Special Subjects Relating to the Programme Budget for the Biennium 2016-2017

A/RES/71/272BView PDF

Who created this mandate?

A document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 134Programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017, published in 2017.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

4 entities

Extracted automatically from each entity’s budget submission.

What subjects does this mandate have?

9 topics

Air Travel Financial Resources Health Insurance Humanitarian Assistance Information Technology Programme Budgeting Resident Coordinators Resources Allocation Staffing

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

6 reports of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2017–2024.

Reports

Span

2017–2024

8 years

2024A/79/628Standards of accommodation for air travel report of the Secretary-General
2022A/77/629Standards of accommodation for air travel report of the Secretary-General
2020A/75/654Standards of accommodation for air travel report of the Secretary-General
2019A/73/705Standards of accommodation for air travel report of the Secretary-General
2018A/72/716Standards of accommodation for air travel report of the Secretary-General

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

What does this mandate say?

48 operative paragraphs

B

I.Revised estimates relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017 under sections 27, Humanitarian assistance, and 36, Staff assessment: United Nations Monitoring Mechanism for the Syrian Arab Republic

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;2

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;3

Approves the additional resources for the period from 11 January to 31 December 2017 in the amount of 3,202,800 United States dollars (net of staff assessment);

Appropriates an additional amount of 2,029,200 dollars (net of staff assessment) under section 27, Humanitarian assistance, of the programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017, as well as an additional amount of 172,300 dollars under section 36, Staff assessment, to be offset by an equivalent amount under income section 1, Income from staff assessment, for the biennium 2016–2017, representing a charge against the contingency fund;

II.Lessons learned exercise on the coordination activities of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response

Recalling its resolution 69/3 of 9 October 2014, section X of its resolution 69/262 of 29 December 2014 and its resolution 69/274 B of 25 June 2015,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the lessons learned exercise on the coordination activities of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response and the related report of the Advisory Committee,

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;4

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee;5

Emphasizes that the lessons learned on the coordination activities of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response should be considered by the United Nations system in order to effectively work together to respond to health crises, taking into account the mandates and comparative advantages of United Nations entities and partners;

Encourages greater coordination, including using the full potential of existing mechanisms, among the relevant United Nations bodies and entities and regional and subregional organizations as well as national and local partners during health crises;

Notes with appreciation the work of the Global Health Crises Task Force in monitoring the implementation of recommendations from the High-level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises;

Recalls paragraphs 27 and 37 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and looks forward to receiving full information on the financial performance of the Mission in the context of its consideration of the forthcoming report of the Board of Auditors on the financial statements of the United Nations for 2016;

III.Status of implementation of the information and communications technology strategy for the United Nations

Recalling section II of its resolution 60/283 of 7 July 2006, its resolutions 63/262 of 24 December 2008, 63/269 of 7 April 2009 and 64/243 of 24 December 2009, section XVII of its resolution 65/259 of 24 December 2010, its resolution 66/246 of 24 December 2011, section I of its resolution 67/254 A of 12 April 2013, section XV of its resolution 68/247 A of 27 December 2013, section II of its resolution 69/262 of 29 December 2014, paragraph 107 of its resolution 70/247 of 23 December 2015, section V of its resolution 70/248 A of 23 December 2015 and paragraph 13 of its resolution 70/257 of 1 April 2016,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the status of implementation of the information and communications technology strategy for the United Nations and the related report of the Advisory Committee,

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;6

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee,7 subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Underscores the importance of information and communications technology in meeting the growing demands of the Organization and of its role as a key enabler for business transformation initiatives at the global level and for the harmonization of services across duty stations and field missions;

Underlines the importance of information and communications technology in strengthening oversight and accountability and in increasing the availability of accurate and timely information to support decision-making, encourages the continuing efforts of the Office of Information and Communications Technology of the Department of Management of the Secretariat in this regard, and requests the Secretary-General to provide a detailed update on business intelligence and analytics in the next progress report;

Welcomes the progress achieved in implementing the information and communications technology strategy, and emphasizes the importance of the full and timely implementation of the strategy across the Organization;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide, in the context of the next progress report on the implementation of the information and communications technology strategy, updated information on, inter alia, specified objectives, benchmarks, indicators of tangible progress and benefits in order to assess performance, qualitative and quantitative benefits, risk management and mitigation mechanisms to ensure appropriate decision-making with respect to the assessment of the implementation of the strategy;

Notes the planned implementation of the second phase of the information and communications technology strategy, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to formulate a system-wide policy for the reuse and safe disposal of decommissioned information and communications technology equipment and to provide an update thereon in his next progress report;

Also notes the ongoing reform and initiatives by the Office of Information and Communications Technology that aim to support the work of the Organization, and in this regard emphasizes the need for the Office to continue its efforts, with the aim of facilitating the work of the Organization and its support to Member States, including through the provision of relevant services to delegates at all main duty stations, as appropriate;

Acknowledges the improvement of collaboration between the Office of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Field Support of the Secretariat, and encourages the Secretary-General to enhance efforts to strengthen coordination among all Secretariat entities on information and communications technology activities and to provide in his next progress report a detailed update on progress achieved in this regard, as well as with regard to implementing the information and communications technology strategy and compliance with the provision of the bulletin of the Secretary-General on the organization of the Office of Information and Communications Technology;

Recalls paragraph 7 of section V of its resolution 70/248 A, and emphasizes that the full support and commitment of senior management, as well as close and continuous engagement with all stakeholders, keeping in mind the need to address all operational requirements, is integral to the timely and successful implementation of the information and communications technology strategy;

Reiterates the central role of the Chief Information Technology Officer as the leader for the overall direction and performance of information and communications technology activities of the Secretariat, recalls section II of its resolution 69/262 and section V of its resolution 70/248 A, and reiterates its request to the Secretary-General, as a matter of priority, to exercise proactive and strong leadership to ensure full compliance by all entities of the Secretariat with the provisions of those resolutions, including to report to the Chief Information Technology Officer on all issues relating to information and communications technology activities, resource management, standards, security, architecture, policies and guidance, and to report on progress achieved thereon in his next progress report;

Notes that the consolidation of information and communications technology resources continues to face challenges, and in this regard stresses that the cooperation of managers with the Chief Information Technology Officer is critical for the successful implementation of the information and communications technology strategy;

Emphasizes the importance of ensuring that budgets and projects from all funding sources for all information and communications technology initiatives and operations of the Secretariat are reviewed by the Office of Information and Communications Technology within existing governance structures, before their submission to the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts of the Department of Management;

Recalls paragraph 11 of section V of its resolution 70/248 A, and reiterates its request to the Secretary-General, in his capacity as Chair of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, to invite the heads of United Nations entities to consider the possible harmonization and sharing of services as well as the related costs of information and communications technology, as appropriate, in particular at field locations, and to report thereon in the context of future progress reports;

Requests the Secretary-General to refine his analysis of existing applications and further rationalize and reduce the 1,000 applications that are expected to remain in 2020, and to report on this matter in his next progress report;

Notes the efforts by the Secretary-General to address the issue of ageing information and communications technology equipment in peacekeeping missions, including the upcoming development of a risk assessment framework, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to explore adapted, innovative and cost-effective solutions for the replacement and mitigation of future risk of ageing information and communications technology assets of the Organization, in particular in the field;

Underlines the importance of a comprehensive picture of information and communications technology assets in facilitating informed decision-making on information and communications technology investments, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to find a solution for managing and reporting comprehensively on information and communications technology assets, including intangible assets, and to report on this matter in his next progress report;

Recalls paragraph 34 of the report of the Advisory Committee, reiterates its request that the Secretary-General continue his efforts to reduce the level of fragmentation of the current information and communications technology environment across the Secretariat and at all duty stations and field missions, and requests the Secretary-General to continue efforts at all duty stations, including at Headquarters, to pursue the further consolidation and integration of information and communications technology services of the Secretariat in accordance with the information and communications technology strategy, taking into account the need to address the operational requirements of affected departments, offices and commissions, and to report thereon in his next progress report;

Notes the progress made in the implementation of the 10-point action plan to strengthen information security one year after its original completion date, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure the expeditious completion of the remaining initiative, update Member States regularly on its progress and provide information thereon in his next progress report;

Reiterates the importance of ensuring a smooth and timely transfer of responsibilities from the Umoja project to corresponding entities within the Secretariat, and requests the Secretary-General to provide in his next progress report an update on progress achieved to that effect;

Emphasizes the importance of ensuring the availability of appropriate in-house expertise to implement the information and communications technology strategy, acknowledges the remaining challenges in this regard, and requests the Secretary-General to enhance his efforts in this regard;

Reaffirms its resolution 71/263 of 23 December 2016 and, in particular, its decision not to approve proposed changes in career development for staff members in the General Service and related categories, and stresses that any proposal regarding policy changes related to the career development of information and communications technology staff or the creation of opportunities to retain experienced qualified information and communications technology personnel should be presented for consideration by the General Assembly in the context of the report of the Secretary-General on human resources management;

Welcomes the completion of the five-year budget projection for the Secretariat, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to refine the planning assumptions on which the projection is based and to present in his progress report to the seventy-third session of the General Assembly an updated comprehensive budget projection, which should include the requirements of peacekeeping and non-peacekeeping entities and actual expenditures;

Stresses that further investment in the videoconferencing system should be accompanied by effective control over and reduction of travel of staff members, including by strict implementation of paragraph 3.2 of the administrative instruction on official travel so as to ensure that approval is not given if the intended main objective for mandate implementation can be met by the use of alternative methods such as videoconferencing;

IV.Managing after-service health insurance

Recalling its resolution 58/249 A of 23 December 2003, section III of its resolution 60/255 of 8 May 2006, its resolution 61/264 of 4 April 2007, its resolution 64/241 and section XI of its resolution 64/245 of 24 December 2009, section IV of its resolution 65/259 of 24 December 2010, its resolutions 68/244 of 27 December 2013 and 69/113 of 10 December 2014 and section III of its resolution 70/248 B of 1 April 2016,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on managing after-service health insurance and the related report of the Advisory Committee,

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;10

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee;11

V.Proposed United Nations Secretariat contribution to the United Nations Development Group cost-sharing arrangement for the resident coordinator system

Recalling its resolution 70/247 of 23 December 2015 and its decision 70/553 B of 1 April 2016,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the proposed United Nations Secretariat contribution to the United Nations Development Group cost-sharing arrangement for the resident coordinator system and the related report of the Advisory Committee,

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;12

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee,13 subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Takes note of paragraph 25 (b) of the report of the Advisory Committee, underlines the importance of the resident coordinator system, and requests the Secretary-General to present to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session a refined proposal on the cost-sharing arrangement and management of the financing thereof and to submit associated costs in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2018–2019;

VI.Standards of accommodation for air travel

Recalling its resolution 42/214 of 21 December 1987, section IV, paragraph 14, of its resolution 53/214 of 18 December 1998, section XV of its resolution 62/238 of 22 December 2007, section II of its resolution 63/268 of 7 April 2009, section IV of its resolution 65/268 of 4 April 2011, section VI of its resolution 67/254 A of 12 April 2013 and section IV of its resolution 69/274 A of 2 April 2015, as well as its decision 57/589 of 18 June 2003,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the standards of accommodation for air travel and the related report of the Advisory Committee,

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report on standards of accommodation for air travel for consideration by the General Assembly at the first part of its resumed seventy-second session;

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

Recalling section XX of its resolution 70/248" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-un-blue hover:underline font-medium">70/248 A, section V of its resolution 70/248" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-un-blue hover:underline font-medium">70/248 B and section XIX of its resolution 71/272 A of 23 December 2016,

Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on the estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council concerning the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism and the Panel of Experts on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the related reports of the Advisory Committee,

Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;16,17

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the related reports of the Advisory Committee,18 subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism

Approves the budget for the Joint Investigative Mechanism for the period from 1 April to 31 October 2017 in the amount of 3,185,800 dollars (net of staff assessment);

Decides that the requirements of the Joint Investigative Mechanism for the periods from 1 November to 31 December 2016 and from 1 January to 31 March 2017, amounting to 93,000 dollars and 868,900 dollars, respectively, and funded under the authority granted to the Secretary-General under paragraph 1 (a) of General Assembly resolution 70/250 of 23 December 2015 relating to unforeseen and extraordinary expenses, shall be reported in the second performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017;

Panel of Experts on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Recalls paragraphs 14 and 15 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and decides to establish one Political Affairs Officer (P-4) position and one Research Assistant (General Service (Principal level)) position;

Decides not to establish one proposed Senior Political Affairs Officer (P-5) position;

Approves the budget for the Panel of Experts on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for 2017 amounting to 2,801,400 dollars (net of staff assessment);

Decides to appropriate, under the procedures provided for in paragraph 11 of annex I to its resolution 41/213 of 19 December 1986, an additional amount of 2,586,100 dollars (net of staff assessment) under section 3, Political affairs, of the programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017, after taking into account the approved commitment authority amounting to 961,900 dollars;

Also decides to appropriate an amount of 296,300 dollars, under section 36, Staff assessment, to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1, Income from staff assessment, of the programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017.

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