VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0878/01 2732213
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 292213Z SEP 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5020

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000878 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC KUNR UNGA
SUBJECT: COMMITTEE ON CONFERENCES COMPLETES ANNUAL SESSION 
 
¶1.  Summary.  On September 12, 2008, the Committee on 
Conferences (CoC), the intergovernmental body mandated to 
make recommendations to the General Assembly (GA) on all 
matters related to UN conference servicing, reached consensus 
on a resolution containing recommendations for the 
consideration of the Fifth Committee under its agenda item on 
Pattern of Conferences.  The annual CoC session, which lasted 
five days from September 8 to 12, was generally cordial and 
productive but with some contentious discussions. 
 
¶2.  The CoC recommended adoption of the draft calendar of 
conferences and meetings for 2009, which is available at 
www.un.org/events, and reached agreement on a number of 
topics including the integrated global management initiative 
(see para. 3 below), equal use of the six official UN 
languages (para. 4), use of temporary assistance staff in 
language services (para. 5), funding of vacancies and 
recruitment of language staff especially for the UN Offices 
at Nairobi (UNON) and Geneva (UNOG) (paras. 6 and 7 
respectively), impact of the Capital Master Plan (CMP) on 
conference servicing (para. 8), implementation of the 
Secretary-General's "Cool UN" initiative (paras. 9 and 10), 
late-issuance of documents (para. 11), raising the ceiling on 
earnings of retired UN language staff (para. 12) and raising 
the retirement age of language staff (para. 13).  During 
negotiations, USDel, working closely with the Austrian 
Vice-Chair of the CoC, was able to minimize or eliminate 
objectionable proposals.  End Summary. 
 
¶3.  Integrated global management:  The CoC maintained 
previous resolution language which approves of the Department 
for General Assembly and Conference Management's (DGACM) work 
towards streamlining conference servicing procedures.  A new 
paragraph of the draft resolution was added requesting SYG 
Ban to include information on financial savings resulting 
from the integrated global management system in his next 
report. 
 
¶4.  Equality among the six official UN languages:  The French 
delegation at every opportunity emphasized the equal use of 
all six official UN languages.  The CoC did not adopt 
language that could imply an increase in funds for 
translation and interpretation services. 
 
¶5.  Use of temporary assistance staff in language services: 
The Russian delegation was insistent that the draft 
resolution include a paragraph explicitly endorsing the 
Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) report (A/63/96) 
on the "existing special arrangements governing the 
recruitment of temporary assistance staff in the language 
services across the four main duty stations."  The members of 
the CoC agreed to follow past practice and to "take note" of 
the recommendations in the report and to ask the SYG to 
report on their implementation. 
 
¶6.  Vacancies of language staff in the UN Office at Nairobi 
(UNON):  The CoC did not adopt proposals introduced by the 
Kenyan delegation that would have raised the grade levels of 
language posts and decided that all translator and reviser 
posts should be funded under the regular budget. 
 
¶7.  Vacancies of language staff in the UN Office in Geneva 
(UNOG):  The French delegation proposed language to address 
the increase in conference servicing requirements arising out 
of meetings of the Human Rights Council (HRC).  The committee 
agreed to call on the SYG to take action to address this 
problem while avoiding any immediate financial implications. 
 
¶8.  Impact of the CMP on conference servicing:  The CoC 
agreed that the Secretariat should limit any negative impact 
on the quality of conference services provided to Member 
States during the construction period.  Although most members 
of the CoC were in favor of retaining the language from last 
year's CoC resolution, the Russian delegation proposed 
amendments that would have emphasized the importance of all 
conference servicing requirements being met throughout the 
CMP process rather than previously adopted language calling 
on Member States to show flexibility during the construction 
process.  The committee succeeded in adopting balanced 
language. 
 
¶9.  Impact of the "Cool UN" initiative on Member States:  The 
Russian delegation, in the view of USDel and other 
delegations in the CoC, attempted to include provisions on 
SYG Ban's "Cool UN" initiative in the CoC's report to 
diminish Ban's authority as the Chief Administrative Officer 
of the Organization under article 99 of the UN Charter. 
 
¶10.  Ban's "Cool UN" initiative on climate change raised 
temperatures by a few degrees at Headquarters during the 
summer to decrease the UN's CO2 emissions.  The Russian 
delegation proposed the following new language: "Requests at 
the same time that the initiatives of the Secretary-General 
which imply changes in the working conditions of delegates of 
 
the Member States are to be properly discussed and decided 
upon in the appropriate intergovernmental bodies, namely in 
the Committee on Conferences and in the Fifth Committee of 
the General Assembly."  After several other formulations were 
rejected, the CoC Chairman presented and the CoC adopted the 
following general language: "Requests the Secretary-General 
to consult Member States on initiatives that affect the 
utilization of conference services and conference facilities." 
 
¶11.  Late issuance of documents:  Several delegations, 
including Russia, Belarus, and Syria, presented language that 
would have required the SYG to impose "sanctions" against 
senior officials in author departments that submit documents 
late.  USDel objected to this impractical proposal.  The CoC 
agreed to recognize the efforts underway to address the 
problem, including reconvening the already established 
Secretariat task force, and asked the SYG to submit an 
interim report to the second resumed session of the 63rd GA 
in May 2009 on the status of peacekeeping financing 
documentation - the session is usually devoted to 
consideration of the budgets of peacekeeping operations - and 
to issue a comprehensive report to the 64th GA through the 
CoC. 
 
¶12.  Ceiling of earnings for retired language staff:  Due to 
the difficulty of filling language staff vacancies at the 
four duty stations, the Syrian delegation proposed raising 
the ceiling on UN earnings of UN language staff retirees to 
increase their availability for "emergency" short-term 
contracts.  During negotiations, it became clear that DGACM 
and the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) did not 
agree on the level of earnings authorized under GA resolution 
57/305.  Syria subsequently withdraw its language and the 
committee called on the SYG to clarify the meaning of 
"workdays" in resolution 57/305 and, in turn, the level of 
earnings authorized for retired UN language staff. 
 
¶13.  Raising the retirement age of language staff:  The 
Syrian delegation also proposed language that would have 
raised the retirement age of language staff.  After USDel, 
Austria, and others asserted that this issue should be 
addressed in its proper context under the human resources 
item in the Fifth Committee, Syria withdrew its language. 
Khalilzad