By Mie Hansen
28 June 2012
On 1 June 2012, the Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG) on Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly met for the fourth and final thematic meeting, dedicated to a discussion of “ Enhancing the functions of the Office of the President of the General Assembly including Strengthening its institutional memory and its relationship with the Secretariat”. This report provides a summary of the meeting.
At the meeting, Member States heard two briefings, the first one by the Chef de Cabinet of the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ambassador Mutlaq Al-Qatani. The Chef de Cabinet stressed how the agenda of the GA has evolved and grown enormously over the years, and how important it is to provide the Office with adequate financial and human resources in order for the Office to carry out its mandated activities in an effective manner. The Chef de Cabinet stressed the need for adequate time being made available for the transition between presidencies in order to provide the opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned, and also said that it was worth considering using the expertise of a “Troika” of past, present and future PGAs to contribute to maintaining the institutional memory of the Office. Further, Ambassador Al-Qatani said that proper documentation and archiving of the records of the Office was essential, and he listed a number of measures undertaken by the Office during the 66th GA session, including maintaining proper electronic archiving and record-keeping. The Chef de Cabinet also recommended keeping some of the core advisors from one session to the next in order to ensure continuity of functional expertise. Further, Ambassador Al-Qatani stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the PGA and the heads of other UN organs as well as building stronger partnerships with civil society organizations, NGOs and the private sector – and he pointed out measures undertaken during the current Presidency, including appointing a Special Coordinator for Civil Society. The Chef de Cabinet also said that the effective coordination with the Secretary-General and the departments of the Secretariat was instrumental in the successful performance of the Office. Concerning the budget allocated to the Office, the Chef de Cabinet noted that while the UN’s overall budget had grown in every other area, the level of resources allocated to the Office of the PGA had remained unchanged since it was last approved by the GA for budget 1998-1999, in spite of the exponential increase in the activities of the Office. Ambassador Al-Qatani pointed out that this meant that it was necessary for the country of origin of the PGA to bear significant costs in order finance the activities of the Office, and he stressed that this situation exposed the financial vulnerability of the Office, and created the risk of inequality among Member States when considering candidatures for the post of PGA. Moreover, the Trust Fund established in support of the Office had not received any funds during the 66th GA session and the Chef de Cabinet therefore called upon Member States to consider contributing generously to the work of the Office of the PGA in coming sessions, either through the Trust Fund, secondments, or voluntary contributions. The Ambassador Al-Qatani also said that he found it reassuring to note that the GA in its resolution 66/246 on the proposed budget for 2012-2013 had requested the Secretary-General to submit in the context of the next budget, proposals to review the resource allocation to the Office of the PGA and the Chef de Cabinet expressed hope that the GA would take adequate measures to improve the financial situation of the Office in the coming budget.
Following, Executive Officer Ms. M.A. Chiulli of the DGACM delivered a briefing, accounting for the resources allocated to the Office of the PGA. Ms. Chiulli confirmed that the budget of the Office had not changed since 1998-1999 it had only been adjusted to inflation. In regard to the Trust Fund, established in 2010 to encourage Member States to fund the Office of the PGA, Ms. Chiulli said that the funds received from Member States were always earmarked and always all given for one session and spend in that session, with no overlap between the sessions.
After the two briefings, Member States delivered their statements on the issue. Algeria, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) stressed its support for strengthening the institutional memory of the Office of the PGA as well as for the allocation of sufficient human and financial resources from the regular budget of the UN to the Office. The NAM underlined that the role and activities of the PGA have evolved considerably over the years and as a consequence expenses have also increased. The NAM noted that the while the budget of the UN as a whole has more than tripled in since 1998, the budget of the Office of the PGA has remained unchanged, resulting in having the country of origin of the PGA bear great part of the expenses of the Office. This puts an extra burden on many countries with limited resources, and hereby creating the risk of inequality of Member States when considering candidatures for the post of PGA, the NAM stressed. Continuing, the NAM said that the report submitted by the PGA on the issue, during the 64th GA session remained valid and relevant, identifying ways and means to enhance functions of the Office of the PGA and strengthening its institutional memory, including through increasing its budget. The NAM also stressed that the staff of the Office should reflect diversity and geographical balance. In addition, the NAM attached great importance to ensuring successful transition between PGAs and requested that the outgoing Presidents brief their successors on the lessons learned and best practices.
A range of Member States aligned themselves with the statement made by Algeria on behalf of the NAM, including
India, Malaysia, Egypt, Belarus and South Africa. India called for augmenting the resources allocated to the Office of the PGA in order to ensure the efficient and successful functioning of the Office. India also stressed the need to find ways and means to institutionalize the existing Trust Fund established to address the issue of the increasing financial burden associated with the enhanced activities and travel of the PGA. Further, India stressed the need to ensure that the geographical balance of the GA membership is reflected in the composition of the Cabinet of the PGA. Malaysia said that the role and activities of the PGA have evolved significantly over the years and that therefore so should the resources allocated to the Office. Malaysia expressed concern over the lack of implementation of relevant provisions in resolution 64/301 and 65/315, asking the Secretary-General to submit proposals for the funding and staffing for the Office of the PGA. Malaysia welcomed the current practice of electing the next PGA at least three months before he or she takes office, in order for the President –elect to be more familiarized with the role and functions of the position. Malaysia welcomed the decision to allocate dedicated staff within the Secretariat with the responsibility of coordinating the transitions between the incoming and outgoing PGA as well as managing interactions between the PGA and the Secretary-General. Briefings by the outgoing President on lessons learned and best practices to the President-elect would also help enhance the institutional memory of the Office, Malaysia said. Belarus supported further measures to strengthen the Office of the PGA and establishing a balance between the major organs of the UN. Belarus also expressed support for the PGA Handbook published last year by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland in cooperation with the PGA of the 65th GA session H.E. Mr. Joseph Deiss. In addition Belarus said that the webpage of the PGA could be improved and that care should be taken that comments by the PGA posted there were balanced and represented all Member States.
The European Union stressed it was essential to enhance the institutional memory of the Office of the PGA. The EU also said that it was important to ensure a smooth transition between PGAs and supported the outgoing PGA briefing the incoming PGA on the lessons learnt and best practices. The EU welcomed measures already adopted in this regard and declared itself ready for the further consideration of the issue. The EU also stressed that there is a need for a good relationship between the principal organs of the UN including between the PGA Office and the Secretariat. The EU expressed support the PGA Handbook published by the PGA of the 65th GA session H.E. Joseph Deiss and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland. Finally, the EU stressed the need to improve the current balloting system.
The United States said that it supported the work of the PGA to find pragmatic solutions to improve for example the briefing of incoming Presidents. The US supported setting deadlines for working groups and reducing GA agenda items as well as rationalizing the meeting schedule of the GA. There should be transparent, regular meetings between the GA and the Security Council, the US said, as well as meetings between the Heads of the various UN organs at the beginning of each session.
The Russian Federation stressed that any issue with financial implications should be discussed in the 5th Committee.
The Republic of Korea stressed the need for a smooth transfer between PGAs and for the outgoing PGA informing the incoming PGA on lessons learned etc. The Republic of Korea also said that strengthening the human resources of the Office of the PGA was crucial and stressed that the Office should focus on recruiting competent staff.
Japan noted that in recent years the activities of the PGA have increased markedly. In this regard, Japan paid tribute to H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, current PGA for his efforts to enable the GA to fulfill its role in addressing current global issues in a timely manner. Japan supported reinforcing the institutional memory of the Office of the PGA in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Japan suggested recording and compiling good practices observed and lessons learned in the efforts undertaken by current and past PGA. In this context, the issuance of the PGA handbook by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland in cooperation with H.E. Mr. Joseph Deiss, PGA of the 65th GA session, was a welcome initiative, Japan said. Finally, Japan stressed that the efforts to revitalize the work of the GA should be pursued in a practical manner, building upon mutual trust and confidence among the Member States as well as the UN organs.
