Cross-Cutting Issues

A/RES/70/286View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 148Administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

6 versions · 2010–2022

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/76/274

2022A/RES/76/274Cross-cutting issuesLatestCompare with previous version
2016A/RES/70/286Cross-cutting issuesCompare with previous version
2015A/RES/69/307Cross-cutting issuesCompare with previous version
2012A/RES/66/264Cross-cutting issuesCompare with previous version
2011A/RES/65/289Cross-cutting issuesCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

A dot marks an entity citing this document in its “Mandates and background” narrative rather than only its Legislative mandates list. Many do both.

Extracted automatically from each entity’s budget submission.

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 topics

Financial Management Financial Resources Operational Activities Peacekeeping Operations Personnel Management Sex Crimes Support Services

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

2 reports of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2016.

2016A/71/323Overview of human resources management reform : towards a global, dynamic, adaptable and engaged workforce for the United Nations report of the Secretary-General
2016A/71/97Combating sexual exploitation and abuse report of the Secretary-General

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

What does this mandate say?

89 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms its resolutions 57/290 B, 59/296, 60/266, 61/276, 64/269, 65/289, 66/264 and 69/307, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure the full implementation of their relevant provisions;

Appreciates the efforts of all peacekeeping personnel in the field and at Headquarters;

Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the overview of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations: budget performance for the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 and budget for the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017,1 and special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse;2

Also takes note of the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on the activities of the Office on peace operations for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2015;4

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,3 subject to the provisions of the present resolution, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure their full implementation;

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

Recalls its resolution 70/6 of 3 November 2015, takes note of the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations and the report of the Secretary-General entitled “The future of United Nations peace operations: implementation of the recommendations of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations”, and requests the Secretary-General to include relevant information in the context of his next overview report, recalling paragraph 6 of the present resolution, in accordance with established procedures and the respective purview of the relevant Main Committees of the General Assembly;

I.Budget presentation and financial management

Reiterates that the delegation of authority on the part of the Secretary-General should be in order to facilitate the better management of the Organization, but stresses that the overall responsibility for management of the Organization rests with the Secretary-General as its Chief Administrative Officer;

Reaffirms the need for the Secretary-General to ensure that the delegation of authority to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support of the Secretariat and to field missions is in strict compliance with relevant resolutions and decisions, as well as with relevant rules and procedures of the General Assembly on this matter;

Stresses that heads of departments report and are accountable to the Secretary-General;

Reiterates 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;

Welcomes the new format for the presentation of the report of the Secretary-General on the overview of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, encourages further positive developments in this regard, and reiterates its request that he ensure that budget data is provided in tabular, editable format in order to enhance the transparency of the budget document;

Stresses that, in formulating budget proposals, the Secretary-General must strictly abide by legislative mandates;

Also stresses the importance of further steps by the Secretary-General towards improving budget presentations and making more accurate forecasts;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the results-based budget framework adequately permits consideration of the progress of each mission towards achieving mandated tasks and its effective use of resources, with full regard to accountability and the changing mandate of the mission;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report on those improvements that have been made in the budget preparation and presentation as a result of the implementation of Umoja and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards in his next overview report;

II.Personnel issues

Pays tribute to all United Nations peacekeepers who have been wounded in the line of duty or who have made the ultimate sacrifice while working in the pursuit of peace;

Expresses its appreciation to all United Nations personnel performing functions related to peacekeeping, in particular those serving in hardship duty stations under some of the most difficult conditions;

Stresses the importance of ensuring timely reimbursement to troop-contributing countries;

Requests the Secretary-General to improve the ratio of substantive to support staff, with particular attention to the feasibility of nationalizing functions, especially Field Service level functions, to ensure that the civilian staffing structure is appropriate for the effective implementation of the current mission mandate and that it reflects staffing best practices across other missions;

Stresses the importance of leadership development at all staff levels, regular performance management for senior leadership and strengthened accountability, and requests the Secretary-General to continue efforts in this regard and to report on these activities in the context of the next overview report;

Urges the Secretary-General to make every effort to reduce the recruitment lead time for staff in field missions, taking into account the relevant provisions governing recruitment of United Nations staff, to enhance the transparency of the staffing process at all stages and to report on the steps taken and results achieved in the context of his next overview report;

Requests the Secretary-General to intensify his 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, and to report thereon in the context of his next overview report;

Welcomes the continued efforts of the Secretary-General to mainstream gender perspectives in United Nations peacekeeping, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that senior gender advisers in all United Nations peacekeeping operations report directly to mission leadership;

Recognizes the role of women in all aspects of peace and security issues, expresses concern about the gender imbalance in the staffing of peacekeeping operations, particularly at senior levels, requests the Secretary-General to intensify efforts to recruit and retain women in peacekeeping operations, in particular to appoint women to senior United Nations leadership positions, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution, in conformity with Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, considering, in particular, women from troop- and police-contributing countries, and strongly encourages Member States, where applicable, to identify and regularly submit more women candidates for appointment to positions in the United Nations system;

Expresses appreciation to those troop- and police-contributing countries that have deployed women to peacekeeping operations, and encourages all troop- and police-contributing countries to increase the number of uniformed women they deploy;

Requests the Secretary-General to report on measures taken to expand the participation of women in peacekeeping operations and make further recommendations to increase the number of uniformed and civilian women in peacekeeping operations, taking into account facilities and services to facilitate their deployment, in the context of the next overview report;

Recalls paragraph 14 of section II of its resolution 63/250 of 24 December 2008 and paragraph 107 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General, in the context of the next report on human resources management, to provide detailed analysis of the financial implications and justification for the proposed expansion of the maximum duration of temporary duty assignments to meet requirements directly linked to a mission start-up or expansion owing to a crisis situation, and also requests the Secretary-General, in the context of the next overview report, to provide the same detailed analysis, with financial implications and justification, of the extension of the duration of the engagement of retired staff;

Emphasizes the importance of the timely review of the rate of death and disability compensation;

Expresses deep concern about delays in the settlement of claims in respect of death and disability, and requests the Secretary-General to take urgent measures to eliminate the existing backlog of death and disability claims pending for more than three months and to report on the progress made to the General Assembly at its seventy-first session;

III.Operational requirements

Requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to reduce the overall environmental footprint of each peacekeeping mission, including by implementing environmentally friendly waste management and power generation systems, in full compliance with the relevant rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, the United Nations environmental and waste management policy and procedures;

Recognizes the increasing demands and challenges of the volatile work environment faced in peacekeeping operations, and requests the Secretary-General to strengthen capacity and standards with regard to the 10-1-2 casualty response, including capacity-building, training and education, and to continue to develop innovative solutions in this regard;

Also recognizes the use of new, innovative techniques, including the use of animals, in particular rats and dogs, for the detection of mines, explosives and weapons in some parts of the world, and requests the Secretary-General to report on the possible application of such techniques for demining activities in peacekeeping operations in the context of the next overview report;

Further recognizes the contribution of unmanned aerial systems to mandate delivery, including situational awareness and the enhanced safety and security of peacekeepers, and stresses the need to address challenges facing the deployment and utilization of such systems in individual peacekeeping missions;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the security of information and communications in missions, including those gathered from the use of unmanned aerial systems, as a matter of priority;

Recalls paragraph 39 of its resolution 69/307 and paragraphs 136 to 138 of the report of the Advisory Committee, reaffirms its request to the Secretary-General to ensure consistency, transparency and cost-efficiency in the budgeting for unmanned aerial systems in individual peacekeeping operation budget proposals in this regard, including by presenting expected accomplishments and indicators of achievement, as well as information on outputs, as appropriate, in the context of the results-based budget framework, and also reaffirms its request to the Secretary-General to include comprehensive information, including on lessons learned from the utilization of unmanned aerial systems in United Nations peacekeeping operations, in the next overview report;

Also recalls paragraph 40 of its resolution 69/307, requests the Secretary-General to report, in the context of the next overview report, on the efforts undertaken to ensure that the procurement of unmanned aerial systems from commercial providers complies with the United Nations Procurement Manual, and recalls its requests to the Secretary-General that he ensure that reimbursement of such systems provided by troop-contributing countries is consistent with the framework set out in the Contingent-Owned Equipment Manual, and to submit to the next Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment an issue paper to clarify the current reimbursement arrangements for unmanned aerial systems provided by troop-contributing countries;

Requests the Secretary-General to expedite the completion of the assessment of the roles and responsibilities of the Air Transportation Section, the Strategic Air Operations Centre and the Transportation and Movements Integrated Control Centre and to make comprehensive proposals thereon in the context of the next overview report;

Notes that the continued implementation of the aviation information management system should help air operations planning, management and oversight, and requests the Secretary-General to provide details on the realized benefits of this system in the next overview report;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to review and optimize the composition of mission vehicle fleets and ensure that the vehicles are fit for purpose, and to submit a cost-benefit analysis outlining, inter alia, the type, quality, efficiency, maintenance cost and environmental impact of vehicle adjustments in the context of the next overview report;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to ensure that accommodation provided by the United Nations for uniformed and civilian personnel serving in peacekeeping operations meets the relevant United Nations standards and to report thereon at the second part of its resumed seventy-first session;

Further requests the Secretary-General to present in individual mission budget proposals a clear vision of the annual construction requirements by ensuring, as appropriate, multi-year plans and to continue his efforts to enhance the accuracy of budgeting, by improving aspects of project planning, management and oversight, with due consideration of operational circumstances on the ground, and to closely monitor the execution of works to ensure their timely completion;

Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen oversight and internal controls in the areas of procurement and asset management across peacekeeping missions, including by holding a named official in mission management accountable for checking stock levels before undertaking any acquisition activity in order to ensure compliance with established asset management policies, taking into account the current and future needs of the mission and the importance of the full implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards;

Recalls paragraphs 16 and 18 of its resolution 69/273 of 2 April 2015, and in this regard reiterates its request to the Secretary-General that he continue to explore additional innovative ways to promote procurement from developing countries and countries with economies in transition at Headquarters and field offices and to encourage interested local vendors to apply for registration on the Secretariat vendor roster, with a view to broadening its geographical base;

Encourages the Secretary-General to utilize local materials, capacity and knowledge in the implementation of construction projects for peacekeeping operations, in compliance with the United Nations Procurement Manual;

Requests the Secretary-General to make full use of the Regional Procurement Office in Entebbe, Uganda, for procurement in the field;

Recalls paragraph 38 of its resolution 69/307, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to consider measures to be implemented to strengthen the security of air crews working under contracts with the United Nations, including confirming that the appropriate lines of responsibility for the handling of related security aspects are in place, and to report thereon in the context of the next overview report;

Notes the dangerous environments in which peacekeeping operations are deployed, encourages the Secretary-General, further to the existing strategy, to continue to take additional measures, including improving situational awareness and using integrated technology, to ensure the safety and security of all personnel participating in operations under the auspices of the United Nations and to report on the progress made in this regard in the context of future overview reports;

Recalls paragraph 98 of the report of the Advisory Committee, which highlights the need to improve the transparency of the various technology projects, whether in a pilot phase or under implementation, and requests the Secretary-General to include in the next overview report comprehensive information relating to the advancement of technology projects across peacekeeping operations, including a cost-benefit analysis;

Also recalls paragraphs 79 and 80 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to provide qualitative and quantitative information on the efficiency gains resulting from reform initiatives, including Umoja and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, in the context of the next overview report;

Notes ongoing efforts to ensure that both business continuity plans and disaster recovery plans are in place in all peacekeeping missions within a defined time frame, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to implement network intrusion detection and incident management software covering all missions and to continue to undertake information security awareness efforts in all missions and departments;

Recalls paragraph 102 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report on the implementation to date of the O3b pilot project, along with a thorough cost-benefit analysis and business case for future proposals, in the next overview report;

Stresses the importance of timely reimbursement to troop-contributing countries for contingent-owned equipment, in accordance with the existing rules, in order to improve the performance of peacekeeping missions;

Recalls the role of the Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment in the regular review of the rate of reimbursement of contingent-owned equipment;

Recognizes the important role played by quick-impact projects in supporting the implementation of mission mandates, stresses the need for the timely, responsible and accountable implementation of all planned projects, and requests the Secretary-General to enhance the impact of these projects while addressing underlying challenges;

Also recognizes the need for the United Nations to become a more field-oriented organization that enables more flexible, rapid and agile mandate delivery in peacekeeping operations;

Requests the Advisory Committee to request the Board of Auditors to issue a compilation of lessons learned from the global field support strategy for publication on the website of the Board;

Stresses the need to strengthen field support by ensuring cooperation and synergies between the various support functions, in close consultation with Member States;

Also stresses the importance of thorough, responsive and advance planning for any mission transition process, in full coordination with all United Nations system entities, relevant regional organizations and the host Government, to ensure a timely, efficient and effective transfer of essential roles and responsibilities when responding to changes in the mandate;

Recalls paragraphs 73 and 74 of the report of the Advisory Committee, as well as the relevant observations of the Board of Auditors, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that efficiency efforts are properly implemented, overseen and assessed and that the results of such efforts are reported to the General Assembly in a transparent, consistent manner;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that any initiatives related to field support and service delivery improvements take into account lessons learned and best practices from other Secretariat initiatives so as to maximize benefits and avoid possible duplication and overlap;

Recalls paragraph 59 of its resolution 69/307, notes the progress achieved in improving support to United Nations peacekeeping operations through the implementation of the global field support strategy from 2012 to 2015, but also notes that the four pillars of the strategy have not achieved their desired end state and need further development;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that Member States are provided with comprehensive and factual information to ensure that the benefits of the implementation of initiatives in the post-global field support strategy period are fully realized;

Also requests the Secretary-General to develop a cost-benefit analysis methodology, including benefits realization plans, that can be empirically verified to provide assurance regarding the benefits that have accrued or are expected to accrue as a result of the implementation of the global field support strategy and to provide follow-up information on this matter in the next overview report;

Takes note of the progress in the implementation of the supply chain management project, and decides that any changes in the organizational structures, roles and functions of the Department of Field Support, the Global Service Centre, the Regional Service Centre in Entebbe, Uganda, and field missions attributed to this project shall be submitted to the General Assembly for its consideration and approval;

Recalls paragraph 63 of its resolution 69/307, notes the need for further progress in developing the scalability model for the Regional Service Centre in Entebbe, reiterates its request that the Secretary-General develop scalability models for the support account for peacekeeping operations and the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy, and requests the Secretary-General to report thereon in the context of the next overview report;

Also recalls paragraph 47 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all scalability models take into account, inter alia, workload factors and efficiency gains;

Recognizes that the inclusion of programmatic funds in mission budgets on a case-by-case basis is intended to support the effective implementation of mandated tasks, and, in order to provide greater transparency, requests the Secretary-General to clearly and consistently present the cost of such activities when they are included in future mission budgets;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide information on programmatic funding, including the scope, criteria, governance and accounting procedures, in the context of his next overview report;

IV.Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse

Recalls the collective and unanimous position that one substantiated case of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse is one case too many, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all peacekeeping operations implement fully the United Nations policy of zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations with regard to all civilian, military and police personnel;

Welcomes the determination of the Secretary-General to fully implement the United Nations policy of zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, and requests the Secretary-General to report on the results achieved and challenges encountered in the next report;

Also welcomes the appointment of the Special Coordinator on Improving the United Nations Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and requests the Secretary-General to regularly update Member States on progress with respect to her mandate;

Expresses serious concern over the allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse contained in the most recent report of the Secretary-General,2 in particular the significant increase in allegations in a small number of peacekeeping operations, and the number of allegations involving the most egregious forms of sexual exploitation and abuse;

Reaffirms that all categories of personnel in United Nations peacekeeping operations must be held to the same standard of conduct so as to preserve the image, credibility, impartiality and integrity of the United Nations, and remains committed to further consideration of ways of ensuring managerial, command and individual accountability;

Highlights the importance of providing expeditious support to victims, notes with appreciation the establishment of the Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, recalls paragraph 59 of its resolution 65/289, and decides to approve the transfer of withheld payments in substantiated cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by civilian, military and police personnel to the Trust Fund;

Calls upon the Secretary-General to ensure coordination across United Nations entities at the country level in order for victims to receive immediate basic assistance and support in accordance with their individual needs arising from alleged sexual exploitation and abuse;

Welcomes the strong commitment of the troop-contributing countries to the United Nations policy of zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse;

Reiterates the importance of further improving the collaboration between the Secretary-General and the troop- and police-contributing countries with regard to allegations of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, emphasizing the need to maintain frequent exchange of information on all aspects related to sexual exploitation and abuse;

Requests the Secretary-General to immediately inform the Member States concerned about allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, of which United Nations entities may become aware, in missions operating under a Security Council mandate, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Member States concerned receive all available information to allow for appropriate follow-up by their national authorities;

Recognizes the risk factors linked to recent allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, as identified by the Secretary-General in paragraph 25 of his latest report, including the rehatting of troops, the absence of predeployment training on standards of conduct, the excessive length of deployment for certain contingents, the living conditions of contingents, including lack of welfare and communication facilities to stay in contact with home, camps being situated in proximity to and not properly separated from the local population, and lack of discipline among some contingents, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to further analyse all risk factors, including those listed above, in his next report and to provide recommendations to mitigate those risks, taking into account the respective responsibilities of missions, the Secretariat and troop- and police-contributing countries;

Stresses the importance of training all personnel for the prevention of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, as part of the predeployment training, as well as in mission training and awareness-raising programmes, and requests the Secretary-General to expedite the deployment of the e-learning programme;

Recalls paragraph 175 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to include in future reports information on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by non-United Nations forces operating under a Security Council mandate;

Requests the Secretary-General to use the reporting methodology and template, as contained in annex III to the latest report of the Secretary-General, for all United Nations uniformed and civilian personnel and non-United Nations forces operating under a Security Council mandate and to include information on the nature of the allegations using the reporting methodology and template, as contained in annex I to that report;

Supports the intention of the Secretary-General to include, in the next report on measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, information on referrals for criminal accountability for substantiated allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by civilian personnel and experts on mission and on any related actions taken by the United Nations or Member States concerned;

Recalls paragraph 48 of its resolution 69/307, requests that the report of an independent review on sexual exploitation and abuse by international peacekeeping forces in the Central African Republic be made available to the General Assembly, and looks forward to discussing the conclusions of the Secretary-General on that report no later than at the main part of its seventy-first session;

Notes with concern the findings in the independent review, including on the flaws of the United Nations system response, and requests the Secretary-General to report on lessons learned and measures to improve the system-wide response to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse and to uphold the highest standards of transparency, efficiency and accountability;

Recalls the Secretary-General’s bulletin on protection against retaliation for reporting misconduct and for cooperating with duly authorized audits or investigations, and welcomes the prompt reporting in good faith of any misconduct, including sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in peacekeeping operations;

V.Other issues

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to promote effective coordination and collaboration with regard to the audit, evaluation and investigation functions of the Office of Internal Oversight Services in order to ensure an integrated approach for the oversight of peacekeeping missions, bearing in mind the operational independence of the Office;

Welcomes the efforts of the Office of Internal Oversight Services to enhance its process for identifying high-risk issues for thematic attention.

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