Statement delivered by Ms Lara Nassau, First Secretary, Australian Mission to the UN, to the United Nations Third Committee in explanation of vote on the CEDAW resolution
27 November 2007
(As delivered)
Australia remains firmly committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the international treaty body system. We recognise the CEDAW Committee’s pursuit of budgetary and fiscal discipline, and improvement of its working methods. However, Australia wishes to address the budgetary implications resulting from an extension of the Committee’s meeting time.
Earlier this month the UN Controller detailed the financial situation of the UN as at 31 October 2007. The picture was mixed. The UN is increasingly working in an environment of ‘budget growth’ and is called upon to do more with less. Given the broader financial situation of the UN, it is regrettable that the programme budget implications of the proposed compromise could not be made available earlier, to allow for detailed consideration of budgetary issues.
Australia supports this resolution on the understanding that the additional funding of the proposal to extend the Committee’s meeting times would be provided from within existing UN budgetary resources.