of policies in this regard;

Welcomes the timely submission of the proposed programme budget and the continued efforts made by the Secretary-General to improve the format of the proposed programme budget;

Notes with concern the late submissions on section 11B, International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO), and section 33, Development Account;

Commends the efforts and initiatives of the Secretary-General aimed at reforming the United Nations;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, in the implementation of approved reform proposals, there should be no adverse impact on the fulfilment of legislative mandates;

Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the proposals contained in the individual sections of future proposed programme budgets include more precise information on the outputs, activities, objectives and expected accomplishments of the various departments, on the basis of which the General Assembly may later evaluate budget performance;

Recognizes that the General Assembly has not yet approved the proposal of the Secretary-General on results-based budgeting;

Takes note of the fact that the concepts of “expected accomplishments”, “outputs”, “objectives” and “activities” are not exclusively related to and should not be confused with the concept of “results-based budgeting”;

Decides that any development related to results-based budgeting should be undertaken only with the prior approval of the General Assembly;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to present the budget outline and the proposed programme budget to the General Assembly strictly in accordance with existing budgetary procedure;

Emphasizes that resources proposed by the Secretary-General should be commensurate with all mandated programmes and activities in order to ensure their full and effective implementation;

Renews its appeal to Member States to demonstrate their commitment to the United Nations by, inter alia, meeting their financial obligations in full, on time and without conditions, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

Reiterates that core functions of the United Nations, as a principle, should be financed through the regular budget and apportioned among Member States, and notes with concern the excessive reliance on extrabudgetary resources in some sections;

Notes with concern the current and projected decreasing trend in extrabudgetary resources, particularly for the United Nations funds and programmes;

Expresses concern that the decrease in extrabudgetary resources in some sections of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001could have an adverse impact on the effective implementation of programmes and activities, especially those programmes that are still heavily funded primarily through such resources;

Recalls its decision set out in section II, paragraph 2 (b), of its resolution 41/213, and emphasizes that, in future, proposed programme budgets shall be considered by the General Assembly in fascicle form, together with recommendations on them by the Committee for Programme and Coordination and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and that the programme budgets shall be issued in their final form after approval by the General Assembly, with the changes to the resource level annexed to the approved programme budget;

Requests the Secretary-General and the Advisory Committee to submit their reports in accordance with paragraphs 11 and 12 of resolution 53/208 B of 18 December 1998;

Recognizes the need for Member States to participate in budgetary preparation from its earliest stages and throughout the process;

Encourages the Secretary-General to improve coordination between departments and the major duty stations so as to use resources effectively in all areas, including information technology;

Calls upon the Secretary-General to explore the possibility of presenting in future proposed programme budgets one consolidated section for staff assessment inflows and outflows, with a view to improving the transparency of the presentation of the budget;

Also calls upon the Secretary-General to ensure that all sections of future proposed programme budgets are presented in the same standard format, in accordance with the relevant regulations and rules and relevant resolutions;

Requests the Secretary-General, in his programme budget submission for the biennium 2002-2003, to make further improvements to the proposed programme budget, as described by the Advisory Committee in paragraphs 6 and 7 of its report;⁵

⁵Ibid., Supplement No. 7 (A/54/7).

Also requests the Secretary-General to improve the presentation of future proposed programme budgets by including all relevant legislative mandates for all proposed programme narratives;

Further requests the Secretary-General, in his proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003, to provide a better explanation of the use of standard costs and unit rates in the calculation of cost estimates;

Requests the Secretary-General, in his proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003, to submit estimates of the total amount of resources, from all sources of financing, that he should have at his disposal to be able to implement fully the mandated programmes and activities;

II

Reaffirms that the medium-term plan, as approved by the General Assembly, shall continue to constitute the principal policy directive of the United Nations;

Reiterates that the priorities for the biennium 2000-2001 are the following:

Maintenance of international peace and security;

Promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development, in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions and recent United Nations conferences;

Development of Africa;

Promotion of human rights;

Effective coordination of humanitarian assistance efforts;

Promotion of justice and international law;

Disarmament;

Drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations;

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination3 on the programme narrative of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001,1 subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Notes with concern that the request for resources in the proposed programme budget did not accurately reflect the priorities approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 51/219;

Reiterates the need for the Secretary-General to ensure that resources are utilized strictly for the purposes approved by the General Assembly;

Emphasizes that the budget proposals of the Secretary-General should reflect resource levels commensurate with the mandates for their full implementation;

Reiterates that the reports of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on the proposed programme budget should be considered by the General Assembly, through the Fifth Committee, only for the final approval of the programme budget;

Expresses its concern that a number of sections in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001were not prepared in complete conformity with the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001;⁶

⁶Ibid., Fifty-third Session, Supplement No.6 (A/53/6/Rev.1).

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, in the future, the programme narratives of the programme budget fully conform to the provisions of the medium-term plan;

Reaffirms the need to implement strictly and fully the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation;

Emphasizes that programmes and activities mandated by the General Assembly must be respected and implemented fully;

Reiterates that the allocation of resources should reflect fully the priorities established in the medium-term plan;

Also reiterates that due consideration should be given to issues related to the development of Africa, as a matter of priority;

Emphasizes the need for mandated programmes and activities to be delivered in the most effective and efficient manner;

Decides to make changes, as contained in annex I to the present resolution, to the programme narratives in the final published version of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001, as reflected in the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination and the provisions of the present resolution;

III

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations of the Advisory Committee contained in its reports on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001,2 subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Reaffirms paragraph 10 of resolution 53/206, whereby the General Assembly decided, inter alia, that additional requirements to the level of 86.2 million United States dollars included in the proposed programme budget for the financing of special political missions should be financed in conformity with the provisions of resolution 41/213;

Notes that the technical proposal on the treatment of the provision for special political missions in the programme budget, as recommended by the Advisory Committee in paragraph 7 of its third report on the biennium 1996-1997,⁷ has not been submitted, and requests the Secretary-General to submit the proposal as a matter of priority to the General Assembly during its fifty-fifth session;

⁷Ibid., Fifty-second Session, Supplement No.7A (A/52/7/Add.1-10), document A/52/7/Add.2.

Reaffirms its support for maintaining the international character of the Organization and to the principles of efficiency, competence and integrity enshrined in Article 101 of the Charter;

Also reaffirms the role of the General Assembly with regard to the structure of the Secretariat, including the creation, suppression and redeployment of posts, and requests the Secretary-General to provide the Assembly with comprehensive information on all decisions involving established and temporary high-level posts, including equivalent positions financed from the regular budget and from extrabudgetary resources;

Expresses its concern at the high vacancy rate in certain areas of the Organization, particularly in some of the regional commissions, and reiterates in this regard that a high vacancy rate hampers the delivery of mandated programmes and activities;

Reaffirms that the vacancy rate is a tool for budgetary calculations and should not be used to achieve budgetary savings;

Also reaffirms that deliberate management decisions to keep a certain number of posts vacant should not be taken, as this action makes the budget process less transparent and the management of human resources more difficult;

Decides that a vacancy rate of 6.5 per cent for Professional staff and 2.5 per cent for General Service staff shall be used as a basis for the calculation of the budget for the biennium 2000-2001;

Notes that, should the vacancy rates realized be lower than those budgeted, the General Assembly would provide additional resources, if required, in the first and/or second performance report so as to preclude the need for any constraint on the recruitment of staff;

Requests the Secretary-General to recruit staff expeditiously by proper planning and by streamlining personnel practices and procedures, in order to avoid any adverse impact of a high vacancy rate on the effective implementation and delivery of mandated programmes and activities;

Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that posts are not deliberately left vacant to provide a cushion for absorbing the costs of special missions and other activities authorized “within available resources”;

Emphasizes that the reclassification of posts should not be used as a promotion tool;

Reiterates that reclassified posts, as approved by the General Assembly, should be filled only in full conformity with the established procedures for recruitment and placement;

Requests the Secretary-General to undertake a comprehensive review of the post structure of the Secretariat, taking into account, inter alia, the introduction of new technology, and to make proposals in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003 to address the top-heavy post structure of the Organization;

Welcomes the use of information technology as one of the tools for improving the implementation of mandated programmes and activities;

Notes with regret the lack of a comprehensive information technology strategy for the United Nations, and requests the Secretary-General to develop a comprehensive strategy for the development and implementation of information technology, to be submitted through the Advisory Committee to the General Assembly during the main part of its fifty-fifth session;

Emphasizes that the introduction of new technology should lead neither to the involuntary separation of staff nor necessarily to a reduction in staff;

Decides to reduce the resources proposed for allocation to information technology for the biennium 2000-2001 by 3,443,000 dollars;

Reaffirms that the use of temporary assistance should be limited strictly to requirements for peak workload, maternity and sick leave, and that it should not be used to supplant established posts;

Decides to reduce the level of resources proposed by the Secretary-General for allocation to general temporary assistance, with the exception of general temporary assistance for conference services, by 3.2 million dollars;

Regrets the continued tendency towards excessive use of consultants where in-house expertise is available, and urges the Secretary-General to resort to the use of consultants strictly in accordance with the existing regulations and rules and relevant resolutions;

Decides to reduce the level of resources proposed by the Secretary-General for consultants by 2,028,000 dollars, with the exception of resources for the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the regional commissions;

Emphasizes the importance of the knowledge and skills of the staff of the Organization, and therefore requests the Secretary-General to develop a more coordinated and systematic approach to staff training, in particular with a view to enhancing skills and increasing expertise through training programmes, as recommended by the Advisory Committee;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to comply strictly with the approved travel policies, standards, and regulations and rules, particularly with respect to ensuring that travel is undertaken by the most direct and economical route;

Decides to reduce the resources proposed for travel of staff on official business by 2,480,000 dollars;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide some flexibility in allowing the use of the external printing account for internal printing purposes, as appropriate;

Decides that the staffing table for each year of the biennium 2000-2001 shall be as contained in annex II to the present resolution;

IV.Section 1. Overall policy-making, direction and coordination

Decides to establish a P-5 post in the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General;

Concurs with the observations of the Advisory Committee contained in paragraphs I.5, I.6 and I.7 of its report4 on the need to ensure that the Office of the President of the General Assembly is provided with adequate resources, and decides that, in the interest of clarity and transparency, the resources proposed for support to the President of the Assembly shall be presented separately from the estimates for the travel of representatives of least developed countries to sessions of the Assembly;

Decides that the resources for the Office of the President of the General Assembly shall be allocated between the presidents of the sessions of the General Assembly to which they relate so as to ensure equitable provision of these resources, taking into account the duration of the term of each president;

Reaffirms section IV, paragraphs 13 and 14, of its resolution 53/214 of 18 December 1998;

Requests the Secretary-General to take additional measures to ensure that the representatives of least developed countries are fully and duly informed in a timely manner of their entitlements to travel to sessions of the General Assembly;

Also requests the Secretary-General to keep under review the activities of the Office of External Relations in order to avoid any possible duplication with other areas of the Secretariat, and to report thereon in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003;

Section 2. General Assembly affairs and conference services

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the use of contractual services does not have an adverse impact on conference services or result in additional costs to the Organization;

Reiterates its request in section III, paragraph 19, of its resolution 52/220 of 22 December 1997;

Decides to establish four P-4 posts in the Interpretation Section, United Nations Office at Vienna;

Also decides to redeploy the P-4 post for the Chief of the Spanish Unit, Copy Preparation and Proof-reading Section, Headquarters, New York;

Notes with concern the proposed reduction of resources for conference services for the biennium 2000-2001, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that efficiency measures are carefully analysed to avoid any negative impact on conference services, in the light of the level and quality of services provided to Member States;

Section 3. Political affairs

Endorses the observations and recommendations of the Advisory Committee contained in paragraph II.12 of its report4 with respect to the new Policy Planning Unit;

Reiterates that any expenditure in excess of the provision approved for special political missions in the proposed programme budget shall continue to be treated in accordance with General Assembly resolution 41/213;

Section 4. Disarmament

Decides to reclassify to the D-2 level the D-1 post of Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Chief of the Conference on Disarmament secretariat and Conference Support Branch, Geneva;

Reiterates paragraph 6 of its resolution 54/55 C of 1 December 1999 on the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific;

Section 5. Peacekeeping operations

Emphasizes that all peacekeeping missions shall be provided with adequate resources to ensure their effective functioning;

Section 7. International Court of Justice

Notes with concern that the resources proposed for the International Court of Justice are not proportionate with the workload envisaged, and requests the Secretary-General to propose adequate resources for this section in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003, commensurate with its increased workload and the large backlog of volumes of Court documents;

Commends the response of the Court to earlier requests that it explore vigorously the introduction of modern technology, and recommends that it continue to pursue further the use of such technology, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

Section 9. Economic and social affairs

Decides to reclassify to the D-1 level the P-5 post of Chief of the Non-Governmental Organizations Section;

Notes the rapid development of the partnership between the United Nations and the non-governmental organization community, and recognizes, therefore, the additional responsibilities and the increased workload of the Non-Governmental Organizations Section;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session on the administrative and financial issues concerning the Non-Governmental Organizations Section, in particular with regard to the number and level of posts in that Section;

Section 10. Africa: New Agenda for Development

Reaffirms the important role of the programme entitled “Africa: New Agenda for Development” in addressing Africa’s critical socio-economic situation, and reiterates the urgent need to provide the programme with adequate resources to enable it to achieve its objectives;

Also reaffirms the priority assigned to the development of Africa by the General Assembly, and in this regard reiterates section III, paragraph 48, of its resolution 52/220, in which it called upon the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to mobilize additional resources for the implementation of the programme of action contained in the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure, in a coordinated manner, the effective and timely implementation of the New Agenda;

Emphasizes the continuing need to focus on the priority areas of the New Agenda and to organize close consultations at both the policy and the operational levels among the various development partners in order to achieve the best results;

Section 11A. Trade and development

Endorses the agreed conclusions of the Working Party on the Medium-term Plan and Programme Budget of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development;

Emphasizes the need to provide adequate resources to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in priority areas;

100

Invites the Secretary-General to consider the establishment of a new subprogramme on Africa under section 11A, Trade and development, through redeployment subject to the approval of the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on the basis of such proposals as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development may wish to make at its tenth session through the Committee for Programme and Coordination;

101

Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen the Office of the Special Coordinator for Least Developed, Landlocked and Island Developing Countries in order to enable it to address effectively the concerns of landlocked and transit developing countries;

102

Notes with concern that the level of staff and financial resources in the Office of the Special Coordinator is not commensurate with the increased responsibilities and activities deriving from its mandates;

103

Decides to re-establish the unit for landlocked developing countries and small island developing States within the Office of the Special Coordinator, and to establish one P-5, two P-4, one P-3 and three General Service posts related thereto, and requests the Secretary-General to report on the effectiveness of the functioning of the unit before the end of the biennium 2000-2001;

104

Requests the Secretary-General to review, as a matter of priority, resource requirements for the high-level intergovernmental event on financing for development and the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, and to submit a report to the General Assembly for consideration at the first part of its resumed fifty-fourth session;

105

Deeply regrets that its decision in section III, paragraph 49, of its resolution 52/220 has not been implemented, and stresses the need expeditiously to recruit the P-5 post of the Special Coordinator referred to in that resolution;

106

Notes with concern that the reference to and resources allocated for the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries and the Fourth United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices (2000) are not clearly presented under the policy-making organs and the programme support costs, and requests the Secretary-General to report thereon in the context of the programme budget performance report for the biennium 2000-2001;

107

Takes note with concern of the high vacancy rates for this programme and the adverse effect of this situation on the effective implementation of this programme;

108

Requests the Secretary-General, in this regard, urgently to take measures to correct this situation;

Section 12. Environment

109

Decides to approve the reformulated fascicle for section 12;⁸

⁸See A/C.5/54/20.

110

Requests the Secretary-General to review the proposed provisions for this section with a view to ensuring a stable, predictable and viable source of funding in order to avoid heavy reliance upon extrabudgetary resources;

Section 13. Human settlements

111

Requests the Secretary-General, in accordance with paragraph 229 of the Habitat Agenda⁹ and in consultation with the Commission on Human Settlements, to continue to ensure more effective functioning of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) by, inter alia, providing sufficient human and financial resources within the regular budget of the United Nations;

⁹Report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), Istanbul, 3-14 June 1996 (United Nations publications, Sales No. E.97.IV.6), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.

112

Decides to approve the reformulated programme narrative for section 13;¹⁰

¹⁰See A/C.5/54/16.

113

Requests the Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to appoint, on a full-time basis and at the level of Under-Secretary-General, the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat);

114

Also requests the Secretary-General to review the proposed provisions for this section with a view to ensuring a stable, predictable and viable source of funding in order to avoid heavy reliance upon extrabudgetary resources;

Section 15. International drug control

115

Takes note with concern of the high dependence of the programme on extrabudgetary resources;

116

Decides to appropriate resources for printing under subprogramme 1 at the same level as in the biennium 1998-1999;

Sections 16 to 21. Regional cooperation for development

117

Emphasizes the need for greater interaction between the regional commissions and the respective regional organizations;

118

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure that the regional commissions provide technical assistance to Member States, including through their respective regional organizations;

119

Commends the efforts of the regional commissions at reform and streamlining, and encourages them to continue to take, as appropriate and under the auspices of their respective intergovernmental bodies, further measures in this regard;

120

Expresses deep concern about the underutilization of the conference centres at Bangkok and Addis Ababa, and requests the Secretary-General to develop and implement a strategy for increasing their use, and to report thereon to the General Assembly by the end of its fifty-fourth session;

Section 16. Economic and social development in Africa

121

Notes with deep concern the high vacancy rate in the Economic Commission for Africa, and in this regard reiterates section II, paragraph 23, of its resolution 52/220;

122

Recalls section IV, paragraphs 7 and 12, of its resolution 53/214, in which, inter alia, it requested the Secretary-General to take all the necessary steps to achieve a vacancy rate of no more than 5 per cent for posts in the Professional and higher categories by the end of the biennium 1998-1999;

123

Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures, as a matter of priority, to achieve a vacancy rate of no more than 5 per cent within the biennium in the Economic Commission for Africa, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

124

Expresses its deep concern that the Economic Commission for Africa is still suffering from a significantly high vacancy rate at the Professional level, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all posts budgeted for the biennium 2000-2001 are filled;

125

Welcomes the reform process carried out by the Economic Commission for Africa to strengthen its programme of work, in particular with regard to the subregional development centres;

126

Reiterates its request that the Secretary-General redeploy to the subregional development centres any savings realized during the biennium as the result of reform measures and efficiency gains from within the Economic Commission for Africa;

127

Requests the Secretary-General to provide the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders with the core Professional staff required to enable it to function effectively towards the fulfilment of its mandates;

Section 16B. Regional Commissions New York Office

128

Emphasizes the need to provide an adequate level of resources for the Regional Commissions New York Office for the effective implementation of its activities;

129

Requests the Secretary-General to review the classification of General Service posts of the Regional Commissions New York Office;

Section 17. Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific

130

Notes with concern the high vacancy rate in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, which could adversely affect the implementation of mandated programmes and activities, and requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to redress the situation;

Section 18. Economic development in Europe

131

Commends the Economic Commission for Europe for the rationalization of its programmes and for the improved presentation of its narratives;

Section 19. Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean

132

Commends the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for the implementation of the reform programme for the Commission;

133

Expresses its concern at the decreasing trend in extrabudgetary resources and at its impact on the level of technical cooperation activities, and requests the Secretary-General to submit proposals to address the adverse impact of declining extrabudgetary resources for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean;

134

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all the necessary means are provided for the full implementation of all subprogrammes and their respective activities;

135

Reaffirms section III, paragraph 73, of its resolution 52/220, in which it requested the Secretary-General to ensure that all activities included in subprogramme 2 would benefit all members of the region;

Section 22. Human rights

136

Commends the Secretary-General for having successfully reduced the vacancy rate in the programme;

137

Approves the proposed establishment of a P-4 post for the New York office;

138

Notes with concern that paragraph 8 of its resolution 53/78 A of 4 December 1998 has not been fully implemented, requests the Secretary-General to provide the Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa with adequate financial resources, and in this regard decides to appropriate an amount of one million dollars in the programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001;

139

Notes with concern that resources proposed for activities related to the right to development are not clearly identified within subprogramme 1;

140

Decides to appropriate an additional amount of 160,000 dollars for activities of the Preparatory Committee related to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance;

141

Reaffirms section XI, paragraph 2, of its resolution 44/201 B of 21 December 1989, and recalls section III, paragraphs 74 to 77 and 79, of its resolution 52/220;

142

Notes that the General Assembly has not taken action on the report of the Secretary-General requested in section XI, paragraph 2, of its resolution 44/201 B;

143

Decides, consistent with section III, paragraph 79, of its resolution 52/220 and pending consideration of the report requested in resolution 44/201 B, to appropriate the resources requested by the Secretary-General in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001,¹¹ and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to ensure that no funds directly related to non-mandated activities are committed to them;

¹¹See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No.6 (A/54/6/Rev.1), vol. III.

144

Also decides to revert to this issue during its resumed fifty-fourth session;

Section 23. Protection of and assistance to refugees

145

Notes with concern that no concrete action was taken by the Secretary-General pursuant to its request in section III, paragraph 82, of its resolution 52/220;

146

Deeply regrets the continuing decline of the flow of extrabudgetary resources to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;

147

Emphasizes that refugees all over the world shall be given equal and non-discriminatory treatment, taking into account provisions of the relevant international conventions, and stresses the importance of providing adequate assistance to countries hosting refugees;

Section 24. Palestine refugees

148

Notes with concern the direct impact of the decrease of extrabudgetary resources on the quality of services provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East;

149

Decides to restore to the regular budget the six international posts (1 D-2, 1 D-1, 1 P-5, 1 P-4, 1 P-3 and 1 General Service) currently financed from the Agency’s extrabudgetary resources, in line with General Assembly resolution 3331 B (XXIX) of 17 December 1974;

Section 25. Humanitarian assistance

150

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly by the end of its fifty-fourth session the report requested in section III, paragraph 84, of its resolution 52/220 on the legislative basis and methodology for charging programme support costs for voluntary contributions, in cash or in kind;

Section 26. Public information

151

Notes with regret that the pilot web sites in Arabic, Chinese and Russian are being maintained through the use of limited general temporary assistance funds, and in this regard decides to convert the related positions to established posts so as to ensure the equitable representation of all six official languages on the United Nations web sites;

152

Requests the Secretary-General to take into account the views of host countries before deciding to merge or close United Nations information centres in Member States;

153

Also requests the Secretary-General to consult Member States in which United Nations information centres were merged or closed, with a view to reviving those centres, as appropriate;

154

Further requests the Secretary-General to review earlier cases where United Nations information centres were merged with the offices of the United Nations Development Programme, with a view to determining whether such mergers resulted in diminished dissemination of public information;

155

Recognizes that radio broadcasting is one of the most effective and far-reaching media available to the Department of Public Information;

156

Reiterates paragraph 32 of its resolution 54/82 B of 6 December 1999, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure implementation of the pilot project for the development of an international radio broadcasting capacity for the United Nations¹² as soon as possible, utilizing extrabudgetary resources to the fullest extent possible as well as the resources (496,300 dollars) sought in paragraph 26.69 (c) of his proposals and, if required, other redeployable resources including general operating expenses, within section 26, and to report on progress in the context of the first performance report for the biennium 2000-2001;

¹²See A/AC.198/1999/5.

157

Expresses its appreciation at the fact that there are fifteen languages used to diffuse United Nations radio programmes, news magazines, programmes and multi-segment regional magazines, including Kiswahili;

158

Notes with concern that the post of Kiswahili producer was abolished and that for the last fifteen years only one Kiswahili producer has been deployed under a special service agreement, notwithstanding the fact that the Kiswahili language is increasingly gaining ground as it is widely spoken in many African countries and understood in many more countries internationally;

159

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the permanent P-3 post of Kiswahili producer is reinstated and that one additional G-6 assistant is recruited to the Kiswahili programme in order to render it more effective;

160

Emphasizes the need for the United Nations to have a coordinated public information strategy, which would bring the activities of different parts of the Secretariat together in an integrated way;

161

Also emphasizes that the public information resources of the Organization must be targeted properly so as to ensure that the United Nations delivers a consistent message through a variety of outlets;

162

Requests the Secretary-General to review the role of the Public Affairs Division, the News and Media Division, the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General and the Office of External Relations and to consider their staffing level in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003;

163

Also requests the Secretary-General, pursuant to resolutions 53/22 of 4 November 1998 and 54/113 of 10 December 1999, to optimize the capacity of the Department of Public Information to disseminate information effectively on all activities undertaken in preparation for the year 2001, proclaimed as the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations;

164

Further requests the Secretary-General to make all arrangements to optimize the capacity of the Department of Public Information to undertake adequately activities pertaining to the International Year for the Culture of Peace in 2000 and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010), pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 52/15 of 20 November 1997 and 53/25 of 10 November 1998;

Section 27A. Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management

165

Emphasizes that the responsibilities and workload of the secretariat of the Fifth Committee, which also serves as the secretariat of the Committee for Programme and Coordination, require that the secretariat be strengthened;

166

Decides to reclassify from D-1 to D-2 and from P-4 to P-5 the posts of Secretary and Deputy Secretary, respectively, of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly and of the Committee for Programme and Coordination;

Section 27C. Office of Human Resources Management

167

Decides to approve the proposed reformulation of paragraph 27C.6 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000;¹³

¹³See A/C.5/54/17.

168

Requests the Office of Human Resources Management to be more focused on the establishment of a proper system of accountability and responsibility, as well as on the improvement of an effective system of administration of justice, as an integral part of the human resources management reform process;

169

Requests the Secretary-General to review carefully the agenda and meeting schedule of the Staff-Management Coordination Committee, with a view to avoiding the holding of inter-sessional meetings, also taking into account the possibilities offered by videoconferencing;

Section 27D. Office of Central Support Services

170

Decides to reduce the allocation of resources proposed for general operating expenses by 8.5 million dollars;

171

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on progress made by the United Nations Common Services Task Force on the existing common services, and to expand and develop new ones as appropriate;

172

Notes the advanced level of the arrangements for common services and related cost indicators at the United Nations Office at Vienna;

173

Reiterates the importance of the security system and security guards of the United Nations, and requests the Secretary-General to address the level of resources related to the Security and Safety Service, including the reclassification of posts, in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003;

Section 27E. Administration, Geneva

174

Requests the Secretary-General to review the current security arrangements and to report thereon to the General Assembly at the main part of its fifty-fifth session;

Section 27G. Administration, Nairobi

175

Welcomes the commitment of the Secretary-General to increase gradually the regular budget component of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, with a view to easing the administrative costs levied on the substantive programmes of the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat);

176

Calls upon the Secretary-General to present, in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003, in a uniform manner, the cost of the United Nations Office at Nairobi and the rates of reimbursement for services rendered to other organizations at Nairobi;

177

Requests the Secretary-General to replace the charge-back procedure for the cost-sharing of expenses for the United Nations Office at Nairobi with a simpler, more reliable and predictable procedure;

178

Reaffirms section III, paragraph 101, of its resolution 52/220, in which it requested the Secretary-General to bring the financial arrangements of the United Nations Office at Nairobi into line with those of similar United Nations administrative offices;

179

Expresses concern that the conference facilities at the United Nations Office at Nairobi are still underutilized, as recorded during the last reporting period;

180

Decides to establish a permanent interpretation service at the United Nations Office at Nairobi;

181

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session a strategic plan for the full use of conference facilities at Nairobi, so as to ensure that interpretation capacity will be fully utilized;

Section 29. Jointly financed administrative activities

182

Stresses the need to ensure that the independence of the Joint Inspection Unit, as the only system-wide external oversight body, is not compromised through the budgetary process;

183

Reiterates its decision 54/454 of 23 December 1999;

184

Reaffirms the statute of the Joint Inspection Unit,¹⁴ in particular article 20, paragraph 1;

¹⁴Resolution 31/192, annex.

185

Requests the Secretary-General, pending the outcome of the review of the Information Systems Coordination Committee, to identify appropriate resources to finance the United Nations share of the cost of the Committee for the first year of the biennium 2000-2001, and to report thereon in the context of the first performance report;

186

Requests the Board of Auditors to submit a report on the status of the implementation of the recommendations contained in its report¹⁵ and to make further recommendations in this regard;

¹⁵See A/52/811.

Section 31. Construction, alteration, improvement and major maintenance

187

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly during its fifty-fourth session a detailed and comprehensive report addressing the asbestos problem, including, inter alia, the following elements:

An assessment of the current situation;

An assessment of the impact of the asbestos situation on the health of staff members, delegates and other persons working in and visiting the building;

A specific proposal aimed at improving the asbestos situation in the building and a related timetable for its implementation;

Information on the level of resources required for the implementation of the plan;

188

Expresses its concern at the serious situation of the United Nations Headquarters buildings and the absence of specific proposals in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001 aimed at addressing the situation;

189

Requests the Secretary-General to submit the master plan for capital improvements requested in paragraph XI.6 of the report of the Advisory Committee4 no later than February 2000;

Section 33. Development Account

190

Notes with concern the late submission of budget proposals on section 33 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, in future, all budget proposals are submitted in time in accordance with established budgetary procedure;

191

Emphasizes that the efficiency measures and the transfer of savings therefrom should not lead to a process of budgetary reduction and should not result in the involuntary separation of staff;

192

Also emphasizes that the efficiency measures and the redeployment of savings to the Development Account should not adversely affect the full implementation of all mandated programmes and activities;

193

Reiterates that savings to be achieved as a result of the efficiency measures can be identified in the context of budget performance reports and shall be transferred to the Development Account section with the prior approval of the General Assembly;

194

Also reiterates that the savings transferred to the Development Account section in accordance with paragraph 4 of General Assembly resolution 54/15 shall form the maintenance base for that section in future proposed programme budgets;

195

Reaffirms that the Development Account should be operated strictly in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation;

196

Reiterates that the anticipated duration of the approved projects contained in the report of the Secretary-General¹⁶ shall not be used as a precedent for setting time limits for the programmes of the regular budget;

¹⁶A/C.5/54/37.

197

Stresses that in the implementation of the proposals, particular attention should be given to the utilization of technical, human and other resources available in the developing countries;

198

Reiterates its decision to keep the implementation of the Development Account under review, and requests the Secretary-General to submit reports in accordance with the relevant regulations and rules;

199

Stresses that, in accordance with the established budgetary procedure, comprehensive proposals in the context of the proposed programme budget should be submitted to the Committee for Programme and Coordination and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for their recommendations on the proposals of the Secretary-General, for consideration by the Fifth Committee;

200

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, in the future, project design and implementation should focus on economic and social activities in developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

Income section 2. General income

201

Notes with appreciation the measures taken to increase the return on United Nations balances and investments, and urges the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to enhance further such returns.

Changes to the programme narratives of the proposed programme budget

for the biennium 2000-2001, as reflected in the conclusions and recommendations

of the Committee for Programme and Coordination at its thirty-ninth session,

and additional modifications

Foreword and introduction¹⁷

¹⁷Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No.6 (A/54/6/Rev.1), vol. I.

Delete paragraph 43 and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly

In former paragraph 189, the first sentence should read: “During the biennium, the Office will perform functions in accordance with General Assembly resolution 48/218 B of 29 July 1994.”

Section 1. Overall policy-making, direction and coordination¹⁸

¹⁸Ibid., vol. II.

In paragraph 1.50:

After the second sentence, insert a new sentence reading “The functions and responsibilities of the Deputy Secretary-General are in accordance with paragraph 1 of resolution 52/12 B.”

In the penultimate sentence, replace the phrase “This organizational unit” with “The Executive Office of the Secretary-General”, and move the sentence so that it follows the first sentence of the paragraph

In paragraph 1.65, first sentence, after “Economic and Social Council;”, insert “responsibilities entrusted to the Director-General of the Conference on Disarmament;”

In paragraph 1.75:

In the last sentence, replace “the functions” with “the core functions”

In subparagraph (b), after “non-governmental organizations”, insert “in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council”

Section 2. General Assembly affairs and conference services17

After paragraph 2.35, add a new paragraph reading:

“The Division of General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Affairs will also conduct consultations and coordinate the assignment of responsibilities for the implementation of General Assembly and Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions and follow-up to ensure timely action by relevant bodies.”

and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly

At the end of former paragraph 2.36 (c) (i), add “and consultations and coordination for the assignment of responsibilities for the implementation of General Assembly and Economic and Social Council resolutions”

After former paragraph 2.45, add a new paragraph reading:

“Another objective will be to coordinate with relevant bodies to ensure compliance with General Assembly resolutions 52/214 B of 22 December 1997 and 53/208 B of 18 December 1998 regarding the format of reports.”

and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly

In former paragraph 2.46 (c) (ii), after “limitation of documentation;”, insert “compliance with resolution 53/208 B on format of reports;”

In former paragraph 2.46 (c), add:

“(iii) Provision of interpretation services for meetings of regional and other major groupings of Member States, on an ad hoc basis, in accordance with established practice;

“(iv) Provision of facilities for bilateral meetings of heads of State and Government during the sessions of the General Assembly on an ‘as available’ basis.”

Section 3. Political affairs17

In paragraph 3.2, after the first sentence, insert “A case in point is the promotion of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine in accordance with all relevant United Nations resolutions.”

In paragraph 3.37 (c) (i), replace “Participation in the activities of” with “Maintenance of contacts for exchanges of information with”

Section 4. Disarmament17

Replace paragraph 4.2 with the following:

“The Department for Disarmament Affairs, headed by an Under-Secretary-General, was re-established by the Secretary-General in January 1998 to replace the Centre for Disarmament Affairs as part of his programme for reform. The Secretary-General sought to put in place a new structure that would have the capacity to respond more effectively to the priorities of Member States in the disarmament area. The Department will continue its activities in 2000 and 2001 in the field of disarmament, related to weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms.”

Replace paragraph 4.3 with the following:

“In the biennium 2000-2001, the Department will continue to assist Member States in promoting, strengthening and consolidating multilateral principles and norms in all the fields of disarmament. It will expand its outreach activities, including its databases, to ensure the exchange of impartial and factual information on disarmament and security-related matters among the United Nations, Member States, regional organizations and non-governmental organizations and to enhance interaction and cooperation on such matters. The Department will, through its revitalized regional centres for peace and disarmament, assist Member States in promoting the pursuit of regional solutions to regional problems in the field of disarmament.”

Replace paragraph 4.4 with the following:

“The legislative authority for the programme under this section derives from the Charter of the United Nations, the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001, as revised (A/53/6/Rev.1), and relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and other legislative organs of the United Nations system.”

After paragraph 4.4, insert new paragraph 4.5 reading:

“The Conference on Disarmament (until 1984, the Committee on Disarmament) was set up in accordance with paragraph 120 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly (resolution S-10/2) as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community. The Conference is open to the 5 nuclear-weapon States and 61 other States. In addition, some 40 non-member States are invited, upon their request, to participate in its work. The Conference, inter alia, conducts its work by consensus, adopts its own rules of procedure, rotates its presidency among all its members on a monthly basis, adopts its own agenda, taking into account the recommendations made to it by the Assembly and the proposals presented by the members of the Conference, and submits a report to the Assembly annually, or more frequently. The Conference divides its annual sessions into three parts and, if necessary, continues its negotiations on priority issues during the inter-sessional periods. Meetings thus are held for seven to nine months each year.”

After new paragraph 4.5, insert new paragraph 4.6 reading:

“The Disarmament Commission, a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, was set up in accordance with paragraph 118 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly (resolution S-10/2) as the specialized, deliberative body within the United Nations multilateral disarmament machinery that allows for in-depth deliberation on specific disarmament issues, leading to the submission of concrete recommendations on those issues (General Assembly resolution 53/79 A, para. 3).”

Replace former paragraph 4.5 with new paragraph 4.7 reading:

“The proposals under this section address current and future trends in the field of disarmament and international security in order to assist Member States, and to enable the Secretary-General also to assist them, in their search for agreement. Apart from substantive issues involved in the deliberative and/or negotiating process, these proposals should also address the challenges arising from the implementation of the relevant General Assembly resolutions as well as relevant treaties.”

19 Delete former paragraphs 4.9, 4.10 and 4.11

20 Renumber former paragraphs 4.6, 4.7, 4.8 and 4.12 as paragraphs 4.8, 4.9, 4.10 and 4.11, respectively

Replace former paragraph 4.13 with new paragraph 4.12 reading:

“During the biennium 2000-2001, the following objectives will be pursued: to provide organizational and substantive secretariat support to multilateral bodies entrusted with deliberation and/or negotiations on disarmament issues; to follow and assess current and future trends in the field of disarmament and international security in order to assist Member States, and to enable the Secretary-General also to assist them, in their search for agreement; to support and promote regional disarmament efforts and initiatives using approaches freely arrived at by the States of the region and taking into account the legitimate requirements of States for self-defence and the specific characteristics of each region; to strengthen the capacity of the Department as well as that of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters; to provide impartial, factual information on the disarmament efforts of the United Nations to Member States, parliamentarians, research and academic institutions, and specialized non-governmental organizations through the disarmament information programme and by providing Member States with full access to all relevant databases, including on disarmament; and to continue to inform the public on an objective and updated basis of the United Nations disarmament activities.”

Replace former paragraph 4.14 with new paragraph 4.13 reading:

“Following the establishment of the Department and its reorganization, its activities have been carried out by five branches and three regional centres as follows: the Conference on Disarmament Secretariat and Conference Support Branch at Geneva, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch, the Conventional Arms (including Practical Disarmament Measures) Branch, the Monitoring, Database and Information Branch, the Regional Disarmament Branch and the regional centres for peace and disarmament in Africa, in Asia and the Pacific and in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Replace former paragraph 4.15 with new paragraph 4.14 reading:

“Gender mainstreaming can make a contribution to strengthening the Department’s ability to carry out key elements of its mandate. In this regard, efforts are being made to increase the number of women on the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. In the biennium 2000-2001, 25 per cent of the members will be women, up from 8.6 per cent. Gender mainstreaming will also be built into activities pertaining to the establishment of other disarmament and arms control mechanisms, including advocacy.”

Replace former paragraph 4.16 with new paragraph 4.15 reading:

“The expected accomplishments during the biennium include: assistance in negotiations, deliberations, consensus-building and review conferences of States parties to various multilateral arms limitation and disarmament agreements; increased expertise in the field of arms limitation and disarmament among Member States as a result of the implementation of the disarmament fellowship, training and advisory services programme; assistance in negotiations, deliberations and consensus-building in the field of weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons, and increased awareness and understanding by Member States of new trends and developments in those fields; promotion of participation in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms and the United Nations standardized instrument for reporting of military expenditures; assistance in initiatives taken to address illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects; a reinvigorated publications and outreach programme, including a well-developed web site for the Department; effective confidence-building and arms limitation measures in the Central African subregion; and development of politically sound and economically viable projects on demobilization and weapons collection and destruction at the request of Member States.”

Renumber former paragraphs 4.17 and 4.18 as paragraphs 4.16 and 4.17, respectively

In former paragraph 4.17 (a) (ii) b. (new para. 4.16 (a) (ii) b.), replace “Ottawa Convention” (line 14) with “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction”

In former paragraph 4.17 (a) (xviii) (new para. 4.16 (a) (xviii)), replace “Ottawa Convention on landmines” with “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction”

In former paragraph 4.18 (new para. 4.17), replace “Ottawa Convention on landmines” (line 6) with “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction”

Section 5. Peacekeeping operations17

In paragraph 5.5, last sentence, replace “other missions” with “good offices, preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and humanitarian missions”

At the beginning of paragraph 5.6, insert:

“Every effort will be made to seek the early resolution of conflicts through pacific settlement of disputes by the parties concerned through negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. However, peacekeeping will be one of the key instruments available to the United Nations to resolve conflicts and to maintain international peace and security.”

Section 6. Peaceful uses of outer space17

In paragraph 6.4:

At the end of the penultimate sentence, after “sustainable development”, add “and sustained economic growth”

At the end of the paragraph, delete “ and landmine detection” and add “, at the request of Governments”

In paragraph 6.5, first sentence, after “sustainable development”, insert “and sustained economic growth”

Section 9. Economic and social affairs17

In paragraph 9.4, penultimate sentence, insert “landlocked countries” after “least developed countries,”. This change should be reflected throughout the narrative of section 9, wherever reference is made to “least developed countries and small island developing States”

In paragraph 9.58, line 4, after “in particular its Second Committee, and,”, delete “as appropriate”

In paragraph 9.98, line 6, after “(resolution S-19/2),”, insert “the resolution endorsing the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 as a contribution to the overall sustainable development agenda, adopted by the General Assembly at its fifty-third session (resolution 53/7),”

After paragraph 9.103, add a new paragraph reading:

“In compliance with General Assembly resolution 53/7 of 16 October 1998, concrete action will be undertaken by the Secretary-General in consultation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme and other relevant organizations to ensure that the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 is fully integrated and brought into the mainstream of the efforts of the United Nations system to attain the objective of sustained economic growth and sustainable development.”

and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly

In former paragraphs 9.105 (a) (v), 9.105 (b) (iii) and 9.107, after “integrated water resource management”, insert “and development”. This change is to be reflected throughout the entire narrative of section 9, wherever reference is made to “integrated water resource management”

Section 10. Africa: New Agenda for Development17

In paragraph 10.2:

At the end of the third sentence, add “, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 53/90 of 7 December 1998 and in the context of the Cairo Agenda for Action: Relaunching Africa’s Economic and Social Development”

At the end of the paragraph, add a new sentence reading:

“In its resolution 53/92 of 7 December 1998, the General Assembly welcomed the recommendations of the Secretary-General and requested him to submit a progress report on their implementation to the Assembly at its fifty-fourth session.”

Section 11A. Trade and development17

In table 11A.23, delete the text relating to the Committee for Programme and Coordination

Section 12. Environment17

Replace the programme narrative and resource tables contained in the proposed programme budget under section 12 with the reformulated fascicle contained in document A/C.5/54/20

Section 13. Human settlements17

Revise the programme narrative contained in the proposed programme budget under section 13 in accordance with the reformulated narrative contained in document A/C.5/54/16

Section 14. Crime prevention and criminal justice17

Throughout section 14, insert “in all its forms and manifestations” after “terrorism”

In paragraph 14.3 (b), replace “to improve the capacity of States” with “to support the strengthening of the capacity of Governments, at their request”

In paragraph 14.5, replace “to reform legislation” with “to improve legislation”

In paragraph 14.8, third sentence, replace “including law reform” with “the improvement of their legislation”

Replace paragraph 14.18 with the following:

“The focus will be, in particular, on issues such as transnational organized crime, terrorism, the laundering of the proceeds of crime, corruption, environmental offences, illicit traffic in children and economic crime, which are all of primary concern to the international community.”

In paragraph 14.21 (a) (iii), delete “, including early warning mechanisms”

Delete references to a proposed additional protocol on computer-related crime to the convention against transnational organized crime and a proposed international convention against corruption and bribery in the following paragraphs: 14.17 (a), 14.20 (b), 14.21 (a) (i) g. and h., 14.21 (a) (ii) i. and 14.24 (a)

Section 15. International drug control17

In paragraph 15.4, replace the second sentence with the following:

“These include the provision of secretariat services to the International Narcotics Control Board and to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, its subsidiary bodies, and to intergovernmental conferences, as well as initiatives which aim to promote adherence to the related conventions and the inclusion of their provisions in national legislation and their effective implementation, and to meet the goals and objectives adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly held in June 1998.”

In paragraph 15.32 (d), replace “including those countries that are not members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN),” with “and other Asian countries”

In paragraph 15.35, after subparagraph (b), insert a new subparagraph (c) reading:

“Contribution to the achievement of the goals and objectives adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly;”

and renumber the subsequent subparagraphs accordingly

At the end of paragraph 15.36 (a) (ii) a., insert “biennial reports on the achievement by Member States of the goals and objectives adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly”

In paragraph 15.44, insert a new subparagraph (h), reading:

“Strengthening the capacity of the Board to prepare its report, taking into account information provided by the interested Governments.”

In paragraph 15.48, after subparagraph (a), insert a new subparagraph (b) reading:

“Facilitation of the examination of the biennial reports on the achievement by Member States of the goals and objectives adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly;”

and renumber the subsequent subparagraphs accordingly

In paragraph 15.56, last sentence, after “the European Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction”, insert “the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)”

Insert “, including production in enclosed premises” in the following paragraphs, as indicated:

Paragraph 15.63, fourth sentence, after “cannabis”

Paragraph 15.64, last sentence, after “illicit cultivation”

Paragraph 15.65:

First sentence, after “crops” (in both instances)

Fourth sentence, after “illicit cultivation”

Paragraph 15.67 (c) and (d), after “cannabis”

Paragraph 15.68 (b) (iv) k., line 2, after “illicit crops”

Paragraph 15.68 (d):

Subparagraph (ii) after “crop cultivation”

Subparagraph (xiii), after “cultivation”

iii

Subparagraph (xiv), after “crops”

Subparagraphs (xv) and (xvi), after “cultivation”

Paragraph 15.69, fourth sentence:

(a) and (b), after “crops”

(d), after “cultivated”

iii

(f), after “crops”

Paragraph 15.70, line 9, after “cultivation”

In paragraph 15.65, second sentence, after “States”, insert “at their request”

In paragraph 15.66:

In the last sentence, after “Central and West Asia”, insert “South-West Asia,”

At the end of the paragraph, insert:

“Cooperation in North America on the reduction and elimination of illicit cultivation of cannabis, including, inter alia, in enclosed premises, will also be of particular importance.”

Section 17. Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific10

In paragraph 17.4, replace “will be further reviewed by the Commission at its fifty-fifth session, scheduled for 22 to 28 April 1999” with “was further reviewed and approved by the Commission at its fifty-fifth session, held from 22 to 28 April 1999”

In paragraph 17.57 (a), line 9, after “violence against women”, insert “, including women migrant workers,”

Section 19. Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean10

In paragraph 19.4:

Replace “three fundamental” with “programme 17 of the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001 and the following”

After “prevailing circumstances”, delete the remainder of the paragraph

In paragraph 19.51, delete the last sentence

Replace paragraph 19.71 (a) with the following:

“support of the design and implementation of policies to strengthen domestic capacities in the macroeconomic field;”

In paragraph 19.87, delete the second sentence

Section 20. Economic and social development in Western Asia10

In paragraph 20.3 (b), the first sentence should read:

“In line with the revised medium-term plan, gender and issues pertaining to the right to development are mainstreamed in the proposed programme of work for the biennium 2000-2001.”

Section 22. Human rights10

In paragraph 22.1:

First sentence, after “realization of”, insert “all”

Second sentence, after “the programme is based on”, insert “the revised medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001 (A/53/6/Rev.1),”

Delete paragraph 22.5, and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly

Replace former paragraph 22.26 with the following:

“Resource requirements for the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 2000-2001 will be submitted when the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families enters into force.”

In former paragraph 22.45, first sentence, replace “The activities will focus on” with “The primary objectives of this subprogramme will include promotion and protection of the right to development. In this regard, the activities will be”

In former paragraph 22.48, first sentence, replace “implementation” with “promotion and protection of”

In former paragraph 22.49, subparagraph (b) (iii) should read:

“Preparation of a consolidated list of indicators showing success in respecting economic, social and cultural rights in conjunction with the United Nations partner agencies and programmes, taking into account ongoing consideration on this issue.”

In former paragraph 22.49 (c) (i), last line, after “ICRC”, insert “,OIC, OAU and OAS”

In former paragraph 22.50, line 5, replace “and normative components” with “in consultation with and upon the request of the Member States concerned,”

In former paragraph 22.79 (c) (i), third sentence, replace “integration of human rights components in the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks” with “increased coordination in support of human rights and fundamental freedoms within the United Nations system”

Section 25. Humanitarian assistance10

In paragraph 25.17, line 7, replace “ensuring that the humanitarian response of the United Nations system is properly integrated with political and peacekeeping initiatives” with “ensuring a high degree of coherence between assistance and the political and human rights aspects of the United Nations response”

In paragraph 25.22, line 4, replace “strategic coordination of humanitarian assistance with political strategy and human rights objectives” with “ensuring a high degree of coherence between assistance and the political and human rights aspects of the United Nations response”

Renumber paragraph 25.34 (a) (iii) as paragraph 25.34 (c) (viii)

Section 26. Public information10

In paragraph 26.4, first sentence, replace “all Member States” with “the peoples of the world”

At the end of paragraph 26.69 (c), insert “by launching the pilot project regarding United Nations international radio broadcasting”

Section 27. Management and central support services10

In paragraph 27A.27 (d) (iii), include a reference to the reports of the Joint Inspection Unit

In paragraph 27C.5, after the two first sentences, insert the following:

“The General Assembly decided, in its resolution 53/221 of 7 April 1999, that, before delegating such authority, well designed mechanisms of accountability, including the necessary internal monitoring and control procedures, as well as training, should be put in place. In this regard, the General Assembly requested a comprehensive report on the system of accountability and responsibility. It was also decided that the role of the Office of Human Resources Management and its responsibilities and authority in establishing human resources policies, in the monitoring and approval of the recruitment and placement of staff, as well as in ensuring the full implementation of human resources mandates set by the General Assembly, among its other functions, should be retained and reinforced.”

Replace paragraph 27C.6 with the reformulated paragraph 27C.6 contained in document A/C.5/54/17

At the end of paragraph 27C.31, insert “and to conduct a review of the internal system of justice in order to ensure the timely, fair and effective administration of justice”

Section 28. Internal oversight10

Replace paragraph 28.3 with the following:

“In its programme of work for the biennium 2000-2001, the Office of Internal Oversight Services will manage the responsibilities of each oversight unit within the Office to ensure coherence and in order to assist the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal oversight responsibilities in respect of resources and staff of the Organization through the exercise of the functions enumerated in resolution 48/218 B.”

Replace paragraph 28.20 with the following:

“The objectives of the subprogramme are:

“(a) To facilitate the assessment by intergovernmental bodies, as systematically as possible, of the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and impact of the activities of programmes in relation to their objectives;

“(b) To enable the Secretariat and Member States to engage in systematic reflection with a view to increasing the effectiveness of the main programmes of the Organization by altering their content and, if necessary, reviewing their objectives;

“(c) To assist the departments and offices in the Secretariat in implementing approved evaluation recommendations;

“(d) To support the evaluation activities of departments and offices.”

Replace paragraph 28.24 with the following:

“The expected accomplishments by the end of the biennium consist of increases in the implementation of approved recommendations contained in evaluation reports and the strengthening of the role of self-evaluation within the Organization.”

Replace the two first sentences of paragraph 28.41 with the following:

“In its programme of work for the biennium 2000-2001, the Division plans to consolidate its resources to provide comprehensive internal audit coverage. The Division will deliver the following outputs during the biennium:”

Staffing table for 2000 and 2001

2000 | 2001 | Professional category and above | Deputy Secretary-General | 1 | 1 | Under-Secretary-General | 25 | 25 | Assistant Secretary-General | 18 | 18 | D-2 | 79 | 79 | D-1 | 254 | 254 | P-5 | 693 | 693 | P-4/3 | 2 237 | 2 244 | P-2/1 | 436 | 436 | Total | 3 743 | 3 750 | General Service category | Principal level | 272 | 272 | Other levels | 2 731 | 2 732 | Total | 3 003 | 3 004 | Other categories | Security Services | 176 | 176 | Local level | 1 630 | 1 634 | Field Service | 189 | 189 | Trades and crafts | 185 | 185 | Total | 2 180 | 2 184 | Grand total | 8 926 | 8 938

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What else is in this group?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

I

II

III

IV.Section 1. Overall policy-making, direction and coordination

Table of contents