VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0033/01 0211437
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211437Z JAN 10
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8032

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000033 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL AMGT AORC UN KUNR
SUBJECT: FIFTH COMMITTEE ACTION ON THE 2010-2011 BUDGET 
 
REF: A. USUN 00005 
     ¶B. USUN 00007 
 
SUCCESS ON CRITICAL MANAGEMENT REFORMS AND PRIORITY USG 
OBJECTIVES WITH MODEST GROWTH IN BUDGET. 
 
¶1.   (U) Summary: The main session of the 64th General 
Assembly (GA) concluded early on the morning of December 24, 
2009 with the adoption of a $5.16 billion 2010-2011 biennium 
budget. The Secretary-General initially proposed a 2010-2011 
budget of $4.88 billion. However, at the time of his initial 
proposal, the SYG identified a number of add-ons that would 
have potentially increased the initial budget proposal to 
$5.3 or $5.4 billion. Such an increased budget would have 
represented a growth of some 10% beyond the 2008-2009 budget, 
which already represented a growth of some 15% from the 
2006-2007 budget. USUN sought to restrain the overall 
increase while ensuring priorities were met. Those priorities 
included, among others, the strengthening of United Nations, 
Department of Safety and Security (DSS) and the launching of 
the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. USUN was 
successful in restraining growth for the 2010-2011 budget to 
$5.16 billion, which amounted to an increase of $357 million 
(7.5%) from the final 2008-2009 budget. END SUMMARY 
 
USUN SUCCESSFUL ON PRIORITY OBJECTIVES 
 
¶2.   (U) 2008-2009 Budget Reduced: As a result of the final 
performance report and final re-costing, the final UN budget 
for the 2008-2009 biennium was $4.799 billion --- a decrease 
of some $85 million (see A/64/545). The following areas 
showed the largest reductions: 
International Cooperation for Development ($13.4 million); 
Regional Cooperation for Development ($27 million); Human 
Rights and Humanitarian Affairs ($14.5 million); Staff 
Assessment ($26.6 million); Political Affairs ($8.7 million); 
Safety and Security ($7.3 million); and the Development 
Account ($5 million.) 
 
¶3.    (U) 2010-2011 Regular Budget Approved: A program budget 
for the 2010-2011 biennium of $5.16 billion was approved and 
represents a 7.5% increase from the 2008-2009 budget. The 
largest increase by area included the Development Account 
(22%), Safety and Security (19%), Political Affairs (13%), 
Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance (13%). Special 
initiatives like the ERP project also received considerable 
additional resources. The U.S., along with other major 
donors, was successful in reasonably restraining growth in a 
number of areas while at the same time identifying a number 
of savings. 
 
¶4.    (U) DSS Gets Much Needed Funding: Over the last 18 
months, DSS has operated without any increase in their 
2008-2009 budget despite enduring attacks on UN personnel in 
Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other missions and having 
requested  supplemental funding from the GA. This session, 
the GA approved $242 million of the SYG,s requested $295 
million, in line with the Advisory Committee on 
Administrative and Budgetary Questions, (ACABQ) 
recommendations for 2010-2011 and additional security needs. 
The funding will allow U/SYG Starr to begin to implement his 
new management priorities including training staff, 
augmenting risk/threat analysis capacity and increasing 
deployment of security personnel. An attempt was made by the 
G-77 to continue to fund DSS at the 2008-2009 (maintenance) 
level without any additional funding for urgent security 
needs. They argued that it was premature for the Committee to 
appropriate additional resources without having a complete 
picture of worldwide security needs as well as the fact that 
the SYG had indicated that he would be presenting additional 
funding proposals for safety and security in regard to 
Afghanistan and Pakistan during the first resumed session. 
The US and others, including CANZ and Switzerland, argued 
that additional resources were needed now to address 
immediate security needs. In the end, the G-77 agreed to go 
along with ACABQ recommended funding level, which the West 
supported. The GA also approved the SYG,s request, which was 
endorsed by the ACABQ, to utilize $7.9 million from the UNAMA 
budget for a four-month period to meet immediate security 
needs in Afghanistan. The amount taken from the UNAMA budget 
will be replenished when the SYG submits his formal funding 
proposal for emergency funding for Afghanistan and Pakistan 
at the first resumed session of the 64th GA in March. 
 
¶5.    (U) Substantial Growth In Special Political Missions 
including UNAMA and UNAMI: The SYG, in the budget outline for 
2010-2011 initially requested $828.9 million.  In line with 
established practice, the GA only approved at this time the 
2010 budgets for 27 Special Political Missions (SPMs) in the 
amount of $569.5 million, a reduction of $30 million or five 
percent from the SYG,s proposal of $599.9 million. Given 
that the 2010 SPM requirements consumed most of the initial 
biennium estimate and that needs are likely to go up for 
2011, it is expected that the SPM budget for 2010-2011 could 
be as high as $1.1 billion overall.  The 2010 funding 
includes $232 million for the UN Assistance Mission in 
Afghanistan (UNAMA) and $159 million for the UN Assistance 
Mission in Iraq. 
 
¶6.   (U) ERP Launched: The GA generally endorsed the SYG,s 
proposal for moving forward with the implementation of his 
long awaited ERP initiative. Despite initial reservations 
from numerous delegations, the SYG received funding to launch 
his Pilot First option, which was accepted as the most cost 
effective and risk adverse approach to implementing this 
major UN reform. This was a success for the U.S., which 
strongly supported this approach throughout the negotiations. 
The ERP will replace obsolete and redundant ICT platforms 
with a single globally comprehensive system, and in the 
process standardize Secretariat business processes and 
administrative functions. It is also the backbone for 
implementation of another key reform application: the 
International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). The 
GA agreed to move ahead with the project by approving $24.1 
million ($12 million in commitment authority) from the 
regular budget and $28.5 million from the peacekeeping 
support account. The GA also responded to the concern of the 
U.S. and other delegations regarding potential cost overruns, 
timeline of project implementation, and delivery oQhat has 
been promised by imposing strict oversight on the project,s 
management and requiring yearly progress reports. The GA also 
required that all future resource requirements for ERP be 
included in subsequent budget proposals. It also requested 
the SYG to report at each session on expenditures incurred; 
justification of the utilization of resources from the 
peacekeeping support account; and optionsQr further 
lowering the cost of the project. 
 
¶7.    (U) International Trade Centre Bolstered: The GA 
approved additional resources for ITC for 2010-2011 ($29.7 
million) in line with the recommendatiQof the ACABQ. 
 
¶8.    (U) Upgrading of NY Human Rights Office: The GA 
approved the upgrade of the head of the Office of the High 
Commissioner for Human Rights in New York from a D-2 to 
Assistant Secretary Level.  This upgrade was one of the 
highest priorities for the U.S. and working with other 
like-minded countries (CANZ, Switzerland, Norway), the U.S. 
was able to obtain GA approval despite strong opposition from 
India and others who opposed the upgrade on technical 
grounds. 
 
OTHER GAINS 
 
¶9.    (U) Budgetary Discretion Continued: The Committee 
considered the SYG,s belated request to extend and increase 
his budgetary discretion authority that had been granted in 
2006 on an experimental basis. This authority allowed the SYG 
to enter into commitments of up to $20 million during each of 
the previous two biennia. The SYG provided information on his 
use of Qority and requested it be expanded to $30 million. 
Following the introduction of this item, which occurred very 
late in the session, the G-77 proposed deferring it. They 
argued that the Committee was not given adequate time to 
consider the proposal and there were no valid reasons why the 
request was so late. While most other delegations, including 
the West, agreed in principle with the G-77,s concerns, they 
did not support completely deferring the item. In the end, 
the GA decided to extend the SYG,s existing authority for 
three months and consider the SYG,s request in the first 
resumed session. 
 
¶10.   (U) Associated Costs for the Capital Master Plan 
Absorbed: Consistent with US objectives, the GA called for 
any CMP &associated costs8 in 2010 to be absorbed within 
the existing budget for the CMP. 
 
SUCCESSES IN IDENTIFYING SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCIES 
 
11: Recosting, Vacancy Rate and Other Efficiency Cuts: The GA 
decided not to assess half of the amount subject to recosting 
in 2010 which will save Member States approximately $44 
million. The GA also raised the established vacancy rate from 
6.5% to 9.6% for professional posts, 3.5% to 4% for general 
service staff and 27.2 to 28.2 for field security staff in 
order to more accurately reflect the staffing within the UN 
and to address over-budgeting due to an inaccurate vacancy 
rate.  In addition, the GA reduced non-post resources by 2% 
with the exception of the Development Account and the Office 
of Central Support Services; reduced the use of consultants 
by 7% for 2010-2011, and cut $1 million for external printing. 
 
¶12.   (U) No Supplemental Resources for ICT: The Office of 
Information and Communication Technology (OICT) requested 
supplemental resources for the implementation of Enterprise 
Content Management (ECM) and Customer Relations Management 
(CRM) initiatives.  However, the GA decided not to 
appropriate resources for this &add-on8, saving some $18 
 
million. The EU, supported by the G-77, were intractable in 
their opposition to these initiatives arguing that each could 
be implemented with existing resources. The OICT must now 
begin deploying these programs with existing resources during 
2010 in order to avoid incurring penalties should some 10,000 
user licenses already purchased go unused. The Assembly 
requested that the SYG submit a new proposal for the 2012-13 
biennium. A total of $1.5 million was approved for the 
development of a unified disaster recovery plan for 
maintaining the Brindisi enterprise data center. 
 
DISAPPOINTMENTS 
 
¶13.  (U) Development Account: Throughout the session, the 
G-77 questioned whether resources were being equitably 
distributed among peace and security; development and human 
rights and consequently proposed language that would have 
increased the Development Account (DA) to $200 million from 
its 2008-09 level of $18.5 million. While it was universally 
understood that the figure was posturing by the G-77, the 
West, in the end, sought to limit the growth of the fund to 
around $5 million. The GA ultimately recommended that the DA 
receive $5 million from the 2010-2011 regular budget and $7.5 
million from unencumbered balances from the previous 
biennium. The GA also decided to establish one P-5 and one 
P-4 post to provide program support to the DA. These posts 
were requested under the Development Pillar strengthening 
proposal during the 63rd GA, but the GA took no decision on 
them at that time. The G-77 was also particularly resolute in 
supporting the United Nations support for the New Partnership 
for Africa's Development and Least Developed Countries, 
Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing 
States. 
 
¶14.   (U) Policy Making, Direction and Coordination: The GA 
decided to establish an Under-Secretary General's post at the 
UN office in Nairobi, an issue of great importance to the 
G-77. The Committee also agreed to establish a P-4 legal 
research post for the Registry of the United Nations Dispute 
Tribunal in New York. 
 
OTHER ITEMS 
 
¶15.   (U) Israel Isolated On Funding For Human Rights 
Council: Israel requested that a vote be held on PART V of 
the budget resolution on special subjects. Part V of this 
resolution took note of the SYG,s reports on financial 
estimates resulting from resolution S-9/1 adopted by the 
Human Rights Council during its ninth special session. 
(Resolution S-9/1 called for an independent international 
fact-finding mission, whose findings were later referred to 
as the Goldstone Report, to be dispatched to Israel and the 
Palestinian territories to investigate the military action 
that had taken place in Gaza in December 2008). The vote was 
136 in favor (U.S.), 2 against (Israel, Guatemala) (Note: 
Guatemala clarified that they had accidentally voted no, but 
had intended to vote in favor), and 3 abstentions (Benin, 
Cameroon, and Cote d,Ivoire).  In an explanation of vote, 
Israel said it could not support expenditure or allocation of 
funds that endorsed and permitted the work of any such 
mission that was established with predetermined conclusions. 
The U.S. made an explanation of position and stated it voted 
in favor because of its support for several activities that 
were funded through Part V, including the mandate of the 
independent expert in Sudan, the extension of the work of the 
Special Rapporteur to the DPRK and Burma, and assistance to 
Somalia in the area of human rights. The U.S. further 
clarified that the vote should not reflect any change in 
opinion on the outcome of the Goldstone Report. Following the 
vote, the Fifth Committee adopted the resolution as a whole. 
 
¶16.  (U) Increase of International Staff for UNRWA: The SYG 
requested three international posts for UNRWA to strengthen 
its management capacity and in support of UNRWA,s 
Organizational Development Plan.  Following the submission of 
the SYG,s request, UNRWA Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd 
directly appealed to Member States to approve 11 additional 
international posts for this same need and due to the fact 
that bilateral voluntary funding for these positions were 
expiring. The GA decided to approve the 3 posts requested by 
the SYG as well as the 11 additional posts for a total of 14 
for 2010-2011. 
 
¶17.   (U) Human Resources Management: Earlier in the session, 
the General Assembly decided to defer consideration of the 
human resources management (HRM) agenda item. As a result, 
the G-77 attempted to use the budget resolution as a vehicle 
for passing policy language that would normally be adopted in 
an HRM resolution. Most troublesome policy paragraphs were 
successfully defeated by the West. One paragraph was retained 
requesting the Secretary-General not take measures on 
geographic mobility until the GA had an opportunity to 
consider the mobility policy. This paragraph was drafted in 
response to revelations that the SYG intended to establish 
 
high mobility requirements for senior officials as of 1 
January 2010. In previous weeks, senior UN officials 
privately approached USUN with concerns about the 
requirements, indicating that their application would put 
both internal candidates and female candidates at a 
disadvantage. The Fifth Committee is expected to consider the 
mobility policy along with other outstanding HRM issues 
during the sixty-fifth session in fall 2010. 
 
¶18.   (U) Special Advisor for Africa: One cost-saving measure 
proposed by the SYG and endorsed by the Office of Internal 
Oversight (OIOS) to merge the functions of the Special 
Adviser on Africa with that of the High Representative for 
the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing 
Countries and Small Island Developing States was met with 
resolute opposition from the G-77. The GA had disagreed with 
this proposal during the 63rd GA and the G-77 were angered 
that the idea was still being promoted by the SYG and further 
promulgated by OIOS as a good idea that still merited 
consideration.  They urged the SYG to fill the Special 
Advisor position immediately. This became a contentious issue 
that was raised in almost all negotiations on various agenda 
items including program planning. Subsequently, the GA 
approved a program planning resolution that reiterated that 
the OIOS should not propose changes to legislative decisions 
and mandates already approved by intergovernmental bodies. 
 
DEFERRED ITEMS 
 
¶19.   (U) Several items with budget implications were 
deferred for action until the first resumed session in March. 
Most notably among these items is the SYG,s proposal for $85 
million emergency funding for strengthening safety and 
security in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Also to be considered 
is the SYG,s proposal to extend and expand his limited 
budgetary discretion authority; the SYG,s report on 
Procurement Activities and the five year review of OIOS. 
RICE