Statement by Ms. ABO Ai, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, Agenda item 136: Improving the financial situation of the United Nations Main Part of the 78th Session of the Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly

Mr. Chair,
 
At the outset, I extend my gratitude to Ms. Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, for providing a comprehensive overview of the financial situation of the United Nations, and Mr. Chandramouli Ramanathan, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, for his briefing on the management of the liquidity situation.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
Ensuring the proper functioning of the Organization by paying assessed contributions in full and in a timely manner is the shared responsibility of all Member States. Japan, as a committed Member State and the third-largest contributor, has consistently and faithfully fulfilled its financial obligations to the United Nations. Furthermore, we are pleased to share that this summer in response to the Secretary-General's call to address the liquidity situation in peacekeeping, Japan took swift action to support UN operations. We accelerated our peacekeeping payments by disbursing 380 million USD in August when the cash balance was extremely unstable. This amount includes an additional advance payment of 144 million USD for the non-mandated period, aimed at bolstering liquidity relief.
Japan's determination to actively contribute to the implementation of the UN's mandates is unwavering.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the shared responsibility of both Member States and the Secretariat to continuously strive for the effective and efficient utilization of our finite resources. This effort is essential to maintain a high level of accountability to our taxpayers and to meet the needs of those we serve.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
In this Committee’s deliberations, Japan will continue to call for budgetary discipline, which is indispensable for the UN to operate and deliver on its mandates accountably. My delegation is committed to having constructive discussions based on this principle.
 
I thank you.