Statement by Mr. Wataru Otsuka, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, On Agenda item 138: Improving the financial situation of the United Nations, Main Part of the Seventy-Third Session of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly

Madame Chair,
 
         At the outset, I would like to thank Ms. Jan Beagle, Under-Secretary-General for Management, for providing last week a comprehensive overview of the financial situation of the United Nations, as well as today’s information.
 
Madame Chair,
 
         This Organization would not function without assessed contributions from the Member States, and it is the responsibility of all Member States to pay their assessments in full and on time. For its part, Japan has faithfully fulfilled its obligation and paid all its assessments to date in full in spite of our many domestic priorities.
 
         In this connection, we would like to invite Member States which have not done so to pay their assessments as soon as possible.
 
The financial situation of the United Nations can and should also be improved through efforts by the Secretariat. Japan would like to call upon the Secretariat to seek further efficiencies and take appropriate cost-saving measures, including the judicious use of travel resources.
 
Madame Chair,
 
         Going forward, my delegation would like to stress that when a resource requirement is elaborated by the Secretariat, and the General Assembly deliberates on a resource requirement, our common objective is to determine a realistic level of resources that are both necessary and sufficient for the implementation of given mandates. Hence, the most important role of this Committee is to scrutinize potential additional requirements of the current budget by strictly adhering to budgetary discipline in the course of deliberations.
 
         My delegation would also like to reiterate its request that the budget approved as necessary for the Secretariat to implement its given mandates continue to be utilized in the most efficient, effective and accountable manner.
 
I thank you, Madame Chair.