Statement by Ms Edwina Stevens, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Australia, on behalf of Canada, New Zealand and Australia to the United Nations fifth committee on Item 118. Improving the efficient and effective delivery of the mandates of the development related activities and the revised estimates relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009
14 October 2008
(As delivered)
Mr Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of Canada, Australia and New-Zealand (CANZ).
Let me first thank Dr Asha Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General, for introducing the Report of the Secretary General on improving the effective and efficient delivery of the mandates of development-related activities (A/62/708) as well as Ms Susan McClurg, Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for the introduction of its related report (A/62/7/Add.40).
At the outset, let me reaffirm CANZ strong commitment to development. This year, our countries have committed around 7 and a half billion dollars in official development assistance, of which a large part is channelled through the United Nations. We have been taking concrete steps to work in partnership with developing countries to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.
With an investment of that magnitude in development assistance, we attach great importance to the effective and efficient delivery of development mandates. Indeed, more important than numbers and statistics are substantive results that improve the quality of life and provide more opportunities for millions of people around the world. We thus note the efforts of the Secretary-General to present member states a proposal to meaningfully strengthen and enhance the UN Secretariat’s delivery of development-related mandates.
We acknowledge the complexity of the task, as well as the strict deadline fixed by the General Assembly to do so. We note that the proposal in front of us amounts to more than $50 million for a full biennium and provides for 152 new posts.
Mr Chairman,
The proposal requests a significant addition of resources and it joins a number of other proposals requesting additional funding that the Committee expects to consider this session. We will consider requests for new resources on their merits. Prior to committing additional resources, we would appreciate more analysis on the potential for reallocating existing resources, and further detail on how the additional resources will achieve outcomes. In this regard, CANZ considers that the ACABQ report does not provide the analysis and expert guidance that we should normally expect.
Mr Chairman,
Our delegations are of the view that in order for the UN to fulfil its normative and operational role in development, the whole of its system must work effectively. Indeed, complementarity and coordination of responses within the UN’s development system is essential. This should be based on the most effective use of comparative advantages and capacities in the system to reach the end goal: greater and more sustainable social and economic development and poverty alleviation.
Mr Chairman,
When considering the SG’s proposal before us today, we must take into account how its recommendations respond to development activity mandates, more particularly how they relate to sister agencies, both within the Secretariat and across the broader UN system responsible for economic and social development, including the regional commissions. Given the range of other UN development agencies also actively involved in delivering on development mandates, it would be useful to clarify which are the partner organizations and what are the differentiated roles that partners will carry out in meeting these mandates. This is essential for ensuring a strengthened approach to development and more broadly in the context of UN reform and strengthening of the UN system. We are looking forward to engaging with the Secretariat on this point during informal negotiations.
In conclusion Mr. Chairman, let me reaffirm CANZ’s willingness to engage constructively with our partners to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the development mandates.
Thank you