第76回国連総会第5委員会主要会期における議題140「国連財政状況の改善」に関する安保書記官ステートメント

   
Mr. Chair,
 
At the outset, I would like to thank Ms. Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, for providing last week a comprehensive overview of the financial situation of the United Nations, and Mr. Chandramouli Ramanathan, Assistant Secretary-General, Controller, for his briefing on October 11th regarding the management of the liquidity situation.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
It is the responsibility of each Member State to pay its assessment in full and in a timely manner. For our part, Japan has been faithfully fulfilling its obligation even under the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and the severe domestic financial situation, and we will continue to do so. Japan's determination to actively contribute to the implementation of the UN's mandates remains unchanged.
 
We are pleased to hear that the liquidity of the Regular Budget has been improving compared with the last few years, thanks to the increased collection of contributions and the Secretariat's continuous efforts to better manage liquidity. We welcome Member States who have made efforts to shift away from the trend of delayed payment and encourage them to continue their efforts to bring back a complete normalcy.
 
We also welcome the relaxation of hiring restrictions as a result of the improved liquidity situation. In this regard, my delegation requests the Secretary-General to update Member States frequently on the overall recruitment progress, which is of high interest for Member States.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
My delegation would like to stress the importance of setting realistic resource levels that are both necessary and sufficient for the delivery of the given mandates. At the same time, we reiterate that the resources of Member States are not unlimited. It is the shared responsibility of Member States and the Secretariat to constantly seek to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in the use of resources so that we can maintain a high level of accountability to our taxpayers.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
Japan remains concerned by the liquidity challenges in, inter alia, the regular budget, which prevent the Secretary-General from fully implementing the mandates given by Member States. Japan is ready to discuss a way to address this matter openly and constructively.
 
In our deliberations, we will continue to call for budgetary discipline, as it is indispensable for the UN to operate and deliver its mandate with accountability. My delegation is committed to having constructive discussions based on this principle.
 
Thank you.