In a meeting of the UN General Assembly's Fifth Committee, David Nabarro, Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, presented the Secretary-General’s report outlining resource requirements for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA).
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, presented an evaluation of the Secretary-General's proposal.
UN Member States reacted to the proposals, with many expressing disappointment.
30 November 2016: Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) expressed disappointment with regards to the UN Secretary-General budget proposal for supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while also voicing concern over the Secretariat’s handling of programme budget assessments for regional commissions.
David Nabarro, Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, presented the Secretary-General’s report on ‘Supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development,’ in a meeting of the Fifth Committee on 30 November 2016. Nabarro said the report outlines resource requirements for the implementation of the two Agendas, including: US$3.48 million for revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); US$5.9 million for realizing mandates of the two Agendas in 2017; and US$12.5 million for strengthening the Development Account and the regular programme of technical cooperation.
The Secretary-General’s proposal includes US$5.9 million for realizing mandates of the two Agendas in 2017.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), presented ACABQ’s report that evaluates the Secretary-General’s proposal. ACABQ recommended Member States’ approval of several proposed resources: US$3,485,300 for revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted in the ECOSOC; US$6,142,600 in relation to the 2016 expenditures of the commitment authority approved by the UNGA in resolution ‘Special subjects relating to the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017,’ adopted on 23 December 2015; US$5,745,700 for realizing mandates of the two Agendas in 2017; and approval of the proposed establishment of 15 temporary posts (four P-5 posts, six P-4 posts, four P-3 posts and one General Service post), effective from 1 January 2017, under the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
However, ACABQ said the Secretary-General did not provide sufficient information on how proposed enhanced resources for the Development Account and the regular programme for technical cooperation would be used. Therefore, ACABQ would not recommend an approval of the US$12.5 million.
Following the presentation of Secretary-General’s report, many delegations expressed disappointment. Thailand, for the Group of 77 and China (G-77/ China), said it had expected a more thorough budget proposal. The Dominican Republic, for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and Singapore, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the Secretary-General’s report had not provided sufficient details on how regional commissions would deliver their development mandates. CELAC, China, Brazil, and Bangladesh expressed concern that the Secretary-General’s report did not consider specific proposals to strengthen UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s capacity. Chad, for the African Group, requested clarification on how the Secretariat would strengthen the UN Statistical Commission in order to bolster the capacity of national statistical offices to ensure access to reliable and disaggregated data to implement development mandates.
Switzerland, also for Liechtenstein, said the report demonstrated that old structures and concepts are still in place, leaving little evidence that the Secretary-General has established new mechanisms allowing the Secretariat to work more cohesively. She called on Member States to provide the support needed to ensure that follow-up and review mechanisms work properly, and highlighted the UN independent, system-wide evaluation mechanism as “an important instrument” to be strengthened.
The EU said neither the Development Account nor the regular programme for technical cooperation are effective mechanisms to strengthen UN support for implementation of the two Agendas, as they would divert needed funds from other, more effective delivery mechanisms. The EU noted that the 2016 Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), being currently negotiated by the UNGA’s Second Committee, will help set the tone and make specific requests on reform. He added that the EU wants the system to act upon requests that Member States have already made. The US observed that, while there has been some attempt to reorient how the UN supports development, there is still no attempt to reform the Secretariat to deliver more effectively on the SDGs, nor to orient existing activities to address the SDGs comprehensively. The US added that the report “again requests resources with no clear mandate.”
The Republic of Korea noted that, while the UN should play a role in assisting developing countries with capacity-building, the Secretary-General’s proposal does not provide sufficient information on selection criteria, resource disbursement, oversight mechanisms, or possible duplications among UN funds and activities. [Meeting Summary] [Report of the Secretary-General (A/71/534)] [Report of the ACABQ (A/71/632)]