Mr. Chair,

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the Organization of work for the first part of the resumed 76th session of the Fifth Committee.

Allow me to start by expressing appreciation for the stewardship of our group by Guinea throughout 2021 that has been a challenging year for all of us.

I would like to express our Group’s appreciation and support to the commendable efforts made by the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee and the Bureau in facilitating the work of this Committee and presenting a balanced programme of work for this session.

The Group would also like to recognize the efforts made by the Chair and members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in providing the requisite technical advice to the Committee on important matters under discussion during the first resumed session this month.

Mr. Chair,

The Group acknowledges the recent efforts that have been made by the Secretariat to issue reports in a timely manner but maintains that there is room for improvement. The Group underscores the importance of receiving documents well in advance to dedicate sufficient time and attention for deliberating upon these important subjects that are critical to the fifth committee.

On the issue of Human Resources Management, the Group wishes to remind the Committee that a resolution is in urgent need to steer the Secretariat in its HRM functioning, and the Group stands ready to make greater efforts at this Session to reach consensus with all partners, addressing all essential issues, such as equitable geographical representation, filling up vacant posts and addressing deficiencies in the staff selection process, gender parity, and refining performance management.

Mr. Chair,

While recognizing the need to improve the financial situation of the Organization, the Group stresses that any administrative alternative for the management of resources will be pointless if the current pattern of payments continue as present. We insist that the main approach to remedy this situation is to urge all Member States of the UN to pay their assessed contributions in full, on time, and without conditions, in particular those Member States of the UN who, for political reasons, consistently and deliberately withhold payments.

Accountability is central to the viability and efficiency of any organization, including the United Nations. Our Group places special emphasis on this aspect, as it is the means by which we are able to determine whether decisions that we make at the General Assembly are respected and fully implemented. In this regard, the Group will engage constructively in the review of the accountability system, paying particular attention to how reforms should contribute to the enhancement of the accountability mechanism.

Mr. Chair,

On behalf of our Group, I assure you of our active participation in the Committee’s deliberations on all agenda items, including supply chain activities, management of after service health insurance, construction and property management, improving the financial situation of the UN and report of the Joint Inspection Unit, among others.
Our Group would also like to engage constructively with our partners during deliberations address some of the issues that have remained unresolved for a few years to reach consensus. We hope that this spirit would prevail amongst all stakeholders and lead us to a successful conclusion of this session.

I thank you.