Questions Relating to the Programme Budget for the Biennium 2012-2013

A/RES/67/246View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 130Programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013, published in 2012.

What else is in this group?

29 documents · 1977–2015

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2015).

2015A/RES/69/262Questions relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2014-2015Compare with earlier document
2013A/RES/67/246Questions relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013Compare with earlier document
2011A/RES/65/259Questions relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011Compare with earlier document
2009A/RES/63/263Questions relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009Compare with earlier document
2007A/RES/61/252Questions relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007Compare with earlier document

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

Grouped automatically by matching titles within the same organ.

What subjects does this mandate have?

18 topics

Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)Administration of Justice Budget Performance Construction Costs Ethiopia Financial Implications Financial Management Good Offices Kenya Nairobi (Kenya)Office Buildings Programme Budgeting Programme Planning Resources Allocation Space Utilization Special Missions Staffing

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

3 reports of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2013–2015.

2015A/70/323Framework for a global service delivery model of the United Nations Secretariat report of the Secretary-General
2013A/68/352Eleventh annual progress report on the implementation of the capital master plan report of the Secretary-General
2013A/68/352/Add.1Final expenditure for associated costs for the period from 2008 to 2013 report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

161 operative paragraphs

I.Estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council

Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;Error: Reference source not found,Error: Reference source not found

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Recognizes the importance of promoting cooperation among United Nations missions in order to increase their effectiveness and efficiency, and requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts in this regard, without prejudice to the unique mandate and the approved budget for each mission;

Regrets the recurrent late submission of the reports on estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council, which hinders their proper examination by the General Assembly, and requests the Secretary-General to present future budget proposals for the special political missions no later than the last week of October;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit, before the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly, a plan to ensure that all the reports related to special political missions are provided to the Fifth Committee within the time frame set out in paragraph 4 above;

Expresses concern that the cuts proposed by the Secretary-General in the budgets of special political missions were presented without the analysis and explanation that would have more effectively facilitated their consideration by the General Assembly;

Requests that future proposals on the abolition of posts be accompanied by comprehensive information on their merits, including the reasons underpinning the proposal and in the context of the mandate of the mission;

Reaffirms paragraph 1 of its resolution 66/246 of 24 December 2011;

Recalls paragraphs 19 and 20 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and requests the Secretary-General to include the information requested in the introduction to future proposed budgets;

Also recalls paragraph 25 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to further improve the presentation and content of his budget proposals for special political missions by presenting comprehensive information related to cross-cutting issues in a format similar to that of the overview report on the financing of peacekeeping operations;

Further recalls paragraph 57 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and stresses the importance of ensuring that special political missions avoid relying on extrabudgetary resources for the implementation of their core mandated activities;

Emphasizes that a broader assessment of the United Nations presence in Cyprus should be conducted in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions;

Decides to establish the position of Administrative Assistant at Headquarters for the Office of the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria;

Recalls paragraphs 62 and 70 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and decides to establish the position of Administrative Assistant in the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Yemen in New York;

Decides to maintain the 2013 budget of the Group of Experts on Côte d’Ivoire at the same level as in 2012;

Takes note of paragraph 83 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;4

Also takes note of paragraphs 124, 126 and 129 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;4

Emphasizes that expected accomplishment (e) of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya should read “Improved control over arms and related materiel of all types, in particular man-portable surface-to-air missiles, and improved border security and/or State control over borders”, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2040 (2012) of 12 March 2012;

Decides to establish the position of Administrative Assistant in the Department of Political Affairs of the Secretariat in New York to support backstopping for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya;

Takes note of paragraph 177 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and approves the reclassification of the position of Chief Electoral Adviser from the D-2 to the D-1 level;

Decides not to incorporate the Child Protection Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan into the Human Rights Unit;

Also decides not to abolish one P-4 and one P-3 position in the Child Protection Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and to accommodate these positions within the overall level of resources approved for the Assistance Mission;

Recalls paragraph 238 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and in this regard decides not to approve the redeployment and reclassification of one P-2 level Associate Political Affairs Officer position from the Security Section to the Office of Political Affairs of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq;

Also recalls Security Council resolution 1315 (2000) of 14 August 2000;

Further recalls that the expenses of the Special Court for Sierra Leone shall be borne predominantly and primarily by voluntary contributions from the international community, and emphasizes the exceptional nature of the special subventions authorized by the General Assembly to supplement the voluntary financial resources of the Special Court;

Stresses that the expenses of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone shall be borne by voluntary contributions from the international community and that the parties and the Management Committee may explore alternative means of financing the Residual Special Court;

Notes, as an exceptional measure, the funding requirement for the Special Court for Sierra Leone of up to 14 million United States dollars, covering the period from 8 December 2012 to 31 December 2013, to supplement the voluntary financial resources of the Special Court;

Authorizes the Secretary-General to enter into commitments in an amount not to exceed 14 million dollars for the period from 8 December 2012 to 31 December 2013 for a subvention to the Special Court for Sierra Leone;

Decides that the amount referred to in paragraph 28 above is authorized on the understanding that:

Any regular budget funds appropriated for the Special Court for Sierra Leone will be refunded to the United Nations at the time of the liquidation of the Special Court, should sufficient voluntary contributions be received;

The Secretariat of the United Nations and the Management Committee, the Registrar and other senior officials of the Special Court will intensify their efforts to fund the activities of the Special Court through voluntary contributions;

Requests the Secretary-General to deliver to the General Assembly at the second part of its resumed sixty-seventh session an oral statement on the implementation of the subvention and on the status of voluntary contributions for the Special Court for Sierra Leone;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution;

Approves budgets totalling 566,476,100 dollars for the 33 special political missions authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council, as listed in table 1 of the report of the Secretary-General;

Also approves charges totalling 442,779,600 dollars net, corresponding to the undistributed balance in the provision for special political missions for the biennium 2012–2013;

Decides to appropriate under the procedures provided for in paragraph 11 of annex I to resolution 41/213 of 19 December 1986, an amount of 124,812,600 dollars under section 3, Political affairs, of the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013;

Also decides to appropriate an amount of 7,471,300 dollars under section 37, Staff assessment, to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1, Income from staff assessment, of the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013;

II.Progress in the construction of additional office facilities at the Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa and construction of additional office facilities at the United Nations Office at Nairobi

Recalling its resolution 56/270 of 27 March 2002, section IV of its resolution 58/272 of 23 December 2003, sections IX and X of its resolution 62/238 of 22 December 2007, section I of its resolution 63/263 of 24 December 2008, its resolution 64/243 of 24 December 2009, section III of its resolution 65/259 and section VII of its resolution 66/247,

Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on progress in the construction of additional office facilities at the Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa and on the construction of additional office facilities at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, as well as the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,

Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;Error: Reference source not found,Error: Reference source not found

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Welcomes the value engineering exercises that were undertaken in the construction of office facilities of the Economic Commission for Africa, and reiterates its request to the Secretary-General contained in section VII, paragraph 3, of its resolution 66/247;

Also welcomes the unencumbered balance arising from deliberate management decisions at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, and requests the Secretary-General to use lessons learned to implement such measures to the extent possible in other United Nations construction projects;

III.Umoja enterprise resource planning project

Recalling section II of its resolution 60/283 of 7 July 2006, section II of its resolution 63/262 of 24 December 2008, its resolution 64/243, section II.A of its resolution 65/259, its resolution 66/246 and section III of its resolution 66/263,

Having considered the fourth progress report of the Secretary-General on the Umoja enterprise resource planning project, the first annual progress report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of the United Nations Umoja enterprise resource planning system, and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,

Takes note of the fourth progress report of the Secretary-General on the Umoja enterprise resource planning projectError: Reference source not found and the first annual progress report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of the Umoja enterprise resource planning system;Error: Reference source not found

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;Error: Reference source not found

Accepts the first annual progress report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of the Umoja enterprise resource planning system for the biennium ended 31 December 2011;Error: Reference source not found

Approves the recommendations of the Board of Auditors contained in its report;Error: Reference source not found

Emphasizes that the Umoja enterprise resource planning project should be viewed primarily as a business project driven by business process demands;

Stresses the centrality of the leadership and oversight of the Secretary-General and of senior management, as well as of the commitment of all departments to completing the Umoja project, in order to avoid a recurrence of the mistakes and delays in its implementation to date and thereby their negative implications for the Organization;

Reiterates that successful implementation of the Umoja enterprise resource planning project requires the full support and commitment of senior management, as well as close and continuous engagement with key stakeholders, and calls upon the Secretary-General to ensure this through his performance management and accountability mechanism;

Welcomes the steps taken to address the Umoja governance crisis, in particular the measures taken thus far to allocate responsibility and accountability for the project and to clarify the roles of the project owner, the project director and the process owners, as well as the designation of the Under-Secretary-General for Management as the main owner of the project and Chair of the steering committee for the project;

Also welcomes the comprehensive audit of the implementation of the Umoja project undertaken by the Board of Auditors in response to the request contained in paragraph 93 of resolution 66/246 and, in this regard, fully endorses the Board’s main findings and recommendations, in particular, its deep concern about the failings in the governance and management of the project since its inception and the length of time that a project of such scale, complexity, scope and budget has been managed without a detailed implementation plan or adequate project management controls, and requests the Secretary-General, building on the lessons learned in this regard, to design and implement a zero-tolerance policy, in this and other major projects of the Organization, for lack of managerial accountability and responsibility and to report thereon in his fifth annual progress report;

Recalls paragraph 36 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and reiterates that close cooperation and coordination at all levels of the Secretariat will be required in order to meet organizational goals and ensure a successful outcome, as will the commitment of senior managers to implement at the operational level any central decisions emanating from the project, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to closely monitor the adequacy and effectiveness of the project’s governance, decision-making and risk management structures, as well as of the level of cooperation and coordination throughout the Secretariat, to take corrective action promptly, as required, and to include information thereon in his fifth annual progress report;

Stresses the critical role of the Office of Information and Communications Technology of the Secretariat, and in this regard requests the Office to provide full cooperation and support to the Umoja team;

Expresses its ongoing concern about delays in project implementation and the projected additional funding requirements to carry the project through to the full implementation of Umoja Extension 2;

Underlines the fact that the overall qualitative and quantitative benefits related to the Umoja project, which were identified in the first and second annual progress reports, remain valid, regrets the delay in the realization of these benefits, and repeats its request to the Secretary-General to maximize benefits and to provide enhanced clarity and precision as to their scope and budgetary significance in future annual progress reports;

Recalls paragraph 63 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary QuestionsError: Reference source not found and paragraph 19 of the report of the Board of Auditors,11 and requests the Secretary-General to reassess the benefits model and elaborate clear benefit realization plans at the start of the implementation process and to report thereon in his next annual progress report;

Stresses with concern that delays in the implementation of the Umoja project postpone the realization of benefits, as mentioned in paragraph 64 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;Error: Reference source not found

Recalls section II, paragraph 3, of its resolution 63/262, and requests the Secretary-General to respond to the request contained in paragraph 83 of its resolution 66/246, and to report thereon in the next annual progress report;

Also recalls paragraph 40 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found notes that no action was taken earlier to establish a detailed project plan linking the budget to milestones and deliverables, and requests the Secretary-General to include in his next annual progress report a detailed analysis of the project costs against clear budget lines and deliverables and a detailed project plan, including milestones, deliverables, costs and baseline information that can be used to assess progress as the project evolves;

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to make every effort to avoid budget increases through sound project management practices and to ensure that the Umoja project is completed within the budget as approved in its resolution 64/243;

Requests the Secretary-General to take all appropriate measures, while maintaining effective oversight, and consistent with sound management practices, to reduce projected delays in the full implementation of the Umoja project and bring costs down, and to include in his fifth annual progress report detailed information on actions taken;

Recalls paragraph 57 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to continue to develop in-house expertise on the enterprise resource planning system and ensure the transfer of knowledge from consultants to programme and project staff;

Notes with concern that significant indirect costs related to the implementation of the enterprise resource planning system were not fully identified in the annual progress reports, which may lead to additional risks and budgetary implications for the Member States;

Recalls paragraph 90 of its resolution 66/246, notes that no specific information has been shared with Member States concerning the related costs and activities of the Umoja project, and reiterates its requests to the Secretary-General to include such information in his next annual progress report and to make every effort to fully implement such activities within the approved budget level of each department;

Takes note of the revised requirement for the Umoja project for 2012 in the amount of 65,244,100 dollars, and approves the proposed requirements for 2013 in the amount of 69,645,000 dollars;

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to update Member States through regular informal briefings to the Fifth Committee at the first and second parts of the resumed sessions of the General Assembly, as well as by submitting annual progress reports, on all aspects of the implementation of the Umoja project, including its current status, significant activities carried out since the previous report and risk analysis information outlining any risks identified, actions to be taken, status and trends, and to update the relevant information on the Umoja project website on a regular basis;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure full implementation, without further delay, of the proposed revised Umoja deployment strategy, and approves the complete implementation of the full scope of the project by December 2018 at the latest, taking into account the comments and recommendations contained in paragraph 53 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;Error: Reference source not found

Approves the revised plan of completing by December 2015 the design, build and deployment of Umoja Foundation and Umoja Extension 1, and recalls that the budgetary implications of this project will be considered in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2014–2015;

Recalls paragraph 55 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found stresses the importance of the continuation of effective project management to ensure timely implementation of the Umoja project, and requests the Secretary-General to revert, in the context of the fifth annual progress report, with a proposal for integrating Umoja support and maintenance into the operational structure of the Secretariat;

IV.International Public Sector Accounting Standards

Recalling section IV of its resolution 60/283, section V of its resolution 63/262, its resolutions 64/243, and 65/243 A of 24 December 2010, section II.B of its resolution 65/259, section I of its resolution 66/232 B of 21 June 2012, its resolution 66/246 and sections II and V of its resolution 66/247,

Having considered the fifth progress report of the Secretary-General on the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards by the United Nations and the report of the Secretary-General on the proposed revisions to the Financial Regulations of the United Nations for the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, the second progress report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,

Takes note of the fifth progress report of the Secretary-General on the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards by the United NationsError: Reference source not found and the report of the Secretary-General on the proposed revisions to the Financial Regulations of the United Nations for the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards,Error: Reference source not found as well as the second progress report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards;Error: Reference source not found

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;Error: Reference source not found

Accepts the second progress report of the Board of Auditors on the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards;Error: Reference source not found

Approves the recommendations of the Board of Auditors contained in its report;Error: Reference source not found

Reaffirms that the Umoja enterprise resource planning system will serve as the backbone for implementation by the United Nations of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, and urges increased collaboration between the International Public Sector Accounting Standards and Umoja teams;

Expresses concern that the delays in the implementation of the Umoja enterprise resource planning project pose a significant risk to the timely realization of the benefits of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards;

Recalls paragraph 16 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and notes with concern that slippage in the deployment of the Umoja enterprise resource planning system brought additional risks to the successful implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, as it gave rise to the need to adapt currently used software systems to the needs of the Standards;

Concurs with the views expressed by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in paragraph 4 of its report,Error: Reference source not found and urges the Secretary-General to concurrently pursue all the objectives of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards project, in particular the production of financial statements that are compliant with the Standards and the realization of all the expected benefits;

Notes that property management, in particular verification of assets, has remained an issue of concern for Member States, in this regard underlines that any mistakes or shortcomings in the accounting of property, plant and equipment represent serious risks to successful implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards in the United Nations, and requests the Secretary-General to make every effort to address these risks and to keep Member States informed of the measures taken;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure correct opening balances in the preparation of financial statements that are compliant with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards;

Notes the progress made since the issuance of the fourth progress report, and requests the Secretary-General to report on the status of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards implementation projects in the Secretariat and across the United Nations system;

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to exercise strict oversight over the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards project to ensure prudent stewardship of project resources and to establish clear lines of reporting and effective mechanisms for the rapid resolution of issues on a day-to-day basis;

Also reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to continue to ensure that the General Assembly is kept informed, on an annual basis, of the progress in implementing the International Public Sector Accounting Standards by 2014, including milestones and deliverables, outstanding activities, utilization of resources and the effectiveness of the activities undertaken by the local Standards implementation teams, as well as to ensure full realization of the benefits associated with the implementation of the Standards;

Recalls paragraph 20 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary QuestionsError: Reference source not found on the implications of the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards for the work of the Advisory Committee, the Fifth Committee and the General Assembly, as well as the comments and observations of the Board of Auditors on this issue, and requests the Secretary-General to provide an analysis of the estimated impact on the workload of these bodies resulting from the adoption of the Standards and to report findings and make recommendations on this issue no later than at the main part of the sixty-eighth session of the Assembly;

Adopts the revised Financial Regulations of the United Nations, as set forth in the report of the Secretary-General, with the exception of regulation 4.19;

Takes note of the revised Financial Rules of the United Nations, as set out in the report of the Secretary-General;

Decides that the revised Financial Regulations shall take effect as from 1 July 2013;

Also decides that as a transitional provision, the proposed regulations relating to the preparation and reporting of financial statements shall not be implemented for the regular budget, trust funds and reserves and special accounts, other than peacekeeping accounts, until 1 January 2014;

V.Capital master plan

Recalling its resolutions 54/249 of 23 December 1999, 55/238 of 23 December 2000, 56/234 and 56/236 of 24 December 2001 and 56/286 of 27 June 2002, section II of its resolution 57/292 of 20 December 2002, its resolution 59/295 of 22 June 2005, section II of its resolution 60/248 of 23 December 2005, its resolutions 60/256 of 8 May 2006, 60/282 of 30 June 2006, 61/251 of 22 December 2006, 62/87 of 10 December 2007, 63/270 of 7 April 2009, 64/228 of 22 December 2009 and 65/269 of 4 April 2011 and section III of its resolution 66/258 of 9 April 2012 and its decisions 58/566 of 8 April 2004, 65/543 of 24 December 2010 and 66/555 of 24 December 2011,

Having considered the tenth annual progress report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the capital master plan, the report of the Secretary-General on proposals for financing the associated costs required for 2013 from within the approved budget for the capital master plan, the report of the Board of Auditors on the capital master plan for the year ended 31 December 2011, the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors contained in its report on the capital master plan for the year ended 31 December 2011, the relevant section of the report of the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services for the period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012, the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on the in-depth technical construction audit of the capital master plan,

Takes note of the tenth annual progress report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the capital master plan,Error: Reference source not found the report of the Secretary-General on proposals for financing the associated costs required for 2013 from within the approved budget for the capital master plan,Error: Reference source not found the report of the Board of Auditors on the capital master plan for the year ended 31 December 2011,Error: Reference source not found the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors contained in its report on the capital master plan for the year ended 31 December 2011,Error: Reference source not found the relevant section of the report of the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services for the period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012Error: Reference source not found and the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on the in-depth technical construction audit of the capital master plan;Error: Reference source not found

Accepts the report of the Board of Auditors on the capital master plan for the year ended 31 December 2011;Error: Reference source not found

Approves the recommendations of the Board of Auditors contained in its report;Error: Reference source not found

Reaffirms paragraph 37 of its resolution 62/87 and paragraph 2 of its resolution 64/228, and requests the Secretary-General to complete the capital master plan as approved by the General Assembly in various resolutions;

Reiterates that accountability is a central pillar of effective and efficient management that requires attention and strong commitment at the highest level of the Secretariat, as defined in paragraph 8 of its resolution 64/259 of 29 March 2010;

Notes with concern the findings of the Board of Auditors and the Office of Internal Oversight Services on the governance, risk management and control processes for the capital master plan, and urges the Secretary-General to make every effort to implement their recommendations as a matter of priority and to report thereon during the main part of the sixty-eighth session;

A.Tenth annual progress report

Financial management

Notes with deep concern the drastic increase in the cost overrun of the project, which represents 21.3 per cent of the total consolidated budget, reiterates its request that the Secretary-General make every effort to avoid budgetary increases through sound project management practices, including but not limited to those identified by the Board of Auditors, and to ensure that the capital master plan project is completed within the budget as approved in its resolution 61/251, and urges him to make robust efforts to contain the project’s associated costs and the overall cost overruns as a matter of urgency;

Urges the Secretary-General to make every effort to complete the implementation of the capital master plan within the approved schedule, and underlines that further delays in implementation could result in additional costs and risks for the capital master plan;

Underlines that, as a matter of principle, any cost overruns in large-scale capital projects of the Organization should be met through efficiency measures, while maintaining the quality and scope of the projects;

Recalls paragraph 47 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and stresses the need for timely and comprehensive reporting to the General Assembly when significant factors lead to changes in the assumptions and cost levels of the capital master plan;

Also recalls paragraphs 50 and 51 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found notes the finding of the Board of Auditors that there is no certainty in the final cost projections of the project, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to vigorously revisit the final cost projections and report thereon to the General Assembly in the context of the eleventh annual progress report;

Requests the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions to request the Board of Auditors to scrutinize the final cost projections requested in paragraph 12 above and to submit a report to the General Assembly to be considered alongside the eleventh annual progress report;

Recalls paragraph 17 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found notes paragraph 14 of the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services,Error: Reference source not found and in that respect regrets deficiencies in governance, risk management and control processes identified by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary actions to identify all potential areas of cost recovery, as referred to by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, and to recover such costs where it is cost-effective to do so, and also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that measures are put in place to avoid recurrence of similar problems throughout the remaining phase of the project and to report to the General Assembly on progress thereon in the context of the eleventh annual progress report;

Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to guarantee a smooth financial closure of the project;

Recalls paragraph 62 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found approves the application of interest income and the working capital reserve fund in the amount of 71 million dollars for the requirements of the project up to 31 December 2013, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to report to the General Assembly on the status of the remainder of the interest income and the working capital reserve;

Swing space and office space utilization

Recalls paragraph 36 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and expresses concern that the Secretary-General did not provide accurate information regarding space utilization both on and off the campus in New York, which could result in an overestimation of space needs and potential overexpenditure on off-campus office space;

Notes that the Secretariat intends to keep two swing space leases after the completion of the project, which will result in an additional burden on the regular budget;

Recalls paragraph 37 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to enhance efforts to manage the costs pertaining to swing spaces with a view to optimizing the rental contracts and to report on concrete measures taken in this regard in the context of the eleventh annual progress report;

Also recalls paragraph 45 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found notes that the Secretariat Building can accommodate flexible workspace arrangements and that the Secretary-General is conducting a study of flexible workspace arrangements in the Secretariat that is projected to be concluded in June 2013, and urges the Secretary-General to accelerate his review of flexible workspace arrangements in the Secretariat and to present his findings to the General Assembly at the main part of the sixty-eighth session;

Donations and artwork

Stresses the need to preserve the historical significance of the original locations for the display of the art, crafts and gifts donated over the years to the United Nations, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to make efforts to return such items to the original locations they occupied prior to the commencement of the capital master plan project;

Encourages the Secretary-General, where a change of location of the art, crafts and gifts is required, to seek and take into account the views of the donating parties on all available options prior to such changes;

Accountability, governance and oversight

Takes note of paragraph 35 of the tenth annual progress report of the Secretary-General,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to keep Member States informed of the recommendations and observations of the Advisory Board of the Capital Master Plan;

Concurs with the recommendation contained in paragraph 55 of the report of the Board of Auditors,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to strengthen governance over the capital master plan through the remaining phase of the project;

Reaffirms its resolution 62/269 of 20 June 2008, and requests the Secretary-General to comply fully with the relevant provisions contained therein;

Other matters

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to continue to update the General Assembly through regular informal briefings, in addition to submitting annual progress reports, on all aspects of the implementation of the capital master plan project, including the current status, financial situation, significant activities carried out since the previous report and risk analysis information outlining any risks identified, actions to be taken to mitigate risks, status and trends, and to update the relevant information on its website on a regular basis;

Recalls paragraph 18 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to provide briefings to the Fifth Committee at each resumed session, as well as quarterly briefings to the Advisory Committee, in addition to the submission of annual progress reports to the General Assembly on the implementation of the capital master plan;

Also recalls paragraph 24 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to report on the impact of the accelerated implementation strategy on the project’s final costs in his eleventh annual progress report;

Takes note of paragraph 30 and recommendation 3 of the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to present, as soon as possible, but no later than the main part of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly, updated information and options, as well as financial implications, on the renovation of the South Annex Building and the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Building;

Recalls paragraph 33 of its resolution 63/270, notes with concern the existing difficulties with regard to the availability of parking at the United Nations, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the total number of parking spaces available to Member States will not diminish upon the completion of the capital master plan;

Reaffirms its commitment to the safety, security, health and well-being of staff, delegations, visitors and tourists at the United Nations, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that concrete safeguards for the achievement of those objectives are in place and are part of the standard operating procedures throughout the implementation of the capital master plan;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to make provisions for appropriate health and wellness facilities and improved physical accessibility for persons with disabilities;

Eleventh annual progress report

Takes note of the progress made since the issuance of the ninth annual progress report;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to report on the status of the project, the schedule, the projected completion cost, the status of contributions and the working capital reserve in his eleventh annual progress report, as well as to include therein the information requested in the present resolution;

Recalls paragraphs 28, 34 and 35 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General, as a matter of priority, to present a clear plan on lessons learned from the capital master plan and similar projects;

Financing of the capital master plan project

Approves the one-time cost reduction and financing proposals reflected in section XII of the tenth annual progress report of the Secretary-General,Error: Reference source not found excluding those proposals related to the North Lawn Building, the South Annex Building and the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Building and the deferral of the refurbishment of fixed furniture in conference room 4 of the Conference Building, and decides to revert to the issue of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Building, the South Annex Building and the refurbishment of fixed furniture in conference room 4 of the Conference Building in the context of the report requested in paragraph 29 above;

Also approves the extension of the approved commitment authority for 2012 into 2013;

Authorizes the Secretary-General to enter into additional commitments of up to 167,773,400 dollars for resources required for the capital master plan project, including its associated costs, through 2013;

Requests the Secretary-General to report, in the context of the eleventh annual progress report, on the resource requirements for the project for 2014;

Encourages those Member States that have outstanding assessments to the capital master plan to pay those assessments;

B.Associated costs

Urges the Secretary-General to continue to make every effort to absorb the associated costs within the budget approved for the capital master plan;

Notes the associated costs projection for the year 2013 in the amount of 15,562,600 dollars, broken down as follows:

Office of Central Support Services (2,389,800 dollars);

Office of the Capital Master Plan (9,959,400 dollars);

Construction, alteration, improvement and major maintenance activities at Headquarters (230,000 dollars);

Department of Safety and Security (2,983,400 dollars);

Approves a net amount of up to 3,666,100 dollars for associated costs in 2013, after taking into account the estimated unutilized balance of 11,896,500 dollars for the period from 2008 to 2012;

Requests the Secretary-General to report on the final expenditure for associated costs for the period from 2008 to 2013 only when the final expenditure is properly ascertained;

VI.Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its organizational and substantive sessions of 2012

Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its organizational and substantive sessions of 2012 and the related reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,

Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;Error: Reference source not found

Approves the reclassification of one P-4 post to the P-5 level to carry out the duties of Political Affairs Officer in the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, under executive direction and management;

Decides not to abolish one P-2 post under subprogramme 3, Macroeconomic policies and growth, and that the associated resources for the P-2 post shall be accommodated within the overall provision for section 21, Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean, of the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013;

VII.Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first sessions

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first sessions and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;Error: Reference source not found

Takes note of paragraph 13 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;Error: Reference source not found

Approves an additional appropriation in the amount of 7,461,800 dollars (net), including 2,130,900 dollars under section 2, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management, 5,317,200 dollars under section 24, Human rights, and 13,700 dollars under section 29E, Administration, Geneva, of the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, to be charged to the contingency fund;

Also approves the establishment, as from 1 January 2013, of one new P-3 post under section 24, Human rights, of the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013;

Requests the Secretary-General to make every effort to absorb the additional requirements arising from the adoption of the present resolution;

VIII.Revised estimates resulting from the decisions contained in the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we want”

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates resulting from the decisions contained in the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we want”, and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;Error: Reference source not found

Approves an additional appropriation in the amount of 8,766,300 dollars under the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, including 1,793,800 dollars under section 2, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management, 3,483,500 dollars under section 9, Economic and social affairs, 1,405,700 dollars under section 18, Economic and social development in Africa, 636,800 dollars under section 19, Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific, 819,600 dollars under section 21, Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean, 345,400 dollars under section 22, Economic and social development in Western Asia, 98,500 dollars under section 29D, Office of Central Support Services, and 183,000 dollars under section 37, Staff assessment, to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1, Income from staff assessment, of the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, and requests the Secretary-General to make every effort to absorb the additional requirements;

IX.Financial implications relating to the administration of justice at the United Nations

Recalling its resolution 67/241 of 24 December 2012 on the administration of justice at the United Nations,

Decides to approve an additional amount of 1,793,900 dollars gross, 1,688,300 dollars net, before recosting, in the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, reflecting an increase of 1,645,400 dollars under section 1, Overall policymaking, direction and coordination, 42,900 dollars under section 29D, Office of Central Support Services, and 105,600 dollars under section 37, Staff assessment, to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1, Income from staff assessment;

Also decides that the additional amount of 1,688,300 dollars net would represent a charge against the contingency fund for the biennium 2012–2013;

X.First performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013

Having considered the first performance report of the Secretary-General on the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,

Recalling its resolutions 66/248 A and B of 24 December 2011, 66/258 and 66/263,

Reaffirms the budgetary process as approved in its resolutions 41/213, and 42/211 of 21 December 1987 and reaffirmed in subsequent resolutions;

Takes note of the first performance report of the Secretary-General;Error: Reference source not found

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure that, whenever new proposals lead to requests for additional resources, including when activities are taken forward with commitment authority, efforts are made to meet the new requirements within existing resources;

Decides to increase the initial appropriation by 91,251,400 dollars, which includes unforeseen and extraordinary expenses and actual expenditure for recosting for inflation and exchange rates for 2012, but excludes adjustments to standard costs relating to payroll, common staff costs and vacancy rates in 2012;

Recalls paragraph 27 of its resolution 66/246, in which it decided to defer consideration of post-related recosting for inflation and exchange rate projections, and decides to further defer the consideration of this matter, including inflation and exchange rate projections for 2013 and adjustments to standard costs relating to payroll, common staff costs and vacancy rates for the biennium 2012–2013, to the time of its consideration of the second performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, in order to ensure that appropriation is in line with actual post-related expenditure;

Reaffirms the need for a comprehensive and satisfactory solution to the problem of controlling the effects of inflation and currency fluctuation on the budget of the United Nations;

Authorizes the Secretary-General, starting 1 January 2013, to utilize forward purchasing to protect the United Nations against exchange rate fluctuations, taking into account the findings presented in the second performance report of the Secretary-General on the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 and keeping the transaction costs as low as possible;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that Member States have access to information on the cash situation of the Organization, updated on a monthly basis;

Urges the Secretary-General to ensure that oral statements detailing resource requirements are presented to the General Assembly in a timely manner before the adoption of substantive resolutions in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly and to provide information on the full scope of additional resources needed;

Takes note of the efforts of the Secretary-General to achieve efficiencies while ensuring full and effective mandate implementation, and encourages him to continue those efforts;

Approves a net increase of 91,251,400 dollars in the appropriation approved for the biennium 2012–2013 and a net decrease of 3,861,800 dollars in the estimates of income for the biennium, to be apportioned among expenditure and income sections as indicated in the first performance report of the Secretary-General;

XI.Contingency fund

Notes that a balance of 3,007,400 dollars remains in the contingency fund.

Paragraph content is machine-extracted from UN documents. For authoritative content, please refer to the official UN document.

Who created this mandate?

What else is in this group?

What subjects does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What does this mandate say?

I.Estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council

II.Progress in the construction of additional office facilities at the Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa and construction of additional office facilities at the United Nations Office at Nairobi

III.Umoja enterprise resource planning project

IV.International Public Sector Accounting Standards

V.Capital master plan

A.Tenth annual progress report

B.Associated costs

VI.Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its organizational and substantive sessions of 2012

VII.Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first sessions

VIII.Revised estimates resulting from the decisions contained in the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we want”

IX.Financial implications relating to the administration of justice at the United Nations

X.First performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013

XI.Contingency fund

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