VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0360/01 0971854
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071854Z APR 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6282

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC KUNR PREL UNGA UNGA
SUBJECT: CONCLUSION OF THE FIRST RESUMED SESSION OF THE 
FIFTH COMMITTEE 
 
REF: USUN NEW YORK 00089 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  The first resumed session of the 63rd 
General Assembly for the Fifth Committee (March 2-27) 
concluded late evening on March 27th.  The Fifth Committee 
took action on a number of proposals and approved an 
additional $17.97 million to the 2008-2009 regular budget 
which brings the revised 2008-2009 regular budget to $4.88 
billion, a 17% increase from the initial 2008-2009 budget of 
$4.17 billion adopted in December 2007. The Fifth Committee 
also approved additional resources for certain peacekeeping 
missions and deferred consideration or action on a number of 
items. Particular successes include averting an effort by 
Syria to politicize the mandate of the Special Envoy for the 
implementation of UNSCR 1559; approval of assessed funding 
for a logistical package to support the African Union Mission 
in Somalia (AMISOM) as called for under UNSCR 1863; 
absorption of associated costs related to the Capital Master 
Plan; approval of regulations for implementing the new human 
resources contractual regimes and the reaffirmation of the 
commitment to strengthen accountability. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Special Political Missions:  The Fifth Committee 
approved an additional $17.97 million in 2009 funding for the 
UN Representative for the International Advisory and 
Monitoring Board (IAMB), the UN International Independent 
Investigation Committee (UNIIIC), and the UN Mission in 
Nepal.  The Fifth Committee deferred action on the Secretary 
General's (SG) request for additional resources for the UN 
Political Office in Somalia (UNPOS) due to the fact that 
additional resources are expected to be requested in the 
second resumed session for UNPOS.  The additional resources 
are related to requirements for UNPOS stemming from UNSCR 
1863 to support the African Union Mission in Somalia 
(AMISOM). Regarding the request by the General Assembly (GA) 
last fall to the SG to revise the narrative and logical 
framework of the budget of the Special Envoy for the 
implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, the Fifth 
Committee avoided any further action and another vote on this 
politically sensitive issue. This success was in large part 
due to Ambassordial engagement and other coordination efforts 
with the Lebanese delegation.  USUN worked with the 
Secretariat to ensure the revision of the narrative and 
logical framework was technical and non-political. Lebanon 
also assured USUN that they would not seek any further action 
on this issue during the session even though Syria would 
likely do so. With Lebanon not insisting on further action, 
Syria was isolated and the GA just took note of the revisions 
by the SG. 
 
¶3. (U) Peacekeeping Missions: The Fifth Committee approved 
additional resources for the UN Mission in Sudan ($56.2 
million) and the UN Mission in the Central African Republic 
and Chad ($139.7 million).  The Fifth Committee also approved 
the donation of assets from the now closed UN Mission in 
Ethiopia and Eritrea to Ethiopia and AMISOM.  In addition, 
the Fifth Committee approved assessed funding ($77.8 million) 
for a logistical support package to support AMISOM. 
 
¶4. (U) Capital Master Plan (CMP):  The SG requested $30.3 
million in additional resources for associated costs related 
to the CMP.  The Fifth Committee approved the additional 
resources, but decided they be absorbed within the existing 
CMP budget.  In addition, the Fifth Committee requested the 
SG to continue his sustainability initiatives throughout the 
implementation of the CMP and for the Procurement Division to 
provide opportunities for participation in the CMP to 
businesses from developing countries and countries with 
economies in transition. 
 
¶5. (U) Other Action:  The Fifth Committee adopted the 
amendments to the staff regulations following the 
establishment of a new human resource contractual regime to 
enhance the UN's ability to recruit and retain staff in the 
field.  The Fifth Committee also adopted a resolution 
reaffirming its commitment to strengthening accountability in 
the Secretariat and achievement of results as well as 
implementation of results based management. It did not 
endorse the proposed accountability framework as presented by 
the SG.  In this regard, the Fifth Committee requested the SG 
to present a more comprehensive report in the first resumed 
session of the 64th UNGA. The Fifth Committee also noted 
concern with the lack of reliable disaster recovery and 
business continuity services for the UN Headquarters (UNHQ) 
as well as the continued deficiencies in the planning and 
management of a secondary data center. The Fifth Committee 
requested the SG to absorb within the budget of the CMP, 
resources required to pursue the most reliable and cost 
effective risk mitigation measures during the migration of 
the primary data center to the north lawn of the UNHQ. The 
Fifth Committee also approved additional resources required 
 
for this effort to be financed from the peacekeeping support 
account to be approved for 2009-2010.  Other resolutions 
passed by the Fifth Committee included: business continuity 
management; standards of accommodation for air travel; United 
Nations Postal Administration; and the Joint Inspection Unit. 
 
¶6. (U) Deferred Items:  The Fifth Committee decided to defer 
a few items to the second resumed session of the 63rd UNGA 
such as conditions of service for the members of 
International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and the 
Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and 
Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) as well as scale of assessments 
for the regular budget. Consideration of a subvention from 
the regular budget for the UN Institute for Training and 
Research (UNITAR) was also deferred even though there was an 
informal agreement to approve a loan for UNITAR.  Following 
the informal agreement, a member of the G-77 called UNITAR 
seeking their views on the loan agreement to which UNITAR 
replied that they would rather not have anything if all they 
would receive was a loan. This caused the G-77 to reverse its 
previous informal agreement and seek deferral of the item. 
Western States strongly protested the disregard of Fifth 
Committee practices, but in the end agreed to a compromise 
for the item to be deferred until the first resumed session 
of the 64th UNGA.  Regarding conditions of service, the G-77 
sought approval of a proposal for the vice-Chairman of the 
ACABQ to receive compensation equal to that of the vice-chair 
of the ICSC even though this issue was not being considered 
or requested by the SG.  Western States uniformly opposed the 
proposal and the item was deferred.  Regarding scale of 
assessments, the G-77 opposed proposals by the EU and the 
CANZ to engage in a substantive discussion of various models 
and possible guidance to the Committee on Contributions (COC) 
and as a result it was decided to defer any further 
consideration of this issue to the 64th UNGA. USUN took the 
position that the USG welcomed full information and analysis 
from the COC as long as any requests to the COC from the 
Fifth Committee included all requests for information by 
Member States and that the requests would be solely for 
technical information and not seek policy guidance from the 
COC. 
 
¶7. (U) Miscellaneous:  A debate occurred between various 
delegations and regional groups in the Fifth Committee on 
whether the issue of safety and security should be taken up 
in this first resumed session or be deferred since the 
comprehensive framework for safety and security and any 
corresponding requirements had not been submitted yet. The SG 
had requested funding for additional positions despite the 
lack of submission of the comprehensive report. The U.S. and 
other Western states supported considering the issue briefly 
this session in order to ensure there were no urgent 
requirements, but even this limited approach was opposed by 
the G-77.  As a compromise, the issue will be considered 
briefly in the second resumed session and then deferred to 
the 64th UNGA.  Another report that was issued this session, 
but not considered because of G-77 opposition was a Special 
Report of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC) on 
the high-level of vacancies within the Office of Internal 
Oversight Services (OIOS) including all three Director-level 
positions.  The report also pointed out the differences 
between the SG and the head of OIOS over the appointment of 
the Director of Investigations.  While the U.S. and other 
Western States agreed that there was no need to schedule 
informal consultations on the report, they supported a 
briefing by the Chair of the IAAC on this matter as a 
courtesy to the IAAC.  The G-77 rejected even this limited 
approach. As a compromise, the report will be considered in 
the second resumed session. 
Rice