1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2016.
2016A/70/794Supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development report of the Secretary-General
iIdentified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.
What does this mandate say?
132 operative paragraphs
1
Reaffirms that the Fifth Committee is the appropriate Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters, and reaffirms the role of the Fifth Committee in carrying out a thorough analysis and approving human and financial resources and policies, with a view to ensuring full, effective and efficient implementation of all mandated programmes and activities and the implementation of policies in this regard;
2
Also reaffirms the role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination as the main subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council for planning, programming and coordination;
3
Further reaffirms rule 153 of its rules of procedure;
4
Reaffirms the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation;
5
Also reaffirms the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;
6
Endorses the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination as contained in the relevant parts of chapter II, section A, of its report;Error: Reference source not found
7
Also 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;
8
Stresses that all Member States should fulfil their financial obligations as set out in the Charter of the United Nations on time, in full and without conditions;
9
Reaffirms the established budgetary procedures and methodologies, based on its resolutions 41/213 and 42/211;
10
Also reaffirms 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;
11
Reiterates the need for Member States to participate fully in the budget preparation process, from its early stages and throughout the process;
12
Emphasizes the importance of providing the consistent and timely information necessary to enable Member States to make well-informed decisions;
13
Reiterates the priorities of the Organization for the biennium 2016–2017 as outlined in General Assembly resolution 69/264;
14
Recalls its resolutions 69/313 of 27 July 2015 and 70/1 of 25 September 2015, and requests the Secretary-General to provide, at the first part of its resumed seventieth session, a comprehensive proposal addressing the effective and efficient delivery of mandates in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development by the Secretariat, within the broader United Nations system, including the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the regional commissions and the United Nations Development Account;
15
Reiterates that the allocation of resources should reflect fully the priorities established in the biennial programme plan;
16
Recognizes the need for measures to improve the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, with a view to strengthening its effectiveness in dealing with political, economic and social issues;
17
Also recognizes, furthermore, that efforts to achieve savings and the efficient utilization of resources constitute an ongoing process and should not adversely affect the full implementation of mandated programmes and activities;
18
Recalls paragraph 21 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and reaffirms that the budget proposals of the Secretary-General should reflect resource levels commensurate with mandates for their full, efficient and effective implementation;
19
Also recalls paragraphs 44 and 45 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that future budget proposals are prepared on the basis of the preliminary estimates for the overall budget level provided in the budget outline resolution;
20
Further recalls paragraph 66 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to evaluate and consider the entire quantum of resources necessary to carry out the programmes and activities mandated by the General Assembly and other organs and to report thereon in the context of his next budget proposal;
21
Recalls paragraph 17 of its resolution 64/243, notes the practice of incremental budgeting where only new requirements are justified, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, whenever new proposals lead to requests for additional resources, sufficient efforts are made to meet the new requirements using existing resources;
22
Stresses that the contingency fund should be used in strict accordance with the provisions of paragraph 9 of annex I to resolution 41/213 and paragraph 3 of section C of the annex to resolution 42/211;
23
Encouragesthe Secretary-General to continue to take advantage of the potential of new systems and standards, such as the Umoja enterprise resource planning system and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, in preparing his budget proposals, with a view to enhancing the quality and accuracy of information provided to Member States;
24
Reiterates section IX of its resolution 69/274 A of 2 April 2015, and requests its full and immediate implementation;
25
Acknowledges the use by the Secretary-General of forward purchasing in order to reduce the Organization’s exposure to exchange rate fluctuations, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to report on the experience of forward purchasing, including the amount of forward currency purchased and the total expenditure in those currencies in the context of the budget performance reports;
26
Endorses the proposal of the Secretary-General with regard to the presentation of performance measures and outputs and the recommendation of the Advisory Committee that future proposed programme budgets include actual past performance information so as to allow for the comparison of trends;
27
Requeststhe Secretary-General to include an equivalent to schedule 10 in the introduction to the proposed programme budget for each duty station in forthcoming proposed programme budgets;
28
Encouragesthe Secretary-General to disseminate, as supplementary information, budgetary tables in spreadsheet format for ease of analysis and review;
29
Requeststhe Secretary-General to transmit reports to the Advisory Committee no later than two weeks in advance of its scheduled consideration of items so as to ensure that the Committee will, in turn, provide its advice to the General Assembly no later than two weeks in advance of formal introduction of an item, with an exception for revised estimates and programme budget implications arising in the course of the main part of the session of the Assembly;
30
Stresses that results-based budgeting and results-based management are mutually supportive management tools and that improved implementation of results-based budgeting enhances both management and accountability in the Secretariat, and encourages the Secretary-General to continue his efforts in this regard;
31
Reaffirms that the vacancy rate is a tool for budgetary calculations and should not be used to achieve budgetary savings;
32
Recalls paragraphs 56 and 57 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to apply the vacancy rate of 50 per cent for new General Service posts and 6 per cent for continuing General Service posts as a basis for the calculation of the budget for the biennium 2016–2017;
33
Decides that the staffing table for the biennium 2016–2017 shall be as set out in the annex to the present resolution;
34
Reaffirms paragraph 3 of Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, reiterates that the principle of equitable geographical distribution and gender balance in the composition of the Secretariat does not conflict with the paramount consideration in the employment of staff, namely, the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, and requests the Secretary-General to recruit staff to fill the posts approved in the budget for the biennium 2016–2017 with a view to improving geographical representation and gender balance in the Secretariat;
35
Regrets the slow pace of recruitment in the Organization, and requests the Secretary-General to fill vacancies expeditiously, in accordance with relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and existing provisions governing recruitment in the United Nations;
36
Recalls paragraph 34 of its resolution 67/255 of 12 April 2013, regrets that the Office of Human Resources Management has set a target of 180 days from the date of issuance of vacancy announcements to the date of selection for all regular vacancies advertised, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to undertake the efforts necessary to achieve the target of 120 days;
37
Requeststhe Secretary-General not to propose the freezing of posts in future budget proposals;
38
Decides not to freeze the following posts contained in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017:Error: Reference source not found
a
Two General Service (Other level), Statistics Assistant, section 12, Trade and development;
b
One P-3, Economic Affairs Officer, section 18, Economic and social development in Africa;
c
One P-4, Chief of Unit, section 18, Economic and social development in Africa;
d
One Local level, Finance Assistant, section 19, Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific;
e
One Local level, Computer Systems Assistant, section 19, Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific;
f
One Local level, Assistant, section 19, Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific;
g
One Local level, Staff Assistant, section 21, Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean;
h
One Local level, Library Assistant, section 21, Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean;
i
One P-4, Computer Systems Officer, section 21, Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean;
j
One Local level, Statistics Assistant, section 22, Economic and social development in Western Asia;
k
One P-3, Information Officer, section 28, Public information;
l
One P-5, Human Resources Officer, Outreach, section 29C, Office of Human Resources Management;
m
One P-3, Language Coordinator, section 29H, Administration, Nairobi;
39
Also decides to abolish the remaining 67 posts proposed for freezing immediately or upon the starting date of the proposed freeze;
40
Takes note of paragraph 79 of the report of the Advisory Committee;
41
Recalls paragraph 88 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General, when presenting staffing proposals, to reflect their impact on the grade structure of the Organization, with a view to addressing the persistent problem of the increasing number of posts at the level of D-1 and above;
42
Decides to reduce the resources for supplies and materials by 5 per cent;
43
Also decides to reduce other staff costs by 5 per cent;
44
Further decides to reduce resources for furniture and equipment by 5 per cent;
45
Recalls paragraph 116 of the report of the Advisory Committee, reaffirms that the use of external consultants should be kept to an absolute minimum and their services be used only when necessary, and stresses the need for using in-house capacity of the Organization to perform core activities or to fulfil functions that are recurrent over the long term;
46
Decides to reduce the proposed resources for consultants by 10 per cent, in addition to the reductions recommended by the Advisory Committee;
47
Emphasizes the importance of training in improving the quality of staff performance, and requests the Secretary-General to assess how training programmes contribute to the implementation of mandates and the goals of the Organization;
48
Decides to reduce the resources for travel of staff by 5 per cent in addition to the reductions already recommended by the Advisory Committee, with the exception of travel required under sections 9 and 18 to 23 of the proposed programme budget;
49
Stresses that all extrabudgetary posts must be administered and managed with the same rigour as regular budget posts;
50
Also stresses that extrabudgetary resources shall be used in consistency with the policies, aims and activities of the Organization, and requests the Secretary-General to provide information on the financial and human resource implications of the use of extrabudgetary resources in the Organization in his next proposed programme budget;
Part IOverall policymaking, direction and coordination
Section 1Overall policymaking, direction and coordination
51
Stresses the importance of strengthened accountability in the Organization and of ensuring greater accountability of the Secretary-General to Member States, inter alia, for the effective and efficient implementation of legislative mandates and the use of human and financial resources;
52
Requeststhe Secretary-General to submit, in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2018–2019, proposals to review the budget allocation to the Office of the President of the General Assembly in accordance with existing procedures;
Section 2General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management
53
Recalls that the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has held six meetings over three days for the past three years, and decides that future annual meetings of States parties to the Convention shall be accorded conference servicing to cover the full three days of meetings;
Part IIPolitical affairs
Section 3Political affairs
54
Encouragesthe Secretary-General to consider including proposals to strengthen capacities for conflict prevention and mediation in future budget submissions;
55
Recalls paragraph 11 of section IV of its resolution 69/262, and expresses serious concern about the failure to comply with the provision contained in the said resolution;
56
Approves the reclassification of one Assistant Secretary-General post as an Under-Secretary-General in the United Nations Office to the African Union;
57
Recalls paragraph II.16 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to approve the reclassification of six posts of Close Protection Officer (Security Service) in the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process;
58
Emphasizes the need for collaboration between the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support of the Secretariat, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure systemic cooperation so as to prevent duplication among the three departments;
59
Decides to reduce resources for supplies and materials and furniture and equipment by 5 per cent;
60
Requeststhe Secretary-General to continue to ensure that there is no duplication in the existing coordination mechanisms for the counter-terrorism efforts of the United Nations system, as well as in the organizational and governance arrangements and functions of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre;
Section 4Disarmament
61
Requeststhe Secretary-General to continue to provide the United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament with the resources necessary to discharge their mandates;
Section 5Peacekeeping operations
62
Takes note of paragraph II.54 of the report of the Advisory Committee;
63
Also takes note of paragraph II.55 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to establish the one P-3 post of Political Affairs Officer for the Analysis Team in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization;
64
Further takes note of paragraph II.57 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to abolish the seven posts (two Field Service and five Local level);
65
Requeststhe Secretary-General to make further concrete efforts to ensure proper representation of troop-contributing countries in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support, taking into account their contribution to United Nations peacekeeping;
Part IIIInternational justice and law
Section 7International Court of Justice
66
Recalls paragraph III.5 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to abolish three General Service (Other level) posts in view of the expected realization of the electronic document management system;
Part IVInternational cooperation for development
67
Requeststhe Secretary-General to intensify his fundraising efforts to support the mandates related to sections 10 and 11 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017;
Section 9Economic and social affairs
68
Encouragesthe Secretary-General to ensure that the Organization’s support for small island developing States, including for the implementation of the sustainable development priorities identified in the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway (Samoa Pathway) and set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is adequately addressed, given the mandates following the adoption of the Samoa Pathway and the 2030 Agenda, and bearing in mind that small island developing States remain a special case for sustainable development, in the light of their unique and particular vulnerabilities;
69
Takes note of paragraph IV.8 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to approve the proposed post for one P-4 under subprogramme 3;
70
Also takes note of paragraph IV.10 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to abolish the one P-5 post (Chief of the Small Island Developing States Unit);
71
Decides to maintain the Small Island Developing States Unit as a separate entity dedicated to the sustainable development of small island developing States under subprogramme 3 in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs;
72
Recalls paragraphs IV.24 to IV.28 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to provide further detailed information on the proposed Secretariat contribution to support the resident coordinator system at the first part of the resumed seventieth session of the General Assembly;
Section 10Least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States
73
Recalls that, within the context of the priority for the promotion of sustainable economic growth and sustainable development, particular attention should be paid to the needs of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, and requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to support their sustainable development needs;
Section 11United Nations support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
74
Recalls that the development of Africa is an established priority of the United Nations, and reaffirms its commitment to address the special needs of Africa;
Section 12Trade and development
75
Decides to establish one P-5 post, Senior Statistician, one P-4 post, Statistician, and one P-2 post, Associate Statistician;
Section 14Environment
76
Recalls that the conversion of posts from extrabudgetary resources to the regular budget are subject to the pertinent rules and regulations for new posts;
77
Takes note of paragraph IV.118 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to approve the following conversions:
a
Under subprogramme 1, Climate change: two P-4;
b
Under subprogramme 2, Disasters and conflicts: one P-4 and one P-3;
c
Under subprogramme 3, Ecosystem management: two P-4;
d
Under subprogramme 4, Environmental governance: four P-4 and one P-3;
e
Under subprogramme 5, Chemicals and waste: one P-4 and one P-3;
f
Under subprogramme 6, Resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production: one P-4 and one P-3;
g
Under subprogramme 7, Environment under review: four P-4 and two P-3;
Section 16International drug control, crime and terrorism prevention and criminal justice
78
Requeststhe Secretary-General to continue to strengthen the provision of technical assistance through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to the West Africa Coast Initiative in order to support the implementation of a regional action plan to address the growing problem of illicit drug trafficking, organized crime and drug abuse in West Africa;
Part VRegional cooperation for development
79
Emphasizes the important contribution that the regional commissions are making towards the implementation of the development agenda and other mandates given to them arising from the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the outcomes of other major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields;
Section 19Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific
80
Recalls paragraph V.40 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to approve the provision of the share of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to the Inter-Agency Support Unit;
Section 20Economic development in Europe
81
Takes note of paragraph V.54 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to abolish one vacant General Service post at the Economic Commission for Europe;
82
Decides to abolish three General Service (Other level) posts under subprogrammes 1, 2 and 6;
Section 21Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean
83
Takes note of paragraph V.69 of the report of the Advisory Committee, recognizes the differentiated impact of across-the-board cuts between duty stations, and decides to increase the budget allocation for travel of staff for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean by 9.9 per cent;
Part VIHuman rights and humanitarian affairs
Section 24Human rights
84
Requeststhe Secretary-General to present to the General Assembly at its seventy-first session a revised proposal on the regional restructuring of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for consideration and approval;
Section 25International protection, durable solutions and assistance to refugees
85
Requeststhe Secretary-General to review the level of regular budget funding in the light of the growth in the administrative budget of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;
Section 26Palestine refugees
86
Requeststhe Secretary-General to continue his efforts to ensure that measures to improve health programmes and education programmes, including for children with special needs and disabilities, are implemented in a timely manner;
87
Notes with appreciation the valuable work done by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, and expresses concern regarding the financial stress under which the Agency currently operates, despite the critical work it carries out;
88
Recalls paragraph VI.58 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to further examine the financing modalities of the Agency and to present his findings to the General Assembly in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2018–2019;
89
Decides to establish one D-1 post, Director for Information Management, one P-5 post, Senior Adviser on Staff Relations and Internal Communications, one P-4 post, Investigation Officer, and two P-3 posts, Legal Officer;
Section 27Humanitarian assistance
90
Takes note of paragraph VI.76 of the report of the Advisory Committee;
Part VIIPublic information
Section 28Public information
91
Encouragesthe Secretary-General to ensure intensive collaboration with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support to promote a positive image of the peacekeeping activities of the Organization and to support the public information components of peacekeeping missions;
92
Decides not to approve the new posts requested by the Department of Public Information;
93
Also decides to reduce non-post resources by 5 per cent;
94
Further decides to abolish six posts that have been vacant for more than two years as of 31 October 2015;
Part VIIICommon support services
95
Requeststhe Secretary-General to reduce by 5 per cent the overall number of General Service staff funded under section 29;
Section 29COffice of Human Resources Management
96
Takes note of paragraph VIII.68 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to reclassify one P-4 general temporary assistance position for a medical specialist in infectious diseases under component 4, Medical services, as a P-5 position;
97
Recalls paragraph 18 of its resolution 68/265 of 9 April 2014, notes with concern that the Secretary-General has not provided in his current budget proposal a full estimate of and rationale for the financial resources required for mobility in 2016 and 2017, including requests for any additional geographic moves necessary to achieve the strategic objectives of mobility, and urges the Secretary-General to provide such information, including details on the overexpenditure of 613,300 United States dollars under consultants during the biennium 2014–2015, in the context of his next progress report on mobility;
Section 29D Office of Central Support Services
98
Recalls paragraph VIII.96 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to reduce resources for utilities by 10,979,200 dollars;
Section 29E Office of Information and Communications Technology
99
Takes note of paragraph VIII.115 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to establish one Associate Information Systems Officer (P-2) in the Global Security and Architecture Section and one Associate Information Systems Officer (P-2) in the Executive Solutions and Knowledge Management Service of the Global Services Division;
100
Also takes note of paragraph VIII.125 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to abolish the post of Senior Information Systems Officer (P-5) in the Infrastructure Management Service;
Section 29F Administration, Geneva
101
Takes note of paragraph VIII.145 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to approve the proposed reclassification of the post of Chief of the Information and Communication Technology Service from the P-5 to the D-1 level;
102
Also takes note of paragraph VIII.147 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides not to approve the proposed reclassification of the post of Chief of the Transportation, Visa and Travel Unit from the P-3 to the P-4 level;
Section 29H Administration, Nairobi
103
Recalls paragraph 101 of its resolution 52/220 of 22 December 1997, and welcomes the measures taken by the Secretary-General to bring the financial arrangements of the United Nations Office at Nairobi in line with those of similar United Nations administrative offices;
Part IXInternal oversight
Section 30Internal oversight
104
Takes note of paragraph IX.28 of the report of the Advisory Committee;
Part XJointly financed administrative activities and special expenses
Requeststhe Secretary-General to include in his future budget submissions summary information on the cost-sharing methodology applied in establishing the United Nations share of jointly financed activities under the relevant budget section;
International Civil Service Commission
106
Takes note of paragraph X.12 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to appropriate 558,800 dollars for the travel of the secretariat of the International Civil Service Commission;
Joint Inspection Unit
107
Requeststhe Secretary-General to consider options for hosting the Joint Inspection Unit website in-house and to report on this matter in the context of the forthcoming report on the implementation of the information and communications strategy for the Secretariat;
Part XICapital expenditures
Section 33Construction, alteration, improvement and major maintenance
108
Recalls paragraph XI.17 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to allocate 550,000 dollars for the feasibility study in Nairobi, 50,800 dollars for the renovation of the North Building at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and 400,000 dollars for the renovation of the cafeteria and library at the Economic Commission for Africa;
109
Takes note of paragraph XI.32 of the report of the Advisory Committee, decides to reduce the amount of resources by 3.5 million dollars, and requests the Secretary-General to reprioritize the proposed projects under “Alteration and improvement” for section 33;
Part XIIIDevelopment Account
Section 35Development Account
110
Recalls that the Secretary-General proposed the establishment of the Development Account to be funded by savings from reduced non-programme costs and other management efficiencies;
Income section 3 Services to the public
111
Takes note of paragraphs IS3.18 and IS3.19 of the report of the Advisory Committee;
112
Stresses that the United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that does not seek profit.
Staffing table for the biennium 2016–2017
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