Statement by H.E. Mr. KIMURA Tetsuya, Ambassador of Japan to the United Nations, On Agenda item 143: Improving the financial situation of the United Nations, at the Main Part of the 75th Session of the Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly

Mr. Chair,

At the outset, I would like to thank 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.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
It is the responsibility of each Member State to pay its assessment in full and in a timely manner. For its part, Japan has already fulfilled its obligation and paid all assessed contributions as of today in spite of the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and the domestic financial situation. Japan's determination to play an active role in contributing to the implementation of UN mandates remains unchanged.
 
 At the same time, the resources of the Member States, which are the taxpayers’ money, are not unlimited. In this regard, we are concerned that the programme budget in its entirety has expanded over the years. My delegation would like to stress that when resource requirements are elaborated, it is important to set realistic levels of resources that are both necessary and sufficient for the delivery of given mandates and that the total budget needs to be accommodated within limited resources.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
It is a concern that the liquidity situation of the regular budget is continuously deteriorating. Cash is an indispensable tool to achieve the goal, namely, the implementation of mandates. Achieving the goal should not be hampered by the tool. We will examine carefully the impact of the liquidity situation in the implementation of mandates during the course of the budget assessment.
 
 My delegation would also like to reiterate its request that the Secretariat continue to make efforts to utilize the approved budget in the most efficient, effective and accountable manner and, to that end, remains committed to engaging constructively in deliberations at this Committee.
 
Thank you.