Questions Relating to the Proposed Programme Budget for the Biennium 1998-1999

A/RES/52/220View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 116 Proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, published in 1997.

What else is in this group?

22 documents · 1982–2018

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2018).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2018	A/RES/72/261	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2018-2019	5,126	–
2016	A/RES/70/247	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017	4,910	–
2014	A/RES/68/246	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2014-2015	2,150	–
2012	A/RES/66/246	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013	5,787	–
2010	A/RES/64/243	Questions relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011	6,861	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 7	Economic and social affairs	291
	Programme 2	Political affairs	17

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 7	Economic and social affairs	291	—
	Programme 2	Political affairs	17	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What’s in this document?

169 operative paragraphs

I

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on the programme narrative of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999 contained in the report of the Committee on the work of its thirty-seventh and resumed thirty-seventh session,⁵ without prejudice to the priorities established by the General Assembly and subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

⁵Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 16 (A/52/16); and ibid., Supplement No. 16A (A/52/16/Add.1).

Commends the efforts and initiatives of the Secretary-General aimed at reforming the United Nations;

Reiterates that the activities included in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999 must be derived from the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001,⁶ which is the principal policy directive of the Organization, taking into account regulation 4.2 of the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation;1

⁶Ibid., Fifty-first Session, Supplement No. 6 and corrigendum (A/51/6/Rev.1 and Corr.1).

Emphasizes that, for the sake of transparency and accountability, it is essential to establish clear relationships between the programmes as approved and the entity responsible for their delivery;

Reaffirms its support for maintaining the international character of the Organization and for the principles of efficiency, competence and integrity enshrined in Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations;

Stresses that the reform proposals approved in its resolutions 52/12 A and B will be implemented with full respect for the relevant mandates, decisions and resolutions of the General Assembly, in particular the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001;

Also stresses the role of the relevant intergovernmental bodies in the consideration of the narrative of the proposed programme budget, as well as the necessity for a timely presentation of their recommendations on the budget;

Emphasizes that the budget proposals of the Secretary-General should reflect resource levels commensurate with the mandates for their full implementation;

Reiterates the need for the Secretary-General to ensure that resources are utilized strictly for the purposes approved by the General Assembly;

Emphasizes the need for Member States to provide adequate resources for the full implementation of mandated programmes and activities;

Reiterates that, when formulating the proposed programme budget, the Secretary-General must respect fully the priorities established by the General Assembly;

Notes with concern the observation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions that full justification for reductions of posts has not been provided, which should be done as in the case of the creation of new posts;⁷

⁷Ibid., Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7 (A/52/7), chap. I, para. 72.

Reaffirms that, whenever a post becomes vacant, a proper programmatic/workload justification will be needed for its retention, abolition or redeployment;

Also reaffirms that the implementation of the reform measures and the reduction of posts must not entail involuntary separation of staff;

Notes that some of the posts proposed for abolition will not be vacant until the end of the first year of the biennium;

Decides that the staffing table for each year of the biennium 1998-1999 shall be as contained in annex I.A to the present resolution;

Notes with concern the trend towards increases in high-level posts and reductions in lower-level posts, which may affect the potential for rejuvenation of the Organization and its capacity for full implementation of approved mandates;

Emphasizes that the reduction in posts should not affect full implementation of all mandated programmes and activities;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, in accordance with the commitments undertaken in his report entitled "Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform",⁸ a report on developments in the post structure of the Secretariat over the past ten years, on the forward-looking human resources management policy that he intends to develop, for both the short and medium term, with a view to rejuvenating the Organization and on the impact that such a policy should have on developments in the post structure in the future;

⁸A/51/950 and Add.1-7.

Reaffirms that gratis personnel should be expeditiously phased out in accordance with resolution 51/243 of 15 September 1997;

Decides to delete the references to type II gratis personnel in budget documents;

Requests the Secretary-General, in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001, to submit estimates of the total amount of resources that he should have at his disposal, from all sources of financing, in order to be able to implement fully the mandated programmes and activities;

Regrets that the reports requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 51/243 have not been submitted for consideration;

Expresses its concern that a number of sections in the proposed programme budget were not prepared in complete conformity with the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001;5

Decides to make changes, as contained in annex II to the present resolution, to the programme narrative in the final published version of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999,2 as reflected in the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination at its thirty-seventh session;4

Also decides to make changes, as contained in annex III to the present resolution, to the programme narrative in the report of the Secretary-General entitled "United Nations reform: measures and proposals";3

II

Emphasizing that programmes and activities mandated by the General Assembly must be respected and implemented fully,

Emphasizing also the need for mandated programmes and activities to be delivered in the most effective and efficient manner,

Reiterates that the priorities for the biennium 1998-1999 are the following:

Maintenance of international peace and security;

Promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions and recent United Nations conferences;

Development of Africa;

Promotion of human rights;

Effective coordination of humanitarian assistance efforts;

Promotion of justice and international law;

Disarmament;

Drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations;

Approves the comments and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions as expressed in its first report on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999⁹ and in its second report on the reform proposals of the Secretary-General,¹⁰ subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

⁹Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7 (A/52/7).

¹⁰A/52/7/Add.1. For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7A.

Reaffirms the budgetary process as approved in its resolution 41/213;

Takes note of the observations of the Advisory Committee as reflected in paragraph 38 of its first report on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, and concurs with its request for the Secretary-General to ensure complete uniformity in the presentation of the various expenditures in future programme budgets;

Notes that the Secretary-General has provided a series of organizational charts for the various departments in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, and requests that this become standard practice for each budget section in future programme budgets and that the organizational charts include posts from all sources of funding;

Welcomes the format adopted by the Secretary-General in his report entitled "United Nations reform: measures and proposals"3 concerning the transfer of resources between sections with a view to establishing new departments, and requests the Secretary-General, in the interest of transparency, to ensure that proposed transfers of posts and other resources between budget sections are explained in the same manner in future programme budgets;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the proposals contained in the individual sections of future programme budgets include more precise information on the outputs and activities of the various departments, on the basis of which the General Assembly could later evaluate budget performance;

Requests that the individual sections of the programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001 contain a summary of the relevant recommendations of the internal and external oversight bodies and, for each recommendation, information on the follow-up action taken;

Reaffirms its resolution 51/221 B of 18 December 1996;

Notes with deep concern that some of the proposals related to pilot projects imply changes in the existing budgetary practices and procedures;

Decides to consider the impact of the implementation of pilot projects on the budgetary practices and procedures as well as on the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, prior to their implementation, and requests the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report on this matter through the Advisory Committee to the General Assembly at the first part of its resumed fifty-second session;

Also decides that, pending its consideration of the above-mentioned report, no action can be taken in the context of the pilot projects that represents changes in the budgetary practices and procedures or in the Financial Regulations and Rules without prior approval of all relevant legislative bodies;

Reaffirms that changes in mandated programmes and activities are the prerogative of the General Assembly;

Requests the Secretary-General to maintain proper inventory records for all United Nations assets;

Also requests the Secretary-General to make careful use of resources for consultants and experts, general temporary assistance, travel, electricity and hospitality during the biennium 1998-1999 and to report on the outcome of those efforts in the context of the second performance report;

Further requests the Secretary-General to improve quality control with regard to food served and equipment used in the United Nations cafeteria and to ensure, to the extent possible, respect for the dietary habits of users of those facilities;

Invites the Secretary-General to propose measures to improve the profitability of the commercial activities of the United Nations, in particular in the sale of publications at Geneva, and, where appropriate, to develop new income-generating measures, and requests the Secretary-General to submit a report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session;

Requests the International Civil Service Commission to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session on the justification for the supplemental subsistence allowance, with a view to considering its possible phasing out or maintenance;

Regrets the tendency towards excessive use of consultants, in particular in areas where in-house expertise is available, and requests the Secretary-General to resort in future to the use of consultants only when in-house expertise is not available and in accordance with the existing rules and regulations and relevant resolutions;

Also regrets that the report requested by the General Assembly in paragraph 14 of its resolution 51/221 B on the use of consultants was not provided by 1 March 1997, and requests the Secretary-General to submit the report to the Assembly at the first part of its resumed fifty-second session;

Urges all Member States to pay their assessed contributions in full, on time and without imposing conditions, to avoid the financial difficulties being experienced by the Organization;

Endorses the observation of the Advisory Committee¹¹ that a high vacancy rate hampers the delivery of mandated programmes and that deliberate management decisions to keep a certain number of posts vacant makes the budget process less transparent and management of staff resources more difficult;

¹¹Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7 (A/52/7), chap. I, para. 57.

Reaffirms that the vacancy rate is a tool for budgetary calculations and should not be used to achieve budgetary savings;

Notes that requirements in respect of the Joint Inspection Unit, the International Civil Service Commission and conference and security services at Vienna are presented for appropriation on a net basis;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all the funds approved in the budgets of the three entities are allotted to allow for full implementation of all of their mandated programmes and activities;

Approves the staffing table for the International Civil Service Commission, the Joint Inspection Unit and conference and security services at Vienna, as contained in annex I.B to the present resolution;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that funds from the participating organizations are received promptly;

Decides to keep under review all aspects of net budgeting, including its impact on the functioning of the entities concerned, and requests the Secretary-General to report on this subject to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session;

Notes with concern the ratio between regular budget and extrabudgetary resources, which reflects the trend towards financing core functions mainly from extrabudgetary resources;

III.Section 1A. Overall policy-making, direction and coordination

Decides to establish under the regular budget one P-5, one P-4 and one General Service (Other level) post in the secretariat of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions to replace the existing posts financed from extrabudgetary resources;

Accepts the proposal to restore to the D-1 level the post of Executive Secretary of the Board of Auditors, taking into account the increased workload of the Board;

Decides to establish the post of Deputy Secretary-General in accordance with resolution 52/12 B, and also decides, with respect to salary and emoluments, to approve the recommendation contained in paragraph 5 (b) of the report of the Advisory Committee;9

Approves the staffing proposal for the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General, subject to provision for just two of the three proposed General Service posts;

Also approves the establishment of one D-1, one P-5, one P-4 and one General Service post for the Strategic Planning Unit;

Decides to keep under review the level of resources for consultants and experts in the Strategic Planning Unit;

Requests the Secretary-General to delete the funds budgeted for joint meetings of the Committee for Programme and Coordination and the Administrative Committee on Coordination, since those meetings are no longer held;

Section 1B. General Assembly affairs and conference services

Notes that the newly created Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services will not, for the present time, undertake the servicing of the Fifth and Sixth Committees of the General Assembly or of the Security Council, even though the rationalization of servicing arrangements should lead to greater unity of purpose, greater coherence of efforts at all levels and greater cost-effectiveness, which would result in economies of scale;

Requests the Secretary-General to keep the above arrangements under review and to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session a report in this regard, with a view to considering the possible integration of all conference-servicing resources for all Main Committees of the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and their subsidiary and ad hoc bodies and special conferences into the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services;

Accepts the proposed reclassification of the D-2 post redeployed from the former Office of the Director of Conference Services to the assistant secretary-general level, the P-4 post of Special Assistant to the Under-Secretary-General to the P-5 level and a P-2 post to the P-3 level for the purpose of enhancing administrative support in the Executive Office;

Decides that the resources for the Office of the President of the General Assembly shall be presented on an object-of-expenditure basis, starting with the biennium 1998-1999, and approves the proposal of the Secretary-General regarding the level of resources for the biennium 1998-1999;

Also decides that the unit proposed for technical aspects of servicing meetings of the Trusteeship Council, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) of the General Assembly and the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples shall comprise one Political Affairs Officer at the P-5 level, one at the P-3 level and two General Service staff;

Notes with concern the abolition of thirty posts of translator and interpreter;

Also notes with concern the practices noted with respect to self-revision, which may attain proportions of 80 per cent during periods of peak workload, whereas the specified standard is 45 per cent;

Requests the Secretary-General to keep under review the two issues mentioned in paragraphs 13 and 14 above, in the light of its resolution 50/11 of 2 November 1995, and to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, through the Committee on Conferences, on their impact on the quality of conference services provided;

Section 2A. Political affairs

Decides to retain the P-3 post proposed for abolition under subprogramme 7 (Question of Palestine), and requests the Secretary-General to fill the vacant Professional post under this subprogramme, taking into account the developments in the Middle East;

Notes that the redeployment of a P-5 post to assist the Department of Political Affairs with its role as convenor of the Executive Committee for Peace and Security has been in effect since January 1997, and requests that the continuing need for the post for this function be monitored in the light of experience;

Takes note of the observations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions contained in paragraph 23 of its second report,9 and requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the division of responsibilities between the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations so as to guarantee the clear delineation of their respective tasks and to avoid duplication and overlap;

Requests the Secretary-General to make careful use of the resources for the regional seminars on decolonization;

Notes the establishment of a stand-alone Decolonization Unit in the Department of Political Affairs;

Also notes the need to ensure that the Decolonization Unit is an effective unit;

Decides that the Decolonization Unit in the Department of Political Affairs shall comprise one Principal Officer at the D-1 level, one Senior Political Affairs Officer at the P-5 level, one Political Affairs Officer at the P-4 level and two General Service staff;

Also decides that the status of the liaison office at Addis Ababa, as proposed in paragraph 2.50 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999,2 shall be a United Nations office at Addis Ababa and that it shall be transferred from section 2A to section 1A of the proposed programme budget;

Further decides to transfer the recommendation of the Committee for Programme and Coordination relating to paragraph 2.50 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999 to section 1A in accordance with paragraph 23 above;

Section 2B. Disarmament

Notes the establishment of the new Department for Disarmament Affairs;

Decides to retain the three P-5 posts of the Directors of the three regional centres for peace and disarmament, requests the Secretary-General to fill these posts in the shortest possible time, and invites Member States to support the centres; and also decides to have in the new Department two P-5 posts, one which had been proposed for abolition and another to be established;

Encourages the Directors of the centres, to be appointed, to establish contact, starting in the first quarter of 1998, with the United Nations Development Programme and the regional organs, as well as with Member States of the different regions, with a view to finding resources for the revitalization of the activities of the centres;

Decides that the organizational chart of the new Department for Disarmament Affairs should be as contained in the report of the Secretary-General,3 subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Section 3. Peacekeeping operations and special missions

Reiterates its request that gratis personnel be phased out in accordance with the provisions of its resolution 51/243;

Notes with concern that the high level of vacancies maintained in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization has created management difficulties for it;

Requests the Secretary-General to fill the vacant posts, taking into account the standardized vacancy rate approved for the biennium 1998-1999;

Decides that the Lessons Learned Unit within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations may provide, upon request from Member States, advice on lessons learned from the tasks referred to in paragraph 3.19 (b) of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999;2

Also decides to delete the funds requested for a study to draw upon lessons learned on disarmament and demobilization, and urges the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to make maximum use of related studies already conducted by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and other organizations;

Section 5. International Court of Justice

Notes that the estimates relating to the statutory entitlements of the members of the International Court of Justice are scheduled for a comprehensive review by the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, and, in view of this, decides that any resource change resulting from decisions taken by the Assembly with regard to emoluments and other conditions of service for the members of the Court will be reported in the performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999;

Requests the International Court of Justice to explore vigorously the introduction of modern technology, including methods used by regional and national judicial systems, as well as the experience of the Office of Legal Affairs, in reducing the backlog related to the printing of the Court's publications and the translation of its documents;

Requests the Secretary-General to review the financial arrangements associated with the dining room at the International Court of Justice and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session;

Section 6. Legal affairs

Accepts the reclassification of the D-2 post in the Office of the Legal Counsel to the assistant secretary-general level;

Section 7A. Economic and social affairs

Notes the creation of the new Department of Economic and Social Affairs;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a new narrative for this section in full accordance with the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001,5 taking into account regulation 4.2 of the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation,1 to be considered by the Committee for Programme and Coordination at its thirty-eighth session;

Requests the Committee for Programme and Coordination at its thirty-eighth session to review the new narrative and to submit its conclusions and recommendations thereon to the General Assembly for its consideration during the first part of its fifty-third session and no later than 1 October 1998;

Expresses its concern about the decrease in the level of resources devoted to technical cooperation;

Requests the Secretary-General to keep under review the structure and level of resources of the Department, taking into account the need to provide all the resources necessary for the full implementation of all mandated programmes and activities previously performed by the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis and the Department for Development Support and Management Services;

Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all the activities outlined in the ten subprogrammes under sections 7, 9 and 10 of the initial budget proposal are included in section 7A of the final version of the programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999;

Notes the allocation of resources by subprogramme, as contained in annex IV.A and B to the present resolution;

Decides to keep under review the level of resources and the number of posts in the Executive Office, taking into account the need to guarantee the capacity of the Organization to implement fully the activities related to technical cooperation;

Also decides to reclassify to the D-2 level a D-1 post in the Division for the Advancement of Women;

Further decides to establish a D-1 post in the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, to replace the existing post financed from extrabudgetary resources;

Section 8. Africa: New Agenda for Development

Takes note of the budget appropriation in the biennium 1998-1999 for the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, and calls upon the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to mobilize additional resources for the implementation of the programme of action contained in the New Agenda;

Section 11A. Trade and development

Decides that the work programme on assistance to the Palestinian people of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will continue to be carried out by a Special Coordinator at the P-5 level and a staff member at the P-4 level;

Also decides that the work programme for landlocked and island developing countries will continue to be carried out within the Office of the Special Coordinator under the overall supervision of a staff member at the D-1 level, supported by a staff member at the P-4 level, while a staff member at the P-5 level in the Division for Services Infrastructure for Development and Trade Efficiency will continue to work solely on issues related to landlocked developing countries;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate resources are allocated in the programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999 for activities specifically relating to the least developed countries, in accordance with the priority accorded thereto;

Recalls paragraph 33 of its resolution 51/167 of 16 December 1996, in which it requested the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to submit a proposal on savings resulting from the improved overall cost-effectiveness achieved pursuant to the decisions taken at the ninth session of the Conference, including the restructuring of the intergovernmental machinery and reform of the secretariat, and to submit a proposal on how to reallocate a part of the savings in the 1998-1999 budget cycle, with a view to strengthening the capabilities of the Conference in priority areas, including in technical cooperation;

Regrets that the above-mentioned proposals have not been submitted;

Requests the Secretary-General to prepare expeditiously, in consultation with the Working Party on the Medium-term Plan and Programme Budget of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, a report on the above-mentioned proposals, exploring ways and means, within the existing financial regulations and rules of the United Nations, of utilizing these savings during the biennium 1998-1999, and to submit it to the General Assembly at the first part of its resumed fifty-second session for its consideration;

Section 11B. International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO

Notes with concern that the arrangements entered into by the Secretary-General with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization in the exchange of correspondence of September 1995 have not yet been transmitted to the General Assembly, and, in this regard, considers that the agreement between the secretariats of the United Nations and the former General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade is still in force until the Assembly reviews the agreement between the United Nations and the World Trade Organization;

Section 12. Environment

Decides to keep under review the level of resources for the United Nations Environment Programme, and requests the Secretary-General to submit proposals in this regard, taking into account General Assembly resolution 51/177 of 16 December 1996 and the decreasing trend in extrabudgetary resources;

Takes note of paragraphs IV.47 and IV.48 of the first report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999,¹² and requests the Secretary-General to act accordingly;

¹²A/52/7 (Chap. II, Part IV). For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7.

Section 13. Human settlements

Decides to keep under review the level of resources for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), and requests the Secretary-General to submit proposals in this regard, taking into account General Assembly resolution 51/177 and the decreasing trend in extrabudgetary resources;

Takes note of paragraphs IV.54 and IV.55 of the first report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999,11 and requests the Secretary-General to act accordingly;

Section 14. Crime control

Notes the establishment of the Centre for International Crime Prevention, and also notes that the Centre, together with the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, will form the new Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention;

Endorses the proposal of the Secretary-General to strengthen the capacity of the new Centre for International Crime Prevention;

Stresses the need to promote the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the need to strengthen further international cooperation between States and between regional organizations, international organizations and agencies and the United Nations in order to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever and by whomsoever committed, as well as its financing;

Approves the establishment of two new posts at the P-5 and P-4 levels for the Centre for International Crime Prevention and the redeployment of one D-1 post from the United Nations Office at Vienna to the Centre to strengthen its capacity to address issues related to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations;

Section 15. International drug control

Decides that the consolidation of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme should not undermine the critical importance of the comprehensive programme on drug control, which should be fully implemented in accordance with the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001,5 and that adequate resources for this purpose should be provided;

Emphasizes that the realignment of the Centre for International Crime Prevention with the United Nations International Drug Control Programme should result in better coordination between these entities and should produce important synergies, while safeguarding the multidisciplinary aspects of drug control policy;

Sections 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Regional commissions

Concurs with the observation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions on the use of short-term consultants and experts by the Economic Commission for Africa as reflected in paragraph V.19 of its first report,¹³ calls upon the Commission to take deliberate management action to ensure an effective transfer of knowledge and expertise from short-term consultants and experts to Commission staff, and encourages other regional commissions to take similar action;

¹³A/52/7 (Chap. II, Part V). For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7.

Requests the Secretary-General to review the format of presentation of the programmes of activities of the regional commissions with a view to delineating more clearly substantive activities vis-à-vis programme support and harmonizing the budget presentation, and to present more clearly the description of activities and services provided by the regional commissions in order to permit a quantitative and qualitative monitoring of the progress of programme implementation;

Section 16. Economic and social development in Africa

Welcomes the restructuring and reorientation of programmes undertaken by the Economic Commission for Africa and, in particular, the decentralization of the activities of the Commission to subregional development centres, and, in this regard, stresses the need for additional resources from all sources of funding to strengthen the subregional centres and the capacity of the Commission to give appropriate guidance as a focal institution for these activities;

Expresses its concern that the Economic Commission for Africa has, in the course of the past few years, suffered greatly from a persistently high vacancy rate in critical areas, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all posts budgeted for the biennium 1998-1999 are filled;

Requests the Secretary-General to redeploy to the subregional centres any savings realized during the biennium as a result of reform measures and efficiency gains from within the Economic Commission for Africa;

Section 19. Economic and social development in Latin

America and the Caribbean

Notes the initiative of the Secretary-General to present a new pilot management project aimed at improving the decision-making process of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean through decentralization of authority in certain areas of human resources and budget management;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit details of the new pilot management project to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean at its twenty-seventh session for its final approval, as provided for in paragraph 4 of Commission resolution 563 (PLEN.21) and recommended by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in paragraph V.66 of its first report;12

Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all activities included in subprogramme 2 benefit all members of the region;

Section 22. Human rights

Notes that the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-19992 includes activities that have no specific mandates approved by the General Assembly;

Reaffirms the use of the contingency fund as approved in its resolution 41/213, and its resolution 42/211 of 21 December 1987;

Recalls paragraph 2 of section XI of its resolution 44/201 B of 21 December 1989;

Regrets that the report requested in the above-mentioned resolution has not yet been submitted to the General Assembly;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit the above-mentioned report to the General Assembly at its resumed fifty-second session;

Decides, pending its consideration of the above-mentioned report, to appropriate the resources requested by the Secretary-General in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, and, in this regard, requests the Secretary-General to ensure that no funds directly related to these non-mandated activities are committed to them;

Also decides to amend the narrative of section 22, as indicated in annex II to the present resolution;

Section 23. Protection of and assistance to refugees

Notes with concern the steady decline of regular budget and extrabudgetary resources available to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;

Requests the Secretary-General to monitor the flow of extrabudgetary resources to the Office of the High Commissioner and, based on his findings, to review the funding of the Office from the regular budget above the current proposed level;

Section 24. Palestine refugees

Reaffirms its support for the programme of work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, decides to retain the eight posts proposed for abolition under this section, in the light of the difficulties facing the Agency resulting from the decrease in extrabudgetary resources, and invites the donor countries to fulfil their pledges to the Agency and to increase their contributions to it in order to support the full implementation of its programme of work;

Section 25. Humanitarian assistance

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the legislative basis and methodology for charging programme support costs for voluntary contributions, in cash or in kind;

Notes that the operational demining activities, as well as the Mine Action Service financed from the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance, will be transferred to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and stresses that humanitarian mine-clearance activities should be conducted under the responsibility of the Emergency Relief Coordinator;

Section 26. Communications and public information

Notes the transformation of the Department of Public Information into an Office of Communications and Public Information;

Decides that no action shall be taken on the proposal for abolition of the fifty-one local-level posts in the United Nations information centres and on the question of integration of the information centres with the United Nations Development Programme, including review of earlier cases, reiterates its request to the Secretary-General in paragraph 11 of its resolution 51/138 B of 13 December 1996 to continue the integration exercise in a cost-effective manner and, whenever feasible, on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the views of the host country and ensuring that the information functions and the autonomy of the information centres are not adversely affected, and requests the Secretary-General to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session;

Also decides to establish a P-4 post in the Media Division for a Portuguese-language radio producer;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Committee for Programme and Coordination at its thirty-eighth session a new programme narrative for section 26, in the light of the recommendations of the Committee on Information regarding the conclusions and recommendations of the Task Force on the Reorientation of United Nations Public Information Activities;

Section 27A. Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management

Decides that the staffing component of the Management Policy Office shall comprise one D-2, one D-1, three P-5 and two General Service posts;

Requests the Secretary-General to reflect in the budget performance report those expenditures related to compensation paid to staff as a result of judgements of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal;

Decides that the General Service post in the secretariat of the Fifth Committee and the Committee for Programme and Coordination currently funded from extrabudgetary resources shall henceforth be financed through the United Nations regular budget;

Also decides to undertake during its resumed fifty-second session a thorough review of the working methods of the Fifth Committee, with a view to rationalizing them and initiating efficiency measures that may enable the Committee to accomplish its tasks on time without resorting to extra meetings at night and on weekends;

Section 27B. Office of Programme Planning,

Budget and Accounts

Decides to establish two P-4 and two P-3 posts in the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts;

Requests the Secretary-General to consult with the Member States not acceding to section 18 (b) of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations¹⁴ on appropriate administrative arrangements for managing the Tax Equalization Fund and to report to the General Assembly on the outcome of such consultations;

¹⁴Resolution 22 A (I).

Section 27C. Office of Human Resources Management

Endorses the restoration of one P-4 post and one General Service post in the Examinations and Tests Section as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in paragraph VIII.34 of its first report on the proposed programme budget;¹⁵

¹⁵A/52/7 (Chap. II, Part VIII). For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7.

Notes the overall increase in allocations for staff training, and requests the Secretary-General to pursue this policy in future programme budgets, taking into account the growing number of persons to be trained;

Requests the Secretary-General to deploy all necessary human and financial resources to maintain the teaching at all levels of the official and working languages of the Secretariat and to maintain the training of the Organization's translators and revisers;

Section 27D. Support services

Recognizes the importance of the security system and guards in the United Nations, and requests the Secretary-General to keep under review the level of resources allocated to this function;

100

Decides that all procurement-related functions should be performed only by United Nations staff, taking into account the provisions of General Assembly resolution 51/243;

Section 27H. Administration, Nairobi

101

Requests the Secretary-General to bring the financial arrangements of the United Nations Office at Nairobi into line with those of similar United Nations administrative offices and to provide the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) with the capacity to improve its financial and administrative management;

Section 30. Special expenses

102

Requests the Secretary-General to apportion general operating expenses relating to the bank charges among the various sources of funds to which financial interests are credited, on a pro rata basis;

Section 31. Capital expenditures: construction, alteration, improvement and major maintenance

103

Notes with concern the high proportion of projects deferred from the previous biennium in the total proposed requirements for alteration, improvement and major maintenance, and emphasizes that such deferral eventually proves expensive for the Organization because of the negative effect it has on fixed assets;

104

Endorses the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions contained in paragraph XI.4 of its first report¹⁶ to the effect that the Secretary-General should indicate in the next programme budget the value of United Nations-owned buildings and submit a comparison between United Nations and normal standards for the cost of maintenance vis-à-vis the value of buildings;

¹⁶A/52/7 (Chap. II, Part XI). For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 7.

Section 34. Development account

105

Notes that arrangements and procedures for utilization of the development account are to be formulated, and calls upon the Secretary-General to report on the issue before the end of March 1998;

106

Decides that the amount of 362,000 United States dollars saved as a result of the abolition of the High-level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development shall be transferred to the development account.

Annex I

Staffing table for 1998 and 1999

1998 | 1999 | Professional and higher categories | Deputy Secretary-General | 1 | 1 | Under-Secretary-General | 25 | 25 | Assistant Secretary-General | 18 | 18 | D-2 | 76 | 75 | D-1 | 257 | 253 | P-5 | 672 | 671 | P-4/3 | 2 154 | 2 142 | P-2/1 | 439 | 436 | Total | 3 642 | 3 621 | General Service category | Principal level | 269 | 269 | Other levels | 2 746 | 2 732 | Total | 3 015 | 3 001 | Other categories | Security Service | 171 | 171 | Local level | 1 590 | 1 576 | Field Service | 187 | 187 | Trades and Crafts | 187 | 185 | Total | 2 135 | 2 119 | Grand total | 8 792 | 8 741

Staffing table for the International Civil Service Commission,

the Joint Inspection Unit and conference and security services

at Vienna, 1998-1999

International Civil Service Commission | Joint Inspection Unit | Conference services, Vienna | Security services, Vienna | Professional and higher categories | D-2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | D-1 | 3 | - | 1 | - | P-5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 1 | P-4/3 | 10 | 5 | 66 | 1 | P-2/1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | Total | 20 | 10 | 77 | 2 | General Service category | Principal level | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | Other levels | 22 | 8 | 86 | 82 | Total | 24 | 9 | 92 | 83 | Grand total | 44 | 19 | 169 | 85

Changes to the programme narratives of the proposed programme budget for the

biennium 1998-1999,2 as reflected in the conclusions and recommendations

of the Committee for Programme and Coordination at its

thirty-seventh session,4 and additional modifications

At the end of paragraph 1.41, add:

"The primary function of the Office of External Relations is outreach, promotion and maintenance of the relations of the United Nations in civil society, including non-governmental organizations, the business world, academic institutions, foundations, professional associations, parliamentarians, trade unions and the religious community. Its work is complementary to that of the Office of Communications and Public Information. While the latter disseminates information to the press and other media and the general public, as well as providing services to non-governmental organizations associated with it, the Office of External Relations focuses on an in-depth relationship between key institutions of civil society and the Secretary-General. It chairs an interdepartmental working group that provides advice to the Secretary-General on his relationship with non-governmental organizations. It works closely with the speech writers and the Spokesman for the Secretary-General and confers with the Protocol and Liaison Service in connection with requests and visits by leaders of civil society, but does not undertake protocol functions. In close cooperation and coordination with the Office of Communications and Public Information, the Office of External Relations develops a communication strategy and core message that is consistent, compelling and well coordinated."

In paragraph 2.50, after the second sentence, insert:

"The functions of the proposed liaison office at Addis Ababa would be:

"(a) To facilitate the exchange of information and the coordination of initiatives and efforts in the areas of preventive diplomacy and peacemaking, as well as in the democratization process in Africa:

"(i) Following closely the deliberations of the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution of the Organization of African Unity and advising Headquarters of political initiatives of concern to the United Nations discussed by the Mechanism;

"(ii) Carrying out liaison with the Division for Conflict Resolution of the Organization of African Unity and the Department of Political Affairs at large, with a view to enhancing cooperation on specific political issues of priority concern to the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity;

"(iii) Supporting the activities of joint United Nations/Organization of African Unity special representatives;

"(b) To coordinate the implementation of the programmes of cooperation between the United Nations system and the Organization of African Unity agreed to at the annual meetings between their secretariats;

"(c) To perform such representational functions as may be required and necessary at relevant meetings of the Organization of African Unity at Addis Ababa."

In paragraph 2.120:

The second sentence should read: "Since the end of the cold war, developments have taken place in a number of important areas in the field of arms control and disarmament.";

In the last sentence, delete "and the need for their further integration into the broader international efforts to enhance peace and security".

In paragraph 2.124, at the end of the sixth sentence, add "in the field of arms control and disarmament".

Paragraph 3.10 should read:

"The Department must maintain a capacity to discharge effectively those tasks assigned to it, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and taking into account the important contribution that regional arrangements and agencies, within their respective mandates, scope and composition, can make to peacekeeping, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter."

In paragraph 3.19 (b), replace "disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of armed forces" with "disarmament and demobilization".

In paragraph 6.58, after "Reports of International Arbitral Awards" insert ", the update of summaries of judgments, advisory opinions and orders of the International Court of Justice".

In paragraph 11A.46, second sentence, after "certain developing countries" insert ", such as landlocked and small island developing countries,".

In paragraph 11A.60, add an additional subparagraph reading:

"(d) The capacity of island developing countries to alleviate special development constraints relating to the high transport costs will have been improved."

In paragraph 13.22, fourth sentence, replace "partners" with "local authorities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector".

Paragraph 14.2 (b) (ii) should read:

"Supporting the strengthening of the capacity of Governments, at their request, to improve their legislation and criminal justice systems;".

Paragraph 14.2 (c) (iii) should read:

"Elaborating and assisting Member States in the implementation of effective strategies and practical arrangements for consistent and efficient cooperation against major forms of criminality, such as organized transnational crime, including drug trafficking, corruption, terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the smuggling of illegal migrants, trafficking in women and children, environmental offences, the laundering of the proceeds of crime, fraudulent operations and other forms of economic crime;".

In paragraph 15.8, delete "and help to set the agenda for international drug control for the following decade".

After paragraph 15.8, add a new paragraph reading:

"The Programme will provide services to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the preparatory body of the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the combat against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities, to be held in June 1998."

and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly.

After former paragraph 15.12, add a new paragraph reading:

"At the 1998 session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, at least five days will be devoted to the preparation of the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the combat against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities."

and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly.

In former paragraph 15.18 (a) (i), delete "Prepare for and participate in the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council" and replace "on drug control" by "devoted to the combat against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities".

In former paragraph 15.18 (a) (ii), add a new subparagraph reading:

"c. Documents for the preparatory process of the special session of the General Assembly;".

After former paragraph 15.18 (c), add a new subparagraph reading:

"(d) The Programme will compile the recommendations presented to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the preparatory body of the special session, by the organs, organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, as well as by multilateral development banks, on the issues to be addressed by the special session."

In former paragraph 15.28 (a) (ii) a., after "Action Plan on Drug Abuse Control;" delete "and" and, at the end of the paragraph, add "and documentation for the preparatory process of the special session".

At the end of former paragraph 15.28 (b) (iii), add ", including public relations material to promote the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the combat against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities".

In former paragraph 15.36, second sentence, item (c), replace "special session of the General Assembly on international drug control" with "special session of the General Assembly devoted to the combat against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities".

In former paragraph 15.37 (a) (ii) a., after "Global Programme of Action;" delete "and" and after "1988 Convention;" add "and report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the preparatory body of the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the combat against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities, containing the recommendations for the special session".

In former paragraph 15.37 (a) (ii) c., after "bodies of the Commission;" delete "and" and after "its subsidiary bodies;" add "and documents on possible results of the special session of the General Assembly, in particular with possible measures to strengthen the implementation of the international drug conventions".

In former paragraph 15.42, first sentence, after "will focus" insert "in 1998 on the preparation of a draft of a declaration of the United Nations on the principles for the reduction of the demand, which could be approved at the special session of the General Assembly in June 1998. Furthermore, activities will focus".

In paragraph 19.58 (c), after "SIECA" insert ", CARICOM".

In paragraph 22.1:

After the first sentence, insert a new sentence reading: "It is based on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.";

In the second sentence, delete "at the national level", after "protection of" insert "all" and after "realization of" insert "all".

In paragraph 22.3:

In the first sentence, replace "new global and integrated approach" with "global, integrated and balanced approach" and delete "and the Centre for Human Rights has been reorganized";

In the third sentence, replace "It will be implemented through a new management structure" with "It will be implemented in accordance with General Assembly resolution 52/121 of 12 December 1997 through a new management structure";

Delete the last sentence.

In paragraph 22.4, first sentence, replace "By providing high-quality research and analysis, the programme of work will aim" with "The programme will provide high-quality research and analysis. The programme of work will also aim".

After paragraph 22.4, add a new paragraph reading:

"The programme will support the United Nations human rights bodies and organs and facilitate their deliberations by ensuring and enhancing their effective functioning and the analytical capacity of the treaty bodies."

and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly.

In former paragraph 22.5, second sentence, after "human rights activities;" delete "effective".

Former paragraph 22.24 should read:

"Resource requirements for the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 1998-1999 will be submitted when the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families enters into force."

In former paragraph 22.29, after "coordination of" insert "human rights" and after "New York-based organizations and departments" insert "in accordance with relevant mandates".

In former paragraph 22.33, delete "monitoring".

Replace former paragraph 22.37 with two new paragraphs reading:

"The primary objectives of this subprogramme will include promotion and protection of the right to development. In this regard, the objectives will be to develop an integrated and multidimensional strategy for the implementation, coordination and promotion of the right to development in accordance with the Declaration on the Right to Development and subsequent mandates and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action aimed at facilitating action to be taken by relevant bodies of the United Nations system, including treaty bodies, international development and financial institutions and non-governmental organizations, for the implementation of the right to development as an integral part of fundamental human rights, ensuring the realization of the right to development across the human rights programme and by specialized agencies and United Nations treaty bodies; to promote national implementation of the right to development through coordination with State-appointed officials; to identify obstacles at the national and international levels; and to promote awareness about the content and importance of the right to development, including through information and educational activities.

"With regard to research and analysis, the objectives will be to strengthen respect for human rights by increasing knowledge, awareness and understanding of human rights issues through data collection, research and analysis. These objectives will be pursued within the framework of the indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights and will be aimed at facilitating the implementation of standards, the work of treaty bodies, special rapporteurs and other bodies and the preparation of new standards; ensuring the recognition at the national and international levels of economic, social and cultural rights; promoting democracy and strengthening national human rights institutions and procedures for the rule of law; contributing to the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and new forms of discrimination; strengthening the recognition of the human rights of women and children; and protecting vulnerable groups such as minorities, migrant workers and indigenous people."

and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly.

Former paragraph 22.40 (c) (i) should read:

"Participation in the work of the Administrative Committee on Coordination in accordance with relevant mandates;".

Former paragraph 22.53 should read:

"The focus of activities is to assist countries, at the request of the Governments concerned, in promoting and protecting the enjoyment of human rights through advisory services and technical cooperation projects and to provide support to human rights fact-finding procedures and field activities."

In former paragraph 22.55:

At the end of the first sentence, add ", taking duly into account the principles of impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity in the use of information";

The fourth sentence should read: "Currently there are 42 mandates: 16 are country- or territory-oriented, 12 are thematic and 14 are entrusted to the Secretary-General.".

Former paragraph 22.57 (a) (ii) should read:

"Parliamentary documentation:

"Fourteen reports to the General Assembly;

"Forty-six reports to the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights;

"Forty-nine reports to the Commission on Human Rights;".

In former paragraph 22.57 (c) (i), after "coordination" add ", in accordance with General Assembly resolution 48/141,".

At the end of former paragraph 22.57 (c) (ii), add ", taking duly into account the principles of impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity".

In paragraph 23.3, first sentence:

Under item (a), replace "forced population movements as well as finding solutions" with "forced population displacement as well as finding comprehensive solutions";

Insert a new item (d) reading: "the provision of humanitarian assistance for the care and maintenance of refugees in an appropriate manner, on the basis of the principle of international burden sharing and solidarity, with due attention being given to the prolonged presence of refugees, in particular in the developing countries;" and renumber the subsequent items accordingly.

At the end of former paragraph 23.7, add a new sentence reading: "Decentralization as well as delegation of authority and distribution of resources, where applicable, to regional offices would lead to better performance and provide the flexibility needed."

In former paragraph 23.10 (c) (vi), after the second sentence, insert a new sentence reading: "These solutions should be realistic and based on specific situations."

In former paragraph 23.11, first sentence, after "local settlement" insert ", resettlement".

In paragraph 26.39 (a) (i) a., replace "UN Chronicle (six issues annually, in English and French)" with "UN Chronicle (four issues annually, in all languages)".

Changes to be made in the programme narratives contained in the report

of the Secretary-General entitled "United Nations reform:

measures and proposals"

Replace paragraphs 2B.1 and 2B.2 of the report of the Secretary-General of 11 September 1997 entitled "United Nations reform: measures and proposals"¹⁷ with the following new paragraphs based on programme 26 of the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001,5 and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly:

¹⁷A/52/303.

"2B.1 The mandate for the programme on disarmament stems from the Charter of the United Nations and from the aims and purposes proclaimed by the General Assembly. The implementation of the programme should be guided by the priorities established in the relevant General Assembly resolutions and decisions. The new Department for Disarmament Affairs will be responsible for implementing the programme.

"2B.2 The first objective of the programme is to provide organizational and substantive secretariat support to multilateral bodies entrusted with deliberation and/or negotiations on disarmament issues, including the meeting of States parties and other international meetings related to multilateral disarmament agreements.

"2B.3 The second objective is to follow and assess current and future trends in the field of disarmament and international security in order to assist Member States, and to enable the Secretary-General also to assist them, in their search for agreement. Apart from substantive issues involved in the deliberative and/or negotiating process, this activity should address the challenges arising from the implementation of the relevant General Assembly resolutions as well as relevant treaties.

"2B.4 The third objective will be to support and promote regional disarmament efforts and initiatives using approaches freely among the States of the region and taking into account the legitimate requirements of States for self-defence and specific characteristics of each region. Regional solutions will be more vigorously pursued as regional conflicts increasingly pose a threat to peace and security. Regional dialogue on crucial disarmament and security issues will be advanced through, inter alia, the organization of conferences.

"2B.5 The fourth objective consists in providing impartial, factual information on the disarmament efforts of the United Nations to Member States, parliamentarians, research and academic institutions and specialized non-governmental organizations through the disarmament information programme and by providing Member States with full access to all relevant databases, including those on disarmament. This would include, as appropriate, organizing open-ended conferences, seminars and workshops for informal exchanges of views on arms control, disarmament and international security issues. The disarmament fellowship programme will continue to be pursued with the primary objective of promoting further the disarmament expertise of Member States, in particular in the developing countries. Member States will be assisted in addressing specific disarmament concerns through the provision of training and advisory services.

"2B.6 The fifth objective would be to continue to inform the public on an objective and updated basis of United Nations disarmament activities. In that context, the three regional centres for peace and disarmament established in Nepal, Peru and Togo should be utilized. Those centres should address the important security problems in their respective regions and subregions in a balanced manner.

"2B.7 This programme is expected to enable Member States to conduct deliberations and negotiations on disarmament issues in a smooth and efficient manner; to facilitate the task of the Secretary-General in the conduct of his relations with Member States on disarmament matters; to contribute to an integrated approach to issues relating to the maintenance of peace and security; and to facilitate the exchange of ideas between governmental and non-governmental sectors with a view to promoting a better understanding of United Nations endeavours in the field of disarmament."

In paragraph 14.1, last sentence, after "terrorism" insert "in all its forms and manifestations".

3. In paragraph 14.2, first sentence, replace "especially organized crime ... and violence" by "in particular, organized transnational crime, economic crime, corruption, terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, environmental offences and illicit traffic in children and women".

In paragraph 14.3, first sentence, delete "national" and "the transition to".

At the end of paragraph 14.4, add "in all its forms and manifestations".

Paragraph 22.2 should read:

"The programme aims at a major strengthening of coordination for human rights throughout the United Nations system leading to a comprehensive and integrated approach to the promotion and protection of human rights based on the contributions of each of the United Nations organs, bodies and specialized agencies whose activities deal with human rights and on improved inter-agency cooperation and coordination. The coordinating role of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also implies that the New York Office should be strengthened."

Delete paragraphs 22.3 and 22.4 and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly.

In paragraph 25.2 (b), delete ", notably the Security Council".

9. In subprogramme 2 (Complex emergencies), second sentence, replace "to include ... operations" with "in accordance with the medium-term plan for 1998-2001 and subsequent legislative mandates".

In paragraph 25.7, at the end of the fourth sentence, add "in accordance with resolution 51/243 on gratis personnel".

In paragraph 26.3, at the end of the second sentence, add ", as well as the views of the host Government".

12. In paragraph 27A.9, first sentence, replace "The Unit ... public sector" with "The Unit will also be responsible for ensuring that the Organization has the best possible managerial policies in place".

In paragraph 27A.10, second sentence, delete "national".

Section 7A. Economic and social affairs

A. Breakdown of resources by subprogramme

(Thousands of United States dollars)

1998-1999 revised estimates | A. Policy-making organs | 3 607.4 | B. Executive direction and management | 3 223.4 | C. Programme of work | Policy coordination and inter-agency support | 9 746.4 | Gender issues and advancement of women | 7 350.2 | Social policy and development | 12 758.3 | Sustainable development | 11 716.0 | Statistics | 23 683.8 | Population | 8 322.2 | Global development trends, issues and policies | 10 139.3 | Public economics and public administration | 10 191.9 | Desertification (1998 only) | 1 580.8 | D. Programme support | 8 108.0 | Subtotal | 110 427.7 | Financial implications | (362.3) | Fifth Committee adjustments | 312.5 | Recosting | (1 115.6) | 1998-1999 initial appropriation | 109 262.3

B. Breakdown of resources by subprogramme and object of expenditure

(Thousands of United States dollars)

Posts | Other staff costs | Non-staff compen-sation | Consul-tants and experts | Travel | Contrac-tual services | General operating expenses | Hospi-tality | Supplies and mate-rials | Furni-ture and equip-ment | Grants and contri-butions | Total | A. Policy-making organs | - | - | 142.0 | - | 3 076.9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 218.9 | B. Executive direction and management | 2 582.9 | - | - | - | 221.6 | - | - | - | - | - | 399.0 | 3 203.5 | C. Programme of work | Policy coordination and inter-agency support | 9 065.8 | 194.7 | - | 117.8 | 179.4 | 21.2 | - | - | - | - | 80.9 | 9 659.8 | Gender issues and advancement of women | 7 133.2 | - | - | 255.8 | 163.0 | 40.1 | - | 3.2 | - | - | - | 7 595.3 | Social policy and development | 11 755.3 | 118.1 | - | 468.7 | 192.0 | 59.2 | - | - | - | - | 55.4 | 12 648.7 | Sustainable development | 10 915.1 | - | - | 469.5 | 191.8 | 42.1 | - | - | - | - | - | 11 618.5 | Statistics | 21 621.6 | 284.0 | - | 385.7 | 153.3 | 385.1 | - | - | - | - | 619.9 | 23 449.6 | Population | 7 980.2 | - | - | 81.6 | 101.3 | 94.1 | - | - | - | - | - | 8 257.2 | Global development trends, issues and policies | 9 617.7 | 33.2 | - | 223.3 | 78.3 | 107.6 | - | - | - | - | - | 10 060.1 | Public economics and public administration | 9 492.8 | - | - | 335.9 | 200.7 | 45.2 | - | - | - | - | - | 10 074.6 | Desertification (1998 only) | 1 206.1 | 4.8 | - | 227.2 | 126.7 | - | 56.1 | 3.1 | 7.8 | 4.3 | - | 1 636.1 | D. Programme support | 4 227.0 | 557.1 | - | - | - | 89.4 | 1 810.9 | 16.8 | 237.8 | 901.0 | - | 7 840.0 | TOTAL | 95 597.7 | 1 191.9 | 142.0 | 2 565.5 | 4 685.0 | 884.0 | 1 867.0 | 23.1 | 245.6 | 905.3 | 1 155.2 | 109 262.3

Questions Relating to the Proposed Programme Budget for the Biennium 1998-1999

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What else is in this group?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

I

II

III.Section 1A. Overall policy-making, direction and coordination

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?